The public versions of the preliminary School Report Cards will be released Monday, October 22. The report cards will be available at approximately 8:00 a.m. through a link on the Accountability Reform page at http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/acct/
We desired to have a more timely assessment of our school’s current performance level and determine whether or not the initiatives we began to put in place in the 2011-2012 school year have had a positive impact. In order to do this we used the formulas used to create the state report cards and substituted current Fall 2012 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) data in place of WKCE data. By using the MAP data and MAP/WKCE linking study reports we are able to create a projected report card for the 2012-2013 school year.
I am pleased to announce that while we have several areas are still in need of improvement. We are making marked progress and we should move from the meets expectations category in 2011-2012 to the Exceeds Expectations category in 2012-2013.
How are we addressing the new changes to the state assessment?
Since the start of last school year we began communicating with parents regarding the change in the state WKCE test cut scores, and the impact that it would have regarding the number of students that are considered proficient and advanced. In preparation for the new standard, we raised the cut for students identified as in need of additional academic support from the recommended 25th percentile to the 45th percentile. This meant that we began providing additional school intensive instruction in reading and math to many more students, and we worked to get a greater number of students into our summer school program. This past summer we experienced a summer school enrollment of approximately 45% of our student body.
After the release of the NAEP cuts we realized that we needed to raise cut scores for academic interventions even higher. We have since pushed them to approximately the 55th percentile range for mathematics and the 65th percentile range for reading. You may have noticed that your student in the past was not recommended for academic interventions, but now they are. This is not necessarily a reflection of deteriorating skills, but more likely a reflection of the significant change in what is considered a proficient skill level.
How are we working to improve overall student achievement?
Since the fall of 2011 we have implemented the following:
• New rigorous math curriculum at the middle school and primary grade levels that has resulted in excellent student growth
• Two excellent literacy programs designed to address individual student needs and maximize growth for all students.
• K-8 Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics program
• After school tutoring and homework help programs
• K-8 World language program
• Academic intervention programs for students projected to be below the new proficiency cuts
• New science and social studies curriculums designed to be integrated with English and math
• Continued staff development related best instructional practices
• New focus on student growth and proper use of MAP data to guide instruction
We are excited about the work we have done to this point and we have seen excellent initial results reflected on our local assessments, but we are still in the early stages of our initiatives. We don't expect to see significant changes to show on the state school report card for another 1-2 years. One has to keep in mind that the report card that is being released at 8:00 A.M. on October 22nd, 2012 was student performance from the fall of 2011 WKCE, which really reflects student learning from the 2010-2011 academic year.
Because the report card data is antiquated, our primary use of the report card will be to identify how we were doing two years ago and identify trend data as we move forward. However, our primary data focus is on assessment tools that give us immediate, accurate results so that we can make instructional decisions in real-time rather than a year later.
What are the local assessment tools that you use?
Listed below the primary assessment tools we use:
• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a test that is taken three times a year and gives immediate results. The MAP assessment identifies a student’s instructional level or Zone of Proximal Development and provides us a benchmark.
• AIMS WEB is also administered three times a year as a benchmark test to all students, and we also use it for short targeted assessments (1-2 minute probes) every week for students receiving additional academic support. This allows us to track student progress on a weekly basis and make adjustments as necessary.
• STAR Reading and Math assessments as bench mark tests at least three times a year.
By using the data from all three assessment we can get an accurate “real-time” picture as to how are students are performing, what their needs are, and if we are making progress toward meeting their academic goals. These data points are valuable to us because they are immediate, accurate, and help us make informed instructional decisions. As such, they essentially render the WKCE as practically useless. That being said, because the WKCE is the primary focus of the public eye, we recognize that we cannot rush through it to just get it done and out of the way. In the future we will spread out the test sessions, and take steps to assure that the students give their best effort on the test, so that the results are an accurate reflection of our student’s achievement level. Even though the data may not be very timely or relevant, it is still in the public eye and we want it the results to reflect the good work your students are doing in our school.
As we move forward our focus will still remain on providing students with access and opportunity to rigorous relevant experiences that will prepare them for the 21st century. We are confident that by doing so our students will experience increased student achievement. In addition, in two years when the new state assessments are finalized, we know that our students will be well prepared to demonstrate the higher level problem solving, technology, and application skills that they will have gained.
We desired to have a more timely assessment of our school’s current performance level and determine whether or not the initiatives we began to put in place in the 2011-2012 school year have had a positive impact. In order to do this we used the formulas used to create the state report cards and substituted current Fall 2012 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) data in place of WKCE data. By using the MAP data and MAP/WKCE linking study reports we are able to create a projected report card for the 2012-2013 school year.
I am pleased to announce that while we have several areas are still in need of improvement. We are making marked progress and we should move from the meets expectations category in 2011-2012 to the Exceeds Expectations category in 2012-2013.
How are we addressing the new changes to the state assessment?
Since the start of last school year we began communicating with parents regarding the change in the state WKCE test cut scores, and the impact that it would have regarding the number of students that are considered proficient and advanced. In preparation for the new standard, we raised the cut for students identified as in need of additional academic support from the recommended 25th percentile to the 45th percentile. This meant that we began providing additional school intensive instruction in reading and math to many more students, and we worked to get a greater number of students into our summer school program. This past summer we experienced a summer school enrollment of approximately 45% of our student body.
After the release of the NAEP cuts we realized that we needed to raise cut scores for academic interventions even higher. We have since pushed them to approximately the 55th percentile range for mathematics and the 65th percentile range for reading. You may have noticed that your student in the past was not recommended for academic interventions, but now they are. This is not necessarily a reflection of deteriorating skills, but more likely a reflection of the significant change in what is considered a proficient skill level.
How are we working to improve overall student achievement?
Since the fall of 2011 we have implemented the following:
• New rigorous math curriculum at the middle school and primary grade levels that has resulted in excellent student growth
• Two excellent literacy programs designed to address individual student needs and maximize growth for all students.
• K-8 Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics program
• After school tutoring and homework help programs
• K-8 World language program
• Academic intervention programs for students projected to be below the new proficiency cuts
• New science and social studies curriculums designed to be integrated with English and math
• Continued staff development related best instructional practices
• New focus on student growth and proper use of MAP data to guide instruction
We are excited about the work we have done to this point and we have seen excellent initial results reflected on our local assessments, but we are still in the early stages of our initiatives. We don't expect to see significant changes to show on the state school report card for another 1-2 years. One has to keep in mind that the report card that is being released at 8:00 A.M. on October 22nd, 2012 was student performance from the fall of 2011 WKCE, which really reflects student learning from the 2010-2011 academic year.
Because the report card data is antiquated, our primary use of the report card will be to identify how we were doing two years ago and identify trend data as we move forward. However, our primary data focus is on assessment tools that give us immediate, accurate results so that we can make instructional decisions in real-time rather than a year later.
What are the local assessment tools that you use?
Listed below the primary assessment tools we use:
• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a test that is taken three times a year and gives immediate results. The MAP assessment identifies a student’s instructional level or Zone of Proximal Development and provides us a benchmark.
• AIMS WEB is also administered three times a year as a benchmark test to all students, and we also use it for short targeted assessments (1-2 minute probes) every week for students receiving additional academic support. This allows us to track student progress on a weekly basis and make adjustments as necessary.
• STAR Reading and Math assessments as bench mark tests at least three times a year.
By using the data from all three assessment we can get an accurate “real-time” picture as to how are students are performing, what their needs are, and if we are making progress toward meeting their academic goals. These data points are valuable to us because they are immediate, accurate, and help us make informed instructional decisions. As such, they essentially render the WKCE as practically useless. That being said, because the WKCE is the primary focus of the public eye, we recognize that we cannot rush through it to just get it done and out of the way. In the future we will spread out the test sessions, and take steps to assure that the students give their best effort on the test, so that the results are an accurate reflection of our student’s achievement level. Even though the data may not be very timely or relevant, it is still in the public eye and we want it the results to reflect the good work your students are doing in our school.
As we move forward our focus will still remain on providing students with access and opportunity to rigorous relevant experiences that will prepare them for the 21st century. We are confident that by doing so our students will experience increased student achievement. In addition, in two years when the new state assessments are finalized, we know that our students will be well prepared to demonstrate the higher level problem solving, technology, and application skills that they will have gained.
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