Documenting+and+Using+Results

Documenting and Using Results Documenting and Using Results Assessments are administered throughout the school year to assess student achievement, mastery and performance. The results provide a wealth of information. Not only do we locate strengths but also weaknesses. We focus on those weakest areas. At the beginning of the school year, we give the Baseline Group Assessment in Reading, DIBELS Benchmark Assessment, and STAR Reading/STAR Early Literacy to determine placement of students. We also review results of SAT 10 and ARMT and use that information to drive our instruction. Through progress monitoring, unit tests, District Common Assessments and quarterly Criterion Reference Tests (CRT) we are able to track mastery and growth. In regularly scheduled data meetings, assessments are analyzed for indications that students are not meeting grade level standards. Teachers use this information to develop and implement interventions to improve student performance. The School Leadership Team also uses this data to evaluate progress and to develop the goals of the School Action for Excellence Plan (SAE). Students who consistently do not perform on grade level are referred to the Building Based Student Support Team (BBSST). The team reviews the student’s academic and/or behavioral information and develops an intervention plan to target the student’s specific needs. Assessment results are reported to parents and students weekly through STI Home Link. Parents are able to view their child’s current grades, updates to the school calendar, and general information. Progress reports are sent home regularly. Individual conferences with student, parent, and teacher also provide information. These conferences are held at least twice a year, more often if needed. Each teacher is responsible for maintaining a data binder with current assessment information. This includes DIBELS, CRTs, and STAR results, strategies for struggling students, and targeted student intervention plans. Teachers can access TestTrax, which stores all relevant assessment data for DIBELS, SAT 10/ARMT, and CRTs online. Schoolwide assessment data is distributed to all faculty members in a timely manner. This data is presented in a faculty meeting, data meeting, common planning time, or in an in-service. Teachers use this information to further drive their instruction. A Mobile County Public School Elementary Balanced Scoreboard is prominently displayed in the main entrance to the school. This Scoreboard identifies academic goals, student achievement, and performance areas (AYP, ARMT, CRTs). It also includes each grade level’s targeted and baseline scores. After data is collected it is analyzed and disaggregated to reflect student performance by gender, grade, ethnicity, disability status and socioeconomic status. The data determines strengths and weaknesses of the overall school program and is used to develop the comprehensive SAE Plan to improve school effectiveness. Quarterly reviews by the School Leadership Team evaluate progress in meeting the plan’s goals and targeted areas of concern. Pinpointed weaknesses from data are addressed through training in workshops, faculty meetings, peer training and data meetings. Teachers receive training to understand and use data through professional development. This training includes Alabama Reading Initiative Turn Around Training, Alabama Math Science Technology Initiative Training, and other state, district, and local initiatives. This professional development trains teachers to understand, interpret, and utilize data effectively in classrooms. Teachers are trained to:
 * 1. How is the assessment system currently used in your school to analyze changes in student performance? **
 * 2. What are you doing to ensure that assessment results are timely, relevant, and communicated in a way that can be used by teachers, students, parents, and external stakeholders to aid the performance of individual students? **
 * 3. How are data used to understand and improve overall school effectiveness?  **
 * 4. How are teachers trained to understand and use data in the classroom? **
 * Identify strengths and weaknesses
 * Build on strengths
 * Address weakness through tier 2 and/or tier 3 teaching and tutoring.