Department of Elementary and Secondary Education July, 2011

MA new Educator Evaluation Framework#2MCAS Growth Scores as a starting point for self-assessment and goal setting Department of Elementary and Secondary Education July, 2011

Intended Outcomes Participants will: • Understand what MCAS Growth Scores are and what they can tell us about student learning gains. • Learn how one district has used MCAS Growth Scores to assess practice and develop goals. • Have a starting point for planning how to use MCAS Growth Scores in ways that will support effective self-assessment and goal setting. • Have a basis to give ESE useful, informed feedback to guide our efforts to support districts to make effective use of self-assessment and goal setting in their evaluation systems.

Agenda Context for MCAS within the new framework MCAS Growth Scores: a primer MCAS Growth Scores: a case study MCAS Growth Scores: tool for self-assessment MCAS Growth Scores: tool for goal-setting Goal Setting Next Steps

Context for MCAS within the Framework • “MCAS Growth” = “Student Growth Percentile Scores” • We’ve had MCAS Growth Scores since 2008 • All 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th grade students who have taken MCAS in the prior grade • ELA Score separate from Math Score

A 5-Step Evaluation Cycle 35.06

Self-assessment35.06(2) • Individual and/or Group • Based on: • Professional standards & indicators • District & school priorities • An analysis of multiple measures of learning and growth of my/our students in the past • An analysis of the students I/we have now

Goal Setting35.06(3)(a-c) • Educator and Evaluator must consider team, grade, or department goals • Educator proposes; supervisor determines • At least: • One goal for professional practice • One goal for student learning, growth and achievement

Measures of student progress on classroom assessments that are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, Vocational-Technical Curriculum Frameworks, or other relevant frameworks and are comparable within grades or subjects in a school; Measures of student progress on learning goals set between the educator and evaluator for the school year; State-wide growth measure(s) where available, including the MCAS Student Growth Percentile and the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA); and District-determined measure(s) of student learning comparable across grade or subject district-wide. “Multiple Measures of Student Learning”35.07(1)(a)(1-4)

Rating Impact on Student Learning35.09 Only a subset of “multiple measures” count in rating impact: MCAS Growth and MEPA gains, when available “District-determined measures” Examine “trends” and “patterns” Assign a rating: High impact Moderate impact (“one year’s growth”) Low impact

Linking Impact on Learning and Practice

Agenda • Context for MCAS within the new framework • MCAS Growth Scores: a primer • MCAS Growth Scores: a case study • MCAS Growth Scores: tool for self-assessment • MCAS Growth Scores: tool for goal-setting • Goal Setting • Next Steps

MCAS Growth to Grade 7: Three Students Gina Advanced SGP 80 to 99 65% Proficient 60 to 79 40 to 59  230 20 to 39 Needs Improvement 35% 1 to 19 SGPs between 40 to 59 are typical Warning/Failing 2006 2007 2008 source: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/

Growth to Grade 7: Three Students Harry Advanced 75%  244 Proficient 25% Needs Improvement Warning/Failing 2006 2007 2008 source: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/

Growth to Grade 7: Three Students Ivy Advanced Proficient 8%  226 Needs Improvement 92% Warning/Failing 2006 2007 2008

Growth to Grade 7: Three Students Gina, Harry, and Ivy Advanced Harry Proficient Gina Needs Improvement Ivy Warning/Failing 2006 2007 2008 source: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/

Growth to Grade 7: Three Students English language arts Grade 5 2006 Grade 6 2007 Grade 7 2008 SGP 2008 Gina 230 230 230 35 Harry 248 248 244 25 Ivy 214 214 226 92 source: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/

Median Student Growth Percentile Median SGP for the 6th grade class Imagine that the list of students to the left are all the students in your 6th grade class. Note that they are sorted from lowest to highest SGP. The point where 50% of students have a higher SGP and 50% have a lower SGP is the median. source: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/

Challenging a Level 4 School Median Student Growth Percentile English Language Arts 2008 2009 2010 Murkland 26.5 22.5 22.0 Lincoln 55.0 66.5 68.0 Sokolovsky 67.0 71.0 74.0 source: www.doe.mass.edu/sda/dart

A 5-Step Evaluation Cycle

Lowell Public Schools 22

Other measures that can help Stoklosa staff assess impact on student learning and growth • Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • District math benchmark assessments • District-adopted curriculum-embedded performance assessment

A 5-Step Evaluation Cycle

Attributes of a Useful Goal Specific and Strategic Measurable and Monitored Action oriented and Agreed upon Realistic and Results oriented Timed and Tracked - Dr. Edward W. Costa II, Lenox Public Schools

Goal Setting35.06(3)(a,c) • Educator and Evaluator must consider team, grade, or department goals • At least: • One goal for professional practice • One goal for student learning, growth and achievement

SMART GoalsMiddle School Principal • Professional practice goal:I will complete 100% of goal setting conferences with my teaching teams by October 15th; seek anonymous feedback about staff perceptions of their usefulness; study effective goal setting with my colleagues; and identify steps to take in our mid-year formative assessment conferences with each team to improve the likelihood that their practice and student growth goals will be achieved. • Student learning goal:The proportion of students with “high” or “very high” SGP will increase by 5% points in both ELA and Math.

SMART Goals8th Grade Social Studies Teacher • Professional practice goal:To improve expository writing, middle school social studies teachers will study the “workshop process” for writing, observe it in practice, and introduce it in at least two of my classes by the start of second term. • Student learning goal:At the end of the third quarter unit on the constitution, students will demonstrate proficiency by writing a pamphlet for new citizens about their constitutional rights. Using a department-developed rubric, a majority of my students will have moved one level on the writing component of the rubric since the end of the first term.

SMART GoalsMiddle School Music Teacher • Professional Practice goal: I will collaborate with my colleagues in the music department to develop, pilot, analyze, revise and share 2 performance-based assessments. • Student Learning goal: My students will be able to identify and apply music terms, symbols and definitions in the curriculum guide for 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Using a department-developed assessment, 75% of my students will score 85% or above on the third quarter assessment.

SMART Goals10th Grade Geometry Teacher • Professional practice goal:To engage students more, starting second term, we will incorporate at least one real-world application of geometry into 2 of every 5 homework assignments. • Student learning goal:10% more of our students will score 80% or above on the district-developed third quarter exam.

Professional Practice goal: I/We will… Student Learning goal: My/Our students will… SMART goalsStoklosa’s 7th grade team

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education July, 2011