Using the WV Growth Model to Measure Student Achievement

1. Using the WV Growth Model to Measure Student Achievement Nate Hixson Assistant Director, Office of Research

2. WV Growth Model • Background • Partnership with NCIEA • Status vs. growth • Key questions addressed by the model • Limitations • Using school growth data Introductory paper available at: http://tinyurl.com/WVgrowthmodel

3. Background • Why do we even care about student growth? • Federal landscape • Answering new questions about student performance • Research and evaluation • Making testing information more accessible and useful

4. Overview of Partnership with NCIEA • National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA) • Mission is to help increase student achievement through improving assessment and accountability. • Works with states to refine policy and practice around assessment. • Who is Dr. Damian Betebenner? • Senior Associate at NCIEA • Architect of the Colorado Growth Model • Methodological consultant for WV Growth Model

5. Features of the WV Model • Status vs. growth • Key questions addressed by model • Limitations • Uses of data

6. Status vs. Growth • Status: A snapshot of student performance on a single day. Answers the question: “Is the student proficient?” • Growth: A longitudinal view of student performance over time. Answers the questions: “How much did the student gain when compared with her/his academic peers?” and “Is it sufficientfor her/him to reach or maintain proficiency?”

7. Status and Growth A Balanced Approach

8. Two Key Questions Addressed by the Model • What level of academic growth do individual students in WV exhibit? (Normative Component) • Is the amount of individual growth exhibited, adequate for a student to achieve or maintain mastery of the state’s CSOs within a reasonable period of time? (Criterion Component)

9. How Much Growth? • Question 1. . . • What level of academic growth do individual students in WV exhibit? Step 1 – Build cohorts of students with similar academic histories. • Look at all prior test data • No demographic data are used

10. How Much Growth? Step 2 – calculate SGPs for students in each cohort • Tells us about the likelihood of a student’s growth given the performance of other members of her/his cohort • Outputs a percentile rank for each student in each content area (i.e., RLA/Math) • The growth of a group of students (e.g., school, subgroup, etc.) can be summarized using the median SGP

11. Is it Enough? • Question 2 . . . • Is the amount of individual growth exhibited adequate for a student to achieve or maintain mastery of the state’s CSOs within a reasonable period of time? Step 1 – Apply the SGP forward • If growth is sustained at its current level what will be the outcome for the student? • What level of growth is necessary to reach proficiency or beyond? – What’s the target?

12. Is it Enough?

13. Limitations of the Model • Not a panacea or magic bullet • Has to operate in context of accountability and SIG requirements. • For whom can we calculate growth? • Only students in grades 4 – 11, in tested subjects • Students must have at least 2 consecutive scores • We are starting with only RLA and Math • Vertically articulated content is relatively smooth across grade levels • Model relies on standardized assessment data

14. Using School Growth Data • School Improvement • Research and Evaluation • Accountability • Informing Instructional Decisions • Informing Stakeholders

15. Thank You Nate Hixson (nhixson@access.k12.wv.us) Assistant Director Office of Research