Information and resources from the Data Director Conference. Support and ideas directly from the source as well as best practices from practitioners throughout California and beyond. Data Director is now part of Houghton-Mifflin. The big advantage is that test data and class needs can be linked to curriculum resources. Student needs will soon be directly linked to resources to fill achievement gaps.

Data Director Support pdfs:

Create a Customized Report, basic

Create a Customized Report, intermediate

Create a Program

Create DIBELS Report

Create an Assessment

Create an Online Test (pending activation)

 

Sessions

Developing Formative Assessments

Jason Willoughby, Action Learning Systems

The thinking behind formulating formative assessments
Standards Deconstruction – look at standards as they are built, concurrently considering:
•    Content – What needs to be learned
•    Context – Context (higher level skills are difficult to assess in multiple choice tests)
•    Level of Cognition – Thinking skills required (contained in the language of the standard)

Blooms Taxonomy (Steps that must be taken in order)
•    Knowledge – Know it
•    Comprehension – Use it
•    Application  – Do something with it
•    Analysis – Take it apart
•    Synthesis – Put it back together
•    Evaluation – Judge how well the new form works

Formative assessment (for learning) and summative assessment (of learning)

An assessment that doesn’t shape instruction is an autopsy. We often use assessments in the deficit model rather than focusing on what works well and will support learning.

Test Item Terminology
Item – measures and specific standard
Stimulus – material used to stimulate a response
Stem – Statement or question from which examinee selects a choice
Options – Choices
Key – Correct response
Distracter – incorrect, but attractive options. CST tests use 3 distracters

Writing the item
Be sure the item is:
•    Stated clearly
•    Grade level appropriately
•    In the positive whenever possible
•    Void of bias
•    Assesses the intended standard

Avoid being too wordy
Spell out acronyms the first time they are used in an item
Avoid using slang
Be sure the options are
•    Approximately  the same length
•    Parallel in structure and style
•    Void of trivial information
•    Not too lengthy
•    Not obvious answers

Be sure only one answer is absolutely correct

Error types
•    Motor errors
•    Memory errors
•    Discrimination errors – confusing skill or setting
•    Procedural errors – math computation

 

Using Data Director to Support Program Improvement Schools and Districts

Terry Dutton

If we build an entire assessment system well, CST success should be predictable. If teachers and leaders want to use data to improve student success, Data Director is a critical tool. Teachers are not used to getting their own data; they are used to being given data. Data can allow teachers to know students.

Staff should understand the components of State and Federal Accountability, especially between AYP and API. All subgroups that reside in the state accountability system resided in Data Director.

Create report templates for significant subgroups. Use these to create new reports using duplicate. When a new report develops, use the templates to then compare to special subgroup template. Keep specific SPED needs (number) in Demographics. Include descriptive text.

Data must be structured so that teachers develop the power and curiosity to look more deeply at their own kids. Teachers should be using this information more than administrators. Start with CST Scaled Scores Report, then specialized reports that filter ELL from general results to help teachers see ELL instantly. Identify two or three subgroups that teachers need frequently.

Use 3 to 5 week assessments that focus on the standards taught. The Items Bank would be a great resource, but this may not be available to SDUSD yet.

Professional Development strategy: Pre-built, Custom and Exam reports. Admin presents overall school results by standard and addresses teachers who have printed their own results. Pick a standard, announce school average and ask teachers if they have done better than the average. Ask them to share out strategies that have been successful. This can start discussions without putting teachers on the spot or defensive.

Acting on data – How Garden Grove uses Data Director for professional development. See the New Schools web site for detailed information. This can serve as a powerful template for using data to close the achievement gap.

Having teachers use Release CST questions can go a long way to alignment with classroom instruction.

 

DataScanner Implementation

Tressa Renee

Started by scanning in 51 schools. Will expand to all 180 schools by June. High Schools are implemented last because they will not be using Benchmarks, unless they develop their own.

District size dictates how this program implemented. Only a handful of personnel support this entire program so site level power-users are critical.

Data Scanners personnel should be classified staff because global permissions must be granted. This is less of a conflict than giving these permissions to certificated staff.

 

Building Capacity Through Site Data Director Coaches

Darrell Brown

Classroom teachers taking on the task supporting site implementation.  Training administrator and a key teacher is a workable model, but the results depended on the key teacher. Teacher recommendations then became the foundation to build future programs. Coaches need to be accessible to a wide range of teachers and staff. Focus on:
•    Navigate the system
•    Access reports
•    Use exams
•    Troubleshoot scanning
•    Access Data Director support

Teacher based training is effective because it occurs when needed in context.

 

Using ELA CST Cluster Scores to Create Small Groups

Brandon Martinez

Using pre-built reports to create targeted learning groups.  Two perspectives on groups: Information processing theory and social cognitive theory.

Information Processing Theory
•    Sensory Registry – competing sensory input that requires selective focus. Duration less than half a second, large capacity.
•    Working Memory – duration is 5 to 20 seconds. Requires rehearsal to hold on to it. Capacity is limited to 7 plus or minus 2. Use specific processes: phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, control processes. Maintenance rehearsal reinforces memory.
•    Long-term Memory – learning. Information available when needed. Elaborative rehearsal moves working memory to long-term.

Social Cognitive Theory
•    Behavior – what we want students to do
•    Personal factors – ability, desires
•    Environmental factors – is classroom friendly or hostile, safe or threatening? Grouping can reduce unfriendly environment for a student who is struggling.

If two of these factors are strong, weakness in the third factor will probably be overcome.

Model students to lead groups need to be perceived as:
•    Competent
•    Credible
•    Similar
•    Positive
•    Enthusiastic

Zone of Proximal Development
•    Range of tasks that student cannot do independently but can do with some support
•    Challenging enough, but not too much
•     Goal is to get the student to perform the challenging task independently, thus shifting the ZPD

 

Analyzing My Benchmark Exam: Students Taking Ownership of the Data

Jason Willoughby

Benchmark in this context means a formative assessment meant to shape instruction. (Formative is ‘of learning’; summative is ‘for learning’).

Get all stakeholders involved in the process:
•    Teacher
•    Principal
•    Student
•    Parents

If students are going to analyze their benchmark exams, they need to understand the standards the tests are based on.

 

Focusing on the Right Kids: Using Programs

Spencer Kerrigan

When and where do you need to track student progress? How do you monitor or strive to monitor interventions and verify their progress?

When is it best to build a program or build a report? Programs are static classification for students and give teachers access to students not assigned to them. Reports are dynamic. Demographics can be an effective way to filter large groups of students to support program creation and refining reports. Use programs to track Centers (houses).

Four strategies to create a program
1.    Manual – Programs > Create a new program. Name it, set access level. Add students – select grade level, select students. Add teachers – select teachers manually. Share – set permissions/sharing attributes

2.    Filter using demographics – ELL, SPED, ethnicity, or any attribute tracked in Zangle can be used to filter to create a program. If there is no supporting demographic, create one. Data > add demographic. Import a list with needed demographic data. This requires the district data upload and contact Data Director to make it a filter.

3.    Use Pre-Built reports to find students – pivot table (differential), CST percent proficient, CST percent proficient trend analysis.

4.    Demographics for Zangle.