December 2002 — Applications

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Polk Co. Schools Rely on Florida-Specific Assessment Tool to Develop Individual Learning Paths

A unique assessment program in a large Florida school district has proven that a vision, commitment, comprehensive assessment and instructional technology strategy can yield dramatic gains in student achievement scores. The Polk County School District in central Florida serves a diverse population of more than 81,000 K-12 students — with more than 31,000 minority and more than 3,000 Limited English Proficient students. This diversity, combined with a high student-mobility rate, presented a challenge to Polk County educators determined to provide students with an exemplary education, while helping them master the challenging state assessment tests.

Accountability for student learning is a primary focus of Florida’s education system. A key component is Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which is administered to all public school students in grades 3-10. FCAT measures student mastery of Sunshine State Standards and benchmarks. Results are the basis of Florida’s school improvement and accountability system; and ultimately are used to determine the effectiveness of each school’s educational program.

To help increase student achievement and improve FCAT scores, the Information Systems and Technology Division of the Polk County School District decided to increase the effectiveness of instructional technology and implement a best practices approach. The program combines proven practices, technology-based instruction and ongoing professional development. The goals of the program are to:

· Help educators assess individual student achievement relative to FCAT benchmarks;

· Determine strategies for improving student achievement through best practices combined with managed instructional technology;

· Provide diagnostic information to help educators more effectively plan classroom instruction; and

· Ensure educators are continually learning and growing in their use of technology with instruction.

Polk County personnel partnered with CompassLearning, a San Diego, Calif.-based instructional technology company, to implement the program.

Best Practices

Working together, Compass- Learning educational consultants and Polk County educators identified the five best practices that contribute to improved student achievement in the classroom. Participating schools agreed to abide by the implementation guidelines surrounding the following five best practices:

1. Administrative involvement and coaching;

2. Targeted student groups who receive 90 minutes of time-on-task per week per curriculum on the system;

3. Active teacher involvement;

4. Leadership teams; and

5. Ongoing professional development.

Administrative involvement and coaching. Recognizing the important role the principal plays in instructional leadership, the program requires the administrator to review student reports each month, lead monthly leadership team meetings, attend district information meetings and attend a half-day of administrator training. The goal is to enhance the administrators’ role as instructional leaders, as well as give them the knowledge and tools to make effective data-driven decisions.