January 2003 — Applications
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Using Data to Drive Student Achievement in the Classroom and on High-Stakes Tests
They find the integration of technology to be a very valuable tool in differentiating instruction for students based on their individual needs. While developing the Curriculum Design framework, Lead Mine searched for a curriculum solution that would support its efforts and provide ongoing embedded assessment and detailed student performance data. According to school administrators and teachers, Pearson Education Technologies' (formerly NCS Learn) comprehensive courseware, SuccessMaker, offered the best system, aligning with what the school was doing and providing real-timedata correlated to the EOG Test.Forecasting Test Achievement
The school implemented Success-Maker in 1998. Today, all of the school's students use SuccessMaker for 30 minutes a day, three times a week to strengthen their skills in math, reading, writing and language arts. Students work on the self-paced, interactive courseware on IBM desktop computers, networked through Novell servers, in the computer lab and classroom. As students work on the curriculum courseware, the SuccessMaker management system provides up-to-date assessments of students' skills. With the system's assessment tools and on-demand reports, teachers can monitor the students' performance and growth, pinpoint difficulties and provide interventions as needed.
Data from the SuccessMaker courseware also plays an important role in curriculum benchmarking. In fall 2000, Lead Mine wanted to determine target courseware levels for achievement on the EOG Test and incorporate these into their benchmarks. The school provided Pearson Education Technolo-gies with data from their 2000 EOG Test and student performance data in the courseware.
Then, Pearson Education Technologies performed an "On Target Analysis." It analyzed students' performance data and EOG Test scores to establish the statistical relationship between SuccessMaker courseware levels at the time of the test and the test score data. Using this information, Pearson Education Technologies established target courseware levels for specific test achievement, then recommended some adjustments to the school's benchmarks to help ensure smooth transitions from grade to grade.
The result is that the school can now forecast the time a student needs to reach a specific SuccessMaker level and see the relationship of that level to achievement on the EOG Test. The school incorporated this data into their quarterly benchmarks and now uses it on a daily basis as well. A key benefit is that the SuccessMaker courseware provides a continuous view of student progress toward the target level and corresponding goal, aiding the teacher in providing a timely and appropriate instructional focus and intervention throughout the year.
Achieving Academic Growth and Success
Today, Lead Mine continues to update and fine-tune its Curriculum Design framework. As a result, decision making has become more data driven and students are showing remarkable growth. In the 2000-2001 school year, 88% of students passed the North Carolina EOG Test. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction named Lead Mine a North Carolina School of Distinction with Exemplary Growth in recognition of its academic achievement and academic growth for all children. In the 2001-2002 school year, 91.7% of students passed the EOG Test and Lead Mine was named a School of Excellence with Exemplary Growth, the highest award given to schools in the state. Many factors have been important to the school's success, including:
