August 2006 — Features
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Surviving Accountability: As Easy as AYP
Data-driven strategies and personalized instruction are paving the way to higher test scores, one student at a time.
CONSIDER ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS
a misnomer, or least an understatement; satisfying
its mandates demands a far greater than
adequate effort. Established in the No Child Left
Behind Act, AYP requires that districts and
schools show a minimum, prescribed level of
growth in student achievement, until the year
2013-2014, when every eligible public school
student must pass state assessments in math
and reading. And reaching those prescribed minimums
is a difficult, complex task.
Schools struggling with AYP should look to the example of dozens of their counterparts around the country that have taken a personal approach to raising test scores. Instead of applying broad academic policies and inviting teachers to statewide conferences to learn about new teaching methods, these schools use data to gauge student progress at any point during the school year, and then use the information to customize curriculum and instructional programs. The data informs the schools when and where interventions are necessary.
Technology is a key player in this approach. It does more than relieve teachers of onerous paper-and-pencil practices and make performing assessments faster and more effective. Once school officials assess student progress, technology helps teachers get down to the business of teaching—and ultimately helping students boost their test scores.
Digging Into Data
Personalizing instruction has worked wonders at Adams 12 Five Star Schools (CO), where educators use their student information systems and assessment tools to drill down to a particular student’s weaknesses, to evaluate teaching methods and curriculum, and to apply new skills and technologies to improve test scores.
“Several times throughout the year, we evaluate our student data and determine the best way to improve each student's achievement level,” says Superintendent Mike Paskewicz. “During the 2004-2005 school year, Five Star Schools made more gains on the subsets of the state tests than any other district in the Denver area.”
The district stores student data in a sophisticated data warehouse. The data contains detailed information such as reading scores sorted by grade level, gender, ethnicity, and education categories such as special ed and at-risk students. This information is then available to each school for the creation of its annual school improvement plan, which cites specific strategies to improve teaching and learning. “Teachers also monitor the data throughout the year,” Paskewicz says, “so they can modify their teaching strategies in very targeted ways to boost student achievement for specific classes and individual students.”
