Braintree Public Schools Six Elementary Schools MCAS Improvement Intervention

1. Braintree Public Schools Six Elementary Schools MCAS Improvement Intervention • Robert M. Belmont, Jr. • Director of Special Services • Braintree Public Schools • 128 Town Street • Braintree, MA 02184 • 781-848-4000 Ext. 5 or with email rbelmont@braintreema.gov

2. Problem Statement • For school year 2008-2009, the six Braintree Elementary Schools are “underperforming” as defined by DESE in either ELA or math or both ELA and math for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades 3-5. How will each of the six elementary schools improve the subgroup rating as well as each student in this subgroup from underperforming to performing/proficient by June of 2010?

3. Problem Summary • Care: The district concluded that all six elementary schools were DESE MCAS underperforming in ELA and/or math for the subgroup students with disabilities in grades 3-5 for 2008-2009. We must improve! • Relate: The stakeholders are the students, parents, elementary-middle-high school staff and administration, Directors, Asst. Supt., Supt., School Committee, SEPAC, and Concerned Citizens. • Examine: For school year 2008-2009, the six Braintree Elementary School are underperforming as defined by DESE in either ELA or math or both ELA and math for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades 3-5. How will each of the six elementary schools improve the subgroup rating as well as each student in this subgroup from underperforming to performing/proficient by June of 2010? • Acquire: The district has an educated and trained Asst. Supt., Director of Mathematics and Director of Special Services in Professional Learning Communities. The Director of Mathematics is exemplary in MCAS analysis. The Director of Special Services is highly skilled in facilitating full day workshops. Both the Director of Mathematics and Director of Special Services facilitated 2006-2008 Braintree Middle School workshops that supported staff to move one restructuring middle school to be recognized by the Rennie Center for Outstanding Unanticipated MCAS ELA and math improvement for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades 6-8. The help we received was full endorsement from the Braintree Supt. of Schools and Asst. Supt. of Schools.

4. Try: • What was our intervention strategy?

5. Welcome to our Braintree Elementary School MCAS Workshop

6. Welcome to our Highlands Elementary SchoolMathematics, ELA, Special Education, & MCAS Workshop Workshop Objectives: • To examine MCAS results. • To use student profiles in the content areas of mathematics and ELA as defined by MCAS evaluations. • To analyze our current use of evaluation, assessments, and accommodations. • To mutually agree upon action steps to improve all students’ MCAS performance.

7. Our workshop is intended for you! Workshop Activities for October 20, 2009: [ ] 9:00 a.m. Overview of the Day from 9:00 a.m. - 2:50 p.m. [ ] Openings Words of Inspiration from Our Administrators [ ] Analyzing MCAS Questions [ ] 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Break [ ] Analyzing Gap Scores [ ] Analyzing Individual Student Data [ ] 11:50 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch [ ] 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Reflection [ ] 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. MCAS and MCAS-Alt [ ] 1:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. Next steps – What should we do for implementation, PLCs, training, $resources to advance each student’s learning to attain ELA, mathematics and science proficiency at Highlands Elementary School?

8. What questions will we use for our MCAS analysis? What does the data tell us? What do we want students to learn? How will we know if they have learned? What will we do if they don’t learn? What will we do if they already know it?

9. What is our current reality? • Learning for a student with a disability improves when, three (3) principles of Inclusion are evident… • 1.) There is a strong partnership between general education teachers and special education teachers as well as a strong partnership between general education administrators and special education administrators. • 2.) Together, general education teachers and special education teachers, evaluate individual student’s learning and benchmark progress on an on-going basis thru the use of formative assessment with “Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment = CIA” in mind. • 3.) Resources are provided to support general education teachers and special education teachers in making sustainable change to improve student learning.

10. What are our current challenges? • Are we underperforming in math and/or ELA? • How do we alleviate our underperforming status in math and/or ELA?

11. What is our performance with our special education subgroup? • Are we underperforming in math and/or ELA? • How do we alleviate our underperforming status in math and/or ELA?

12. How to Calculate a Performance Index • For each student the performance level becomes a number: • Advanced or Proficient 100 points • Upper Needs Improvement 75 points • Lower Needs Improvement 50 points • Upper Warning/Failing 25 points • Lower Warning /Failing 0 points

13. Then…. • Add up all your points and divide by the number of students.

14. How can you get a PI of 84.3? • Say you have ten students… • A + B + C + D = 10 • Then….(100A + 75B + 50C + 25D) • Divided by 10 Equals • 84.3 (or close)

15. Trial and Error…. • Possible Solutions?

16. What factors impact our work to advance student learning? • In a student’s life, there are positives (+) and negatives (-). • We must work with the positives (+) and acknowledge the negatives (-), but most importantly… • we must move forward for the sake of our Braintree students as a TEAM!

17. A focus on each child’s learning!

18. What have we learned from our general education and special education partnership? • All students have equal access to the general education curriculum. • All students participate in MCAS testing from the 3rd grade level. • All students are expected to be “proficient” in our general education curriculum.

19. What did last year’s questions look like? • What do we think about these questions?

20. What are the demands for a student to be proficient? • Please break into three teams across grades. • Analyze the questions and list what students need to succeed with each question. • Be prepared to report out to the larger group.

21. How can we use formative assessment to benchmark student math progress? • Our working definition of Formative assessment includes: • Formative assessment is an assessment that is given to provide feedback to teachers so that they can adjust their teaching to students’ needs, to make sure that students are making progress towards standards or benchmarks that are defined by the teacher and/or the Braintree Public School District, and/or the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

22. What resources do we have to implement formative assessment? • MCAS DESE Release Items, • Edusoftware, • Math Textbook Assessments, • Teacher MCAS math generated items.

23. Have a great break!

24. MCAS Evaluation/Results: What happened? (Show us your data.) • What does the grade 3 MCAS data tell us? • What does the grade 4 MCAS data tell us? • What does the grade 5 MCAS data tell us? • What does the grade 5 MCAS data tell us about what grade 6 middle school student learning should include?

25. What is a gap score? • A gap score is the difference between your school score and the state’s average proficient score.

26. Gap Score Group work! • Examine the gap scores for your grade. • Please report out on our areas of improvement.

27. If we created a Data Team to advance student learning, how could we do it? • Data Team Members • Data Team Process to Advance Student Learning by Data-analysis • Data Team Meetings, Time, Protocol • Data Team Support from the district-wide level, e.g. who, when, what, where, why?

28. What have we learned so far? • What do the gap scores tell us about our school?

29. How do we look at each student’s performance? • Break into grade level groups. Please analyze each student’s profile and rate each student’s need as: • “S” = Same level of services • “M” = Needs more services • “MCAS IIEP” = MCAS Informed IEP

30. Now that we have rated our students, what does “more” mean? • How should “Guided Math” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning? • How should “Remedial Math” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning? • How should “Special Education” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning in an MCAS informed IEP? How should special education and general education work together? • How could a “School-based Data Team “use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning?

31. Have a healthy lunch!

32. Reflection Time

33. Reflection Time • What is going well? • What is not going well? • What are some concrete suggestions for improvement?

34. For students with disabilities what about the MCAS process? • Early MCAS Preparation is essential! • October Teams should review MCAS accommodations and MCAS-Alt. • October Special Education Teachers attend DESE MCAS-Alt Training • October-November Coordinate test accommodations in your school

35. What about October thru November MCAS work? • Coordinate test accommodations in your school. • Make certain all accommodations are provided, according to students’ IEP and Section 504 Plans • Coordinate staff, space, student groupings

36. Eligibility for Accommodations • Student must have a documented disability AND either: • an approved IEP or 504 plan that lists all accommodations • an ISSP, DCAP, or EPP does not make a student eligible for MCAS accommodations • OR • an IEP or Section 504 Plan is under development • See new Eligibility flowchart in Participation Requirements at • www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/participation/sped.pdf

37. Accommodations for students with Disabilities NOT on an IEP or 504 Plan • Eligible for accommodations ONLY in rare and unusual circumstances: • Short-term, temporary disability (e.g., broken arm) • Recent disability and no IEP or 504 yet • Principal may authorize accommodation if: • Documentation of disability is on file in school • Parent has been notified that an accommodation is needed • IEP or 504 plan is being developed

38. Accommodations Must… • Already be provided during routine instruction* • AND • Be determined by Team and documented in an approved IEP or 504 Plan • AND • Meet requirements listed in Participation Requirements and/or PAM (Appendix B) • * Nonstandard accommodations must meet additional requirements.

39. Accommodations Must NOT… • Violate test security • Alter test or provide coaching/assistance • Neutral readers and scribes • Allow use of unapproved materials • No English dictionaries for any student, • except on ELA Composition test (all students) • If appropriate, IEP/504 plan may list an accommodation “as requested by the student,” toallow its use as needed.

40. Nonstandard Accommodations (#26-31) • An NSA changes part of what the test measures • Examples: Calculator on non-calculator Math session or read-aloud ELA Reading Comprehension • Provides access to a test in extreme conditions • Accommodation of last resort for a very small number of students • Use only when the student is virtually unable to decode, calculate, write, or spell • Do not use if the student is simply performing below grade-level on these skills

41. Accommodations Reminders • Submit ELA graphic organizers/math reference sheets at least 4 weeks before testing • If student uses large print/Braille, or wishes answer booklet, or cannot be scored • all responses must be transcribed into standard answer booklet, or cannot be scored • When bubbling answer booklet, be aware of difference between Accommodations 16 & 26 • #26 – Reading aloud ELA Reading Comprehension test only (non-standard accommodation) • #16 – Reading aloud all other tests (standard accommodation)

42. Checklists, Reference Sheets, Graphic Organizers • Math checklist and reference sheets • May include formulas, steps in problem-solving, • “devices” (PEMDAS, FOIL) • No graphics, definitions pictures, sample problems • Fax only new sheets for approval (781-338-3630) • ELA graphic organizers • Venn diagrams, flow charts, idea “webs” are okay to use without approval, if no text is included • If text is included, must be faxed for approval • No sentence starters, definitions, lists of synonyms/antonyms, sample compositions

43. Looking across our school system, what approved MCAS instructional accommodations are most common? • Use of math reference sheet • Use of calculator • Use of small group administration • Use of “read – aloud” • Use of accommodation in routine instruction and detailed in IEP PLEP A or PLEP B and on IEP MCAS page

44. MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) • Where are we now? • In MA, 8855 students in grades 3-12 submitted portfolios in at least one subject in 2009 • MCAS-Alt counts for AYP

45. Participation Guidelines:Who May Take MCAS-Alt? • Student with a significant cognitive disability • Student with a significant and complex non-cognitive disability that may be either: • physical, emotional, health-related, communication-based • multiple, deaf-blind, cerebral palsy, autism, spectrum AND WHO: • has challenges to fully demonstrating performance on • MCAS test in that subject, and • needs another format to demonstrate knowledge and skills (either above,at, or below grade-level expectations) • …whose IEP Team determines will require MCAS-Alt • See new Participation flowchart in Participation Requirements at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/participation/sped.pdf

46. What Does MCAS-Alt measure? • ELA: General Standard 4 assesses word knowledge and meaning, making word choices, acquiring vocabulary • ELA: General Standard 8 assesses understanding and interpretation of text • ELA: Composition is assessed in grades 4, 7, & 10 • Math: Different Math strands are required for a student in each grade • Science and Tech/Eng: assesses 3 STE disciplines in grades 5-8; and one STE discipline in more depth in either grade 9 • or 10 • Evidence must document student’s progress over time on one targeted skill in each required strand or standard

47. Plan to Support Teachers Conducting MCAS-Alt: Next Steps • Assess needs and capacity to conduct MCAS-Alt in school or district • Who needs support and training? Who can give it? • Appoint MCAS-Alt “lead educator” in school and/or district to: • Find answers/give advice/be available. as needed • Register teachers to attend MCAS-Alt trainings in October – January - March

48. Upcoming MCAS-Alt Trainings • Educator Training: Oct. 6-9 and 20-23 • “Portfolios in Progress” (Review Sessions) • January 12-15 and March 9-12 • Portfolios due: Thursday, April 1, 2010 • Wed Address: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas • MCAS Service Center (800-737-5103) • Nancy Hanson (MCAS-Alt) nhanson@doe.mass.edu • MA DESE-Student Assessment Services • (781-338-3625)

49. More support for MCAS-Alt Teachers • 2010 Educator’s Manualavailable online • Print copies available at October training sessions • Order print copies online in November • Resource Guide to the Frameworks • A standards-based guide for all students • ‘’Essense” of the standard • “Learning progressions” that challenge students • Portfolio Feedback Forms provided to schools • Support and training • Statewide training offered Oct., Jan., and March • Training Specialists: teachers as volunteer trainers

50. 2010 MCAS-Alt Some Important Changes • Reporting Results to Schools: • Beginning in 2010, MCAS-/Alt results will be reported electronically before the end of the current school year (June 17, 2010) • Submission of Portfolios: • In order to report results earlier, portfolios must be completed and submitted by April 1, 2010.