The MCAS results are in and the results are impressive as usual. Here’s an assortment of information. The big story about the MCAS is the Newton North Junior who caught the MCAS error.
“Michael Safran, 16, a Newton North junior contacted the department to contest the results. Safran, who only missed one question on the math portion, told the paper he checked a pamphlet to see what questions he got wrong and noticed he lost more credit than he should have. Safran then examined how the raw scores were converted to the scaled scores on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.
Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, told the Boston Globe that the testing contractor, Measured Progress, calculated the raw scores of the math portion of the MCAS accurately, but scaled them incorrectly. As a result, the scores of 3,521 students statewide were misclassified with a performance level that was too low.
While education officials said they are working with Measured Progress to address the reporting error, the performance levels for 1,364 students will increase from “needs improvement” to “proficient.” The performance levels of 1,887 students will increase from “proficient” to “advanced.”
Here are the links including a letter from Day Middle School’s principal Brian Turner as an example of how Newton Public Schools handles the test results.
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MCAS results for Newton Public Schools
Newton North Junior Catches MCAS Error, from WickedLocal Newton.com
District as a Whole Outperforms the State , from WickedLocal Newton.com
“According to results, 86 percent of all Newton students performed proficient or higher in English Language Arts – up 1 percent from 2010. Thirty-six percent performed at an advanced level, 50 percent were marked as proficient, 11 percent needs improvement and 3 percent are in danger of failing.
In math, 81 percent performed proficient or higher – up 2 percent from 2010. Forty-eight percent landed in the advanced category, 33 percent performed proficiently, 13 percent need improvement and 5 percent are in danger of failing.”
From Brian Turner, Principal at Day Middle School:
Spring 2011 MCAS Results
You may have already read a letter from Superintendent David Fleishman (found online at http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us/sites/default/files/AYP%20District%20letter0001.pdf), which explain the district-wide 2011 MCAS results. While Superintendent Fleishman’s letter addresses information about the district, I will write specifically here about Day’s students’ results.
Day has now received official scores from the 2011 MCAS assessments, and you may have also received your child’s scores. Day’s results indicate a continuation of high progress for Day overall. The overwhelming majority of our students scored at the proficient or advanced performance levels on both the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessments. In ELA, 97% of Day’s students either 1) scored proficient or advanced or 2) met their annual improvement targets. In mathematics, 91.1% of the students either 1) scored proficient or advanced or 2) met their annual improvement targets. As has been historically the case, our aggregate scores for the entire school for both subject areas continue to meet improvement targets. In addition to aggregate scores, all subgroups in ELA and mathematics met their improvement targets in 2011, save the Hispanic subgroup whose 2011 aggregate ELA and mathematics scores were slightly lower than the 2010 Hispanic cohort’s aggregate scores.
Therefore, our NCLB accountability status in ELA is currently “Corrective Action – Subgroups” and in mathematics is “Restructuring Year 2 – Subgroups,” which means we have two consecutive years to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all subgroups in order to have no accountability status in ELA and mathematics. While we are happy with the results in the aggregate in ELA and mathematics, we are committed to helping all of our students reach their improvement targets and are committed to closing achievement gaps.
Improvement Plans
Day faculty and staff have worked hard to raise the achievement of all students, and we will continue our efforts to implement effective and supportive interventions for students and provide professional development opportunities for teachers. Listed below are some of the improvement steps we have taken in previous years and will continue for the coming year:
1. A Mathematics Instructional Coach will work closely throughout this upcoming academic year with Day’s mathematics teachers to improve our students’ performance outcomes.
2. A Literacy Instructional Coach will work closely throughout this upcoming academic year with all of Day’s teachers to improve our students’ literacy levels.
3. We will once again provide students with a license to use “Study Island,” an on-line math and English Language Arts skill practice website. The site is web-based, and is available for student use both in school and at home.
4. We will enhance small group mathematics classes for students who need additional supports in the 7th and 8th grades.
5. We will maximize team extension time, identifying students who need extra help during the school day with their regular math or English teachers.
6. We will continue offering homework club and a variety of study groups for struggling students.
7. The teachers’ professional development will focus on collaboratively analyzing student academic data to make informed decisions about curricula, instruction and student support services.
As we analyze our most recent results in more detail, additional action steps will be taken to address the students’ targeted areas of need. As was mentioned in Superintendent Fleishman’s letter, involving parents as partners in the education of their children is an important part of NCLB. We encourage you to become involved in helping us raise the achievement of all Day students by attending parent-teacher conferences, volunteering with the PTO, attending parent meetings and coffees, providing a study area at home and encouraging your child to keep up with his or her homework. These are just some of the many steps you can take to enhance your own child’s achievement.
Walking Trails in Newton’s Park & Conservation Lands
