Sunday, September 19, 2004
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 92 ~ September 19, 2004
I know that you all are perfectly clear on the different state and federally mandated tests that students have to take, but they're a tad confusing to me. So, because some new numbers were released recently, I decided to talk to Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Joel Shawn, down at the district office, about what it all means. Well, I still don't pretend to understand, but like any good CBS reporter, I'm not going to let mere ignorance prevent me from explaining it to you...
~ brad@sacklunch.net
To start off, there are two different testing routines - at least. There's the state testing that results in the API (Academic Performance Index) and the federal testing that results in the AYP score (Adequate Yearly Progress), and what's a bit weird is that you can be doing well on one test and lousy on another.
For example, Monrovia schools passed all the federal requirements this year. But while the schools are okay according to the Feds, some problems show up in the state tests.
Think of the federal program as a high-jumping contest. The bar is first set at a nice low level. If you can clear the bar, you're okay by the Feds. It makes not the slightest difference how much above the bar you go. Then, after a bit, they raise the bar, but the same rules apply. If you clear the bar, you're cool.
The state, on the other hand, measures year-by-year changes. So, let's say that one Monrovia school can jump six feet and the federal bar is set at four feet. If the school only jumps five feet, it clears the bar, but obviously something bad has happened if it has previously jumped six feet.
That's exactly what happened to Mayflower School. It passed the Feds' high jump test (AYP), but took a dive in the state's API scores, dropping 20 points. Yeah, 20. Lest I sound too negative, there is good news, too. But let's take a look at the numbers before we get into the details:
API SCORES
Elementary 03 04 Diff.
===========================
Bradoaks 735 742 7
Mayflower 814 794 -20
Monroe 739 741 2
Plymouth 740 736 -4
Wild Rose 707 726 19
Middle
======
Clifton 713 739 26
Santa Fe 660 679 19
High School
===========
MHS 637 641 4
On the positive side, the middle schools and Wild Rose did wonderfully. Those schools were recently lagging behind the other elementary schools, which were racing ahead. So clearly they're getting their racing shoes on and are starting to catch up. I'll also put Bradoaks on the positive side. Its scores are getting up there, and the higher you are the harder it is to make big improvments, so a seven point increase seems pretty respectable.
On the mediocre side, Monroe moved ahead a smidge, two points.
On the negative side, Plymouth dropped four points, Mayflower dropped a scary 20 points, and MHS, despite having the lowest scores in the district, moved up an anemic four points.
I asked Shawn what's up - or "down," I guess - with Mayflower.
First he gets the caveats and secondary causes out of the way: Growth in elementary schools statewide has been lower. It is just one year's data. Higher scoring schools tend to fluctuate more [I don't understand why, but I'll buy it]. The problem at Mayflower is at the third grade level, and for some reason - maybe a stray question or the number of questions on the test - third grade scores have been droopy statewide.
But with that said, Shawn added that the dive at Mayflower is a lot bigger than any dips statewide, and the third grade dip is more severe than statewide. "We're very concerned and we're working to see why it went down."
He said the problem (or "challenge," as Shawn prefers to call it) at Mayflower is with two "subgroups," the English language subgroup (those who don't speak English well), and the lower socioeconomic subgroup. [Why do they always say "socioeconomic?" How does tacking "socio" on to "economic" add to the meaning? Oh well, whatever.]
Anyway... "This tells us," Shawn said, "that we're not meeting the needs of all of our students."
The scores of these two subgroups had been a problem (uh, challenge) at Mayflower the previous year, and Shawn said the district had implemented a program to fix the challenge. He said the program may not have had enough time to work yet, but if the district still sees the situation next year, it will mean the program wasn't properly implemented, or there's something else wrong.
Okay, Joel. Howz about them middle schools?
Well, he was pretty pleased about them. He said Santa Fe was "at risk" the previous year because it failed the federal high-jump test. If it had also failed this year, it would have meant the school would have had to comply with a bunch of extra federal regulations. But now, Santa Fe is not only out of the dog house, but it appears to be advancing nicely.
He credits the staff, new programs, and staff training.
And Monrovia High?
"Not doing so well," he said.
Shawn said the district is working to align the high school curriculum with the state standards, but he notes that while students are not doing well on the API, they're "killing" on the California exit exams. He said one reason for the low API scores may be because the tests that determine API don't mean anything to the students. They don't affect their grades or chances to get into college or nuthin' [Is that correct grammar?], so he thinks some of them may just "blow it off." Shawn said the district needs to emphasize the tests' importance. And talking about this sets him off about how many tests students have to take.
Shawn said he's an advocate of testing, but thinks there are just too many of them, and it's confusing. He said students spend eight to 12 days out of the school year doing tests - a significant chunk of time. Also, he said that the way to prepare students for one test may not be the best way to prepare them for another. He'd like the state and Feds to settle on one game plan and stick with it.
As I was preparing to go, Shawn asked me to emphasize that if anybody has questions about the standardized tests, feel free to call him. He'd be happy to chat. You can reach him by calling the district office at (626) 359-9183. Okay, Joel, consider it emphasized.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com.
I know that you all are perfectly clear on the different state and federally mandated tests that students have to take, but they're a tad confusing to me. So, because some new numbers were released recently, I decided to talk to Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Joel Shawn, down at the district office, about what it all means. Well, I still don't pretend to understand, but like any good CBS reporter, I'm not going to let mere ignorance prevent me from explaining it to you...
~ brad@sacklunch.net
To start off, there are two different testing routines - at least. There's the state testing that results in the API (Academic Performance Index) and the federal testing that results in the AYP score (Adequate Yearly Progress), and what's a bit weird is that you can be doing well on one test and lousy on another.
For example, Monrovia schools passed all the federal requirements this year. But while the schools are okay according to the Feds, some problems show up in the state tests.
Think of the federal program as a high-jumping contest. The bar is first set at a nice low level. If you can clear the bar, you're okay by the Feds. It makes not the slightest difference how much above the bar you go. Then, after a bit, they raise the bar, but the same rules apply. If you clear the bar, you're cool.
The state, on the other hand, measures year-by-year changes. So, let's say that one Monrovia school can jump six feet and the federal bar is set at four feet. If the school only jumps five feet, it clears the bar, but obviously something bad has happened if it has previously jumped six feet.
That's exactly what happened to Mayflower School. It passed the Feds' high jump test (AYP), but took a dive in the state's API scores, dropping 20 points. Yeah, 20. Lest I sound too negative, there is good news, too. But let's take a look at the numbers before we get into the details:
API SCORES
Elementary 03 04 Diff.
===========================
Bradoaks 735 742 7
Mayflower 814 794 -20
Monroe 739 741 2
Plymouth 740 736 -4
Wild Rose 707 726 19
Middle
======
Clifton 713 739 26
Santa Fe 660 679 19
High School
===========
MHS 637 641 4
On the positive side, the middle schools and Wild Rose did wonderfully. Those schools were recently lagging behind the other elementary schools, which were racing ahead. So clearly they're getting their racing shoes on and are starting to catch up. I'll also put Bradoaks on the positive side. Its scores are getting up there, and the higher you are the harder it is to make big improvments, so a seven point increase seems pretty respectable.
On the mediocre side, Monroe moved ahead a smidge, two points.
On the negative side, Plymouth dropped four points, Mayflower dropped a scary 20 points, and MHS, despite having the lowest scores in the district, moved up an anemic four points.
I asked Shawn what's up - or "down," I guess - with Mayflower.
First he gets the caveats and secondary causes out of the way: Growth in elementary schools statewide has been lower. It is just one year's data. Higher scoring schools tend to fluctuate more [I don't understand why, but I'll buy it]. The problem at Mayflower is at the third grade level, and for some reason - maybe a stray question or the number of questions on the test - third grade scores have been droopy statewide.
But with that said, Shawn added that the dive at Mayflower is a lot bigger than any dips statewide, and the third grade dip is more severe than statewide. "We're very concerned and we're working to see why it went down."
He said the problem (or "challenge," as Shawn prefers to call it) at Mayflower is with two "subgroups," the English language subgroup (those who don't speak English well), and the lower socioeconomic subgroup. [Why do they always say "socioeconomic?" How does tacking "socio" on to "economic" add to the meaning? Oh well, whatever.]
Anyway... "This tells us," Shawn said, "that we're not meeting the needs of all of our students."
The scores of these two subgroups had been a problem (uh, challenge) at Mayflower the previous year, and Shawn said the district had implemented a program to fix the challenge. He said the program may not have had enough time to work yet, but if the district still sees the situation next year, it will mean the program wasn't properly implemented, or there's something else wrong.
Okay, Joel. Howz about them middle schools?
Well, he was pretty pleased about them. He said Santa Fe was "at risk" the previous year because it failed the federal high-jump test. If it had also failed this year, it would have meant the school would have had to comply with a bunch of extra federal regulations. But now, Santa Fe is not only out of the dog house, but it appears to be advancing nicely.
He credits the staff, new programs, and staff training.
And Monrovia High?
"Not doing so well," he said.
Shawn said the district is working to align the high school curriculum with the state standards, but he notes that while students are not doing well on the API, they're "killing" on the California exit exams. He said one reason for the low API scores may be because the tests that determine API don't mean anything to the students. They don't affect their grades or chances to get into college or nuthin' [Is that correct grammar?], so he thinks some of them may just "blow it off." Shawn said the district needs to emphasize the tests' importance. And talking about this sets him off about how many tests students have to take.
Shawn said he's an advocate of testing, but thinks there are just too many of them, and it's confusing. He said students spend eight to 12 days out of the school year doing tests - a significant chunk of time. Also, he said that the way to prepare students for one test may not be the best way to prepare them for another. He'd like the state and Feds to settle on one game plan and stick with it.
As I was preparing to go, Shawn asked me to emphasize that if anybody has questions about the standardized tests, feel free to call him. He'd be happy to chat. You can reach him by calling the district office at (626) 359-9183. Okay, Joel, consider it emphasized.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com.
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