Standard 4. Documenting & Using Results
STANDARD: The system enacts a comprehensive assessment system that monitors and documents performance and uses these results to improve student performance and system effectiveness.
Impact Statement: A school system is successful in meeting this standard when it uses a comprehensive assessment system based on clearly-defined performance measures. The assessment system is used to assess student performance on expectations for student learning, identify gaps between expectations for student learning and student performance, evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction, and determine interventions to improve student performance. The assessment system yields timely and accurate information that is meaningful and useful to system and school leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders in understanding student performance, system and school effectiveness, and the results of improvement efforts.
Indicators Rubric: Please indicate the degree to which the noted practices/processes are in place in the school system. The responses to the rubric should help the school system identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement as well as guide and inform the school system's responses to the focus questions.
Indicators Evidence: For each Indicator, click the (Add Evidence) link to provide examples of evidence that support the rubric response.
Definitions of Indicators Rubric
Not Evident - Little or no evidence exists
Emerging - Evidence indicates early or preliminary stages of implementation of practice
Operational - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are actively implemented
Highly Functional - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are fully integrated and effectively and consistently implemented
INDICATORS: In fulfillment of this standard, the system:
4.1 Establishes and implements a comprehensive assessment system, aligned with the system's expectations for student learning, that yields information which is reliable, valid, and bias free :
Highly Functional
Evidence Provided: Assessment system that records multiple assessments; Assessment system that safeguards validity, confidentiality, identification; Policies that outline targets for student performance and are aligned to state/national standards; Policies that outline targets for behavioral standards: attendance, discipline; Student/Staff Handbook that outlines grading scales, syllabus criteria, and appeal process; Database that records graduation, completion, GPA, placement, retention rates; Special database for career preparation, special education, bilingual education programs; Calendar of assessment activities; Record of multiple assessments administered, including program-specific required assessments; Policies outline administration of multiple assessments and their purpose; Online assessment system; Dedicated unit/staff for assessment and data reporting; Staff affirm the use of multiple measures for student performance; All stakeholders are knowledgeable about learning expectations and targets for student performance; All stakeholders are knowledgeable about behavioral standards; All stakeholders are knowledgeable about grading and appeals; District staff use data to inform policies and practice; Stakeholders are knowledgeable about the assessment schedule; Stakeholders implement multiple assessment system; Stakeholders are familiar with the administration and purpose of multiple assessments; The development and administration of multiple assessments consider limited-language learners, students with disabilities, and multiple learning styles
4.2 Ensures that student assessment data are used to make decisions for continuous improvement of teaching and learning:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Agendas, minutes from staff meetings indicate utilization of data systems; Examples of student work are prominently displayed; Data graphs, charts display student performance expectations; Criteria for evaluation of staff performance include the use of data for instructional planning; Agendas, minutes from staff meetings indicate use of data to drive instructional planning discussions; Student performance data reports, charts, graphs indicate system-wide use of data for instructional planning; District staff utilize assessment data for the purpose of instructional and program planning; Students affirm knowledge about their learning expectations; District staff meet regularly to discuss student work; District staff are knowledgeable about how to use student performance data for the purpose of instructional planning; District staff demonstrate the use of data when planning guidelines for instruction, through vertical and horizontal articulation
4.3 Conducts a systematic analysis of instructional and organizational effectiveness, including support systems, and uses the results to improve student and system performance:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Database that records graduation, post-graduate engagement; District staff utilize perception data from surveys to guide program planning; Stakeholders affirm their involvement in meetings in which the topic of student performance and organizational effectiveness were highlighted; Other: SWAT notebooks
4.4 Provides a system of communication which uses a variety of methods to report student performance and system effectiveness to all stakeholders:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Agendas, minutes from meetings where student performance and school effectiveness were highlighted; Criteria that establishes student performance data as a component of parent-teacher conferences; District staff affirm the use of various communication methods to report student performance; Stakeholders affirm the use of various communication methods to report student performance
4.5 Uses comparison and trend data from comparable school systems to evaluate student performance and system effectiveness:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Reports that outline comparable data analysis - across schools, districts, states, nationally; Reports that outline comparable data analysis - across programs; Agenda, minutes of meetings in which comparative data were highlighted; District staff affirm their involvement in meetings in which comparative data were highlighted
4.6 Demonstrates verifiable growth in student performance that is supported by multiple sources of evidence:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Data reports verify growth in student performance; Data reports disaggregate student performance growth; Data reports include behavioral and environmental data; District staff can identify reasons why student performance has increased/decreased; District staff can identify strategies for increasing student performance
4.7 Maintains a secure, accurate, and complete student record system in accordance with state and federal regulations:
Highly Functional
Evidence Provided: Policies that safeguard accuracy and security of all data; Reports that satisfy local, state, and national requirements; Policies that outline the conditions for safeguarding and transferring transcripts; District staff affirm their comfort with the level of data accuracy and security
Focus Questions
1. How is the assessment system currently used throughout the school system and its schools to guide analysis of changes in student performance?
Haralson County School System has a comprehensive assessment system which consists of four levels of assessments—the state mandated standardized assessments, system-level benchmark assessments and progress monitoring tools, school-level assessments, and classroom assessments. These assessments provide multiple sources of leading and lagging indicators of student achievement which is used at the system, school, and classroom levels to guide instructional decisions which impact student performance. Additionally, these assessments are used to identify deficits in the instructional program and guide the development and revision of professional learning plans and improvement plans. Table 3, Summary of Assessment System, provides a description of each of the assessments, uses of the assessment data, and the location of the evidence.
On the first level, Haralson County School System adheres to the requirements of the state assessment program as illustrated in the 2010/2011 Standardized Testing Calendar below. The state mandated standardized assessments are utilized primarily as lagging indicators to measure student performance and growth. Two of these assessments (the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests) provide the data needed to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly No Child Left Behind Act). As leading indicators, personnel analyze students’ previous year’s standardized assessment data to provide remediation based on identified deficits to address gaps in students’ learning.
Haralson County School System
2010/2011 Standardized Testing Calendar
September 7 - March 31 | Georgia Alternative Assessment (GAA) for students with significant cognitive disabilities Grades K, 3-8, & 11 |
September 14 - 21 | Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) Retest Grade 12 |
September 29 | Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) Grades 11& 12 |
September 30 | Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) Make-up Grades 11& 12 |
October 13 | PSAT Grade 10 |
November 2 - 9 | Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) Retest Grade 12 |
December 9 - 15 | End of Course Tests (EOCT) Grades 9 - 12 |
January 24 - March 4 | ACCESS for ELL (English Language Learners) Grades K - 12 |
January 19 | Grade 8 Writing Assessment |
January 20 | Grade 8 Writing Assessment Make-up |
February 22 | NAEP Grade 8 |
February 23 | Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) Retest Grades 11& 12 |
February 24 | Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) Make-up Grades 11& 12 |
March 2 | Grade 5 Writing Assessment |
March 3 | Grade 5 Writing Assessment Make-up |
March 15 - 22 | Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) Grades 11 & 12 |
March 21 - April 1 | Grade 3 Writing Assessment window Grade 3 |
April 14 - 28 | Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT)Tests & Make-up Grades 3 - 8 |
May 10 - 13 | End of Course Tests (EOCT) Grades 9 - 12 |
May 2 - 13 | Advanced Placement Tests (AP) Grades 9 - 12 |
On a second level, Haralson County School System has implemented a structure for administering locally-developed benchmark assessments and monitoring student progress as illustrated in the 2010/2011 Calendar below. Data from the benchmark assessments are analyzed and used primarily as leading indicators to provide needs-based instruction according to individual student needs, to measure students’ progress toward achievement on standardized assessments, and to adjust instruction according to the needs of a class. The benchmark assessments can also be used as lagging indicators to evaluate students’ mastery of the standards assessed by the benchmark. In addition to the locally-developed benchmark assessments, the primary and elementary schools use AIMSweb to universally screen all students three times per year and to more frequently monitor progress at-risk students.
2010/2011 Calendar for System-level Benchmark Assessments and Progress Monitoring
August | Grades K-5; AIMSweb Beginning of year assessment* |
September 28 - October 5 | Grades 6 - 8; Reading ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies |
October 5 - 7 | Grades 3 - 5; Reading, ELA, Math |
November 30 - December 3 | Grades 1 - 2; Reading, ELA, Math |
December 7 - 10 | Grades 3 - 5; Reading, ELA, Math |
December 7 - 14 | Grades 6 - 8; Reading ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies |
January | Grades K-5; AIMSweb Middle of year assessment* |
March 1 - 8 | Grades 6 - 8; Reading ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies |
March 8 - 10 | Grades 3 - 5; Reading ELA, Math |
May | Grades K-5; AIMSweb End of year assessment* |
May 3 - 6 | Grades 1 - 2; Reading ELA, Math |
* Students are progress monitored regularly throughout the year according to their performance on the AIMSweb benchmark assessments.
On a third level, schools are collaboratively developing and revising common assessments based on the curriculum maps/pacing guides for each grade/subject. At most grade levels, these assessments are unit tests which are primarily used as lagging indicators of student’s mastery of the standards/elements taught during the unit. These common assessments are also used as leading indicators which provide consistent data across classes within a grade/subject to determine instructional effectiveness and to make changes to the instructional program.
The final level of assessments includes the classroom assessments utilized by each teacher. Currently, there is a major emphasis on formative assessments - assessment for learning - in order to adjust instruction and provide support for students prior to the summative assessments - assessment of learning. Within individual classrooms, teachers use multiple sources of data to determine how instruction might best be differentiated to meet the needs of specific students, adjust instruction, or determine when re-teaching is needed.
Table 3
Haralson County School System
Summary of Assessment System
Assessment | Description | Use | Location of evidence |
Georgia Alternative Assessment (GAA) Grades: Kindergarten, 3-8, 11 | · portfolio-based, state mandated assessment · an alternative assessment designed to assess students with significant cognitive disabilities on Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) | · to provide evidence of students’ level of achievement and progress on Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) · part of a school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determination under No Child Left Behind | · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) Grades: 11 & 12 | · criterion referenced, state mandated assessment · assesses four content areas - ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies · All students seeking a Georgia high school diploma must pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) in four content areas as well as the Georgia High School Writing Assessment. These assessments | · to ensure that students qualifying for a diploma have mastered essential core academic content and skills in all four content areas · to provide remediation in areas of weakness · to determine a high school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA and Math under No Child Left Behind | · GHSGT data are uploaded to Performance Matters · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
Georgia Writing Assessments Grades: 3, 5, 8, 11 | · performance-based, state mandated writing assessments · student writing samples are evaluated on an analytic scoring system to provide diagnostic feedback to teachers, students, and parents | · to provide information about students’ writing performance and areas of strength and challenge · to provide useful information for instruction and preparation for future writing assessments | · Writing Assessment data are uploaded to Performance Matters · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) Grades: 10 & 11 | · critical reasoning examination similar to SAT | · to predict student success on SAT · to help students understand the requirements of the SAT · to predict potential for a student in AP classes · to qualify for National Merit Scholarship Program | · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports |
End-of-Course Test (EOCT) Grades 9-12 | · criterion referenced, state mandated assessment · comprised of eight content area assessments · counts as 15% of the final course grade in the eight EOCT courses | · to provide diagnostic information to help students identify strengths and areas of need in learning · to improve performance in all high school courses and on other assessments, such as the GHSGT · to provide data to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom instruction at the school and system levels | · EOCT data are uploaded to Performance Matters · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs)
Grades: Kindergarten - 12 | · standards-based, criterion referenced, state mandated English language proficiency test · designed to measure English language learners’ social and academic proficiency in English | · to determine English language learners’ English language proficiency level and progress · to provide information to enhance instruction for English language learners · to assess annual English language proficiency gains · to provide evaluate the effectiveness of the ESOL program | · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
random sample of 8th grade students will be assessed this year | · a congressionally mandated project of the U.S. DOE to obtain comprehensive and dependable achievement data on a national basis · conducted at least once every two years in reading and mathematics in grades 4, 8 and 12 to a random sample | · to document patterns and trends in student achievement · to gather information that will aid in improving education · to measure current status of the educational attainments · to inform education policy | · Current Georgia NAEP results are available at the Georgia Department of Education and the NCES State Report Web sites |
Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT)
Grades: 3-8 | · standards-based, criterion referenced, state mandated assessment · assesses Reading, ELA, Math, Science, And Social Studies | · to evaluate student mastery of standards · to identify individual student strengths and weaknesses · to determine promotion in grades 3 (reading), 5 and 8 (reading and math) · to determine a school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in Reading/ELA and Math under No Child Left Behind | · CRCT data are uploaded to Performance Matters · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports · State level reports available on the Georgia Department of Education website |
Advanced Placement Tests (AP)
Grades 9-12 | · optional exams for students enrolled in AP classes | · to earn college credit for AP courses taken in high school | · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports |
Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS)
Grade: Kindergarten | · performance-based, state mandated assessment · to provide ongoing diagnostic information about kindergarten students’ developing skills in English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Personal/Social Development, and Approaches to Learning | · to determine areas of focus for needs-based instruction · to determine first grade readiness | · System Test Coordinator maintains hard copy of system reports and electronic data file · School maintains school summary report and individual student reports |
Mock Writing Test
Grades: 4, 6 & 7 | · performance-based, optional writing assessments · student writing samples are evaluated on an analytic scoring system | · to provide diagnostic feedback to teachers · to provide practice for state mandated writing assessments | · School maintains reports |
Benchmark Assessments
Grades: 1-12 | · locally developed, criterion referenced tests based on GPS · assesses Reading, ELA, Math, Science, And Social Studies at various grade levels | · to determine individual student needs for needs-based instruction · to assess present level of performance · to adjust instructional strategies | · Benchmark assessment data are uploaded to Performance Matters |
School & Classroom Assessments
Grades: Kindergarten - 12 | · teacher created, curriculum-based tests | · to determine final grades for classes · to assess mastery of standards · to adjust instruction | · School maintains report cards and transcripts · Grades are stored in PowerSchool (grades 6-12) |
2. What are you doing to ensure that assessment results are timely, relevant, and communicated in a way that can be used by the system, its schools, and stakeholders to aid the performance of individual students?
The timing and means of communication of assessment results depend on the source of the results and the method by which the results are received. The table below summarizes the methods utilized to communicate the results of these assessments and the location of evidence is included in the previous Table 3 in question 1 (Summary of Assessment System).
Assessment | Print Copy | Data File | Performance Matters | PowerSchool for Parents | Other |
State-level Assessments |
Writing Assessments | X | X | X | | |
GHSGT | X | X | X | | |
EOCT | X | X | X | X | |
GAA | X | X | | | |
ACCESS for ELL | X | X | | | |
CRCT | X | X | X | | |
ITBS | X | X | X | | |
GKIDS | X | | | | |
PSAT | X | | | | |
AP Exams | X | | | | |
System-level Assessments |
Benchmark Assessments | | | X | | |
AIMSweb | X | | | | AIMSweb website |
School-level Assessments |
Common Assessments | X | | | X | Progress reports & report cards |
Classroom Assessments | X | | | X | Progress reports & report cards |
The primary means of communicating assessment data to school and system personnel is through Performance Matters, a web-based data management platform that houses student test data from 2007 to present. The data from most of the state mandated standardized tests are first received electronically by the System Test Coordinator who immediately uploads the data to Performance Matters. Personnel can usually access the data in Performance Matters within 48 of the data being uploaded. The benchmark assessments are also uploaded to Performance Matters and typically available within 48 hours of administering the assessment. Teachers have access to their students’ data, school-level administrators have access to the data for all students in the school, and system-level administrators have access to the data for all the students in the system. Through analysis of the various reports available in Performance Matters, strengths and weaknesses for individual students as well as the instructional program can be determined and adjustments made. Students in middle and high school work with their teachers in setting goals based on grades and assessment results. Because multiple years of test data are available in Performance Matters, personnel can examine trends in the data at the level of the individual student, classroom, school, and system. Additionally, trend data are utilized by system-level personnel and school administrators to make decisions regarding professional learning plans and allocating resources.
Another way that assessment data are communicated to school and system personnel is through the paper copies of the reports for standardized assessments which usually include summary reports at the system-level, school-level, classroom-level, and the individual student reports.
The primary way assessments results are communicated to students and parents is through the individual student reports for the standardized tests which are sent home with students as soon as the paper reports are received. In addition, standardized assessment results, benchmark assessment results, classroom assessments, and grades are discussed during conferences with parents and students. The parents of middle and high school students are also able to access their child’s grades in PowerSchool at any time throughout the school year.
Teachers in the primary and elementary schools also use AIMSweb which is a benchmark and progress monitoring system based on direct, frequent, and continuous student assessment. The results are reported to students, parents, teachers and administrators via a web-based data management and reporting system to determine appropriate placement in the system’s RTI process.
Assessment data are posted on the Haralson County School System’s Balanced Scorecard which can be viewed on the eBoard website. The summary of student achievement data can also be found on the schools’ websites. Besides the websites, student achievement information is communicated through a variety of avenues including data rooms used by school personnel at each school, data boards displayed for the public at each school, newspapers, newsletters, progress reports, and report cards.
3. How are data used to understand and improve overall effectiveness of the school system and its schools?
Data provide a snapshot of students, individual schools and the system as a whole. System-level and school-level personnel use data to make decisions regarding the effectiveness of the instructional programs, to guide the development of the professional learning plan, to set goals for improvement, and to monitor and revise the School Improvement Plans and the system’s Strategic Improvement Plan. Leadership and professional learning teams use data to determine topics of conversation or book studies related to needed professional growth. These data sources also provide a rationale in determining support services needed to improve the overall instructional program or offerings needed for individual students or groups of students. The analysis of data is further utilized by system-level personnel in making budgetary decisions and allocating resources which impact the instructional program. The use of systemic data ensures that there is an alignment of resources to support system goals and schools are working in tandem on initiatives that are sustainable and that will result in continuous, incremental growth.
Another valuable piece of data, provided by the Northwest Georgia Regional Education Service Agency (RESA), is growth data disaggregated at the classroom-level, school-level, and RESA-level. The analysis of these data allows personnel to view the growth from the previous year for a cohort of students. System and school leaders utilize these data to work with teachers in setting goals for improving their classroom instruction and for making personnel placement decisions.
The instructional focus of the Haralson County School System is to provide needs-based instruction based on student progress in the Georgia Performance Standards. The data from the assessment program are used to identify students who have not mastered the standards and to design needs-based interventions. Analyzing student performance at the individual student and school level provides the information needed to identify areas of deficiency and make needed adjustments to the instructional program in order to improve student achievement. Within individual classrooms, teachers use multiple sources of data to determine how instruction might best be differentiated to meet needs of specific students, adjust instructional calendars, or determine when re-teaching is needed.
The Dual Enrollment Program Coordinator and the Work-Based Learning Coordinator at Haralson County High School utilize data to assist students in transitioning from high school to post-secondary opportunities as well as evaluating the overall effectiveness of these programs.
4. How are staff members across the system and its schools trained to understand and use data to impact teaching and learning in the classroom?
Over the past several years, Haralson County School System has focused on using data to impact teaching and learning at all levels. The school system demonstrated a commitment to using data to make instructional decisions by hiring a System Data Specialist in 2006 whose primary responsibility was to maintain Performance Matters and train staff members in analyzing and using data from multiple sources. Although the responsibilities of the System Data Specialist has merged with the responsibilities of the Coordinator of Teaching and Learning, the commitment to making instructional decisions based on data remains.
In order to accomplish the goal of using data to impact teaching and learning, Haralson County School System has implemented system wide training for personnel which includes the following activities.
· Personnel at all levels have been trained in using Performance Matters for analyzing standardized assessment data and benchmark assessment data.
· Academic coaches and teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade have been trained in using AIMSweb for progress monitoring.
· Teachers, in conjunction with academic coaches, meet collaboratively to analyze multiple sources of data, to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional strategies, and to adjust instruction for individuals and groups of students. Many teachers maintain a classroom data notebook to assist with this process.
· Personnel at all levels have been trained to use multiple sources of data to monitor students in the RTI process, to move them between the tiers, and to place them in the appropriate interventions.
· School-level and system-level administrators have been trained in analyzing the data to examine trends and to determine professional learning needs for individuals and groups of teachers.
· Workshops provided by outside agencies and book studies have been utilized throughout the system to cover various topics related to using assessments and data to improve instruction.
· Special education personnel at the school and system level have been trained in using multiple sources of data to monitor progress of students with disabilities and to use the data to develop and revise Individual Education Plans.
· All current school and system-level administrators have attended Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) training which focuses on analyzing data to make instructional decisions for school improvement. During the GLISI training, personnel concentrated on analyzing data and root causes. Once root causes are identified, solutions can be developed that result in sustainable improvement initiatives. Following the training, participants returned to their respective schools to lead the team-based improvement initiatives learned at GLISI.
· School Leadership Teams, system personnel, and parent/community stakeholders have worked with GLISI Performance Consultants to gather and use data to develop the School Improvement Plans and the system’s Strategic Plan.
Overall Assessment:
Operational: The school system uses a comprehensive assessment system based on clearly defined performance measures that yield valid and reliable results. The assessment system is used to assess student performance expectations for student learning, evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction, and determine interventions to improve student performance. The assessment system yields timely and accurate information that is meaningful and useful to system/school leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders in understanding student performance, school and system effectiveness, and the results of improvement efforts.