MCAS Analysis Report Spring 2009

MCAS Analysis ReportSpring 2009I. Executive SummaryThe results of our students‘ performances on the Massachusetts Comprehensive AssessmentSystem Test are used in a variety of ways. The federal government is using student and schoolMCAS performance to determine whether or not schools and districts are ―steadily progressing,year by year, toward achievement by 2014 of the national goal set forth in the No Child LeftBehind Act (NCLB). The goal is: all students will achieve proficiency in English Language Artsand Mathematics.‖The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Department of Education, evaluates MCASresults to determine a school‘s performance based on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP iscalculated by a formula that uses three factors that are weighted differently: Participation Rate,Performance Improvement, and Additional Indicator (such as attendance or graduation rate).Student performance is the fundamental component of AYP. It is measured by calculating theComposite Performance Index (CPI) for the district based on each individual student score. CPIis a 100-point index that assigns values to the scores of each student participating in the MCAS.For example, any student who performs in the Proficient (P) or Advanced (A) categories on theMCAS is assigned 100 points. Needs Improvement (NI) and Warning (W) categories are splitinto ―High‖ and ―Low‖ sub categories to award districts points for progressing toward studentproficiency.Composite Performance Index Point ScaleMCAS CategoryPoints AwardedProficient and Advanced100Needs Improvement - HighNeeds Improvement - Low7550Warning/Failing - HighWarning/Failing - Low250The Mass DOE has discontinued the practice of using multiple years for determining AYP.Instead they will issue an AYP determination on a yearly basis. They feel the change in practicecreates a simpler calculation formula and is more transparent in determining AYP. As a schooldistrict, Wayland met its AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) targets in the participation,performance, and attendance categories but did not meet the AYP targets for improvement forthree student sub-group categories (Special Education at the Elementary Schools and SpecialEducation and Low Income at the Middle School). The District is rated as ―No Status‖ for theNCLB Accountability. The Happy Hollow and the Middle School did not make AYP for 2009.Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results1

Happy Hollow is rated as ―No Status‖ because it was the first year the school did not makeAYP. The Middle School did not make AYP because the threshold amount of students in theSpecial Education and Low Income subgroups fell short of the CPI target to meet AYP. Inshort, one of the district‘s schools has been identified for ―Improvement.‖ The staff iscontinuing to identify and address those students‘ needs and will be have access to theCommonwealth‘s new District and School Assistance Centers (DSAC). The Department ofElementary and Secondary Education (DESE) opened six regional assistance centers. Schoolslike Wayland Middle School will have priority for assistance. This change in the accountabilitysystem is designed to leverage local expertise and combine it with resources at the DSAC.At the local level, we use MCAS results to help us make informed decisions about curricular andinstructional change and to monitor the extent to which local curriculum is aligned with the StateFramework. We also use the test results of individual students to help determine which studentsneed additional instructional opportunities.In summary, all of the Wayland Public Schools are doing well. We have among the highestcomposite scores in the upper grades for all the school districts in the Commonwealth. We will,however, inevitably experience some score variation from year to year as individual studentschange at a particular grade level, and this year‘s scores proved to have some variation. We areconcerned about, and committed to, improving the performance gaps that have been identified inthis report between several sub-groups and the aggregate. We are also focused on meeting AYPin the Improvement Goal categories despite the difficulty of meeting those goals as we close inon the performance ceiling. Overall, we experienced some increase in the combined Advancedand Proficient in four of the seven English/ Language Arts (ELA) grade levels that were tested.In mathematics, we experienced greater variation in scores as compared to ELA, with increasesin three of the seven grade levels tested, decreases in four of the seven scores.The charts that follow present a snapshot of our performance over time in the various subjectareas. A cell with ―NA‖ on the chart is an indication that a subject test was not administered bythe state in that given year.Again this year we included several charts that look at the MCAS data longitudinally. Byplacing consecutive years of scores side by side, we can begin to track the same group ofstudents from one year to the next.Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results2

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSGRADE 200420052006200720082009READINGNEEDS IMPROVEMENTNANA15%13%17%17%19%ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (GRADE 3 cont.)NEEDSPROFICIENT %54%24%WARNINGNANA1%0%3%3%2%WARNING3%3%5%3%GRADE 0090%1%8%15%29%14%17%12%15%20%21%ENGLISH LANGUAGE ING3%3%3%3%1%1%5%3%4%3%5%GRADE 5ADVANCED200620072008200925%30%22%31%ENGLISH LANGUAGE %15%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS ResultsWARNING2%2%3%2%3

GRADE 6ADVANCED200620072008200929%18%38%29%ENGLISH LANGUAGE WARNING1%2%2%2%GRADE 200620072008200929%28%44%28%38%37%ENGLISH LANGUAGE 2%5%English Language Arts (Grade 7 1%0%0%2%2%1%0%0%GRADE 00917%13%18%NANANANA34%37%26%43%ENGLISH LANGUAGE NANANANANANA60%5%60%4%70%3%54%2%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS ResultsWARNING2%1%1%NANANANA1%0%1%2%4

GRADE 10ENGLISH LANGUAGE %GRADES 3-10 ELA %5%2%1%0%2%0%Combined Advanced & 972%74%83%97%90%97%95%MATHEMATICSGRADE %32%30%57%55%44%45%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS 5

GRADE 8%3%1%2%6%9%6%3%5%GRADE RNING13%8%7%4%GRADE 6%5%10%6%5%5%GRADE 7%34%40%40%46%44%40%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS 6

GRADE %5%7%9%4%6%7%5%3%7%GRADE 1%WARNING7%5%4%5%7%7%1%Combined Advanced & ProficientGrade34567810Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS 76%97%7

GRADE 27%28%23%WARNING6%1%4%2%3%5%2%4%1%GRADE GNEEDSIMPROVEMENT8%11%WARNING5%4%2%3%GRADE lysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results1%0%8

Longitudinal2009-2010 11th GradeAdvanced and Proficient100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Tested 97%75%88%84%2009-2010 9th GradeAdvanced and Tested eAnalysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results62%74%9

2009-2010 8th GradeAdvanced and ed %2009-2010 7th GradeAdvanced and Proficient100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Tested Grade3456ELA71%82%89%Math54%78%84%ScienceAnalysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results72%10

2009-2010 6th GradeAdvanced and Proficient100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Tested 10 5th GradeAdvanced and Proficient100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Tested Grade34ELA77%74%Math76%64%ScienceAnalysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results11

English Language ArtsElementaryI. OverviewThe 2009 ELA MCAS results show that Wayland elementary students continue to demonstratehigh levels of academic success. Students scored better than the state in all grade levels (14% inGrade 3, 21% in grade 4, and 20% in grade 5). The 2009 Grade 4 and 5 scores reflect anincrease of students scoring in the Proficient and above levels. However, the number of Grade 3students who scored Proficient and above decreased by 5%. It is important to note that the 2009Grade 5 cohort improved their score by 4% since taking the test in Grade 3 (79% in Grade 3scored Proficient and above vs. 83% in Grade 5). Grade 5 students also showed a markedimprovement ( 9%) in students who scored in the Advanced level when compared to theprevious year‘s fifth graders.The following charts document the performance across the district:Grade 3Performance Levels2005Above ProficientProficientNeeds 13%200921%11%53%42%21%35%5%11%Grade 4Performance Needs Improvement %48%40%30%40%5%11%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results200612%8%59%42%26%39%3%12%12

Grade 5Performance 17%28%2%9%16%30%3%9%15%29%2%8%Needs ImprovementFailing/WarningII. Analysis of Performance by Grade and Test:The ELA MCAS assesses students‘ reading comprehension and writing ability. In Grades 3, 4,and 5, students‘ reading comprehension is assessed with multiple choice questions in response toa piece of literature and open response questions which require students to demonstrate readingcomprehension through writing. The Grade 4 test also includes a long composition promptrequiring students to write a narrative connected to a personal experience. Wayland‘s fourthgrade scores drop between third and fourth grade. This is consistent with the performance ofstudents across the state. It should be noted that the fourth grade MCAS has a heavier writtencomponent than the third grade test which has only two open response requirements and no longcomposition. Student scores increase again in grade 5 showing significant gains in the numberof students testing at the Advanced level, and a decrease in those scoring in Needs Improvementor Warning.Multiple Choice QuestionsOver the last few years, Wayland‘s performance on multiple-choice questions has remainedconsistent. As a district, we have focused on reading comprehension strategies and our studentsare applying this knowledge on the MCAS. The following charts document the district‘sperformance on multiple choice items:Grade 3Multiple Choice Percent Correct2005200620072008200981%82%87%86%88%Grade 4200578%Multiple Choice Percent Correct20062007200880%86%88%200986%Grade 5200685%Multiple Choice Percent Correct2007200887%85%Analysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results200988%13

Wayland‘s performance is not only improves on each grade level test from year to year (Grade 3in 2005 was 81% and Grade 3 in 2009 is 88%), but students are performing better as theyprogress through the elementary schools. Students scored 81% on multiple choice items as thirdgraders in 2005 vs. 87% as fifth graders in 2007, 82% as third graders in 2006 vs. 85% as fifthgraders in 2008, and 87% as third graders in 2007 vs. 88% as fifth graders in 2009).Also notable in the multiple-choice section is the decrease in ―most-missed‖ questions (less than80% correct as a district) as children progress through the elementary grades. In 2006, thirdgrade students missed 9 questions. This same cohort missed 5 questions as fifth graders in 2008.In 2007, the third graders missed 6 questions and as fifth graders in 2009 they missed 5questions. The same trend holds true for each cohort.Grade345Number of “Most-” Missed Questions2006200720089610108410252009685In previous years it was noted that our students were not performing as well as expected onquestions related to the Language Standard. These questions ask students to label or find a partof speech or determine the meaning of a vocabulary word in context. It was recommended thatinstruction in K-5 have a stronger focus on grammar and vocabulary. This adjustment ininstruction has proven to be successful as reflected in the following chart.GradeState73%67%74%345Language Questions – Percent ate83%83%78%2009District88%87%84%Open Response QuestionsOpen response questions require students to compose short answers demonstrating theirunderstanding of the text. There are two open response questions on the Grade 3 test and four onthe Grades 4 and 5 tests. Each relates to a reading piece and assesses a student‘s ability to makean inference and support his/her ideas by quoting facts from the text. Wayland continues toscore below expectations in this area in all three grade levels. The lower scores this year areconsistent with the dip in scores across the state. Wayland students continue to need explicitinstruction in writing a response to a question about a text. This continues to be an area of focusfor the elementary schools.Grade345State56%50%52%Open Response – Percent alysis of Spring 2009 MCAS Results2009State District38%40%48%56%38%40%14