Cwra Newtech Steptwo
Step Two:Using assessments of college readiness for school improvementa joint project of:college & workreadiness assessment
New Tech Network collaborates with public schools to create vibrant learningorganizations where students graduate ready for college and career. We workwith district teams, school leaders and teachers to create authentic learningthat is grounded in inquiry, reflection, and individual agency.For more information, visit: www.newtechnetwork.orgcollege & workreadiness assessmentThe College & Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA)—a division of the Councilfor Aid to Education (CAE)--is a problem-based assessment of 21st centuryskills founded in 2006 in response to the dearth of tools available for measuringkey deeper and essential learning skills—like critical thinking, problem solving,and effective communication—in K-12. To date, over 280 of the most innovativeand progressive middle and high schools across the country have countedthemselves as CWRA partners.For more information, visit: www.cae.org/cwraPatrick Lee is an independentconsultant assisting schools,districts, and reform supportorganizations. He works withleaders around program andpolicy evaluation; data,technology, assessment, andaccountability systems; andethnography and strategicplanning. He earned his Ph.D.from the University of Californiaat Berkeley.Sherrie Reed serves as theDirector of Research at NewTech Network. Prior to joiningNTN, she spent 17 years as ateacher, administrator anddeveloper of charter schools.She is a Ph.D. Candidate atUniversity of California, Davisand earned a MA and BA inEducation and from Universityof Northern Colorado.Chris Jackson is the formerDirector of the CWRA. Chris hasalso been a high school teacher,an AmeriCorps volunteer, and achildren’s literacy advocate atReading Is Fundamental. He hasa BA in Creative Writing from theUniversity of Colorado, Boulder,and an MPA from New YorkUniversity’s Wagner School ofPublic Policy.
Assessing 21st century skills is a critical component in moving students toward college and careerreadiness. As schools adopt increasingly complex standards for student learning, assessments areneeded that can reliably measure critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. Whilethere’s been a focus at federal and state levels on ensuring the alignment of assessments to these skills,less attention has been paid to how schools can actually use the results from these measures to improveteaching and learning.Which explains why this guide is entitled Step Two. If you’re looking for Step One in this series, there isn’tone. We have plenty of evidence of schools across the country administering assessments of collegereadiness. What is often lacking is the important follow through--the answer to the question “What’snext?” This guide seeks to answer that question, by offering best practices gleaned from the study ofschools across the country that are effectively engaged in Step Two.In Spring 2014, we conducted research to examine how schools are using data from college readinessassessments. Specifically, we identified schools around the country that are administering the Collegeand Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA) and are implementing strategies to analyze, interpret, and reportthe results in impactful ways. Through recommendations from the Council for Aid to Education, leadersfrom a number of high schools were selected for in-depth interviews about their assessment practices.They were asked about their processes for analyzing CWRA data, sharing results with differentstakeholders, and using these results for instructional planning. The following spotlights several keystrategies that leaders are implementing to make a difference at their schools.college & workreadiness assessment
Using Data to Tell Their StorySustaining an effective school requires that leaders be able to use data to tell meaningful stories. They mustuse appropriate analytic strategies and data visualizations to communicate their progress and impact with arange of audiences. Specifically, successful leaders leverage data around students’ college readiness andcompletion to demonstrate their schools’ impact on the areas that matter most.Multiple Measures of College ReadinessSome leaders are routinely examining multiple measures of college readiness for their students to gain acomprehensive picture of preparedness in different content and cognitive skill areas. These assessmentsinclude the CWRA, Advanced Placement tests, SAT, ACT, Program for International Student Assessment(PISA), and local assessments of 21st century skills. The Collegiate School in Richmond, VA, for instance, isexamining students’ written communication skills across different college readiness measures in order toidentify performance patterns.Four-Year Longitudinal AnalysisSchools implementing college readiness assessments for four years or more are starting to conductlongitudinal analysis to study students’ progress during their high school experience. The New Tech Network(NTN) based in the San Francisco Bay Area has been implementing the CWRA for over five years and isexamining effect scores and student growth patterns for implementing schools.Linking Results to Postsecondary EnrollmentData from the National Student Clearinghouse allows some schools to analyze how leading indicators suchas HS grade point average, SAT or ACT results, and other measures are correlated to students’ collegeenrollment, persistence, and ultimately, degree completion rates.from Step Two:using assessments of college readiness for school improvementcollege & workreadiness assessment
Illinois Math &Science AcademyIMSA is a competitive, STEM-focusedpublic high school on the outskirts ofChicago. The school has plenty of outcomesdata for its graduating students that allowit to tell its story as a high-performingschool. But that didn’t stop them fromasking that slightly unnerving question: “Arethe admissions metrics we’re using helpingus tell our best story?”IMSA hasn’t started using CWRA foradmissions purposes, nor have theysuggested a move in that direction;however, they have done some analysis todetermine (or at least generate a largerhypothesis) whether the CWRA correlates(or is a better predictor of) the types ofcharacteristics its students possess thatthey believe tells their best story.Results in ActionNew Tech schools across the U.S. with a highpercentage of socio-economically disadvantagedstudents are performing far above expected onthe CWRA. The student growth in these schools isclosing the gap in higher order thinking skills thatexists between them and students in the CWRAcomparison group, a group with substantiallyfewer students of color and more highlyeducated parents.Napa Valley USD& Napa LearnsNapa Valley USD partners with NTN andNapaLearns through the NexTech Project,bringing together 10 schools to implementproject based learning, technology-infusedinstruction, and empowering schoolcultures.NVUSD uses several indicators to measureits college and career readiness mission,including college-prep course completionand postsecondary enrollment rates. Toensure students are mastering critical skillsneeded for college success, the districtroutinely assesses 21st century skills.NexTech schools establish school-widelearning objectives that drive theirinstructional program, including knowledgeand thinking skills, content literacy,collaboration, communication, and agency.2013 Average CWRA Scores12001000800FreshmenNTN SchoolsSeniorsAll CWRA Schools
Communicating Results to StakeholdersCommunicating implementation and outcome results is critical to engaging the entire school community.School leaders recognize that data can be overwhelming to interpret, and therefore employ unique strategiesto review and make sense of assessment results. Whether it be to share program successes with parents andfamilies, to provide actionable findings to teachers, or to identify areas of successes and challenges withindividual students, leaders use various tools to communicate results for different purposes.Sharing Results with StudentsAs schools explore the power of having students reflect on their own assessment results, leaders areconducting individual student conferences to examine strengths and weaknesses, engaging students inestablishing goals around specific 21st century skills, and instituting recognitions for those who perform wellon college readiness assessments. Counselors at Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina, for example,are documenting CWRA results in each student’s college folder to recognize student growth.Sharing Results with TeachersSeveral school leaders have intentionally built the data literacy capacity of their staff. In so doing, they’veselected one or two key statistics to present at school-wide or department meetings to create a commonlanguage. For the CWRA in particular, some schools have decided to focus on effect size scores with theirstaff.Sharing Results with Parents and FamiliesWhile some schools keep parents and families abreast of assessment timelines via newsletters, others arebeginning to involve parents directly as accountability stakeholders. For example, leaders in Virginia BeachCity Public Schools are reviewing CWRA results during parent meetings to understand both individualperformance as well as school-wide progress.from Step Two:using assessments of college readiness for school improvementcollege & workreadiness assessment
Asheville SchoolAs an independent college preparatoryboarding school, Asheville School facespressure from stakeholders to demonstrateincreased student achievement. In fact,trustees and parents alike want evidencethat Asheville students outperform schoolsof similar size, geography or reputation.Yet, despite Asheville’s relatively highperformance, Head of School ArchMontgomery explains that the value of theCWRA isn’t in proving that one school isbetter than another, but rather in its poweras “the catalyst to lead all schools towardbetter results with students.”For Asheville, the strength of authenticassessment is the utility to engagestakeholders in the communal practice ofadvancing the population it serves, notsimply through its ability to 0SSAT Total Percentile8090100GenAcademynex Gen Academy, an Albuquerque-basedpublic magnet school, partners with SandiaNational Laboratories and Intel Corporationto prepare students for 21st centurycareers.nex Gen’s success is due in part to itsintentional focus on maintaining a positiveschool culture. Each year, the studentsparticipate in a survey, administered byYouth Truth. Together, a team of select staffand students examine the survey results,determine implications, and develop a planof action to improve the school culture. Theteam then shares their insights and surveyresults across the community, engaging allstakeholders in the process of maintaining apositive learning environment for everyone.Results in Action1700CWRA Score Senior Yearnex GenAcademyAsheville School must demonstrate to stakeholdersthat the high performance of graduates isn’t simply aresult of admitting high performing students.Analysis of CWRA scores and the Secondary SchoolsAdmissions Test (SSAT) reveals that only 6% ofstudent growth in 21st century skills is due toentering academic ability. Indeed, students’substantial growth in 21st century skills is a result oftheir experience at Asheville School.
Instructional Planning and Pedagogical EvolutionAs schools confront the implementation of increasingly rigorous and complex learning standards, they mustemploy strategies and tools to align their instructional program. Leaders need to engage their staff in deepinstructional planning and to develop the school’s pedagogical practices to effectively meet these standards.For some schools, this includes creating performance-based student assessments, training staff on usingcollege and career readiness data to drive classroom practice, and targeting professional developmentopportunities for teachers.Performance Task AssessmentsSeveral schools are adopting performance-based tasks to assess students’ 21st century skills. For example,schools such as Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, Georgia, and Currey-Ingram Academy inBrentwood, Tennessee, have developed tasks modeled after the CWRA, including prompts, sourcedocuments, and scoring rubrics similar to the assessment.21st Century Skills PlanningSchool leadership teams are reviewing results to identify trends in college readiness measures. In someinstances, the data review is linked back to school-wide goal setting around critical thinking, problem solving,communication, collaboration, or creativity. At other schools, such as St. Andrew’s School in Middleton,Delaware, the focus has been on deeper dives around the areas of the CWRA rubric and conductingbackwards mapping to department level curriculum.Data Training for School Support StaffIn some systems, instructional coaches, school improvement specialists, and other support roles are takingon responsibilities to facilitate reviews of college readiness assessment results and to lead instructionalplanning sessions with school staff.from Step Two:using assessments of college readiness for school improvementcollege & workreadiness assessment
St. Andrew’sSchoolSt. Andrew’s Director of Innovation had theepiphany that the best way to help facultybetter understand the CWRA was by havingthem actually sit for it.Within a 40 minute meeting, facultyreviewed a sample version of the CWRA,drafted their own responses, then begandiscussing what teaching practices bestdevelop the skills they value most—thosemeasured by the CWRA.average CWRA score (2011)Faculty felt engaged and validated having asay in school pedagogical and assessmentconversations. In the long run, facultyenthusiasm for authentic teaching andassessment practices will surely influencethe way students themselves view andengage in those same practices.New Tech WestHigh SchoolLocated in Cleveland Metropolitan SchoolDistrict, New Tech West models a 21stcentury workplace. The school producesgraduates with academic, technical, socialand collaborative skills and the confidencenecessary for success in theirpostsecondary endeavors.Striving to meet this mission, New Tech Westuses college ready assessments (CRAs) todrive instructional practice. CRAs areperformance assessments aligned withCCSS and embedded in project-basedlearning. Teachers examine performance onthe CRAs closely and adjust instruction tohelp students revise their work to a levelaligned with college expectations.As a result, teachers aim instructiontowards high standards, but personalize forindividual student need.Results in 406080time spent on the CWRA (in minutes)When faculty are engaged, students are engaged.One metric schools can use to infer studentengagement is time on task. It comes as no surpriseto St. Andrew’s School that when their students aremore motivated to do well, they actually performbetter (though-interestingly-in 2011, St. Andrew’sjuniors performed well on the CWRA no matter howmuch time they spent on the assessment).
Engaging Institutions of Higher EducationSchools and districts are increasingly engaging institutions of higher education when planning andimplementing their college and career readiness priorities. While establishing the parameters for readinesswas traditionally the domain of colleges and universities themselves, these institutions are collaboratingwith secondary (and, in some instances, elementary) schools to inventory the appropriate criteria for definingreadiness. Schools that are cultivating these relationships are also capitalizing on important teaching andlearning resources that institutions of higher education are providing.Starting the ConversationSome schools and school districts express frustration with the current metrics that are widely used bycollege admissions offices to determine student candidacy. Not content to wait for the system to evolve,these same schools are instigating the conversation with colleges and universities by including informationon student transcripts—like CWRA scores—that they consider a more accurate reflection of their missionand values. In response, admissions officers are gently forced to inquire about (and consider) students’ 21stcentury competencies in their decision-making process.Anticipating Future TrendsKnowing how admissions officers make decisions can influence how teachers and administrators direct theirefforts. Some CWRA member schools try to stay ahead of the curve by surveying the admissions offices of thecolleges their students typically attend. The good news, they report, is that less emphasis is being placed onpragmatic considerations like test scores and grades, and more is placed on students’ 21st centurycapacities, such as their ability to express themselves and define their passions.Partnering Around College & Career ReadinessColleges and universities are key partners for many schools when deepening a culture of college and careerreadiness. Principals are collaborating with higher education institutions to expand their role in providinggreater access to courses and learning resources. For many New Tech schools, this involves not only valuableopportunities for students to earn dual credit, but also partnerships with college faculty to provide expertiseto classroom projects.from Step Two:using assessments of college readiness for school improvementcollege & workreadiness assessment
Virginia Beach CityPublic SchoolsVBCPS was among the first public schooldistricts to adopt the CWRA. Initially, VBCPSadministered the CWRA to its seniors, butswitched over to juniors for reasons core totheir strategic plan: Compass to 2015.Moving to a junior administration helpedstudents find greater meaning in the valueof the CWRA. Further, VBCPS beganincluding CWRA scores on students’transcripts to couple core contentknowledge with key 21st century capacities.This action also fostered a conversationbetween the district and the colleges itsstudents apply to about the academicvalues to which VBCPS aligns.Since VBCPS switched over to juniors, manyother schools—both public andprivate—have followed suit.Results in ActionThe intentional work around college readyassessments is paying off. School leaders areengaging stakeholders in reviewing results, planningfor instructional improvement, and partnering withlocal colleges, AND students are enrolling in collegeat higher rates. Across New Tech Network, graduatesenroll in college at a rate six percentage points higherthan the national average.Tech ValleyHigh SchoolTech Valley High School partners with localcolleges and universities in the Albany,New York area to provide students withrigorous, authentic learning opportunitiesthat will effectively prepare them forcolleges and careers.Located on the campus of Colleges ofNanoscale Science and Engineering atSUNY Polytechnic Institute, TVHS offers ahalf day Senior STEM program forstudents to earn dual course credit and toutilize the college’s world-class researchfacilities.Other postsecondary institutions alsoserve in significant roles, offering diversework-based learning experiences andserving as technical experts and modelsfor various projects across the school’sintegrated courses.COLLEGE ENROLLMENTYear After Graduation, Class of 2012National38%NTN42%16 schools4-Year29%31%2-Year67%73%
NetworkSupportMany of the innovations that come out of CWRA and New Tech Networkare the brainchildren of our member schools who notice opportunities toimprove our services through their own implementations. While we havemuch to learn from our partnering members—in ways that ultimatelybenefit all members—it is, of course, not our organizations’ intent thatour schools “go it alone.”This document focuses on the ways that a handful of our member schools have used college-readyassessments to meet their individual needs and goals. Both the CWRA and New Tech Networkconsistently focus on improvement of services to assist our schools and ensure that we collectivelyremain at the front of the progressive education movement.Authentic assessment works best whenpaired with effective and engaging pedagogy.To that end, through professionaldevelopment workshops, CWRA staff regularlywork with faculty from the across the countryto better align teaching and learning withperformance-based approaches tocurriculum and content.Further, CWRA staff work closely with school,district, and organization administrators tointerpret and use assessment data to bothpinpoint specific areas of improvement andgive evidence-based voice to their missionstatements.New Tech Network, a national non-profit,works closely with district and school leadersto establish the culture and systems withinelementary, middle and high schools tosupport continuous improvement.We provide training, coaching, tools and aground-breaking learning managementsystem that help change schools’ practices.Currently, more than 160 schools in 25 statesand the District of Columbia are part of theNew Tech Network. To support learning acrossthe diverse Network, we facilitateopportunities for collaboration and sharedlearning for educators of all levels working inNew Tech districts and schools.
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districts, and reform support organizations. He works with leaders around program and policy evaluation; data, technology, assessment, and accountability systems; and ethnography and strategic planning. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Sherrie Reed serves as the Director of Research at New Tech Network.
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