jennifer zajac. online surveys oaa test result review
TRANSCRIPT
Jennifer Zajac
BUILDING NEEDS ASSESSMENTEFFECTING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES AMO SCORES
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Online Surveys OAA Test Result Review
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
31 students responded 26% 6th grade, 35% 7th grade and 39% 8th
grade 48% male, 52% female 43% students with disabilities, 57%
general education
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Teachers know how I learn 45% agree, 35% unsure, 19% disagree 69% of SWD are unsure or disagree
whereas 47% of general education students are unsure or disagree
Teachers take the time to help when don’t understand 76% agree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Students have a hard time keeping up in class 35% agree, 61% disagree 54% of SWD agree
Students feel lost in class 38% agree, 45% disagree
Teachers know how students learn 45% agree, 19% disagree 69% of SWD are unsure or disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Teachers give a variety of assignments 14% agree, 27% disagree
In class students engage in varied types of instruction 93% agree 29% whole group, 32% small group, 21%
partner work
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Students believe school is doing a good job 50% agree, 13% disagree
Students’ parents believe the school is doing a good job 60% agree, 20% disagree
Students believe the state tests are important 87% agree, 3% disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Student Comments Offer more help, such as after school
programs (particularly in math) Offer a greater variety of activities for
students such as hands-on and more projects
Air conditioning
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STUDENT RESPONSES
Points to note There’s a discrepancy in student statements
regarding varied activities indicating that differentiation may not be occurring across the board
Students with disabilities feel they need more assistance and have a difficult time keeping up in class
69% of students with disabilities either disagree or are unsure teachers know how they learn
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PARENT RESPONSES
10 Parents Responded Student grade level: 33% 6th grade, 25%
7th grade, 42% 8th grade Student gender: 30% male, 70% female 0 response from parents of students with
disabilities
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PARENT RESPONSES
Teachers know my child’s strengths/My child believes teachers know his/her strengths 40% agree, 60% unsure or disagree
Teachers know my child’s learning style 33% agree, 66% unsure or disagree
Teachers spend adequate time helping my child 60% agree, 40% unsure or disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PARENT RESPONSES
School is doing a good job 70% agree, 30% unsure or disagree
My child is challenged in school 50% agree, 50% unsure or disagree
Other parents believe school is doing a good job 50% agree, 50% unsure or disagree
State tests are important 40% agree, 60% unsure or disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PARENT RESPONSES
Comments Would like to see more extension activities,
hands-on projects, new and exciting classes, and incorporate more technology into student learning
The school does a good job with communication and teachers are good
Air conditioning
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PARENT RESPONSES
Points to Note Limited sample Parents are unsure or don’t feel the
curriculum is connecting with their child or that teachers understand their learning styles
Parents are unsure of their child is being challenged
More communication regarding importance of statewide tests may be needed
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
28 Teachers Responded 66% core subject teachers, 15% intervention specialists,
19% specials teachers 27% 6th grade, 19% 7th grade, 27% 8th grade, 27% multi-
grade How many year's of teaching experience do
you have? 0-5 7% 6-10 22% 11-15 19% 16-20 4% 21+ 48%
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teachers feel confident and adequately trained to teach SWD 55% agree, 44% disagree The greatest number of disagree responses is
in the 21+ years of experience group primarily those teaching specials classes
Differentiation occurs Daily, 35% Weekly, 54% Once per month, 12%
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
The best way to teach differing ability levels is to: Ability group, 23% Differentiate instruction, 23% Pre-teach/Re-teach, 20% Integrate curriculum, 15%
Teachers differentiate by: Product, 32% Process, 40% Content, 21%
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teachers assess students Weekly, 61% Bi-weekly 21%
Interventions are provided In class, 38% During AE, 36%
Interventions are Small group based on need, 32% Small group based on student availability, 23% Limited due to inadequate time, 21%
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teachers believe they have adequate resources to differentiate 37% agree, 63% are unsure or disagree
Teachers believe resources are aligned with the curriculum 26% agree, 75% are unsure or disagree
Teachers are confident in their ability to write meaningful assessments 76% agree, 20% are unsure, 4% disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teachers believe assessments are aligned with the curriculum 87% agree, 23% unsure or disagree
School schedule is conducive to provide interventions 41% agree, 22% unsure, 37% disagree
Teachers use data to determine interventions 49% agree, 41% unsure, 11% disagree
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teachers would appreciate more professional development in the area(s) of content specific training on differentiating instruction,
21% differentiating materials, 11% incorporating technology, 14% specific strategies to meet the needs of students with
disabilities, 13% specific strategies to meet the needs of gifted students,
14% assessment writing, 7% grouping for intervention, 9% how to use data from assessments, 4% Other, 7%
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Teacher comments regarding the biggest barrier to SWD success Time (to intervene/retain subject
matter) Apathy Resources Disparity in ability level in individual
classes
NEEDS ASSESSMENT – TEACHER RESPONSES
Points to Note: Nearly half of the staff does not feel adequately
trained to teach students with disabilities Although 89% of the teachers say they
differentiate lessons daily or weekly, 21% would like more content specific training on differentiation
49% of teachers use data for interventions but only 32% base intervention groups on need
Teachers believe assessments are aligned to the curriculum but unsure if resources are aligned to the curriculum
OAA ANALYSIS– READING
Acquisition of Vocabulary
Reading Process
Informational Text
Literary Text
6th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
15% 21% 20% 15%
6th Grade SWD Below Prof.
58% 79% 68% 79%
7th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
13% 21% 10% 17%
7th Grade SWD Below Prof.
59% 65% 35% 59%
8th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
14% 9% 18% 14%
8th Grade SWD Below Prof.
58% 42% 67% 42%
OAA ANALYSIS– MATH
Number, Number Sense & Operations
Measurement
Geometry & Spatial Sense
Patterns, Functions & Algebra
Data Analysis & Probability
6th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
19% 29% 13% 15% 18%
6th Grade SWD Below Prof.
87% 100% 87% 87% 93%
7th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
22% 29% 17% 18% 27%
7th Grade SWD Below Prof.
83% 83% 50% 92% 83%
8th Grade Gen. Ed. Below Prof.
11% 21% 11% 18% 15%
8th Grade SWD Below Prof.
78% 67% 67% 67% 33%
STATE REPORT CARD VALUE ADDED DATATest Grade Progress Scores
Reading Math
All Grades -0.1 -4.1
6th -3.9 -13.2
7th 1.5 7.2
8th 2.6 1.2
PROBLEM
The greatest academic challenge for CMS at this time is overall math scores, additionally there is a large discrepancy between proficiency rates among SWD in the area of math.
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Test Analysis (Downey, Steffy, Poston & English, 2009; Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010). Analyze OAA and common assessment data.
Is what is tested being taught? Do some standards have greater weight than others on the statewide test?
Analyze questions for content, context, cognitive type and standard of performance. (What is being assessed, under what conditions, what level of blooms questioning and to what degree must the student need to show for mastery. Downey, et. al, 2009, p. 21)
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Identify Barriers (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010) p. 50 Why did the student miss the question? Identify barriers and look for separators – why high
performing students answered correctly and low performing students did not (target pull out groups)
Global Questions How well did the class do as a whole? What are the strengths and weaknesses in the standards? How did the class do on old versus new standards? How were the results in different question types (multiple
choice, open-ended, reading vs. writing, etc.) Who are strong/weak students?
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Identify Barriers (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010) p. 50 “Dig In” Questions
What questions did most students bomb? Did students perform similarly on questions
pertaining to specific standards? Were some questions harder? Why?
Sort data by student scores. Are there questions that separate proficient, nonproficient students?
Look horizontally by student. Are there anomalies with certain students?
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Use assessment data to drive intervention group (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010). Create an action plan based on results
analysis Identify what standards need to be retaught. Why didn’t students learn it? Instruction plan – what techniques will be used to
teach it and when Intervention time should be aligned with
tested objectives (Downey, Steffy, Poston & English, 2009)
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Instructional Plan – When & How? Visits to local schools indicated similar intervention practices. Focus
2 days math, 2 days reading, 1 day enrichment 2-3 weeks per subject, alternating, but with primary focus on math and
reading 1 week alternating
Groups based on OAA data and change focus based on strand based on common assessment based on unit assessments create new assessments for this purpose
All teachers provide interventions in the intervention area during the same time (i.e. all teachers provide math intervention, lesson plans provided by math teachers)
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Differentiate instruction Research shows differentiating instruction to meet the needs of
student learning styles is critical for students with disabilities (Downey, Steffy, Poston & English, 2009)
Opens learning opportunities for all students Provide flexible grouping Vary complexity Vary cognition requirements Different questions on quizzes Learning centers Provide alternative assignments based on mastery/independent study Peer tutoring Tiered assignments of varying complexity Adjust pace Differentiate products
RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
Enriching Curriculum and Remediating Learning (Glatthorn & Jailall, 2009) & Teaching to Mastery (Downey, Steffy, Poston & English, 2009) Emphasis on teaching to mastery and enriching curriculum All students can learn when provided appropriate conditions Building in time for remediation may open opportunities for
enrichment of those students performing at mastery level. Enrich by:
Student interests Teacher knowledge/interests Not typical content in school Special knowledge in community, among parents Greater depth of content
ACTION PLAN
Goal Action Steps
Resources Timeline
Cost Responsibility
Identify areas where students are not learning
1. State test analysis. Identify target standards/objectives in the test and compare to curriculum map.
2. Common assessment item analysis
-State test data- copy of released test items- curriculum map-Common assessment-Item analysis sheet (Bambrick-Santoyo)
½ day release time per assessment for cooperating teachers followed by an item analysis review with the Principal
Sub costs for 2 ½ day sessions
Special Ed team
Core teachersPrincipal
ACTION PLAN
Goal Action Steps
Resources Timeline
Cost Responsibility
Identify strategies to be into classroom instruction
1. Based on test analysis determine why students with disabilities are not being successful.
2. Research strategies
3. Share ideas
- OAA test items- Common assessments- Strategy books/articles “Making math accessible to students with learning disabilities”
Ongoing, teachers discuss during PLC meeting, present to Principal
$100 budget for additional strategy resource guides if necessary
Intervention Specialists
ACTION PLAN
Goal Action Steps
Resources Timeline
Cost Responsibility
Create intervention schedule and lesson plan
1. Establish Schedule focus, when and where opportunities for intervention exist.
2. Identify groupings.
3. Create lesson plans and assessment.
- Copy of existing schedule- Present options other schools use
Ongoing, teachers discuss what they want it to look like in PLC meeting, present to Principal
Team driven
ACTION PLAN
Goal Action Steps
Resources Timeline
Cost Responsibility
Content specific professional development in differentiating instruction
1. PD with expert in content area
2. Identify opportunities for differentiation directly in curriculum map
Expert (could be teacher from building or another school), must be expert in grade-level specific content
Three 2-hour sessions on waiver days, separated by subject area
Expert fees Curriculum directorPrincipalCurriculum Liaisons
REFERENCES
Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2010). Driven by data: A practical guide to improve instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Downey, C. J., Steffy, B. E., Poston, W. K. & English, F. W. (2009). 50 ways to close the achievement gap. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Glatthorn, A. A. & Jailall, J. M. (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is taught and tested. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.