Assessment+Work+Group

Assessment Work Group
Maxims:

32 - What works: instructional leadership, superb teaching, and excellent testing which assures annual growth and the four-phase TAG loop which assures catch-up growth: (1) diagnostic testing to identify sub-skill deficiencies, (2) proportional increases in direct instructional time, (3) teaching to the deficient sub-skill, and (4) retesting to be sure the skill has been learned.

33 - An excellent data system is predicated upon an excellent assessment system.

34 - An excellent assessment system measures growth and achievement by student, classroom, building, and district. Its reports are as accurate in low and high quartiles as for near grade level. Data is intelligible--to students and parents. Scoring and reporting time occurs within a week

35 - Most tests are least accurate for the students who are furthest behind. Educators often have the poorest data for the students for whom they need the most precision.

36 - A school district must assess at every grade level and in every subject for which it is unwilling to be data-blind.

37 - Measuring annual and catch-up growth requires district-wide assessment in core subject areas in the spring of each year and often in the fall as welL An excellent assessment system can determine whether each student has made annual growth and/or the amount of targeted catchup growth.

42 - The numbers are what they are.

43 - There is no point in testing if you don't look at the data, don't understand it, and don't change.

48 - Few districts can currently quantify the amount of growth that occurs annually in each classroom. Few districts can quantify at which quintile or quartile most growth occurs in a given classroom.

51 - Diagnostic testing initially involves analyzing the sub-skill deficiencies of individual students from the district or state assessment data.

52 - Sub-skills for reading include phonemic awareness, phonics, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Each sub-skill has sub-categories.

54 - Diagnostic testing is typically done more often and more effectively at the elementary than at the secondary level.

55 - High performance schools embrace assessment, especially diagnostic testing. High performance schools test more frequently and more precisely than districts or states require.

73 - Middle and high schools are run from equal time-based master schedules. Middle and high school administrators understand increased instructional time in terms of additional classes.

77 - Monitoring whether principals actually schedule lagging (low quartile) students for additional classes or time is the first step in assuring proportional increases in instruction.

80 - Just because diagnostic testing occurs does not mean that instruction will be directed to the deficient sub-skill.