Mary+Flora+Malyska

=            =                                **    How To Successfully Disseminate      **    **  High School Proficiency Assessment Data To Teachers **                               <span style="FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> (HSPA Data = Individual Student Reports and Summaries of School Performance) <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: left">This wiki will help educators properly and effectively disseminate High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) data to teachers who are unfamiliar with the analysis and use of HSPA data. The resources in this wiki provide a basic overview of the HSPA's content, a glossary of commonly used HSPA testing language, and a reference for interpreting HSPA data. The articles referenced in this wiki teach educators how to properly and effectively communicate their expectations for the use of HSPA data to teachers. This wiki is a teaching tool for those who desire data driven classrooms. =<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Getting teachers familiar with the HSPA:    = <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="COLOR: #be13be; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Teachers who are unfamiliar with the test may feel insecure when using test results to drive instruction. It is important to help your teachers understand the test and test data they are being asked to apply. The State of New Jersey has provided a thorough [|overview of the HSPA]          <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="COLOR: #be13be; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">that outlines the content areas tested, a timeline for testing, and basic scoring information. This is a quick ‘go to’ guide for teachers. It addresses all the frequently asked questions pertaining to the HSPA.

As well as becoming familiar with the format of the HSPA, teachers must also become comfortable with testing terms and acronyms. Providing teachers with a [|glossary of terms] will assist them in learning the language of the HSPA. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">  Helping teachers interpret students’ HSPA scores:
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Receiving a student’s HSPA score breakdown or a school’s overall HSPA performance report without preparation can be daunting. Although it is beneficial to present individual student data in addition to larger school trends, teachers must first receive guidance so they can properly interpret the information. To provide comprehensive data, teachers should receive Individual Student Reports (ISRs) as well as a <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Summary of School Performance       <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> so they can see students’ individual areas of weakness and how those areas contribute to the school’s needs as a whole. [|New Jersey's State Assessment Guide]      <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">     <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> provides sample of ISRs and Summaries of School Performance. ISRs can be found on pages 20 – 24, while Summaries of School Performance can be found on33 - 35. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">//<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> To see an overview of your school’s HSPA scores, just click here and find your town on the scroll down list: [|www.greatschools.net/test/landing.page?state=NJ&tid=7] //

= =

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 190%; COLOR: #27c011; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Effectively communicating with teachers:
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">**// What do standardized tests measure? //** Educators should provide research to help facilitate a dialogue among teachers regarding what standardized tests measure. This collaboration will enable teachers to create a shared meaning that will focus their use of HSPA data in the classroom. In " [|Measure for][|measures: What do standardized tests really tell us about students and schools?]" <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Daniel Koretz wants to “put tests in perspective to get a more balanced perspective of how you judge schools, teachers, and kids.” Establishing a limit for what tests can and cannot do will enable teachers to determine the boundaries for test data usage. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">**// How can educators safeguard themselves from common pitfalls when using test scores? //** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">A few of the pitfalls educators fall prey to are using only test scores for placement, giving out-of-level tests, misinterpreting student’s grad e level, and failing to differentiate the degree of error in individual and group scores. [|"Interpreting Test Scores for Compensatory Education Students"]  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> focu ses specifically on compensatory education programs; however, it  is applicable when using any standardized test data. As the author, Gary Echternacht, states, “ <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Because you have this pressur e to use standardized test scores, you should make sure that you use the tests correctly.” When asking teachers to utilize HSPA re sults to shape instruction, it is imperative to model proper uses for standardized test data. **//<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Should educators measure teachers by student performance? //** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> The New York Times piece, [|"Teachers to Be Measured Based on] Students' Standardized Test  Scores",  discusses the positive and negative effects of using test scores to gauge a teacher’s effectiveness. The idea of using test scores in this way “is likely to anger teachers and parents who are already critical of the increasing emphasis on standardized test scores as a substitute for judging school quality.” The focus of this article is the source of heated debate in our test driven education system. This piece can serve as a jumping off point for faculty discussions when defining appropriate ways to use test sores.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> **// How can I present data in a meaningful way? //** Just as students use their foundational knowledge to tackle difficult tasks, so must teachers. Rather than overwhelming teachers with HSPA data, teachers must rise to this level of interpretation after establishing foundational knowledge. [|"Behind the Scenes of No Child Left Behind: Using Test Score Data to Focus Instruction"] <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">provides a method for breaking down data so that it is non-threatening and usable. As the authors state, “There is little attention being paid to teacher development in learning to use data to improve learning.” Combine teachers’ lack of training in data interpretation and the “frenzy to raise test scores” and we get overwhelmed, frustrated teachers. Although this article focuses on a middle school in Georgia, it is applicable to school settings where there is an abundance of data but a lack of proper distribution. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">