A Collaborative Approach to Planning for DDM’s

Kristan Rodriguez, Ph.DChelmsford Public Schools

Learning About DDM’s

• Presentation by Ron N. & Samantha W.• Hosted multiple district overview

• Participating in the Assessment Literacy Webinars:• DDM oversight team-all sessions• Select sessions for admin. teams

• Reviewing the monthly newsletter for helpful tools and best practices

• Attend follow up DESE presentation• Revised RTTT Grant to include Project 3 B

• No cost associated• Qualify for free training modules• Training in data literacy and DDM’s

Identify a team of administrators, teachers and specialists to focus and plan the district’s work on DDMs.

• Team of educators-representing teachers and administrators• Union participation on this team• Defined goals and objectives• Defined meeting schedule• A guiding team-facilitating the work of other committees in relationship to DDM work

• Evaluation Committee• PD Committee• District Data Team

Assess educators’ understanding the MCAS Student Growth Percentile; develop a plan for ensuring educator understanding.

• Enveloped into MCAS analysis sessions with all teachers

• Created a presentation package for principals to give at faculty meetings

• Developed an abbreviated version for school committee

Complete an inventory of existing assessments used in the district’s schools and assess where there are strengths to build on and gaps to fill.

• Major Stakeholders: Assistant Superintendents, Curriculum Coordinators, District Data Team

• Began with an excel spreadsheet/database of existing assessments for each department

• Inventories placed on intranet site• Will use the Assessment Quality

Checklist and Tracking Tool to review the assessments against the DDM rubric from Part VII

Collaborating with Other Districts

Working with 25 districts, NRRC, and 3 collaboratives• In June, defining a concrete plan:

• Will meet monthly to review progress• Districts doing inventories now of existing assessments that

can qualify as DDMs• Define the DDMs each district is concentrating on and source

of sharing• DDMs developed within and across districts will be shared• All DDMs meeting rubric criteria• Warehoused on a common but private site• DDM development sessions housed in districts, at university

sites (NRRC), and at collaboratives• Having members apply for WestEd positions

Plan a process for piloting DDMs where potential measures have been identified.

• Review against existing inventory• district created math benchmarks (K-2)• technology, art, world language, health assessments (varied)• literacy benchmarks (e.g. DIBELS, Fountas and Pinnell) (K-3)• Study Island assessments (literacy and math) (3-8)

• Vet assessments for DDM qualities• Use of consultants• Use of district data team• Potential use of WestEd

Plan a process for researching and/or developing measures where no existing measures are deemed appropriate.

Defining assessments to pilot• Focus on identified areas • Develop assessments during summer

curriculum writing• Purchase assessments (e.g. aimsweb)

SAMPLE

Integrating this work into SMART Goals

DDMs integrated into each department’s SMART goals

(District developed assessments) By the spring of 2014, the _________ department will develop and pilot (Quantity) (Content Subject) common assessments in grade(s) ________, that meet the criteria established by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for District Determined Measures (DDMs), as measured by an updated department data inventory.

(Purchased or State Exemplar Assessments) By the spring of 2014, the _________ department will purchase/adopt and pilot (Quantity) (Content Subject) (Name Assessment) in grade(s) ________, that meet the criteria established by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for District Determined Measures (DDMs), as measured by an updated department data inventory.

Create the district’s communication plan

The district oversight team will be responsible for developing and overseeing the communication plan for DDMs.

• Newsletters

• Website

• Intranet

• Presentations at Meetings (Department, All School and Faculty Meetings)