Introduction toIntroduction toGREAT for ELs GREAT for ELs

Office of Student AssessmentWisconsin Department of Public Instruction(608)267-1072Osamail@dpi.wi.gov

What is GREAT? What is GREAT? The Growth Excel Analysis Tool, or

GREAT, is a means to observe a student’s English Language Proficiency measured growth over time.

GREAT is an interactive Excel-based tool. This tool can be found at http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/oea_ells/#growthell

This presentation willThis presentation willProvide an explanation of GREATDefine the terms and concepts

used within GREATDescribe how to use GREATDemonstrate how to use GREAT

using hypothetical student data

GREAT’s PurposeGREAT’s PurposeTo observe a student’s growth in

language proficiency over time in relation to other students’ growth

To explore a student’s progress within specific language domains

To assist with program design and direction

Terms and Definitions Terms and Definitions Growth Percentile

Norm Group

Domain Composite

Scale Score & Percentile Rank

Growth PercentileGrowth PercentileA Growth Percentile is a numerical

classification of the percent of students making a given increase in scale score. For example, if a scale score increase of 50 points represents the 75th growth percentile, this indicates that an increase of 50 points is more than the increase experienced by 75% of students.

GREAT measures the 25th, 40th, 60th and 75th growth percentiles at each starting proficiency level.◦ This will be explained in more detail in a few

slides.

Norm GroupNorm GroupThe norm group is the group of

students comprising the standardization sample for the test. This sample is composed of the English Language (EL) students who took the ACCESS for ELLs® in either:◦The State of Wisconsin, OR; ◦The World-class Instructional Design and

Assessment (WIDA) Consortium States. The test data used by the norm group

depends on the year and data available.

Domain CompositeDomain CompositeThese are the combined weighted scores from ACCESS for ELLs

for each of the four language domains: reading, writing, speaking and listening. The weighting reflects the differential contributions of each language domain required for academic success.

Oral Language: Oral Language score is attributed to equally weighted scale scores from Listening (50%) and the other 50% to Speaking.

Literacy: The Literacy composite score combines equally weighted scale scores from Reading (50%) and Writing (50%).

Comprehension: The Comprehension composite score combines the scale scores for Listening (30%) and Reading (70%).

Overall Scale Score: The Overall Scale Score reflects a weighted score based on the scales scores for Listening (15%), Speaking (15%), Reading (35%), and Writing (35%).

Scale Score & Percentile Scale Score & Percentile Rank Rank Scale scores allow raw score across

grades and tiers to be compared on a single vertical scale. A scale score allows for comparisons between tests from one year to the next. Raw scores represent the number of test items answered correctly. Scale scores are derived from Raw scores.

Percentile rank is a number between 1 and 99 indicating the percent of students falling at or below that score.

What does the Data Tool allow you What does the Data Tool allow you to do? to do?

This hypothetical student had average growth compared to all students in the WIDA consortium.

GREAT allows educators to see the academic growth of their individual students.

What does the Data Tool allow you What does the Data Tool allow you to do? to do?

Educators can analyze the growth of their students in four areas: Overall Composite Score growth, Comprehension growth, Literacy growth, and Oral Proficiency growth.

Additionally, educators can compare their students’ growth to either all students in the State of Wisconsin, or all students in the WIDA Consortium.

Basics of the ToolBasics of the Tool

The y-axis shows the change in the student’s ACCESS Scale Score between the first and second years of the test cycle. Positive numbers indicate an increase in scale score, negative numbers indicate a decrease in scale score.

The x-axis represents the student’s Composite Proficiency Level on the ACCESS for ELLs Assessment during the first year of the test cycle.

The lines indicate the average scale score gains for students at different percentile ranks. The top (green) line represents students in the 75th percentile. These students, on average, had the highest scale score gains between last year and this year when compared with students in the 60th, 40th and 25th percentiles.

A graphical representation of your student’s growth.

Educators enter their students’ ACCESS for ELLs Assessment data here. This data is then compared with data from students throughout either the State of Wisconsin or the WIDA consortium to produce a graphical representation of the student’s English Language growth.

A demonstration on using A demonstration on using GREATGREAT

A Sample Student Profile A Sample Student Profile A ESOL teacher, Ms. Webster, wants to

see how her student Sam, an English Learner, is progressing in his acquisition of English. Sam has been at the school since kindergarten and is now in fourth grade. At home, Sam speaks Spanish. Sam doesn’t say much in school and makes every attempt to do what is asked in class. Sam has not yet scored proficient on the state content exam, but enjoys reading if there’s not too much.

School School RecordsRecordsMs. Webster

reviews Sam’s school records and sees that Sam completed the ACCESS for ELLs Assessment in Fall 2008, when Sam was in 3rd grade, and Fall 2009, when Sam was in 4th grade.

These were Sam’s ACCESS scores by domain.

2009 Proficiency Level

Fall 2009 Scale Score(3rd Grade)

Fall 2010 Scale Score (4th Grade)

Overall Composite Score

3.2 320 345

Literacy Composite Score

3.0 270 305

Oral Composite Score

3.3 340 355

Comprehension Composite Score

3.3 350 365

*Note: The Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking domains are not included in this table because they are not analyzed for growth.

From these ACCESS data, Ms. Webster sees that Sam, although he has not seen a dramatic jump in his scale score, is making progress. But how does Sam’s progress compare to his peers? Ms. Webster decides to open up GREAT so that she can better understand Sam’s test scores and his progress in acquiring English Language proficiency.

Step 1) Select the Norm Step 1) Select the Norm Group, Grade Cluster, and Group, Grade Cluster, and Domain Domain •Ms. Webster

wants to compare Sam’s progress to all WIDA Students. •Sam was in 3rd grade at the start of the test cycle, so Ms. W. selects the 3-5 grade cluster.•She wants to see Sam’s Overall Composite Growth.

Step 2) Input Sam’s Test Step 2) Input Sam’s Test DataData

Sam had an Overall Composite Proficiency Level of 3.2 in the first year of the test cycle.•Sam had an Overall Composite Scale score of 320 in the first year of the test cycle (Fall 2008.)•Sam had an Overall Composite Scale score of 345 in the second year of the test cycle (Fall 2009.)

Step 3) Let GREAT work its Step 3) Let GREAT work its magicmagicThe following animation will show

you how GREAT operates!

Press ENTER to continue

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Step 4) Interpret Sam’s Growth Step 4) Interpret Sam’s Growth DataData

Sam’s achievement on the ACCESS for ELLs Assessment puts him in the 40th to 60th percentile range. Sam displayed average growth compared to all WIDA students in the 3-5 grade cluster and a starting proficiency level <3.5.

Step 4) Interpret Sam’s Growth Step 4) Interpret Sam’s Growth DataData

PLEASE NOTE: The X-Axis is NOT a measure of time! It is a measure of a student’s starting proficiency level. On this chart, scale score gain is measured as a function of proficiency level, NOT time.

Step 5) Develop a Plan of Step 5) Develop a Plan of ActionActionIs Sam’s level of growth

appropriate for a student at his level?

Is there anything Ms. Webster can do to improve Sam’s rate of English Language acquisition?

What are the best steps to take to support Sam’s English Language Development?

A Note About the DataA Note About the DataCurrently, GREAT allows

educators to view student growth for the following years:◦Using Wisconsin as the norm group:

2010-11 to 2011-12 school years.◦Using the WIDA Consortium as the

norm group: 2010-11 to 2011-12 school years.

◦Additional years of data will be added as soon as it is made available.

DisclaimersDisclaimers This tool should be used only as a

component of a larger system of analysis, rather than the sole criteria by which students are measured and should be used in combination with other indicators of student achievement.

The data used within this tool links to scale scores. Scale scores can be used to observe a student’s growth over time within (not across) language domains or composites. For instance, an Oral Language composite scale score cannot be compared to a Comprehension composite scale score.

Language proficiency gains are not always linear. Students will not necessarily make same type of gains from year to year. It’s best to look at students’ growth over multiple testing cycles using a variety of indicators.

Contact UsContact Us

Office of Student Assessment(608)267-1072Oeamail@dpi.wi.gov