Redefining Evidence of Success: Best Practices in New York Know Your Schools – For NY Kids (Just...

Redefining Evidence of Success:Best Practices in New York

Know Your Schools – For NY Kids(Just for the Kids-New York)

DATAG Summer ConferenceJuly 16, 2009

Janet Angelis & Kristen Wilcox

Just for the Kids-NY

Know Your Schools For NY Kids


BackgroundOverall findings

Exemplars of evidence-based best practiceResources

Questions



What makeselementary

schools work

A report on best practices in New York State elementary schools 4 studies

completed

Elementary schools (2005)Middle schools (2007)High schools (2008)Middle school science (2009-

report coming soon)

Our Samples

8-10 consistently HP schools; 3-6 similar but consistently AP schools, based on 3 years of NYS Assessment data

Favor poverty (F/RL)

Urban, rural, suburban

Open admissions

PPE cluster near NYS average

In consultation with our

Advisory Board

Ad

viso

ry B

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Rep

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The Business Council of New York State, Inc.Conference of Big 5 School DistrictsFoundation for Education Reform & AccountabilityIBMMcGraw-Hill CompaniesNY Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE)NY Charter School AssociationNY City Department of EducationNYS Association of School Business Officials (NYSASBO)NYS Association of Small City School Districts (NYSASCSD)NYS Association of Teacher Educators (NYSATE)NYS Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. (NYSPTA) NYS Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS)NYS Education Department (NYSED)NYS Governor's Office NYS School Boards Association (NYSSBA)NYS United Teachers (NYSUT)School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS)State Farm InsuranceState University of New York (SUNY)University at Albany

Just for the Kids–New YorkBest Practices Studies2005-9

Higher-performing High Schools

Higher-performing Middle Schools

Higher-performing Elementary Schools

Higher-performing Middle Schools-Science

• Make 2-day site visits• Interview teachers and administrators • Collect documents• Classroom observations (MS science)• Analyze, write a case study for each site• Conduct and write cross-site analysis• Write summary report

Cases, reports, and school comparisons available at: http://www.albany.edu/aire/kids/

www.knowyourschools.org

Methods: Data Collection and Analysis

Some differences between AP and HP

• Less dissatisfaction with the status quo

• Remediate when trouble • Collaborate “as can”• More individualistic vision of

success, responsibility• Less rich sources of data• Belief that some students

won’t succeed in school• Curriculum more static,

handed down from above• Teaching to the test

• Culture of continuous improvement

• Prevention > remediation

• Collaboration supported

• Shared responsibility and vision

• Embrace variety of data

• High expectations for all; no blame on student background

• Differentiated instruction; relevant curriculum

• Standards > assessments

AP HP

Differences between HP and AP of extent and degree

What do the data tell us about areas calling for attention?

What do the data tell us

about where we are

heading?

What do the data tell us about our

allocation of resources?

Key Findings: Asking Essential Qs

What do the data tell us about areas

calling for attention?

What do the data tell us about

where we are heading?



Key Findings: Creating Ethos of EBDM



Key Findings: Connecting Data to ActionWhat do the data tell us about our




They look for trouble

They try to identify gaps

They look closely at student groups

“They” = teachers, administrators, teams, departments

Q1: What areas call for attention?

They look for trouble

Prevention > remediation

They pay close attention to every student every day

High schools report every 5 weeks


Tuesday’s Child is the key meeting of the week.

Cambridge HS Guidance

They try to identify gapsThey look for what’s missing


Westbury Middle School

2005-6; 849 students, grades 6-8

NYS

Meeting/Exceeding Standards, Gr. 8 ELA 58% 49%

Meeting/Exceeding Standards, Gr. 8 Math 52% 54%

Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch 74% 45%

Limited English Proficient 14% NA

African-American 46% 20%

Hispanic/Latino 51% 20%

They try to identify gaps

They compare themselves to the best


This year we’ve started to compare ourselves to Nassau County, which

is a higher standard – and our focus is on mastery

rather than proficiency.Levittown administrator

They look closely at performance of student groups


•Black•Hispanic•White

Middle School ELA DepartmentAgenda (11/3/06)

EQ: How can we use test data to inform inst?

8:15-8:45 General Overview• How are the tests developed? reported?• How do we compare to the region and state?

8:45-10:00 Grade level specific work• Item analysis• Look at actual test and questions• Summarize and share findings

10:15-11:15 Individual teacher/class data• Review Lucky Charms report• Determine next steps

11:15-11:30 Regroup, debrief


Human, instructional, physical resources are deployed where most needed

Flexibility and focus are key

Q2: What do the data tell us about allocation of our resources?

What goes on in the classroom is by design.

Everything we do is deliberate . . . nothing is left to

happenstance.

Smallwood (ES) building administrator


Teachers – Reassignments– New hires in high need areas– Different class sizes



Time• Block schedules, hybrid block schedules (HS)• Flexible grouping (ES)• Coordinate with BOCES, breakfast• In and out of AIS as needed• Before, after school, summer help/tutoring• Enrichment


Flexibility and focus based on a broad range of evidence

STRATEGIC DELIMITERS

We will not:

Adopt any new program or service unless it is

• Consistent with and contributes to our mission;

• Accompanied by an analysis of the resources and the staff development needed for its effectiveness;

• Accompanied by a plan to asses its ongoing effectiveness.

White Plains Strategic Plan, adopted 12/3/07


Shared vision of success means• never good enough • never being done• every student succeeding• we are collectively and individually

responsible

Q3: What do the data tell us about where we’re heading?

Strive for 5 [5% improvement every year]

remains a goal without a goal line.Holland MS teacher

Communication and Planning– Strategic planning process – Reports to board and community

beyond state report card– Looking ahead

My job is to be thinking 3-5 years up. VVS Superintendent


Performance/growth targets-- For students- For teachers and groups of teachers- For administrators

We have one thing in mind – what can we do in our school

to enhance student achievement?

Webster ES


• State assessments (a given, but one genre)• Guided by state standards• Benchmark tests• Collaboratively developed quarterlies, mid-

terms• Student and parent interviews, surveys• Graduates• Formal and informal classroom• Student self-reflection, assessment• Self-generated (action research)• Comparisons to other high(er) performers

Overall… in higher-performing schools…

share a belief that using a variety of

evidence to inform strategic action is

worthwhile and effective.

AP schools . . .

- primarily state assessments (and simulations)

- collect and analyze data only periodically

- rely on outside vendors for analysis

Overall… Higher-performing schools…

What do the data tell us about areas calling for attention?

What do the data tell us

about where we are

heading?





Key Findings: Connecting data to actionWhat do the data tell us about our




•% Low income

High School Best Practice Framework

http://www.albany.edu/aire/kids/www.knowyourschools.org

• Best Practices Reports and Summaries• Best Practices Frameworks, with

documentary evidence• Case Studies of higher-performing

schools• Key word searches (e.g., ELL, sped)• To come: Self-assessments tools, book• School look-up and comparison

ResourcesResources:


Questions?

Janet Angelis: [email protected] Wilcox: [email protected]



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