News
Green Island working to improve test scores; Improvement plan in the works for two years
On March 17, 2009, the
New York State Education Department published their annual list of
schools that did not meet the state’s testing standards under the
federal
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
Green Island was designated on that list as a School in Need of
Improvement (SINI), along with 53 other districts in the state, because
Heatly students did not meet state standards on the English and
mathematics Regents exams in 2007 or 2008.
Because district leaders already knew scores were down, Superintendent
John McKinney, along with the District Leadership Team, has been working
on an improvement plan for the past two years.
“We knew there was a possibility this would happen, so we’ve been
preparing for it,” said McKinney. “Our District Leadership Team has been
working very hard over the past two years in a number of areas that we
believe will be a benefit to students and improve future test scores.”
The State Education Department requires any district named to the SINI
list to submit a comprehensive improvement plan outlining what actions
the district will take to boost test scores.
How did Green Island get on the SINI list?
Every year students in grades 3-8 and in high
schools across New York State take exams in English language arts and
mathematics. Schools are then judged by the state according to how each
subgroup of students performs on these exams. Subgroups range from the
“all students” category, to economically disadvantaged students, special
education students, and a range of ethnic groups. A school must have at
least 30 students in each category to be judged on that particular
subgroup. If at least one subgroup does not meet state standards on any
of the state exams for two years in a row, that school will become a
SINI school.
In Heatly’s case, because the school is so small, the state combined
test scores for the classes of 2007 and 2008 cohorts for a total of 43
students who took the English and mathematics Regents exams.
On the English Regents, Heatly students received a cumulative score of
143, falling short of the required 150 for 2007-08 and 182 for 2008-09.
Also, on the math exam, Heatly students scored a total of 138 when the
state required at least a 144 for 2007-08 and 194 for 1008-09.
“Because we are such a small district, if just a few students score
below state standards the score for the entire school is in jeopardy of
not meeting state standards,” McKinney said. “We are working to get
ahead of the curve and better prepare all of our students.”
What’s the district doing to improve student achievement?
Two years ago the district started working with
Capital Region BOCES to better understand the state tests and how to
align Heatly’s curriculum with state standards.
The District Leadership Team, comprised of teachers and administrators,
was created to look at key indicators of student success and foster
better relationships with parents to help in their child’s success.
The district has also been taking a hard look at how its teachers teach.
Officials started putting more emphasis on professional development and
cross-curriculum work between subject areas. Now more than ever,
teachers across all subject areas are working together. Social studies
teachers are collaborating with English teachers on research projects.
Math teachers are emphasizing the importance of English skills because
on the state math exams students are expected to explain how they get
their answer.
Curriculum mapping through TechPaths has begun to show how and when
information is being taught, providing a more consistent and cohesive
curriculum.
A mentor program was put in place to help new teachers learn the ropes
from a tenured teacher, ultimately helping students.
A literacy consultant has been hired to conduct an overview of Heatly’s
elementary literacy programs. Likewise, the literacy program is being
expanded to ensure that all subject areas include reading and writing to
strengthen those skills in every class. A plan to have a literacy coach
next school year is also in the works.
In addition, Green Island has hired the BOCES testing service to do an
item analysis of state questions. This will allow teachers to see which
questions a large number of students missed, so they can better target
that particular subject matter in their classroom. This will go
hand-in-hand with the value added test tracking, which the district has
been involved with for a number of years. Through this program teachers
can view individual student progress and improvements from year-to-year
instead of just an entire class.
The district is also using a host of new software programs to better
track attendance and grades to help keep closer tabs on student
progress.
Academic Intervention Services (AIS) is now being provided during the
school day rather than after school to students scoring below state
standards.
The leadership team is also looking at the Regents testing policy to see
if Heatly students are required to take the exams in January. If
students were allowed to take the exams for the first time in June, they
would have that much more classroom time to be better prepared.
The district has decided to restructure the elementary school next year
to provide stronger reading and math instruction. In grades 3-4 and 5-6,
the English and math teachers will “loop” with their students. This
means that those particular teachers will stay with the same students as
they advance to the next grade, lessening transitions in the beginning
of the school year.
Additionally, Heatly administration was restructured this year, creating
a K-12 principal and K-12 assistant principal, providing more
consistency for teachers and students.
Green Island will automatically receive the SINI designation for the
2009-2010 school year because it takes two years of improved scores to
be removed from the list.
If test results are better in 2009-10 and 2010-11, Green Island would be
removed from the list in 2011.
“We have a plan for improvement that involves a step-by-step process,”
said McKinney. “We’re making sure we’re on solid ground as we move
forward.”
