Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Results Are In

Last spring, students in Iowa took The Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). This marked the first time Iowa students have been administered a test that actually aligns to the Iowa Core Academic Standards, which are the 'blueprint' of what is being taught in our classrooms. This test replaces the antiquated Iowa Assessment, which essentially is the test you and I all grew up taking: the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The student experience with the IASAP is much better than the Iowa Assessment. Instead of needing a number two pencil to fill in the bubbles, our students took the test using a secure online platform. Future generations of the test will also be computer adaptive, meaning that the test progressively levels itself dependent upon how the student answers the questions. 

The differences between the two assessments don't just stop there. As a start, the IASAP is administered during the final quarter of the school year. This means all students across the state have had a roughly equivalent amount of instruction leading up to the test. Previously, schools in Iowa had the option of taking the test in the fall, winter, or spring. As a reminder, Hudson students historically took the Iowa Assessments during the winter. 

Another important difference is that the Iowa Assessment was a norm referenced test, which meant that students were compared to one another. This made it incredibly difficult to determine how a student actually performed on the test. What we did know with the Iowa Assessment is that Student A performed better than 50% of all the other students that took the test (for example), but didn't necessarily know the percentage of correct responses on that test.

The ISASP on the other hand is a criterion referenced test. This means we aren't comparing students to one another, but rather the number of correct responses on the test. In other words, do they know the correct answer or don't they? In fact, when the student reports are sent out later in the month, as parents you will be able to see the percentage of correct responses for each area. I can assure you the parent report will be much more useful to you and easier to understand than the reports that were issued with the Iowa Assessment!

The final, and perhaps biggest difference between the two tests is the rigor of the ISASP. Because the Iowa Assessment was solely a 'fill in the bubble test', the questions largely were recall. They didn't really require the students to think very hard, or determine whether or not the student truly grasped the content. In education, we call this 'Depth of Knowledge' (DOK). The questions from the Iowa Assessment were generally DOK 1, or low level recall. There are four levels of DOK, and the ISASP has been designed to spread the DOK across the spectrum. As a result, the number of DOK 1 questions has been minimized. Perhaps that is why there was trepidation that when the results came out the scores were going to be lower. But that theory misses an important point: it is a completely different test and it would be inappropriate; strike that, impossible to compare the ISASP to the Iowa Assessment. In many ways it would be like comparing an apple to an orange.

That said, the results are in. Students in grades 3-11 are tested in English/Language arts (ELA) and math. The ELA suite of tests also includes a writing component, something new, which increases the rigor (DOK) of the test. Additionally, students in grades 5,8,10 are also administered a science test. We are just now beginning the process of analyzing our data, but here is a snapshot: 


The light blue column at far right is the percentage of Hudson students at each grade level who are currently proficient. The column at far right is the difference between our Hudson scores and the statewide proficiency. The dark blue color indicates a grade level exceeding the statewide average (and by how much), whereas the red indicated a grade level below the statewide average. This data gives us a good starting point for discussions in our school about why the scores are what they are, and will ultimately lead us to an action plan for improvement! At the same time, there is quite a bit to be proud of in this data set. The percentage of students proficient in some of our grade levels is staggering! A testament not only to the hard work of our student test takers, but to the quality of instruction that is occurring in the classrooms. Further, I might suggest this data shows the impact of our instruction is cumulative. The longer students are in our system, the more they improve.

A more elusive and important metric missing is student growth. This has typically been measured by comparing this  year's standard score to last year's standard score. Although we do have a standard score with the ISASP, it would be inappropriate to measure it against last year's standard score because again, it's a different test. There is a statistical reconciliation that can be done between the two, but I fear reliability will still be a factor. 

Nevertheless, we have successfully completed our first evolution of the test and we now have a baseline with which to grow! As we continue our analysis of the data, I'll be sure to pass along additional findings. You can expect to see your child's results when we send report cards home. In the interim, if you have any specific questions please feel free to contact your building principal. 

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Participate Now or Regret it Later

I took a few minutes this morning to scroll through our #hudsonschools Twitter feed just to see what has been going on in the district over the last several weeks. While it is readily evident we have been busy, at the same time it is a great reminder of what a fantastic school we have. Our students have demonstrated great success both in and outside of the classroom, and it is another reminder of how great it is to be a Pirate! 

Congratulations to all our cross country athletes! Our girls team was the runner up in the state Class 1 A meet, and Sam Hansen was an 11th place finisher in the boys meet. A steady and consistent program, participation at the state meet isn't new for our school. After more than two decades at the helm, Coach Selenke has had athletes participate in the state meet 19 times! Also a special congratulations to Coach Selenke for being names as Class 1A At-Large 2019 IATC Cross Country Coach of the Year!

Speaking of state level competition, we shouldn't forget about our volleyball team's very successful season. Coach Baird believed there was something special about this group during the preseason and predicted qualifying for the state tournament. I loved Mr. Leonard's post after our game: "Many go a lifetime without experiencing the high of qualifying and playing in a HS tournament. It's something I wish everyone got the chance to feel. Happy for our girls who got to experience it together this week. Something they'll always remember." Couldn't agree more, Sean!

Another highlight of the fall was the return of the fall play! It has been several years since we had fall production and a lot of credit goes to Director Chip Herrera for helping to make this comeback possible! A great opportunity for our kids to become involved in school activities!

Finally I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the hard work of Mr. Tecklenburg and our vocal music students in preparation for their auditions for a spot in the Iowa All-State Chorus. As a former choir director I am well aware of the work it takes in preparation for the audition and the long odds of being selected for the prestigious chorus. When I was preparing students, I believe the odds were less than 25%! Because of those odds and the work that goes into preparation, this is truly considered one of the highest honors a high school musician can receive in the state of Iowa. Congratulations go out to Alex Reynolds for being selected! At the same time, I am happy to offer additional congratulations to freshman Mishayla Robbins for being selected to the equally prestigious Iowa Opus Choir!

So far this year our students have built on an already very impressive resume of accomplishments. Our winter season of activities and sports is just now beginning or will begin soon. I encourage all our students to become involved in an activity! Studies show your participation in these activities builds a stronger connection to your school. That in turn will have a positive impact on your classroom performance. If that doesn't convince you, how about the fact that if you don't participate now, you'll regret it later. Yeah, I was involved in high school; but not as much as I could have been. To this day, there are activities I wish I had participated in.