It's Not Where You Start, but Where You End!

Ironically, the last part of a school year is spent planning for the next school year and the first part of a new school year is spent looking at the year that just ended! Our end of year financial report will be finalized in a couple of weeks. Enrollment certification will happen around the middle of October. And the embargo on student achievement (or ISASP) results was just lifted. Of all the metrics we look at, understanding how our students perform academically is second to none. It really is the whole ballgame. What percentage of students are proficient? How much growth did thy make from one year to the next? 

Over the course of the next couple of months, I'll be providing a summary of the results of these various reports right here, hopefully in easy to understand snapshots. Keep in mind these will not be all inclusive, or cover every conceivable metric. So, please: if you have questions don't hesitate to reach out. With that we'll begin today with academic performance, but first a disclaimer: While the results of these tests are used in the Iowa Performance Profile, they too are not all inclusive. There are components in that report card that have not yet been analyzed. I'll be sure to let you know once those are released. 

So today we'll focus on some top line numbers from our ISASP testing, which is the statewide test that is administered toward the end of the school year. Parents: you should have received information that will allow you to access your individual child's performance profile. If you haven't received this link please contact your child's building principal for assistance. 

The table depicted below is specific to proficiency and tells only part of our story. Proficiency is determined by a three digit standard score and is the sum of those who score 'proficient' and those who score 'advanced'. If you look at 'Sixth Grade Math' for example, 49% of the students scored proficient and 41% were at the advanced level, for a total of a 90% proficiency number. Indeed a pretty impressive number. Additionally you will note that at each grade level the percentage of Hudson students achieving at the proficient level exceeds the state benchmark with the exception of 3rd grade. 

Our question must be, why? Now, there could be a lot of reasons for this. Part of this is due to COVID. This can be confirmed by looking at the data statewide. Keep in mind this particular class missed the entire quarter of their kindergarten year. It is also these students' first experience with a standardized test. Granted, all third graders in the state had the same baseline of classroom instruction coming in, but one must also remember that each configuration of third graders from around the state enters the 'starting block' from a different place. The 'product' if you will is not uniform. The takeaway then, is not where they start: but where they end. That really is good news. There is a lot of time and if experience is an indicator, this gap will not only close in the coming year, but our track record suggests it will far surpass and exceed the gap. The fact that this is their first experience with the test is not very informative. It merely provides a baseline. In other words, we have no prior measure and can't read a lot into it. All it really is, is the starting point. But, we can draw some hypotheses based on what we know about how our 4th graders performed. 

This years 4th graders had similar results when they were in 3rd grade. Granted, they were not as pronounced but they were statistically notable. How that group has now performed as 4th graders is impressive. In English/Language Art, 85% of students scored in the proficient category. An astonishing 98% of students showed longitudinal growth from one year to the next, and 85% of those students met or exceeded predicted growth. Based on the vertical scale score, ISASP predicts the average 4th grader will increase their score by 23 points. In sum total, our 4th graders grew, on average 37.68 points. Indeed, it is not as important as where you start but by where you end!

The table above is the same snapshot, this time of our secondary students. In every category across all grade levels, note that we beat the state benchmark. In some instances, our district exceeded those benchmarks by a very large margin. In many instances by double digits. 

In addition to the proficiency measures, I think it is worth taking a look at the standard scale comparability and benchmark. You see, as mentioned above proficiency only tells about half the story. If, for example a student is not proficient it will likely take a gain greater than the predicted growth in order to close that gap. Consider the 4th grade as that same example. As 3rd graders, they too were below benchmark, much like the example above. This group exceeded predicted growth by more than 15 points! In other words, they went from 61% proficiency to 85% proficiency over the course of one academic year. 

In this data set you can view how a cohort performs over time by viewing the data diagonally from left to right by year. You can see how that particular group of students performs over time. But, you need to keep in mind a couple of important caveats: as I keep reminding you, proficiency only tells part of the story. It is only when viewed within the context of standard score growth can on draw any real conclusions. And second; these are not 'matched' cohorts. In other words, if a student moves into or out of a district an important growth metric for the grade level writ large is missing. It will be pretty close, but a couple of students in a grade level that averages about 55 students can make a statistical difference. 

Again, you will note that in almost every measurable data point, the scores exceed the statewide benchmark. When superimposed over the predicted growth, it verifies and triangulates our work as a school district. Furthermore in almost every case, the district has outperformed the predicted starting scale score for that grade level. Consider the 11th grade math standard score of 617.8. The mean scale score suggests a starting point of 593, so from the starting point we are 24.8 points above that. On average, student standard scores increased 39.45 against a predicted 25 point gain.

The takeaway is this. Generally speaking, if 80% of our students are in the proficient category, it is indicative of an effective curriculum that is properly aligned to the Core. The very best way we can prepare for the ISASP is to ensure that our curriculum is aligned. For the most part, these results suggest that what we are doing is working. Indeed there are areas where we can improve. That will include an analysis to determine where gaps may continue to be prevalent, and examining the effectiveness of our tier two instructional strategies. 

What we need to keep in mind as educators and consumers of student achievement data, is that student progress is not always linear or predicable. Each student is different and it would be unwise to count on a predictable progression year after year. Take for example 6th grade. By examining the table above, we can predict those students will gain 22 points. On average, that group gained 48.77 points, and handful of those students had triple digit gains. 

Today's column in merely designed to give you a high level summary of our achievement results. To see additional data please click here. At the bottom of the tables on each tab is a link to the data from the year prior for you to draw cohort conclusions. If you have questions about your individual child's performance, please contact the building principal. For more information about district wide analyses, please feel free to reach out to me. And continue to keep this in mind: it matters not where you start, it matters where you end. And our data suggest a very good ending!