 AOS 43Curriculum How is state testing impacting our work?

NECAP testing  The state requires that all students in grades 3-8 and 11 are tested on a yearly basis in ELA and math. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 are also assessed in science.  These scores are reported in the newspaper and each school is given a report card that is required to be shared with parents.  In the last two years Department of Education (DOE) has also used a formula to determine each school’s letter grade.

What do those letter grades mean?  We adhere to the philosophy that they don’t mean much- a one setting snapshot. We have done a small analysis and discovered…  Students that have been identified as students with special needs are one reason for our grade.  Not having the right percentage of students taking the test have impacted our grade at the middle/high school.  However, we know we have areas to work on. We have examined each content area to determine what changes we can make.

ELA- Reading  Two years ago we realized that our reading scores on the NECAP didn’t match with the assessments we were doing at school.  We selected a new assessment tool that would give us true scores.  At the same time the Title I team spoke with the Superintendent about restructuring and adding a Literacy Coach.  He agreed to add two in SAD 41 and in SAD 31 we added one literacy coach and a literacy interventionist at the middle school.

ELA- Writing  This year we analyzed our writing scores and realized that we had less than 30% of our students meeting the writing standard on the NECAP/SAT.  In grades K-8 we have purchased a new writing program that is aligned with the standards.  At the high school we are using the writing rubrics that the state testing uses so students will be familiar with the tool.

Math  95% of our elementary teachers have participated in intense training for the math program.  At the middle and high schools we have purchased/using new programs that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards.  In SAD 31 we have added a math interventionist at the middle school.

Common Core State Standards Or Maine Learning Results  The state legislature has passed into law new ELA and math standards for each grade level.  We have spent two years working to put these new expectations into our curriculum.  We have selected Power Standards at each grade level (6-12)  We created a rubric for what students need to do to meet the standard.  We are in the process of creating self-reflections for students so that they can keep track of the standards they are meeting.  Share example of math

What is happening now?  Literacy Coaches are teaching a class with 41 teachers participating.  21 teachers participated in a writing workshop training this summer for the new writing program.  10 ELA teachers spent two days working on the ELA curriculum this summer.  9 Math teachers spent two days working on the math curriculum this summer.  6 science teachers spent a week as part of the Physical Science Partnership working on curriculum and instruction.  4 teachers presented instructional strategies to 13 teachers.  Curriculum work continues in ELA, math, science and we are adding Visual Arts this week and Social studies after the break.

And moving forward…  We are preparing for the new state assessment called the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (The state has just changed the name to the MEA: ELA/Literacy and math)  Two components to assessment  1 st time students will be tested on the Common Core State Standards