1. WASL Science:
Grade 10
Specific Title Slide for School.
Note: These data include all students enrolled in grade 10, even if they took the test as ninth-graders. 7

2. WASL Science: Where are we now?
Questions to answer:
How are we doing?
Properties, Structures, and Changes in Systems
Inquiry in Science
Applications in Science
Compared to district & state?
Compared to previous years?
Use these starter questions as a framework for the presentation. Subsequent slides and their information should stimulate discussions about appropriate and necessary comparisons to make for identifying your school’s data-driven priorities. 8

3. Levels of Analyzing the Data
Broad findings
Specific findings
Percent Meeting the Standard
Performance Levels
Strand Scores
This slide will be used again and again as a transition slide. The check marks designate what information is about to be shown. In the beginning of the presentation, the data will focus on broad bits of information, e.g., overall student achievement. Later the data become more specific and related to instructional targets. 9

4. Grade 10 WASL Science Performance
This is the first of three slides that show the overall trend data. The principle comparison to be made is between the current year’s performance and the pattern (trend) of the scores across the previous years. Is there a trend? If so, what is the general direction of the trend? If there is a general trend, is this year’s performance consistent with that trend? 10

5. Grade 10 WASL Science Performance
This is the third of the three slides that show the overall trend data. In this slide the trend for the state scores is added. Now the school pattern can be contrasted with both the pattern for the district and that of the state. Is the school pattern similar to both those of the district and state? Is it more like one or the other? Is it different than both? If it is different than either of the other patterns, is it dramatically different? 10

6. Questions about Our Science Performance
What do these comparisons seem to tell us?
Celebrations:
Challenges:
What do these comparisons not tell us?
What else do we need to know?
These questions have been adapted from the work of Edie Holcomb (Getting Excited About Data). They are not the only questions that could be used to structure a discussion of the prior three slides. You can change any of the text or add new text. Just click and highlight the text you wish to edit.
Ask participants in the discussion to draw on the analyses of the prior three slides to answer the questions raised in this slide. What are the implications for your school's improvement plan? 15

7. Levels of Analyzing Our Data
Broad findings
Specific findings
Percent Meeting the Standard
Performance Levels
Strand Scores
This slide will be used again and again as a transition slide. The red check mark designates what information is about to be shown. Information already shown has a yellow bullet, while information yet to be shown has a white bullet. 9

8. Results by Performance Levels
Four Levels in Science
“Meets the Standard”
4. Well above the standard
3. Above the standard
“Does Not Meet the Standard”
2. Below the standard
1. Well below the standard
Washington State has designated groups of achievement: Levels 1 & 2 represent achievement below the standard, and Levels 3 & 4 reflect meeting or exceeding the performance standard. 15

9. Picture of Ideal Trends for Levels
Over time, as instruction becomes better aligned with the achievement standards, the number/percent of students in the lower performance levels should decrease and the numbers/percent in the two higher levels should increase. 16

10. WASL Science: Results by Performance Level

11. Levels of Analyzing the Data
Broad findings
Specific findings
Percent Meeting the Standard
Performance Levels
Strand Scores
This slide will be used again and again as a transition slide. The red check mark designates what information is about to be shown. Information already shown has a yellow bullet, while information yet to be shown has a white bullet.
Caution:  High school strand scores compare our few 10th graders who did not meet standard at 9th grade to the vast majority of statewide 10th graders who took the test for the first time.  Ninth grade strand scores are not available.  Use these results carefully. 9

12. 10th Grade Science Strands
Systems
Properties and Characteristics
Structures
Changes
Inquiry
Investigating Systems
Nature of Science
Application/Designing Solutions
Design Process
Science, Technology, and Society
Use this slide to remind everyone about the two strands or traits that are assessed by the WASL Science test.
For each of the science strands there is a slide that contains a chart portraying strand level performance data. The chart shows the “percent of students with performance similar to or exceeding those who met the standard” for the school, district, and state for the most current year.
Defensible strand score analysis tracks the difference between school and state. 21

13. Grade 10 WASL Science Properties, Structures, & Changes in Systems
Defining what we are measuring
Properties and Characteristics of Systems
Understands how properties are used to identify, describe, and categorize substances, materials, and objects and how characteristics are used to categorize living things
Structures of Systems
Understands how components, structures, organizations and interconnections describe systems
Changes in Systems
Understands how interactions within and among systems cause changes in matter and energy
Use this slide to remind everyone about what is assessed in the WASL Science strand. 21

14. Grade 10 Properties, Structures, & Changes in Systems: Comparison of School to State
This slide contains two charts that portray several comparisons for the strand level data.
The chart at the bottom right shows the “percent of students whose performance is equal to or exceeds that of students meeting the standard” for the school, district, and state for the most current year. This chart provides comparisons of the school performance to that of the district and the state. It also allows a comparison of the district with the state.
Performance data for this strand is based on a small number of total points. For this reason and others, strand “percents” are not directly comparable from year to year. One approach that partially addresses this issue is to always compare (take the difference between) the school percent and the state percent. These differences are more comparable across years. The chart at the top left shows the trend in the differences between the school percent and the state percent for recent years for this strand. It is this chart, and those for the other strands within this content area, that should be most helpful in identifying curricular strengths and weaknesses.
Has the percent of students identified as having “a strength” on this strand changed compared to that for the state? What does the trend tell you? 23

15. Grade 10 WASL Science Inquiry in Science
Defining what we are measuring
Inquiry in Science
The student knows and applies the skills, processes and nature of scientific inquiry
Use this slide to remind everyone about what is assessed in the WASL Science strand. 21

16. Grade 10 Inquiry in Science: Comparison of School to State
This slide contains two charts that portray several comparisons for the strand level data.
The chart at the bottom right shows the “percent of students whose performance is equal to or exceeds that of students meeting the standard” for the school, district, and state for the most current year. This chart provides comparisons of the school performance to that of the district and the state. It also allows a comparison of the district with the state.
Performance data for this strand is based on a small number of total points. For this reason and others, strand “percents” are not directly comparable from year to year. One approach that partially addresses this issue is to always compare (take the difference between) the school percent and the state percent. These differences are more comparable across years. The chart at the top left shows the trend in the differences between the school percent and the state percent for recent years for this strand. It is this chart, and those for the other strands within this content area, that should be most helpful in identifying curricular strengths and weaknesses.
Has the percent of students identified as having “a strength” on this strand changed compared to that for the state? What does the trend tell you? 23

17. Grade 10 WASL Science Applications in Science
Defining what we are measuring
Applications in Science
Knows and applies science concepts and skills to develop solutions to human problems in societal contexts
Use this slide to remind everyone about what is assessed in the WASL Science strand. 21

18. Grade 10 Applications in Science: Comparison of School to State
This slide contains two charts that portray several comparisons for the strand level data.
The chart at the bottom right shows the “percent of students whose performance is equal to or exceeds that of students meeting the standard” for the school, district, and state for the most current year. This chart provides comparisons of the school performance to that of the district and the state. It also allows a comparison of the district with the state.
Performance data for this strand is based on a small number of total points. For this reason and others, strand “percents” are not directly comparable from year to year. One approach that partially addresses this issue is to always compare (take the difference between) the school percent and the state percent. These differences are more comparable across years. The chart at the top left shows the trend in the differences between the school percent and the state percent for recent years for this strand. It is this chart, and those for the other strands within this content area, that should be most helpful in identifying curricular strengths and weaknesses.
Has the percent of students identified as having “a strength” on this strand changed compared to that for the state? What does the trend tell you? 23

19. Questions about Grade 10 Science Strand Data and Trends
What do these strand data seem to tell us?
Celebrations:
Challenges:
What do these data not tell us?
What else do we need to know?
These questions have been adapted from the work of Edie Holcomb (Getting Excited About Data). They are not the only questions that could be used to structure a discussion of the trend patterns for the strand data. You can change any of the text or add new text. Just click and highlight the text you wish to edit.
Ask participants in the discussion to reflect on the school's trend patterns across the science strands as they answer the questions in this slide. What are the implications for your school's improvement plan? 18

20. Our WASL Science Strengths
List areas where students were proficient.
How about the subgroups?
What did we do to contribute to their successes?
What do we need to continue to do to ensure success with our students in the future?
Can we use these strategies to improve areas where our students are not proficient?
Now it is time to write ideas down for your plan. Start with the good things that are happening. Lead a discussion around what the data have told you. What patterns have continued or popped up and need to be watched? What do we need to do more often? 28

21. WASL Science Targets List challenges.
What do we need to do differently to improve student performance in these areas?
What other data do we need to consider?
What can we learn from our successes?
Next focus on the things that could be better. Lead a discussion around what the data have told you. What patterns have continued or popped up and need to be watched? What do you need to do differently? 29