1. Braintree Public Schools Six Elementary Schools MCAS Improvement Intervention
Robert M. Belmont, Jr.
Director of Special Services
Braintree Public Schools
128 Town Street
Braintree, MA 02184
Ext. 5 or with

2. Problem Statement
For school year , the six Braintree Elementary Schools are “underperforming” as defined by DESE in either ELA or math or both ELA and math for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades 3-5. How will each of the six elementary schools improve the subgroup rating as well as each student in this subgroup from underperforming to performing/proficient by June of 2010?

3. Problem Summary
Care: The district concluded that all six elementary schools were DESE MCAS underperforming in ELA and/or math for the subgroup students with disabilities in grades 3-5 for We must improve!
Relate: The stakeholders are the students, parents, elementary-middle-high school staff and administration, Directors, Asst. Supt., Supt., School Committee, SEPAC, and Concerned Citizens.
Examine: For school year , the six Braintree Elementary School are underperforming as defined by DESE in either ELA or math or both ELA and math for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades 3-5. How will each of the six elementary schools improve the subgroup rating as well as each student in this subgroup from underperforming to performing/proficient by June of 2010?
Acquire: The district has an educated and trained Asst. Supt., Director of Mathematics and Director of Special Services in Professional Learning Communities. The Director of Mathematics is exemplary in MCAS analysis. The Director of Special Services is highly skilled in facilitating full day workshops. Both the Director of Mathematics and Director of Special Services facilitated Braintree Middle School workshops that supported staff to move one restructuring middle school to be recognized by the Rennie Center for Outstanding Unanticipated MCAS ELA and math improvement for the subgroup of students with disabilities in grades The help we received was full endorsement from the Braintree Supt. of Schools and Asst. Supt. of Schools.

4. What was our intervention strategy?
Try:
What was our intervention strategy?

5. Welcome to our Braintree Elementary School MCAS Workshop

6. Welcome to our Highlands Elementary School Mathematics, ELA, Special Education, & MCAS Workshop
Workshop Objectives:
To examine MCAS results.
To use student profiles in the content areas of mathematics and ELA as defined by MCAS evaluations.
To analyze our current use of evaluation, assessments, and accommodations.
To mutually agree upon action steps to improve all students’ MCAS performance.

7. Our workshop is intended for you!
Workshop Activities for October 20, 2009:
[ ] 9:00 a.m. Overview of the Day from 9:00 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
[ ] Openings Words of Inspiration from Our Administrators
[ ] Analyzing MCAS Questions
[ ] 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Break
[ ] Analyzing Gap Scores
[ ] Analyzing Individual Student Data
[ ] 11:50 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch
[ ] 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Reflection
[ ] 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. MCAS and MCAS-Alt
[ ] 1:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. Next steps – What should we do for implementation, PLCs, training, $resources to advance each student’s learning to attain ELA, mathematics and science proficiency at Highlands Elementary School?

8. What questions will we use for our MCAS analysis?
What does the data tell us?
What do we want students to learn?
How will we know if they have learned?
What will we do if they don’t learn?
What will we do if they already know it?

9. What is our current reality?
Learning for a student with a disability improves when, three (3) principles of Inclusion are evident…
1.) There is a strong partnership between general education teachers and special education teachers as well as a strong partnership between general education administrators and special education administrators.
2.) Together, general education teachers and special education teachers, evaluate individual student’s learning and benchmark progress on an on-going basis thru the use of formative assessment with “Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment = CIA” in mind.
3.) Resources are provided to support general education teachers and special education teachers in making sustainable change to improve student learning.

10. What are our current challenges?
Are we underperforming in math and/or ELA?
How do we alleviate our underperforming status in math and/or ELA?

11. What is our performance with our special education subgroup?
Are we underperforming in math and/or ELA?
How do we alleviate our underperforming status in math and/or ELA?

12. How to Calculate a Performance Index
For each student the performance level becomes a number:
Advanced or Proficient 100 points
Upper Needs Improvement 75 points
Lower Needs Improvement 50 points
Upper Warning/Failing 25 points
Lower Warning /Failing 0 points

13. Then….
Add up all your points and divide by the number of students.

14. How can you get a PI of 84.3? Say you have ten students…
A + B + C + D = 10
Then….(100A + 75B + 50C + 25D)
Divided by 10 Equals
84.3 (or close)

15. Trial and Error….
Possible Solutions?

16. What factors impact our work to advance student learning?
In a student’s life, there are positives (+) and negatives (-).
We must work with the positives (+) and acknowledge the negatives (-), but most importantly…
we must move forward for the sake of our Braintree students as a
TEAM!

17. A focus on each child’s learning!

18. What have we learned from our general education and special education partnership?
All students have equal access to the general education curriculum.
All students participate in MCAS testing from the 3rd grade level.
All students are expected to be “proficient” in our general education curriculum.

19. What did last year’s questions look like?
What do we think about these questions?

20. What are the demands for a student to be proficient?
Please break into three teams across grades.
Analyze the questions and list what students need to succeed with each question.
Be prepared to report out to the larger group.

21. How can we use formative assessment to benchmark student math progress?
Our working definition of Formative assessment includes:
Formative assessment is an assessment that is given to provide feedback to teachers so that they can adjust their teaching to students’ needs, to make sure that students are making progress towards standards or benchmarks that are defined by the teacher and/or the Braintree Public School District, and/or the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

22. What resources do we have to implement formative assessment?
MCAS DESE Release Items,
Edusoftware,
Math Textbook Assessments,
Teacher MCAS math generated items.

23. Have a great break!

24. MCAS Evaluation/Results: What happened? (Show us your data.)
What does the grade 3 MCAS data tell us?
What does the grade 4 MCAS data tell us?
What does the grade 5 MCAS data tell us?
What does the grade 5 MCAS data tell us about what grade 6 middle school student learning should include?

25. What is a gap score?
A gap score is the difference between your school score and the state’s average proficient score.

26. Gap Score Group work!
Examine the gap scores for your grade.
Please report out on our areas of improvement.

27. If we created a Data Team to advance student learning, how could we do it?
Data Team Members
Data Team Process to Advance Student Learning by Data-analysis
Data Team Meetings, Time, Protocol
Data Team Support from the district-wide level, e.g. who, when, what, where, why?

28. What have we learned so far?
What do the gap scores tell us about our school?

29. How do we look at each student’s performance?
Break into grade level groups. Please analyze each student’s profile and rate each student’s need as:
“S” = Same level of services
“M” = Needs more services
“MCAS IIEP” = MCAS Informed IEP

30. Now that we have rated our students, what does “more” mean?
How should “Guided Math” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning?
How should “Remedial Math” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning?
How should “Special Education” use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning in an MCAS informed IEP? How should special education and general education work together?
How could a “School-based Data Team “use formative assessment and common assessment to drive student learning?

31. Have a healthy lunch!

32. Reflection Time

33. Reflection Time What is going well? What is not going well?
What are some concrete suggestions for improvement?

34. For students with disabilities what about the MCAS process?
Early MCAS Preparation is essential!
October Teams should review MCAS accommodations and MCAS-Alt.
October Special Education Teachers attend DESE MCAS-Alt Training
October-November Coordinate test accommodations in your school

35. What about October thru November MCAS work?
Coordinate test accommodations in your school.
Make certain all accommodations are provided, according to students’ IEP and Section 504 Plans
Coordinate staff, space, student groupings

36. Eligibility for Accommodations
Student must have a documented disability AND either:
an approved IEP or 504 plan that lists all accommodations
an ISSP, DCAP, or EPP does not make a student eligible for MCAS accommodations OR
an IEP or Section 504 Plan is under development
See new Eligibility flowchart in Participation Requirements at

37. Accommodations for students with Disabilities NOT on an IEP or 504 Plan
Eligible for accommodations ONLY in rare and unusual circumstances:
Short-term, temporary disability (e.g., broken arm)
Recent disability and no IEP or 504 yet
Principal may authorize accommodation if:
Documentation of disability is on file in school
Parent has been notified that an accommodation is needed
IEP or 504 plan is being developed

38. Accommodations Must… Already be provided during routine instruction*
AND
Be determined by Team and documented in an approved IEP or 504 Plan
Meet requirements listed in Participation Requirements and/or PAM (Appendix B)
* Nonstandard accommodations must meet additional requirements.

39. Accommodations Must NOT…
Violate test security
Alter test or provide coaching/assistance
Neutral readers and scribes
Allow use of unapproved materials
No English dictionaries for any student,
except on ELA Composition test (all students)
If appropriate, IEP/504 plan may list an accommodation “as requested by the student,” to allow its use as needed.

40. Nonstandard Accommodations (#26-31)
An NSA changes part of what the test measures
Examples: Calculator on non-calculator Math session or read-aloud ELA Reading Comprehension
Provides access to a test in extreme conditions
Accommodation of last resort for a very small number of students
Use only when the student is virtually unable to decode, calculate, write, or spell
Do not use if the student is simply performing below grade-level on these skills

41. Accommodations Reminders
Submit ELA graphic organizers/math reference sheets at least 4 weeks before testing
If student uses large print/Braille, or wishes answer booklet, or cannot be scored
all responses must be transcribed into standard answer booklet, or cannot be scored
When bubbling answer booklet, be aware of difference between Accommodations 16 & 26
#26 – Reading aloud ELA Reading Comprehension test only (non-standard accommodation)
#16 – Reading aloud all other tests (standard accommodation)

42. Checklists, Reference Sheets, Graphic Organizers
Math checklist and reference sheets
May include formulas, steps in problem-solving,
“devices” (PEMDAS, FOIL)
No graphics, definitions pictures, sample problems
Fax only new sheets for approval ( )
ELA graphic organizers
Venn diagrams, flow charts, idea “webs” are okay to use without approval, if no text is included
If text is included, must be faxed for approval
No sentence starters, definitions, lists of synonyms/antonyms, sample compositions

43. Use of math reference sheet Use of calculator
Looking across our school system, what approved MCAS instructional accommodations are most common?
Use of math reference sheet
Use of calculator
Use of small group administration
Use of “read – aloud”
Use of accommodation in routine instruction and detailed in IEP PLEP A or PLEP B and on IEP MCAS page

44. MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt)
Where are we now?
In MA, 8855 students in grades 3-12 submitted portfolios in at least one subject in 2009
MCAS-Alt counts for AYP

45. Participation Guidelines: Who May Take MCAS-Alt?
Student with a significant cognitive disability
Student with a significant and complex non-cognitive disability that may be either:
physical, emotional, health-related, communication-based
multiple, deaf-blind, cerebral palsy, autism, spectrum
AND WHO:
has challenges to fully demonstrating performance on
MCAS test in that subject, and
needs another format to demonstrate knowledge and skills (either above, at, or below grade-level expectations)
…whose IEP Team determines will require MCAS-Alt
See new Participation flowchart in Participation Requirements at

46. What Does MCAS-Alt measure?
ELA: General Standard 4 assesses word knowledge and meaning, making word choices, acquiring vocabulary
ELA: General Standard 8 assesses understanding and interpretation of text
ELA: Composition is assessed in grades 4, 7, & 10
Math: Different Math strands are required for a student in each grade
Science and Tech/Eng: assesses 3 STE disciplines in grades 5-8; and one STE discipline in more depth in either grade 9
or 10
Evidence must document student’s progress over time on one targeted skill in each required strand or standard

47. Plan to Support Teachers Conducting MCAS-Alt: Next Steps
Assess needs and capacity to conduct MCAS-Alt in school or district
Who needs support and training? Who can give it?
Appoint MCAS-Alt “lead educator” in school and/or district to:
Find answers/give advice/be available. as needed
Register teachers to attend MCAS-Alt trainings in October – January - March

48. Upcoming MCAS-Alt Trainings
Educator Training: Oct. 6-9 and 20-23
“Portfolios in Progress” (Review Sessions)
January and March 9-12
Portfolios due: Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wed Address:
MCAS Service Center ( )
Nancy Hanson (MCAS-Alt)
MA DESE-Student Assessment Services
( )

49. More support for MCAS-Alt Teachers
2010 Educator’s Manual available online
Print copies available at October training sessions
Order print copies online in November
Resource Guide to the Frameworks
A standards-based guide for all students
‘’Essense” of the standard
“Learning progressions” that challenge students
Portfolio Feedback Forms provided to schools
Support and training
Statewide training offered Oct., Jan., and March
Training Specialists: teachers as volunteer trainers

50. 2010 MCAS-Alt Some Important Changes
Reporting Results to Schools:
Beginning in 2010, MCAS-/Alt results will be reported electronically before the end of the current school year (June 17, 2010)
Submission of Portfolios:
In order to report results earlier, portfolios must be completed and submitted by April 1, 2010.

51. 2010 MCAS-Alt Some Important Changes (continued)
Porfolios will be scored in spring 2010:
Summer Scoring Institute will not be held
Mini-scoring institutes for MA educators
will be held on dates to be determined
Electronic Portfolios (EV):
MCAS-Alt EV will be discontinued due to availability of Online Forms and Graphs and other digital technologies for producing video/photos

52. Why shouldn’t recent MCAS results inform IEPs?

53. Wouldn’t the recent MCAS student profile give us data?
Yes! 6 resources are available
1.) General Educators
2.) MCAS Student Profile
3.) Past MCAS Results
4.) Current Classroom Work
5.) MA Curriculum Resource Guide
6.) Current Approved IEP

54. What impact should this have on our student learning?
per each student’s IEP for
a student with a disability who is
“underperforming” and
“non-proficient” in ELA, and/or
“non-proficient” in mathemathics and/or
“non-proficient” in science and/or
”non-proficient in ELA and math or even ELA, math, and science

55. Should each student’s IEP be rewritten to provide specially designed instruction to advance student math learning based on recent MCAS data?
IEP page 2 Student Profile
IEP page 3 Present Level of Performance (PLEP-A), How does the student’s disability impact access to the general education curriculum?
IEP page 3 PLEP-A Accommodations Math Reference Sheet, use of the calculator, use of mathematics manipulatives, use of MCAS items
IEP page 4 IEP Goals and Objectives referencing the MCAS Math Learning Standards

56. What might an IEP Goals and Objective page look like?
IEP page 4 What the student can do? Based on recent MCAS mathematics testing, the student demonstrates strengths in learning standards including number sense.
Given the student’s regular use of the math reference sheet, calculator, and practice with MCAS release items formative assessment, Edusoft math items, textbook assessments and teacher generated MCAS items, the student can…
IEP page 4 IEP Goal…Based on Spring 2008 MCAS mathematics testing involving geometry, the student will demonstrate skills in calculations and problem-solving involving geometry.

57. What might MCAS Informed IEP objectives look like?
IEP page 4 IEP Objectives…
Given 10 multiple choice items involving….., the student will calculate problems in computational exercises and word problems with 80%.
Given 10 open response items involving…, the student will calculate problems in computational exercises and word problems with 80%

58. How can we use formative assessment to benchmark student math progress?
Our working definition of Formative assessment includes:
Formative assessment is an assessment that is given to provide feedback to teachers so that they can adjust their teaching to students’ needs, to make sure that students are making progress towards standards or benchmarks that are defined by the teacher and/or the Braintree Public School District, and/or the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

59. What resources might help us write formative assessment?
Resource Guide to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Students with Disabilities
Fall 2006

60. What are other DESE resources?
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
Test Items
This page provides access to all the test questions on which student results are based.
MCAS Question Search - browse and search through 3,879 MCAS test items.
Select Year: 2009 | | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

61. How would this work?
MCAS Question Search Hide Instructions | Send Feedback | Advanced Search Mode
Instructions
Use this tool to generate a custom set of MCAS released items. The question database currently contains 3,879 released items administered on MCAS tests from Additional items will be added as they are formatted for the site.
Searching
Select one or more of the following criteria by using the pull-down menus beneath each category (all fields are optional):
Year- filter results by the year in which test items were administered
Grade - filter results by the grade level associated with items
Subject Area/Question Category - filter results by the subject area of the test in which items were administered (e.g., Mathematics) or by question category (e.g., Number Sense and Operations)
Question Type - filter results by question type (multiple choice, open response, short answer, or writing prompt)

62. What recipes for success do we have that are working?

63. General education ? Nonspecial education? Special education?
What interventions do we have in general education, nonspecial education and special education?
General education ?
Nonspecial education?
Special education?

64. With all of these interventions, taking place at Highlands, please list the ones that are available!1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Please place each intervention on the Highlands Elementary School pyramid of intervention!

65. Do we have a “pyramid of intervention” to advance learning ?

66. Time for an Action Plan

67. What learning interventions that are working to advance student learning?
Which ones are evidence-based results that improve MCAS math and ELA student learning?
Which accommodations have evidence-based results that improve MCAS math and ELA student learning?
Which MCAS learning activities have evidence-based results that we provide before our Spring MCAS math and ELA testing?

68. What learning interventions do we have that are at each grade level that are working?
Please break up into small groups that are made up by teachers across grades.
Brainstorm and record on newsprint and be ready to share…

69. How and when will we implement the education learning interventions at each grade level?
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
as well as Summer 2010!

70. Next school-wide next steps will we agree to commit to and implement!
Student Learning Scientific Research-
Month: Activity: Based Outcome:
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
Summer
as well as Summer 2010!

71. Lessons Learned
Thank you for your dedication to advancing each of our Highlands Elementary School student’s learning in mathematics and English Language Arts
Congratulations on your excellent work today!

72. Evaluation/Results: What happened? (Show us your data.)
After each elementary school full day workshop, all of the data was recorded by the Director of Special Services in a summary report form and ed to the six elementary school principals by the next morning to be shared with the staff for their impressions and decisions for grade level and school wide action plans.
A copy of each of six elementary school report was also ed at the same time to the Supt. of Schools, Asst. Supt. of Schools and Director of Mathematics for review and consideration.
An executive summary of best practices for all six elementary schools was ed to each elementary principal, Supt. of Schools, Asst. Supt. of Schools, and Director of Mathematics for review and consideration.
On November 10, 2009, a meeting with the Supt. of Schools, Asst. Supt. of Schools, six elementary school principals, two middle schools, high school headmaster, Director of Mathematics, Director of Special Services, Director of Science and Technology, Director of Social Science and Technology. Director of Guidance, Director of Foreign Language, Director of Family Consumer Science and Physical Education, Director of Fine Arts, Director of Music Education and Athletic Director was held at BHS to discuss the success and challenges of the six elementary full day workshops and how all Directors can support the implementation of of each of the six elementary school plan to improve the subgroup of students with disabilities MCAS results in grades 3-5.

73. Extend and Renew: What will you do to keep things going?
The Director of Mathematics and Director of Special Services will conduct a series of six school based January 2010 meetings to support each school’s grade level and school action plan.
The Supt. and Asst. Supt. will include the topic of data progress for the subgroup at each of their elementary school principal meetings for November – June 2010.
The Supt. of Schools and Asst. Supt. of Schools have committed to celebrate in June 2010 the success of the students, parents, staff, and administration to advance all students including students with disabilities to “proficient” for school year

74. Lessons Learned
Learning for a student with a disability improves when, three (3) principles of Inclusion are evident…
1.) There is a strong partnership between general education teachers and special education teachers as well as a strong partnership between general education administrators and special education administrators.
2.) Together, general education teachers and special education teachers, evaluate individual student’s learning and benchmark progress on an on-going basis thru the use of formative assessment with “Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment = CIA” in mind.
3.) Resources are provided to support general education teachers and special education teachers in making sustainable change to improve student learning.
Based on the above principals, each six Braintree elementary school has a strong chance to improve their grade 3-5 MCAS results for all students especially the subgroup of students with disabilities by June 2010.