Dr. Carolyn FordDr. Carolyn FordCyndi SmithCyndi Smith

Activating Strategy – “Can You Pass the Test?”

Making the Pieces Fit Together Using the CogAt and/or ITBS to Inform

Instruction Using your Post Test I Results to Plan

and Differentiate Instruction Homework Assignment

Data data everywhereSo much it's hard to

think.Data data everywhereIf only it would link.

James Turner, Educator

A man has to be at work by 9:00 a.m. It takes him 15 minutes to get dressed in a suit and tie, 20 minutes to eat and 35 minutes to walk to work in his Reeboks. He likes to eat Raisin Bran for breakfast. His friend at work, Jeanette, is usually late for work each day. What time should he get up?

Data leads to a teacher being able to:› Reflect on own practices› Generate new strategies to reach students› Make practical educational decisions› Meet the needs of individual student’s

learning styles› Determine and reevaluate previous

decisions for effectiveness› Ultimately, be a more engaged, effective,

productive, confident, and happy educator

Gall, Joyce P. and M.D., Borg, Walter R. Applying Educational Research: A Practical Guide. NY: Longman, 1999.

VisionGwinnett County Public Schools will become a system of world-class schools where students acquire the knowledge and skills to be successful as they continue their education at the postsecondary level and/or enter the workforce.

MissionThe mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior for each student, resulting in measured improvement against local, national, and world-class standards.

Data is only meaningful when it is linked to decisions about teaching.

Data is used to make decisions about individuals as well as groups of students.

I have a dream that assessment –

will be accepted as a means to help teachers plan instruction rather than a contrivance to force teachers to jump through hoops;…

will emphasize what children can do rather than what they know.

-from Roger Farr, past president of IRA

Informal Assessments › Teacher observations, conversations› Anecdotal records, portfolios

Formal Standardized Testing› ITBS, CogAt, CRCT

Formal Classroom Testing› Reading program generated tests› Teacher-generated tests› Running Records

Formal and Informal Student Surveys › Student Interest Surveys› Classroom discussions› Learning Profiles› Teacher-child interviews

Looking at the data helps the teacher with…

Small Group Instruction:• Determining groups•Determining needs•Determining interests•Determining support

How do you share data with your students?

Do your students know their own data? Do you have ideas about effectively

giving students ownership of their own data?

Assessing prior knowledge Form groups of 4-5 Using the cards provided, match the

terms and definitions. You will have 3 minutes to complete

the activity.

Which terms are the most familiar to you?

Which terms are the most confusing? Are there any terms you need to have

clarified?

• Raw Score (RS) number correct

• Percent Correct (PC) raw score is divided by the number possible 

• Percentile Rank (PR) shows the student’s relative position or rank in a group, more than ½ of all students fall between 25th and 75th.

• Stanine (S) groupings of percentile ranks.

• Grade Equivalent (GE) not grade level mastery! Grade level at which the typical student has obtained a given raw score.

• Developmental Standard Score (SS) developmental standard score is a number that describes a student’s location on an achievement continuum.

• Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) Normalized Score Scale, ranges like PR, but can be averaged.

•  Standard Age Score (SAS) Scale, with range from 50 to 150 for all age groups. The SAS has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16.

Stanine (S)› A normalized standard score scale consisting

of nine broad levels designated by the numbers 1 through 9

› Provided for both age and grade groups Connecting percentile rank and stanine

scores%tile rank

1-4 5-11 12-23 24-40 41-59 60-76 77-88 89-95 96-99

Stanine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Very Low

Below Average Average Above Average Very High

Not used in Gwinnett

http://www.riverpub.com/products/cogAt/index.html

http://www.riverpub.com/products/group/cogat6/input.jsp

It is not a mastery test. It is designed to find out how much a student knows.

The primary purpose of using a standardized achievement battery is to provide information that can be used to improve instruction.

List report Labels Class Averages Individual Performance Profile

• Watch for the unusual• Always ask “why?”• Watch for patterns• This is only a “snapshot”• One piece of the puzzle—on going

assessments….observations…etc…

What is this student’s overall achievement?

What are the student’s strengths and weaknesses?

Is the student making progress?

How does this student compare with his/her peers?

Start with the big picture (Group data)

Look at the total scores for the content areas. Identify areas of concern

Look at skills within the content areas. Identify areas of concern

Compare to previous years of data to see change over time (if available,)

1. Data: symbols

2. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions

3. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions

4. Understanding: appreciation of "why"

5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.