A Prudent Question is Half of WISEdomUsing WISEdash Data Wisely to Leverage Change

Kenneth S. DonahueSchool Administration Consultant for Data Analysis

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Goals

• To facilitate the USE of WISEdash to answer questions related to reading achievement for students with IEPs

• To make the case that the use of WISEdash is an important but insufficient condition for student-level improvement.

• To reiterate the importance of asking good questions once you have “completed” any data analysis

• To propose a set of guiding questions regarding the use of student level information in WISEdash

Outline• State-Level Analyses

– Question #1: With respect to reading achievement (WSAS reading), what is the nature of being a student with an IEP in Wisconsin?

– Question #2: Which primary disability category should be least related to reading achievement, what is the performance of that category, and how does that inform our answer to question #1?

– Question #3: Which factors most contribute to the performance gap between students with and without IEPs in Wisconsin?

• Student-Level Analyses– Question #1: What data best characterize reading achievement for a student with

an IEP?– Question #2: What information is needed to help a student improve from basic to

proficient?

• Suggested Guiding Questions for WISEdash Analyses

PART 1. STATE-LEVEL ANALYSES

Question #1:

• With respect to reading achievement (WSAS reading), what is the nature of being a student with an IEP in Wisconsin?

Analysis Options

• WSAS SwD vs. SwoD (point in time)• WSAS SwD vs. SwoD (trend) • WSAS by Primary Disability (point in time)• Student Growth Percentiles

WSAS SwD vs. SwoD (point in time)

WSAS SwD vs. SwoD (trend)

WSAS by Primary Disability (point in time)

Student Growth Percentiles

Question #2: • Which primary disability category should be

least related to reading achievement, what is the performance of that category, and how does that inform our answer to question #1?

Autism Intellectual Disability (CD)

Emotional Behavioral Disability

Hearing Impairment

Orthopaedic Impairment

Other Health Impairment

Specific Learning Disability

Speech or Language Impairment

Traumatic Brain Injury

Visual Impairment

WSAS by Primary Disability

Question #3: • Which factors most contribute to the performance gap

between students with and without IEPs in Wisconsin?WISEdash Other Sources

Attendance Rate Suspension Rate

Economic Disadvantage Dropout Rate

Least Restrictive Environment

Family Engagement

Access to the General Curriculum

Effectiveness of Interventions

Effective Classroom Practices

School Climate

Other…

Disability and Economic Disadvantage

Economic Disadvantage/SwoD No Economic Disadvantage/SwD

Attendance Rate by Primary Disability

2012-2013 Suspension Rates

2012-2013 Dropout

Least Restrictive Environment Time-Series

Indicator 8 (Parent Involvement)Time-Series

PART 2. STUDENT-LEVEL ANALYSES

Question #1:

• What data best characterize reading achievement for a student with an IEP?– WSAS Proficiency– Scale Score and Test Percentile Rank– Growth

WSAS Proficiency Level

WSAS Scale Score and Test Percentile Rank

WSAS Student Growth Percentile

Question #2: • What information is needed to help this student improve from

basic to proficient?WISEdash Other Sources

Age/Grade Formative Assessment

Gender District-Wide Assessment

Economic Disadvantage Progress Monitoring Tools

Race Previous Interventions and Effects

ELL Status IEP Goals

Primary Disability Student’s Learning Style

Least Restrictive Environment Functional Behavioral Assessment

Migrant Status Student History (e.g. trauma)

Subscale Raw Scores Family’s Access to Resources

Other…

Demographics

Subscale Raw Scores

PART 3. GUIDING QUESTIONS

Suggested Guiding Questions: WISEdash Student Profiles and Reading

WISEdash Other Sources

Age/Grade Formative Assessment

Gender District-Wide Assessment

Economic Disadvantage Progress Monitoring Tools

Race Previous Interventions and Effects

ELL Status IEP Goals

Primary Disability Student’s Learning Style

Least Restrictive Environment Functional Behavioral Assessment

Migrant Status Student History (e.g. trauma)

Subscale Raw Scores Family’s Access to Resources

Other…

Economic Disadvantage

• Does a student’s economic disadvantage or access to resources relate to reading achievement?

• How does economic disadvantage effect student learning?• What is the interplay of disability and economic

disadvantage?• What resources can the school/teacher provide to fill in

access gaps related to reading achievement? • Do I have preconceptions about economic disadvantage

and academic achievement that effect my expectations or instruction?

Race

• Is race a factor in identification as a student with a disability?

• Is the curriculum taught in a culturally responsive manner?

• Is the student’s culture being engaged in instruction?• Is the student missing instruction because of

disciplinary referrals, suspension, expulsion, etc?• Do I have preconceptions about race and academic

achievement that effect my expectations or instruction?

ELL Status

• What is the interplay between ELL and IEP status?

• Is instruction culturally and linguistically responsive?

• Is ELL instruction aligned with the general curriculum?

Primary Disability

• Does the disability negatively effect reading achievement, and if so how?

• What disability specific accommodations will allow the student the same level of access to instruction in the general curriculum as students without IEPs?

• In addition to Special Education programming, what supplementary aids and services can enhance instruction in reading?

• Do I have preconceptions about disability in general, or specific categories of disability, and academic achievement? Does this effect my expectations or instruction?

Least Restrictive Environment

• If the student is not in the regular education environment full time…– To what extent are they removed?– Is removal aligned with individual students needs or

school function?– Is instruction during removal aligned with the

general curriculum?– Is instruction targeted and intensive?– Is the student making growth in his/her LRE or

falling behind?

Migrant Status

• Does mobility effect attendance?• Does mobility effect engagement, and if so

how?• How does mobility effect access to services,

educational and otherwise?• Can I access information from a student’s

previous school(s) that can help me understand student need and inform instruction?

Subscale Raw Scores

• Where are the student’s strengths and weaknesses within reading?

• Are the strengths/weaknesses disability related and if so how?

• Does special education programming, aids, and services, mitigate the extent to which the disability negatively effects specific areas within reading?

• Are interventions targeting the area(s) of weakness within reading or the disability in general?

Goals

• To facilitate the USE of WISEdash to answer questions related to reading achievement for students with IEPs

• To make the case that the use of WISEdash is an important but insufficient condition for student-level improvement.

• To reiterate the importance of asking good questions once you have “completed” any data analysis

• To propose a set of guiding questions regarding the use of student level information in WISEdash

Thank You!• If you're a scientist, and you have to have an

answer, even in the absence of data, you're not going to be a good scientist. – Neil deGrasse

Kenneth S. DonahueKenneth.Donahue@dpi.wi.gov

608-266-1068