Standard 2.7
For this standard I chose to use my data inventory for my artifact. This document was created by myself, Moody counselors, and Moody administration. Most of the information was collected with the help of our testing counselor. She is over all of the testing that goes on at Moody High School. We sat down over a couple of days and talked about the types of assessments given at Moody and which ones are used to create developmental tools for teachers. Moody High School actually gives very few assessments which makes interpreting data very difficult, because there is not much of it. In previous years the state graduation exam was the data of choice, but this exam is gone now. The only reason this assessment is still listed is because we still give it to a few students who are grandfathered in to this for their diploma type. Other assessments given are the Pre-ACT (PLAN), an end of course test (EOCT) in Math and English, and an assessment for ELL students through Access (this is an online class structure). After the creation of this document the State of Alabama committed itself to the ACT as its required graduation test. All of these assessments give Moody High School data needed for the creation and implementation of strategies that focus on student achievement. Each of the assessments provides data in regards to proficiency in content areas as well as information regarding advancement to the next level in the specific content area. The ELL Access assessment provides specific data for proficiency in the English language and gains in the language. All of these assessments can and will be used to improve the teaching practices of our teachers at Moody High School.
Collection of the information is done by school staff and then sent off to the test coordinators that created it. Only two of the test are digital and give feedback immediately. The two which give data quickly are the ELL Access test and the English EOCT. The PLAN, AHSGE, and the Math EOCT take several weeks to receive data. All of these tests are diagnostic test to gauge student learning in general. Once data’s received from the exams, teams of teachers and administrators meet to analyze the data for teaching purposes. The data goes towards Moody’s continuous school improvement plan as well as professional development strategies to improve teaching practices. Through professional development technology tools are introduced to help student achievement and proficiency in content areas. Once teams have meet and analyzed the data from our assessments, professional development is created with digital tools for faculty and staff. Data presentations are presented along with ways to increase student achievement. With this data inventory Moody High School was able to pinpoint certain areas that students could grow in and provide strategies to English and Math teachers. Some of the strategies are geared towards certain websites and phone applications for math teachers to implement in their classrooms. These applications were put in front of the whole staff during a professional development session and we have received some feedback about its success. I was able to use the data from these tests specifically in my classroom and create learning strategies to help my students be more successful. Some of the strategies are reading strategies to help students with reading fundamentals. Other strategies were geared towards note-taking, which would help students understand content better. Technology literacy is not as hard to measure as you would think. Most teachers would think kids are experts in technology, but his is a fallacy. Just model a new tool or application in one of my classes and one would pull their hair out. Kids are good at what they want to be good at these days.
Well I found out that our school has very little in the way of standardized testing. Until recently the only tests that were given was the Alabama High School Graduation exam. This has been removed and replaced by the ACT. Now the ACT has a series of tests that will be given to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. I also learned that each school receives a good deal of data from these tests. The graduation exam broke it down many different ways which could give information about areas of need. What I would do different next time would be to research not only our school’s data, but also that of the county as well to give a broader grouping of data. Then I would be able to take the data and create aids to help not only my school, but others in the system. This document gave me the basis to start working on areas of development and growth for future professional development sessions. This would also provide an impact on student achievement. This would allow teachers to focus more on the areas of need gained from the data inventory.
e_kelly_data_inventory.doc | |
File Size: | 95 kb |
File Type: | doc |