Top-to-Bottom Ranking & Priority/Focus/Reward Designations

1. Top-to-Bottom Ranking &Priority/Focus/RewardDesignations Understanding the

2. How Is the Top to Bottom Ranking Calculated • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

3. How do we get Standardized Scale Scores for Each Student? • Step #1: Take each student’s score on the test they took and compare that score to the statewide average for students who took that same test in the same grade and year • This creates a student-level z-score for each student in each content area • Compare • MEAP to MEAP • MEAP-Access to MEAP-Access • MME to MME • MI-Access • Participation to Participation • Supported Independence to Supported Independence • Functional Independence to Functional Independence

4. What do we do with those Standardized Scores? • Step #2: Once each student has a z-score for each content area (based on the test they took), we take all of the students in a each school, and rank order the students within the school. • Z-scores will have come from different tests, and compare students to statewide average for that grade, test, and subject • But they can now be combined for the school • Step #3: Add up all z-scores and take the average. This is now the average standardized student scale score. • Step #4: Define the top and bottom 30% subgroups, based on that rank ordering.

6. Average Z-score (average standardized student scale score): 0.28 (sum all z-scores, divide by 14)

7. Top 30% Bottom 30%

8. How Is the Top to Bottom Ranking Calculated? • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

9. What is Important to Show Schools? • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Step #1: Achievement How well did the school do in that subject? Positive number = better than average Near zero = average Negative number = worse than average Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

10. What is Important to Show Schools? Step #2: Improvement Is the school improving in that subject? Positive number = greater rate of improvement than average Near zero = average improvement Negative = slower rate of improvement than average; can also mean they are declining • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

11. What is Important to Show Schools? Raw value is also meaningful: Positive number: More students improving than declining Negative number: More students declining than improving • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

12. What is Important to Show Schools? Step #3: Achievement Gap Is the gap in that subject between top 30% and bottom 30%: (positive number) = smaller gap than average (negative number) = larger gap than average (near zero) = average gap • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

13. Once you have Looked at each Component, Discuss: • What’s the overall pattern? • Low achievement? • Declining achievement? • Large gaps? • Where are the actionable areas? • Which subjects need the most attention? • Is everyone doing poorly (small gap, low achievement) or are some students doing well and others falling behind (decent achievement, but large gap)

14. What is Important to Show Schools? • For grade 3-8 reading and mathematics Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Reward Schools (for improvement) Two-Year Average Performance Level Change Index School Performance Level Change Z-Score Content Index Z-score School Content Area Index 1/4 Focus Schools Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

15. Weighted Performance Level Change (PLC) • A weighted composite of individual student performance level change is used to calculate improvement in grades 3-8 reading and mathematics • Rewards large improvements more heavily, rewards maintenance of proficiency if a student was already proficient

16. How is the Top-to Bottom Ranking Calculated? • For science, social studies, writing, and grade 11 all tested subjects Two-Year Average Standardized Student Scale (Z) Score School Achievement Z-Score 1/2 Four-Year Achievement Trend Slope School Performance Achievement Trend Z-Score School Content Area Index Content Index Z-score 1/4 Two-Year Average Bottom 30% - Top 30% Z-Score Gap School Achievement Gap Z-Score 1/4

17. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • For graduation rate Two-Year Average Graduation Rate School Graduation Rate Z-Score 2/3 Four-Year Graduation Rate Trend Slope School Graduation Rate Trend Z-Score School Graduation Rate Index Grad Index Z-score 1/3

18. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calculating a four-year slope (e.g., graduation rate) • Plot the school’s graduation rate for the last four years • Plot a linear regression line through the points • Calculate the slope of the line (gives the school’s annual improvement rate)

19. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calculating a four-year slope (e.g., graduation rate) • Plot the school’s graduation rate for the last four years • Plot a linear regression line through the points • Calculate the slope of the line (gives the school’s annual improvement rate)

20. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calculating a four-year slope (e.g., graduation rate) • Plot the school’s graduation rate for the last four years • Plot a linear regression line through the points • Calculate the slope of the line (gives the school’s annual improvement rate) Slope = 2.3%

21. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calc an overall rank for a school with a grad rate School Mathematics Std Index 18% School Reading Std Index 18% Overall Standardized School Index Overall School Percentile Rank School Science Std Index 18% School Social Studies Std Index 18% School Writing Std Index 18% School Graduation Rate Std Index 10%

22. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calculating an overall ranking for a school without a graduation rate School Mathematics Std Index 20% Look at each subject index. Help schools understand which subjects are strong/weak for them. Positive number: better than average Negative number: below average Near zero: near average School Reading Std Index 20% Overall School Standardized Index Overall School Percentile Rank School Science Std Index 20% School Social Studies Std Index 20% School Writing Std Index 20%

23. How is the Top-to-Bottom Ranking Calculated? • Calculating an overall ranking for a school without a graduation rate and without a writing score School Mathematics Index 25% School Reading Index 25% Overall School Standardized Index Overall School Percentile Rank School Science Index 25% School Social Studies Index 25%

24. Which years of data are in the ranking?

25. For elementary and middle schools • Michigan tests in the fall. • These fall tests reflect the learning of students in the previous school year. SY 2009-2010 SY 2010-2011 SY 2011-2012 Fall 2010 Testing Fall 2008 Testing Fall 2009 Testing Fall 2011 Testing

26. For High Schools • Michigan tests in the spring • The spring test (MME and MI-Access) measures what students have learned from grades 9, 10 and grade 11 prior to the MME testing.

27. What do the 2012 Rankings reflect? • For elementary/middle schools: • MEAP and MI-Access tests from fall 2011 • For high schools: • MME and MI-Access tests from spring 2012

28. Resources Available • List of all schools and their ranking • Individual school look-up to see school-specific results • Overview presentation with voice over • FAQ • Business rules by which the rankings were calculated • Complete data file and validation file You can access these resources at www.mi.gov/ttb You can also request individual assistance by calling the Evaluation, Research and Accountability unit at 517-373-1342, or emailing mde-accountability@michigan.gov

29. Priority School Status • Schools in the bottom 5% of the Top-to-Bottom Ranking • MDE ensures that the number of schools identified as Priority Schools includes >=5% of the state’s Title I schools. • MDE will also add schools with a grad rate of <60% for 3 consecutive years, and any Tier I or Tier II school using SIG funds to implement a turnaround model.

30. How does a school EXIT Priority School status? • For a school to exit priority school status, it has to receive a Green, Lime, Yellow or Orange on the Accountability Scorecard at the close of its third year in the Priority School intervention system. • A school must either meet aggressive proficiency targets (toward 85% of students proficient by 2022), or must have demonstrated significant improvement. • The proficiency and/or improvement gains must be demonstrated all nine traditional ESEA subgroups as well as in the new “bottom 30%” subgroup.

31. How does a school EXIT Priority School status? • This means that a priority school who achieves a Green, Lime, Yellow or Orange on the Accountability Scorecard and exits Priority School status has: • Met all interim measurements of progress for priority schools (approved plan, leading and lagging indicators). • Met proficiency and/or improvement targets on average as a school. • Increased the proficiency rate of all traditional subgroups. • Increased the proficiency rate of their very lowest performing students.

32. Focus School Status • 10% of Schools with the largest achievement gaps in scale score between the top 30% of students and bottom 30% of students within a school from the Top-to-Bottom Ranking. • Focus schools may have high average performance overall, but have a significantly large gap, suggesting struggles addressing low achieving students

33. The Purpose ofIdentifying Focus Schools • Critical component to closing achievement gaps within schools and statewide. • Highlight where changes in teaching and learning practices need to be undertaken to respond to the learning needs of low-achieving students. • These changes are difficult; both accountability and support need to be differentiated.

34. Focus Schools: Achievement Gaps • Top-to-Bottom list includes a component that examines the gap in achievement scores between top 30% and bottom 30% of students within a school • Gaps are standardized between all students using a common assessment within a school, and then averaged for the school • Gaps are calculated for all subject areas and combined to form a composite gap

35. How are Focus Schools Identified? • Average gap is then standardized and ranked among all schools • The 10% of schools with the largest achievement gaps are identified as Focus Schools

36. Focus Schools: Common Concerns • Are Focus Schools only high-achieving schools? • Are Focus Schools only high socioeconomic status schools? • Is the bottom 30% subgroup in Focus Schools actually high performing? • Are schools more likely to be Focus Schools if they have [fill in the blank group] kids?

37. Focus Schools are NOTJust High Achieving...

38. Focus Schools are NOT ExclusivelyHigh (or Low) Socioeconomic Status...

39. Bottom 30% Students are NOT High Achieving ... Non-Focus Schools Focus Schools Across all subject areas and grade levels, the bottom 30% subgroup consistently had average achievement z-score below zero, and most of them are between -0.5 and -1.5. (This example: E/MS Reading) Top 30% Bottom 30%

40. Bottom 30 are Not Dominated by any 1 Subgroup… • Focus schools have higher concentrations of subgroups in bottom 30% than other schools

41. Focus Designation vs. AYP • Achievement gap between top 30% and bottom 30% of students within a school. • This approach targets ACHIEVEMENT gaps and THEN asks the demographic question. • Methodology detects differences in achievement within subgroups; between subgroups; or with small populations. • Limited by the size of groups and demographic status only. • Methodology detects differences in achievement within a subgroup as a whole or as an overall student population

42. Reward School Status Identification as a Reward School results from achieving one or more of the following distinctions: • Being in the top 5% of the Top-to-Bottom Ranking • Being in the top 5% of improving schools from the improvement metric in the Top-to-Bottom ranking • Being a school identified as “Beating the Odds” (BTO). BTO schools will be public following the November 20th State Board Meeting!

43. Identifying Schools Beating the Odds • 2 separate studies of schools Beating the Odds using considerably different methodologies • Schools performing above their predicted levels based on these factors: • Percent economically disadvantaged • Percent students with disabilities • Percent English language learners • Percent minority • Schools performing above a comparison group of the most demographically similar schools in the state • Provides a strong basis for concluding that these schools are indeed beating odds

44. What happens once a school is named a Reward School? • Receive public recognition for their achievements through a communication to local media. • Have their practices highlighted at conferences and other events, such as MDE’s School Improvement Conference. • MDE is seeking other supports for Reward Schools, including increased flexibility in the use of federal grant funds, corporate and philanthropic support, and networking meetings for school leaders and educators.

45. Summary of Ranking-Related Designations

46. We’re here to help! MDE-Accountability@Michigan.gov -OR- 877-560-8378, Option 6