Strategic Directions for Cos Cob School

1. Strategic Directionsfor Cos Cob School PTA Meeting Tuesday, October 19, 2010

2. The Cos Cob Way •Together we fly! Be responsible Be here Be safe Be honest Care for self and others Accept and grow

3. Purpose of tonight • Share the contents of the Connecticut Mastery Test so as to better understand how the test is assessing students • Gain insight into the performance of our Cos Cob students on the CMTs • Better understand how the CMT results are used at our school and throughout the district • Share the content and context of the Cos Cob School Strategic Improvement Plan

4. Before we begin… The CMT’s are only a piece of the puzzle. This evening we are looking at the CMT results and sharing our instructional response and strategic improvement plans

5. The BASICS MathematicsReadingWritingScience (grade 5 only)

6. Overall performance for EACH subtest is reported in 5 levels: Advanced Mastery Proficient Basic Below Basic

7. The results also report student: 1. Performance on each portion of the subtest 2. Scale Scores3. “Strand” performance4. Vertical Scale Scores

8. Mathematics

9. Reading Comprehension andDegrees of Reading Power (DRP) The READING subtest

10. Reading Comprehension Strand 1: Forming a General Understanding •main idea/theme •characters •problems •settings •events •relationships •summarize •predictions •unknown words Sample question:What is the main idea presented in the article?Use information from the article to support your answer.

11. Reading Comprehension Strand 2: Developing Interpretation •author’s use of structure or patterns •draw conclusions about author’s purpose for choosing a genre, including or omitting details •use stated or implied evidence to draw or support conclusion Sample question:What type of person do you think ____ was? Use details from the passage to support your answer.

12. Reading Comprehension Strand 3: Making Reader/Text Connections •make connections between text and outside experiences and knowledge •select, synthesize and/or use relevant information within the text to write a personal response to text •use stated or implied evidence to draw or support conclusion Sample question:Which part of the story do you think was most important? Use information from the story and your own life to explain why you chose that part.

13. Reading Comprehension Strand 4: Examining the Content and Structure •analyze and evaluate the author’s craft •select, synthesize and/or use relevant information to extend or evaluate the text •demonstrate awareness of an author’s or character’s values, customs and beliefs included in the text Sample question:How does the author show that _____ is important to him/her?

14. Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) •Single-objective test measuring how well students understand the surface meaning of what they read•Comprised of a series of Cloze passages •Entirely nonfiction•Only part of the CMT that is nationally norm- referenced•DRP scores are reported in terms of P-values, or percent of comprehension (grades 3 and 4 at p=.70 and grade 5 @ p=.75) •Accounts for 50% of total reading subtest score

15. The WRITING subtest:Direct Assessment of Writing (the prompt)andEditing and Revising

16. Direct Assessment of Writing • Students given 45 minutes to respond to prompt • Scored holistically on scale of 1-6 by two state scorers (final score 2-12). Goal = 8 • Grades 3 and 4 write narrative piece • Grade 5 writes expository piece • 60% of total writing score

17. Editing and Revising Composing/Revising Skill Categories: • Content, organization and tone • Revision: Syntax • Revision: Word Choice Editing Skill Categories: • Capitalization • Punctuation

20. Grade 5 Science

21. Grade 5 Science

22. Let’s take a look together! What did we notice? How can we describe performance? What can we celebrate? Questions or needed clarification

23. Performance by Grade Level Reminder: Grade 3 = current grade 4 Grade 4 = current grade 5 Grade 5 = current grade 6

24. We noticed… • In general, we are performing at similar levels to the district in all areas (reading, math, writing, and science). • The performance of our students on the DRP negatively impacted our overall scores on the Reading subtest. • In all grades 3-5, math strands 11 (estimating solutions to problems), 15 (approximating measures), 25 (mathematical applications) were relative weaknesses. • In writing, despite having similar % of students at goal, our strand scores within the Editing and Revising portion were below the district in grades 3-5.

25. Celebrations… • Cos Cob 3rd and 5th graders achieved mastery at or above the district with on all 4 strands of the Reading Comprehension portion. • The cohort of students in 4th grade (now 5th graders) moved from 69.5% at/above goal to 83.1% at/above goal on the Reading subtest. • ALL Cos Cob 3-5 graders’ average holistic writing scores surpassed the district. In 3rd and 5th the average scaled score also surpassed the district. • Cos Cob 3rd graders performed with or above the district in 12 of 18 math strands. • The cohort of students in 5th grade (now 6th graders) moved from 65.3% as 3rd graders to 77.6% as 4th graders to 81.6% as 5th graders at goal on the Math subtest.

26. Looking for more data? www.ctreports.com Looking for sample test items or explanations related to subtests? www.sde.ct.gov In this order, click on: 1. Student Assessment 2. Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) 3. CMT Resources and Publications 4. Fourth Generation - CMT Handbooks (Select Language Arts, Mathematics, or Science)

27. How do we use the CMTs at CCS? • Individual student performance • Current class profiles • Previous class summary data • School trends • Implications on instruction K-5 • Development of Strategic Improvement Plan

28. Additional Data Sets in Use

29. Sample current class profile

30. Sample previous class summary

31. But the CMT’s are only a piece of the puzzle

32. Now what?Cos Cob School Strategic Improvement Plan

33. Cos Cob School Strategic Improvement Plan Goal 1 Statement of Student Outcome Indicator (written as SMART Goal): 83% of 2nd grade students will perform at or above goal on the spring 2011 DRP. Student Outcome Indicator Rationale (Why was the Student Outcome Indicator chosen?): In a comprehensive analysis of both the spring 2010 CMT data and historical data related to performance on the DRP portion of the CMT, it was revealed that a relative weakness in student performance on the DRP as compared to the reading comprehension portion of the Reading subtest exists. For example, within the reading comprehension portion (2010) between 94% and 98% of Cos Cob 5th graders were at mastery within all four of the reading comprehension strands. Within the DRP portion, however, 64.06% met the mastery benchmark. Consequently, only 75% of Cos Cob 5th graders performed at goal on the Reading subtest of the CMT. Also noteworthy, the performance of these 5th graders exceeded that of the District in all four strands. Yet, nearly 80% of the District 5th graders were at goal on the Reading subtest. Further, Cos Cob performance as evidenced in the average unit score and the total percent of students at goal on the DRP portion of the CMT fell below the District in grades 3-5. Additionally, review of the composition and scoring of the CMT, yields that the DRP portion of the CMT accounts for 40% of the total Reading subtest score. In considering the GPS Student Outcome Indicators and Targets set by both the District Data Team and Cos Cob School Data Team, the goal of 83% of 2nd graders achieving mastery on the spring 2010 would demonstrate a 3% increase from the previous year’s performance. With a commensurate increase in 2011-2012, we would reach both the District and school target of 87% of 2nd graders achieving mastery. The current and historical reading performance of the Cos Cob students and the statistical implications of weighting of the DRP within the Reading subtest provides a substantiated rationale for the selection of the stated Student Outcome Indicator.

34. Cos Cob School Strategic Improvement Plan Goal 2Statement of Student Outcome Indicator: (written as SMART Goal) 100% of students will “meet expectations” on the Demonstrating Citizenship aspect of the GPS, PK -5, Social Responsibility Quick Scale by June 2011.Student Outcome Indicator Rationale:(Why was the Student Outcome Indicator chosen?)The Demonstrating Citizenship aspect of the Social Responsibility Quick Scale includes being a responsible member (following school and class rules) of a class, making the classroom/school a better place, and noticing ways to improve the community or world. These aspects of citizenship align with tenets of the Vision of the Graduate and the norms of the recently adopted Cos Cob Way. The CC norms include: Be responsible • Be here • Be honest • Be safe • Care for self and others • Accept and grow. As The Cos Cob Way is further implemented and shared with students and families in the 2010-2011 school year, the Student Outcome Indicator will assist us in gauging student progress toward demonstrating the ability to function in an interdependent global community.

35. The comprehensive Cos Cob School Strategic Improvement Action Plan is also posted on the school website.

36. Parent roles in Strategic Improvement • Talk about The Cos Cob Way norms/rules • Read to and with your child. • Go on adventures. • Have your child teachyou new things. • Monitor your child’s attitudes toward school, reading, writing, math and science. Share insights with his/her teacher. • Talk to your child’s teacher about your child’s performance within ongoing assessment (math unit tests, Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark assessments, writing prompts, science embedded tasks). • Volunteer as a Reading Champion (1.5 hour commitment per week).