Williamstown Elementary Committee Assesses MCAS Results
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The standardized test for sixth-grade students includes a 600-word essay component, but the principal at Williamstown Elementary School needed far fewer words to sum up her school's performance on the 2013 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams.
"In a nutshell, we are well above the state average for proficient [pupils], well below the average for students in warning status and at the state average for 'needs improvement,' " Joelle Brookner told the School Committee on Wednesday night.
Brookner gave the panel her annual report on the MCAS results, which educators have been poring over since preliminary results came back to schools in June.
By now, parents have received their children's scores and teachers have much more complete data to look at for each classroom and each pupil.
While opinions continue to vary on the validity of standardized tests as a measurement of achievement, it is hard to argue that data is not a useful tool for teachers.
"I can pick any child and drill down into that [test] and see which questions they got right, which questions they got wrong and what wrong answer they gave," Brookner said in a meeting telecast on the town's public access television station, WilliNet.
Armed with information provided by the MCAS, teachers can provide targeted instruction to individual students.
One target for the whole school is narrowing the gap between "high needs" students and the general population. Closing that gap is the main challenge area for the school, which generally outperforms other schools around the commonwealth.
A school's Progress and Performance Index takes into account both the aggregate test scores and Student Growth Percentiles (a measure of improvement).
Williamstown's PPI placed it in Level 2 status because while all pupils were improving at the target rate, the high needs population lagged.
"A Level 1 achieves its aggregate and has worked to narrow the gap," Brookner said. "We still have some work to do in terms of narrowing that gap.
"Level 2 is not a bad thing. We're aiming for Level 1, of course."
The high needs population includes English language learners, special education pupils and children from low-income families, Brookner said.
Brookner noted that there is reason for optimism that school's efforts to close its achievement gap are bearing fruit.
On the 2012 MCAS, the PPI for the low-income students in all grade levels was 41 on a 100-point scale. In 2013, that number rose to 59. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education sets 75 as a goal for all children in the state.
Brookner shared with the committee some of the strategies in place at the school to narrow the gap and continue to drive up the scores for all students. Recently, the faculty met with educational consultant Vicki Gibson. And the school has an ongoing relationship this year with math education consultant Hilary Bresnahan.
"I know we'll want to have her here again next year," Brookner said.
"That's a budgetary item we'll need to discuss," Superintendent Rose Ellis added. "You can see from all the data math is an area we need to work on more. Across the state, across the country, that's true. We're very committed to that."
Committee member Dan Caplinger agreed that math should receive more of a focus.
"It seems we have spent a lot of time on the reading and language arts stuff, and the numbers reflect that," Caplinger said. "Where we have the highest number of kids needing improvement is on the math and science side."
While working to improve its math and science instruction, the school will continue to address the gaps it sees on the English/language arts side of the curriculum as well, Brookner said.
"Starting after Thanksgiving, we're going to have an extended-day instructional reading program," she said. "That's a good instrument that helps us see where kids are. We're starting with a group for fifth- and sixth-graders — 12 students after school. ... It will be eight- to 10-week chunks with a group of students, and then we can take another group."
Brookner indicated such extended-day programs bring up another "budgetary item" that the School Committee may need to address. Currently, the school has no transportation available for pupils when those programs end. Brookner hinted that the school may need to add a late bus down the road.
The third-year principal said she generally finds that families are supportive of placing their children in such extended-day programs, even though other after-school activities, like sports, can create scheduling issues.
"I feel really fortunate I'm working in a school where it's cool to learn and people are excited to learn," Brookner said. "I don't think people see it as a drudgery, but there are lots of conflicts after school."
Tags: MCAS, school committee, WES,
