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LPS Student Achievement Index
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif)
LPS District Achievement Goal
(announced [PDF
42KB] on 9/14/06):
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"90% of all
students will be on or above grade level in reading, math, writing, and
science by 2011. The achievement gap in student performance will be
cut in half by 2009."
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"Key Activities: ...
Determine at or above grade level criteria for K–10...." [Oct/06 - May/07
per 12/19/06 LPS Policy Work Plan 2006-2009]
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"Measurement Used to Determine Success: An analysis of student achievement
indicators to include CSAP, MAP, grades, and performance on benchmark and
classroom-based assessments will be completed annually to determine progress
from baseline data; individual achievement scorecard will be monitored for
each student to assess grade level status." [12/19/06 LPS Policy Work Plan 2006-2009]
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Revised ("clarified" on
9/27/07): "Ninety percent of all students will be on or above grade
level in reading, math, writing, and science by the end of the 2011-2012
school year. The achievement gap in student performance will be cut in
half by the end of the 2009-2010 school year."
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ICAN believes that there
will be little or no reduction in the percentages of below-grade-level
students until most of the LPS Board of Education members and the
superintendent publicly declare their willingness to be held accountable for
such specific, measurable objectives and then insist that lower-level
officials do the same. Otherwise, institutional inertia
will maintain the status quo and continue to prevent significant increase in
student academic achievement.
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Unfortunately, neither the
Board of Education minutes of Board meetings nor the district website
provide evidence that Board of Education
members and the superintendent publicly declare their willingness to be held accountable
for the District Achievement Goal results.
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Another
significant public indication of lack of ownership for results is that very
few schools even mention the
District Achievement Goal on their school websites.
Relevant statements in LPS Strategic Plan (approved
[PDF 19KB] on 9/28/06):
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Vision
Statement: "... Extraordinary learning ..."
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Focus
Areas: "1. Enhance instructional systems that maximize student achievement and integrate
knowledge and skills relevant to a global 21st century...."
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Core
Beliefs: "... 7. Meaningful evaluation of student learning occurs through
timely and ongoing analysis of student performance on a variety of
assessments...."
"The Accountability Journey,
continued" (presented
[PDF 119KB] on 9/27/07):
1. Performance on state tests (CSAP),
2. Performance on district determined measures (MAP, CBLA, 2nd
Grade Writing),
3. Classroom performance"
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Baseline
Index for 2007 (presented
[PDF 45KB] on 9/27/07):
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District total baseline data is 78.5%* "*This is within our
expected 10% CSAP confidence band. (70.7 CSAP average - - 7.8%>10%)"
[Actually, 7.8% < 10%]
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Gap (goal - baseline) is 11.5% (90% - 78.5%).
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CSAP portion of baseline is 70.7%.
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Conclusions...
(presented [PDF 45KB]
on 9/27/07):
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"Actual results fall within the range of expected results"
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"Mathematical integrity of the formula is likely to be good"
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"If there were significant errors, likely, the result would fall outside the
yellow bands"
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From
"Good to Great" (presented
[PDF 85KB] on 9/27/07):
"When you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of
the situation, the right decisions often become self-evident... You
absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting
the brutal facts." Jim Collins, 2001, p. 70
Preliminary analysis of
baseline data for 2007:
Further analysis of baseline
data for 2007:
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Citizen
activist Sam Drury presented a 10-page handout [PDF
933KB] to the LPS Board of Education on June 26, 2008:
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The three-page letter [PDF
32KB] critiques some aspects of the
LPS "on or above grade level" approach. The letter includes excerpts
from the LPS Annual Report 2006-2007, LPS Student Achievement Index (SAI)
analyses, and influence of report card "grade inflation" rather than
proficiency based upon "essential learnings" performance.
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The four-page attachment
[PDF 602KB], which was first
presented to the Board on October 11, 2007,
includes Sam's questions, SAI "index - CSAP" subtotals estimates, SAI "Grade
Level Determination" data (ingredients), and SAI relative weights (recipes)
for "Grade Level Details" data.
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The three-page attachment [PDF
307KB], which was first presented to
the Board on November 8, 2007 and then provided again on June 12, 2008,
includes tabulated proficiency percentage data for three assessment
categories: all grade level assessments, without report card assessments,
and only report card assessments. Summaries of each of those three
assessment categories are provided for grade-level groups K-2, 3-5, K-5,
6-8, 9-10, 6-10, and K-10.
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Three-page
letter comments:
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LPS officials have established
the Student Achievement Index as an overall expression of results from
assessments of individual students.
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Sam still has two unanswered questions that he asked at the October 11 Board
meeting.
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Four-page
attachment comments:
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The LPS documents demonstrate the
comparative effects of each measure of performance used for the SAI
calculations.
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The relationships between CSAP subtotals and the rest-of-the-index subtotals
were estimated.
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Those "index - CSAP" subtotals estimates were about 10% more than CSAP for
Reading & Writing (Grades 3-10), 15% more for Mathematics (Grades 3-10), and
15% more for Science (Grades 5, 8, and 10).
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Three-page attachment
comments: Refer to "Preliminary analysis of
baseline data for 2007" section above.
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Conclusion:
The current Student Achievement Index (SAI) is not a valid measure of
LPS student academic achievement progress:
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We believe that transparency and prompt reporting of detailed objective
results are essential for credible public visibility and accountability.
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The current "classroom performance" portion (about one-third of total SAI
score) is very biased by "grade inflation" rather than "essential learnings"
performance.
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That "grade inflation" factor of about 18% falsely increases the
otherwise-valid SAI scores by about 6% for 2007.
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If and when there is significant reduction in the "grade inflation"
effects, the SAI scores will decrease at the same time that actual
proficiency is increasing, thereby misleading SAI users who measure LPS
student academic achievement progress (and vice versa for significant
increase in the "grade inflation" effects).
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Therefore, we recommend eliminating use of the current SAI (with "grade
inflation" effects) as a valid measure of LPS student academic achievement
progress.
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Of course, comparison of the "classroom performance" portion with the
remaining portion of the SAI scores illuminates the "grade inflation"
effects and could help to place more emphasis upon "essential learnings"
performance.
Last modified:
06/30/2008
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