Monday, June 11, 2012

Upcoming MCAS and MEPA Data Releases

A previous blog post provided some of the preliminary release dates for MCAS results, but I wanted to provide links to two ESE memos containing additional details.

Preliminary 2012 MCAS Data:
  • June 12th - ELA Composition images posted electronically for principals
  • June 15th - Portfolio Feedback Forms for MCAS-Alt posted electronically for principals
  • June 22nd - Excel data files and school roster reports with preliminary student results to Dropbox Central.
  • June 29th - Preliminary school and district reports to Dropbox Central.
  • June 29th - Selected EDW reports posted.
See the Commissioner's May 21st memo for more details.

Spring 2012 MEPA Data:
  • June 7th - Parent/Guardian reports received by schools via UPS.
  • June 7th - Various data reports posted to http://www.mcasservicecenter.com/.
  • June 25th - Student data file with 2011 and 2012 MEPA and MCAS scores will be posted at the Department's Security Portal.
More details on the MEPA release can be found here.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Growth and EDW 3.0 Workshop Offerings Summer 2012

The Southeast DSAC (Laura Tilton, Data Specialist) has set aside July 24 and August 16 to offer the following set of workshops. Workshops require a minimum of 12 participants (maximum of 24) and priority will be given to participants from regional Level 3 districts. However, we anticipate that we will able to accommodate educators from all interested Southeast districts.


Getting to Know Data Warehouse 3.0 (2.5 hours, 9:00-11:30, July 24 or August 16)
The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the new Education Data Warehouse, including the Growth Model reports and classroom-level reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2012-2013 school year. This workshop is appropriate for both new and previous users of the Education Data Warehouse; all attendees must have been assigned appropriate Security Portal access to the EDW by their district's Directory Administrator.

Exploring MCAS Growth Data (2 hours, 12:00-2:00, July 24 or August 16)
This workshop (suggested as an extension to the previous workshop) will go beyond an overview of the Growth Model and focus on the use of MCAS growth data and reports at multiple levels (district, school, classroom/group, and student). Participants will deepen their understanding of the growth model and how to interpret growth reports (with connections to the new Educator Evaluation System), engage with school/district growth data following a data analysis protocol, and learn what growth reports are available and where to find them.

Please register via this form and let us know which workshops interest you and whether your district may be able to host the workshop. Thank you!