Monday, April 29, 2013

MCAS Participation and the Need for Data Quality

As schools gear up to administer the Math and Science MCAS exams next month, I thought it would be a good opportunity for a reminder of the importance of data quality, particularly when it comes to MCAS participation data.

As you may know, one way that a school can be classified as “Level 3” is by having less than 90% MCAS participation for the aggregate or any subgroup. (Schools can similarly be classified as “Level 2” by having less than 95% MCAS participation for the aggregate or any subgroup; see page 5 of the School Leaders’ Guide for additional information.)

Last year, 32 schools (27 of which were high schools) were identified for low MCAS participation statewide - 9 in the "very low / <90%" (Level 3) category and 23 in the "low / <95%" (Level 2) category. In some cases, the classification of a single student brought the participation percentage of a subgroup below 90%, thus designating the school as Level 3. In addition, several schools were preliminarily identified as Level 3 for low participation, but after these schools looked further at their data, they identified errors they had initially missed which brought their participation above the 90% mark. School-wide participation in achievement assessments is important, and it's essential that every student is counted correctly. It’s clear that quality data collection, roster verification, and proper  classification can prevent confusion and misidentification.

Additional guidance related to MCAS participation requirements, including information specific to high school students, can be found in Part II: Student Participation in the the Principal’s Administration Manual. Appendix D of this document also provides information about reporting various types of student non-participation, and how this information is used for MCAS reporting and accountability reporting.

For schools interested in looking back at their participation history (for both aggregate and subgroups), this data can be found in two places on the Profiles pages for that school. On the "Assessment" tab for each year, there is a report entitled "Participation Report." On the "Accountability" tab, clicking "View Detailed 2012 Data" and scrolling to the bottom of the page will bring you to a table of participation data by subgroup.

Monday, April 8, 2013

PARCC Massachusetts Web Site Now Live

The PARCC Massachusetts Web site (through the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education) is now live at http://www.mass.edu/parcc.  The site provides a variety of links, documents, and resources related to the PARCC assessments, Common Core, and College and Career Readiness.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Update on PPI Webinars

I posted yesterday about a set of PPI webinars being offered by DESE in May. I have since learned that the webinar is targeted for Charter, ELT and Innovation Schools due to aspects specific to their performance-based accountability structures.

DESE anticipates holding additional trainings on PPI and the new accountability/assistance leveling system later this spring or summer that will be broadly available to all public schools and districts. I will post information here as it becomes available.

In order to minimize confusion, DESE staff will clear the registration system of all current registrants and ask that you re-register if these trainings are still appropriate for you. ( If you did register, you probably already received an email with a very similar message directly from DESE.)

My apologies for any confusion this may have caused!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Edwin Analytics Updates

The following information was shared in yesterday's Edwin Analytics webinar (thanks to my colleague Paula O'Sullivan at the Greater Boston DSAC for sharing!)

1. February Biology results are now available (as of 3/25) in the following student-level reports:
  • Student Profile Report (PR600)
  • Assessment History Summary (PE613)
  • Assessment Detail (PE606)
  • Student Item Analysis Report (IT616)
  • MCAS Student Roster (PE617)
2. Competency Determination status updates are now available  (as of 3/25) in the following student-level reports:
  • Student Profile Report (PR600)
  • Assessment History Summary (PE613)
  • Student CD Roster (PE618)
3. March Retest data will be available in mid-late April.

4. The Edwin Analytics team is seeking feedback on the new EWIS and Postsecondary Reports. Please share any feedback you may have with me (and I will pass along) or directly with the Edwin team (Edwin@doe.mass.edu).

5. Internet Explorer 10 is NOT compatible with Cognos. If you use IE and upgraded to 10, there are steps you can take to revert back to IE 9 (please visit the Edwin Analytics Home Page for more information.)

Two other updates shared related to data and technology: 

  • You can find ESE’s School Interoperability Framework (SIF) updates, past newsletters and other materials on the SIF site
  • DESE is planning a state-wide IT directors meeting in Andover on May 16th. The purpose of this meeting to build collaboration among IT directors. More information will be coming.