Looking at Student Roster Reports

In Edwin Analytics, the "Students, Staff & Classroom" tab contains a number of student-level MCAS reports. Some of these reports are "roster" reports which means that they display data for a given list of students in a tabular format, usually one line of data per student. Student reports that are not in "roster" format generally display a page or two of data for each student.

The students included in a report can be selected in one of two ways - by using filters (such as "all ELL students" or "all students who scored Advanced") OR by selecting students from a list (such as a teacher's class list from last year, from their class coming in this year, etc.) There is a document in the Edwin Analytics handouts folder that provides further instructions.

Some of these roster reports include:

• IT616 Test Item Analysis Roster - provides test item data as well as achievement level, scaled score, raw score, SGP, % correct, and CD status for each student in a list. One challenge with this report is that the font is VERY small if it is printed on a single sheet of paper. I have found that if you save your report as a PDF file, Adobe Reader has a "poster" option that will allow you to print the file larger across multiple pages. This report is single-subject (ELA, math OR science.)

• PE617 Student MCAS Roster - provides a list of students and their scaled scores, achivement levels, and SGPs for all tested subjects (ELA, math, AND science) on a single report. This report is very useful if you would like to look at performance on all 3 tests for a given group of students.

• GR602 Student Growth Roster - provides MCAS scaled score information for 3 years of ELA and math performance, plus the most recent year's SGP for each student. This is very useful for examining individual student performance over time in a compact way.

And here is one more "roster" report that I had not seen until a few days ago when a colleague shared it with me. If it is new to you as well you may want to check it out, particularly if you're interested in a roster report of student performance by question type or standard.

• PE606 (Student Assessment Detail) report has traditionally been one of those reports that was a page or two per student. However, there is now a "roster" option on the initial prompt page. If you choose this, you'll get a report similar to IT616, except it will give information by question type and standard rather than by item. 

Folks that have access to the Classroom-level reports (available only to those with the DW-Evaluator role) should note that the IT516 and PE506 reports are similar to the 600-level counterparts listed above, but that they can be run for a selected classroom.


  
 

Edwin Analytics Workshop Handouts and Tips

As you know, the Education Data Warehouse has now been merged into Edwin Analytics, and by now you may have logged in to run reports with your preliminary 2013 MCAS data. The interface hasn't changed significantly, and in recent workshops the participants have commented that the speed and ease of use in the new system are excellent.

One difference you may have noticed is that the "My Folders" area is not easy to find. "My Folders" is an excellent place to save copies of reports, especially reports that may contain student-level data, as it is extremely secure (unlike a memory stick!) and accessible from any computer.

If you do not see a "My Folders" tab at the very top level of tabs (to the right of "Public Folders"), you need to set the My Folders tab to appear. To do this, click on the "Tab Menu" button to the left of the EOE tab at the very top of the page and select "Add Tabs". Check the box next to "My Folders", then the green arrow in the middle to move the selection over to the right. Click OK. You should now see the My Folders tab at the top, next to Public Folders.

For those that were not able to make the Edwin Analytics workshops this month (and even for those that were!) I'm providing you a link to a Google Drive folder which contains the Edwin Analytics handouts and information sheets used in the workshops. Please let me know what you find useful or if there are questions I can answer for you!

Link to Edwin Analytics Handouts

Educator Evaluation Update, District-Determined Measures

The Commissioner recently released a memo with an update for the timelines and expectations for implementing District-Determined Measures (DDMs) and the Student Impact Rating of the educator evaluation system. The DDM update can be found here http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=7640

Where can I find....?

I've heard from a number of principals and other school/district leaders over the last week who aren't quite sure where to go to get different pieces of information related to the preliminary MCAS data, so I thought I'd post a quick clarification.

There are actually 3 different applications in the Security Portal where preliminary MCAS-related information is posted. Not everyone will have access to all 3 applications...it depends on what applications you have been assigned access by your Directory Administrator. If you have access, you'll see links to each of these applications when you log into the Security Portal (http://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/)

2013 Accountability Data
This application within the portal connects to 3 layers of reports for your school/district, similar to the Accountability tab in Profiles. Preliminary information about accountability level, PPI indicator values, points, and targets can be found here.

DropBox Central
- Accountability 2013 Data - does not contain 2013 accountability data at this time, as the data is not final
- MCAS 2013 Data - contains the August 2013 preliminary data files in .CSV and .XLS format for all tested students for whom your organization is accountable (one line per student - these are large and somewhat unwieldy files!)

Edwin Analytics 
A variety of preliminary MCAS reports (item, strand, performance/achievement, and growth) can be run for various grades, subjects, and/or subgroups within a school or district.

When the data is finalized (mid-September), there will also be updated 2013 data posted publicly to Profiles. However, the preliminary data is only available through the Security Portal with appropriate access. Please remember that the preliminary data is embargoed until the public release in September!

Full Preliminary MCAS and Accountability Results

By now, you probably have taken a look at the full preliminary MCAS results and preliminary accountability data that DESE released last week (see the SAS update for more info). DESE held two webinars last week to provide more explanation and guidance. Thanks to my colleague Paula O'Sullivan (Greater Boston DSAC) for passing along some of the key points from the webinar, as I was unable to attend.

• All data is embargoed until the public release in September! DESE states that you can use it for planning and research with appropriate staff and to let students know they earned a diploma. You should not discuss aggregate results in public or show preliminary aggregate reports at school committee meetings.
• The MCAS discrepancy window closes on Tues August 13th at 5 p.m.
• The state has changed slightly how they calculate the growth data, in that they now compare each student to a historical academic peer group. This means that the state SGP for each grade level will no longer necessarily be 50, it may be a bit higher or lower. The state results will be released in September.
• The student file now includes, for each student, how long that student has been enrolled in your district, and in your school. In the future, Edwin Analytics will provide reports with MCAS results disaggregated by these variables.
• Classroom reports with EOY SIMS data may be available in early September.
• Preliminary accountability reports are available in a separate application within the security portal. More detailed webinars will be held in a few weeks. You can register on DESE's site. Updated guidance is also available. 
• Later this calendar year, DESE anticipates rolling out Edwin Analytics to teachers.

Please let me know if you have any questions as you explore your preliminary data. I hope to see many of you at the upcoming regional Edwin Analytics workshops.