June 2013 Release of Preliminary Results

As many of you already know, preliminary MCAS results were made available to authorized users in DropBox Central (in the security portal) on Tuesday. This release includes full preliminary ELA results and preliminary multiple-choice results for grades 3–8 and 10 Math and grades 5 and 8 Science.

There is an interpretive guide to accompany this release (currently available in DropBox Central, to be posted to the 2013 MCAS Web page shortly) which provides information about various ways that the preliminary data (along with the 2013 released items) can be reviewed and utilized. The raw-to-scaled score conversion tables for ELA have also been posted.

In addition, the latest Student Assessment Update notes that preliminary MCAS-Alt results have been made available through DropBox Central, and ELA long compositions are posted online at www.mcasservicecenter.com.

On Friday, June 21, the same preliminary results will be made available through selected reports in Edwin Analytics.

Per the Interpretive Guide: "All data released prior to the official release of school and district results in mid-September are embargoed, which means the data cannot be released to the public or discussed in public meetings.... Preliminary MCAS data, including the Mathematics and STE multiple-choice results, can and should be used for educational planning purposes. Whenever preliminary results are printed for planning purposes, they should be clearly dated and labeled “preliminary,” with the understanding that some results may change with the official release in September."

As a reminder, I will be offering three regional Edwin Analytics workshops in August after the remainder of the preliminary data has been released, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

Release of Spring 2013 MCAS Items

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has posted the released items for the Spring 2013 tests by grade and content area at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2013/release/default.html.

Reminder: New ESE Security Portal URL

With the preliminary MCAS results being released on Tuesday (see earlier post for more details, along with the Student Assessment Services update sent out via email today), there’s a good chance you’ll want to log into the ESE Security Portal in the very near future to access Dropboxes or Edwin Analytics.

If you haven’t logged into the Security Portal in a while, you will notice some changes. Earlier in June, ESE installed a new “Identity Management System (IMS)” in order to align the Security Portal with the Commonwealth’s new secure access standards. Existing username and passwords will continue to work with the new Identity Management System and there is no need to change either credential, BUT the URL has changed.

New Security Portal URL: https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/

If you're trying to access Edwin Analytics, you should click the first "Edwin Analytics" link on your portal home page after logging in to the URL above to get the latest version of Edwin Analytics. The second link that says "Edwin Analytics (EDW)" is the old version.

You should change any bookmarks you may have to the new URL. (Note that the "Security Portal" link in the drop-down menu on the ESE home page has been updated to this new URL, so if you normally access the portal this way you'll go to the right spot.) If you notice that you're being asked to log in twice, you may be accessing the portal through an incorrect URL. If you have any questions regarding your access, please contact your district’s Directory Administrator.

Summer Edwin Analytics Workshops

I will be offering the "Getting to Know Edwin Analytics" workshop several times in mid-late August (with the expectation that the preliminary MCAS data will be available at that time). There is no cost for these workshops; although priority registration will be given to individuals from Level 3 districts we anticipate to be able to accommodate all who would like to attend.

The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in Edwin Analytics (formerly the Education Data Warehouse), including the Growth Model reports and classroom-level reports. This workshop is appropriate to new users but can serve as an update for previous users of the Education Data Warehouse. 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 2013-2014 school year.

All attendees must be assigned appropriate Security Portal access to Edwin Analytics by their district's Director Administrator prior to the workshop. Please register directly with the collaborative through whom the workshop is offered (it is not necessary that your district be a member of the collaborative to attend.)

8/15/13 - Bourne High School
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the Cape Cod Collaborative

8/20/13 - Whitman Hanson Regional High School
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the North River Collaborative
(info is not yet posted but will be in the next week or so)

8/22/13 - READS Collaborative, Middleborough
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the READS Collaborative

Edwin Teaching and Learning Pilot Update

The Edwin Teaching and Learning Group at ESE have published an update on the ET&L pilot project, including information about current and future pilot opportunities (for RTTT districts), content updates, and online resources.

The update document can be found under "News and Updates" on the Edwin page on the ESE site.

http://www.doe.mass.edu/edwin/

MCAS Release Schedule 2013

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has published the release schedule for 2013 MCAS data. Today's memorandum plus the downloadable schedule can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/.

In summary: Starting on June 18, school leaders will have access to student roster files (ELA all question types, Science multiple choice for grades 5 and 8, Math multiple choice only, MCAS-Alt full results) through Dropbox Central. Selected reports will be available in Edwin Analytics several days later. A second round of data will be released on August 7, with the discrepancy reporting window occuring between August 7-13. Please see the schedule for all the details.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the Security Portal (home of Dropbox Central and Edwin Analytics) will be undergoing some changes this weekend. The new URL for the portal will be https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us.

I will be holding regional Edwin Analytics workshops on August 15 at Bourne HS and August 22 at READS in Middleboro and will post registration information to the blog next week. If anyone is interested in a late June workshop given that there will be some new data to explore by June 21, please let me know (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) as I could certainly schedule one if the interest exists.

Happy Friday!

Changes to Security Portal and Edwin Analytics / Friday Webinars

ESE is currently working to install a new Identity Management System (IMS) so that the Security Portal will align with the Commonwealth's new secure access standards. The first phase of this upgrade will take place over the weekend of June 1-2, as the first set of portal applications will be migrated over to the new system. The Security Portal will be unavailable during this time, as well as on two additional dates (June 6 and June 8) when additional migrations are scheduled to take place. During the June 3-9 period you may experience the need to log in twice to the portal as the upgrade will be in progress.

The Edwin Analytics/EDW team will host two WebEx sessions  tomorrow at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to review the impact of this IMS on Edwin Analytics/EDW. I will also share any new information here on the blog.

The WebEx agenda includes:

1.       Discussion of  IDM final memo, Application Release Schedule
2.       Discussion of new security portal
3.       Review of the new User Interface

To access the webinar:

Telephone number if needed: 1-877-820-7831

Password: 683154# 

To Un-mute/Mute your phone dial *6

For operator help dial *0

http://commonwealthofmass.centurylinkccc.com/CenturylinkWeb/datawarehouse

If you need additional information, please see the Data Warehouse contact or Directory Administrator for your district.

Student Assessment Update - ACCESS For ELLs; Retirement of Score Request Tool

The latest Student Assessment Update is now posted on the ESE Web site at http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=7487, including updates on ACCESS for ELLs score report interpretation resources and retirement of the MCAS Score Request Tool.

Please note: These updates come out via email before they are posted online. Please see the information listed at the bottom of the update page for more information about receiving the updates via email.

District Determined Measures: Technical Guide A

From the May 17 Commissioner's Weekly Update:

Technical Guide A, a supplement to Part VII of the Mass. Model Educator Evaluation System, is now available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/ddm/TechnicalGuide.pdf. The guide describes key assessment concepts that district teams should consider when selecting district-determined measures. It also provides guidance on how to select or modify existing assessments and how to build a new assessment.

Educator Evaluation Spring Convening 5/29/2013

Educator Evaluation Spring Convening:
Connecting Policy, Practice, and Practitioners
Wednesday, May 29th, 7:45am-4:30pm

Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center
366 Main Street, Sturbridge, Massachusetts 01566

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is excited to bring together public school districts, associations and educator preparation programs for a day of celebration, learning and reflection about promising and emerging practices in the new Educator Evaluation framework. This new framework will be implemented statewide in the 2013-2014 school year; however, many districts have already begun to engage in this work. This is an opportunity for districts currently implementing the framework to share their successes and challenges and indentify new and actionable strategies for improving implementation in the coming year. It is also a chance for newly implementing districts to learn from and connect with colleagues who have been engaged in this work over the past two years. ESE is pleased to bring together districts, associations, and educator preparation programs to build connections and relationships across the educator pipeline in Massachusetts.

More information and registration (by 5/15) is available at:
http://registration.airprojects.org/MDESEEducatorEvaluationDistrict/

Resource Round-Up

Wow...what a busy time of year! There is lots of great information on data, assessment, and educator effectiveness related topics coming our way...here are some of the latest resources that you may find valuable:

PARCC Release of Assessment Blueprints and Test Specifications: PARCC has released a set of test specification documents, including assessment blueprints and evidence statement tables, to help educators and the general public better understand the design of the PARCC assessments.


EWIS Implementation Support Pilot: ESE is looking to select approximately six districts to receive regular on-site technical assistance, facilitation, and training to support their use of the Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) data in the 2013-14 school year. Applications are due on Friday, May 31st.

New Educator Evaluation QRG: Data Collection provides information about the data elements that districts will report as part of EPIMS related to the educator evaluation system.

ESE Newsletters and Update Pages:
Student Assessment Updates (latest update: 4/22)
Educator Evaluation E-Newsletter (latest version: April 2013)
RTTT Newsletter (latest version: Spring 2013)

Upcoming Webinars:
ACCESS for ELLs Score Reporting - May 23, 28, or 29
Assessment Literacy Webinar Series - Archives of Sessions 1-3 (Session 4 will be in July)

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.

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.

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!

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.

ESE Assessment Literacy Webinar Series

ESE is offering an 8-part webinar series which will run from now through December, focused on assessment literacy in the context of district-determined measures (DDM's) for educator evaluation. These sessions will run 60-90 minutes and are designed for district and/or school teams who will be involved in the identification and selection of district-determined measures. The webinars and related materials will be archived and posted online along with the schedule at http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/ddm/webinar.html.

Webinar Session 1, "Introduction: District-Determined Measures and Assessment Literacy" was offered last Thursday, March 14, but will run a second time on Wednesday, March 27, at 4:00 pm. The registration is available online (the registration page also includes the handouts/PowerPoint for Session 1) through this link.

Also, stay tuned to the ESE site for "Technical Guide A" which will be coming this spring to accompany Part VII: Rating Educator Impact on Student Learning Using District-Determined Measures of Student Learning.

PARCC Assessment Update

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) recently released a guidance document which contains important information on test design, the testing window and approximate testing time, and "rule of thumb" guidance on the number of computer devices needed to administer the PARCC assessments. The direct link to the PDF guidance document is here, or you can visit PARCC's Assessment Administration page for the latest news and updates, including a readiness tool, FAQ, user guide, and more.

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Additional Guidance on District-Determined Measures

As part of the Commonwealth's new educator evaluation system, districts will be required to identify and administer a district-wide set of student performance measures for each grade/subject that "permit a comparison of student learning gains." Where MCAS student growth percentile (SGP) exists, regulations state that it must be used as one of these measures, but it will be up to districts to identify/develop additional measures of student learning gains for many grades and subjects.

(You may recall a previous blog post about an activity designed to help teachers engage with and reflect on classroom-level growth data...I continue to use this activity with very positive responses from teacher teams!)

ESE has recently released a Quick Reference Guide on District-Determined Measures (along with QRG's on other EdEval topics) which summarizes the regulations and timeline related to the implementation of DDM's for all districts in Massachusetts. Additional guidance on the identification and selection of DDM's and related topics is scheduled for release later this Spring.

Three New Data Sets – Now Available in Profiles

Per the latest Commissioner's Email Update, ESE has recently added the following three new data sets to School/District Profiles.

• 2012-13 Enrollment: New district and school reports to reflect 2012-13 enrollment include enrollment by grade, race/gender, and selected populations.
• Attrition: This data set looks at attrition across school years. Users can filter the data by school year, district or school levels, and various subgroups. Clicking on an individual district or school will show all of the subgroups for that entity. To view the data, go to http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/attrition.aspx.
  
• MassCore Completion: This data set reflects the percent of graduates who have completed the MassCore curriculum as reported by districts. While we acknowledge there are data quality issues within this data set, by publishing the data, we expect the quality of the reporting will improve. In future years, ESE will use its own course scheduling data collection to supplement the district-reported data. The data are online at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/masscore.aspx. 

Please note that the links above will take you to the state report showing the data for all districts/schools. From an individual school or district Profiles page, these new reports can all be found under the "Student" tab.

The Education Data Warehouse is now Edwin Analytics

Today's announcement from ESE:

As of today, the Education Data Warehouse (EDW) can be accessed through the Edwin Analytics link on the ESE’s Security Portal.

Edwin Analytics is accessible using the EDW login roles. These roles should be assigned to district and school users in accordance with the rules set forth in the Department’s Data Access Policy for the EDW.

Edwin Analytics includes:

• All EDW state data (MCAS, Growth, SIMS, EPIMS, SCS) and all personal content saved to a users’ ‘My Folders’, district, and school folders.
   
• Six new Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) and Postsecondary Outcomes reports located on the District, School, and Student tabs. (The same 5 district and school level reports are on the District and School tabs and one student level report is on the Student tab.)

Contact for Support:

• For access to Edwin Analytics, contact your district’s Directory Administrator (DA). If you already have access to the EDW, you automatically have access to Edwin Analytics and the specific reports available for your level of access.
• For technical support questions, please contact the Data Warehouse Contact person in your district. A list can be found at Profiles: People Search and choose Data Warehouse Contact in the ‘Function’ dropdown.
• If you are the district’s Data Warehouse contact and need additional technical support, contact the EDW team at datawarehouse@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6820.
• For data issues including analysis, please contact the team responsible for data content:
• MCAS and Growth reports: Student Assessment Services at mcas@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-3625. 
• EWIS and Postsecondary Outcomes reports: edwin@doe.mass.edu. 
• For general Edwin questions, please contact edwin@doe.mass.edu 

I am also happy to answer questions or provide guidance, so please don't hesitate to contact me! Your questions help me understand how districts are using this new data resource. I hope to offer some "Edwin Analytics" workshops this spring as well.

More About Our New Friend Edwin

Edwin is certainly a popular guy these days -- he's everywhere!

As you know by now, "Edwin" (which is not an acronym, by the way) is the name of Massachusetts' comprehensive integrated suite of tools and resources to help educators at every level to improve teaching and learning. Edwin has two main parts:


Edwin Analytics will be a suite of analysis tools, including the Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS), college and career readiness reports, and the Education Data Warehouse, all available through the security portal. Today was the first of several Webinars which focused on this portion of Edwin - additional Webinars have been scheduled in order to accommodate all the folks interested in learning more! We will start seeing new reports and Edwin interface changes within the security portal toward the end of the month. All districts will have access to Edwin Analytics through the security portal.

Edwin Teaching and Learning will provide online curriculum and assessment tools for educators aligned to the 2011 MA Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts and Literacy and Mathematics, which incorporate the Common Core State Standards. Yesterday I had the opportunity to join the pilot districts to learn more about the Thinkgate system upon which Edwin Teaching and Learning will be built. I was very impressed by the curriculum and assessment tools it offers! You can see a quick demo of the system and learn more about upcoming Webinars related specifically to Edwin Teaching and Learning at http://thinkgate.net/ohma/. Edwin Teaching and Learning will first be implemented in districts that are part of RTTT (projects 5A-5E plus project 3A.)

For additional information on Edwin, please continue to visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/edwin/.

Edwin Update and Webinars

From the 1/4  Commissioner's Weekly Update:

Massachusetts and Ohio have chosen Thinkgate as the vendor to develop an instructional improvement system (IIS) for both states in support of Edwin Teaching & Learning.

ESE has scheduled three "Get to Know Edwin" webinars to introduce some of the functions of the platform, with a focus on Edwin Analytics. To register for one of the webinars on Jan. 16-17, go to http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=1465.

Commissioner's Weekly Updates

Just an FYI, for those that haven't heard: ESE has started publishing a Commissioner's Weekly Update, which is delivered by e-mail on Fridays (not currently available on the Web site, as far as I know.)

If you don't currently receive these, and want to subscribe via email, here is the information:
-------
Subscriber Information: Superintendents, principals, and charter school leaders will receive the update automatically. For others wishing to subscribe, send an email to imailsrv@list1.doe.mass.edu with the following information in the body of the email: subscribe ESEUpdate Your Name. (Example: subscribe ESEUpdate John Smith) To unsubscribe, send an email to the same address with the following information in the body: unsubscribe ESEUpdate Your Name. (Example: unsubscribe ESEUpdate John Smith)

Coming soon -- Edwin!

Happy New Year! Most of you have heard that ESE will soon be releasing Edwin, an "integrated suite of cutting-edge tools and resources to promote best practices in classroom instruction and assessments." Edwin will have two major components: Edwin Analytics and Edwin Teaching and Learning.

Edwin Analytics will be a suite of analysis tools, including the Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS), college and career readiness reports, and the Education Data Warehouse, all available through the security portal. According to the information provided on this week's EDW conference call, we should start to see minor branding and interface changes to the EDW/portal within the next month, with some more major user interface changes and additional tools in the spring (eventually with teacher-level access to reports!)

Edwin Teaching & Learning will provide online curriculum and assessment tools for educators aligned to the 2011 MA Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts and Literacy and Mathematics, which incorporate the Common Core State Standards. Massachusetts is working toward procuring an instructional improvement system (IIS) with Ohio and we look forward to hearing the vendor selection in the near future.


Opportunities to pilot new Edwin resources as they are developed will be provided to districts who have been participating in identifying requirements for the system as well as those who have identified project 5a (Teaching and Learning System) in their RTTT applications. For more information, please contact edwin@doe.mass.edu.

Stay tuned for additional information on the launch of Edwin in the coming weeks. For additional information about Edwin, including an extensive FAQ, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/edwin/.

Data Warehouse Updates

The following information was shared during last week's “EDW User Group” webinar. See the bottom of this post to learn how you too can be part of the user group and hear this information first-hand!

Additional Data Now Available

With the addition of the 2011-12 End-of-Year Student Course Schedule data and EPIMS data:

1. The Classroom reports now have two years of data available. These reports currently include:

• Classroom Item Analysis Roster (IT516)                         
• Classroom Results by Standard (PE506)
• Performance and Growth by Teacher (PE520)

These reports are only available to users who have been assigned the "DW-Evaluator" role. ESE has developed guidance around assigning this role, available on the "Home" tab within the EDW. 

2. The Student Profile report (PR600) now displays two years of course data for the selected student(s).

Additional Functionality

1. The ability to view your data either by the  “old” MA2004 standards or by the new Common Core standards has been added to the Student Assessment Detail report (PE606) and the Student Item Analysis Roster report (IT616), bringing the total to six EDW reports with this option (the Test Item Analysis Summary reports (IT301/IT401) and the Results by Strand and Topic reports (CU306/CU406) already had this option). This option will soon be added to the Classroom Item Analysis Roster (IT516) and the Classroom Results by Standard report (PE506).

2. The Student Assessment Detail report (PE606), which previously printed one page per student, now has the option for a roster display (list of many students on one page).

3. The Growth Distribution reports (GR302/GR402) now have an option to display multiple years of data for a particular grade level for trend analysis.

Reminders

1. The EDW Team at DESE holds webinars twice a month (1^st Wed at 11am, 3^rd Wed at 2pm) to share information regarding new features and data in the EDW. Participants have an opportunity to share comments, questions and/or suggestions. To join the listserve and receive reminders about these webinars, please see the bottom of the EDW home page.

2. The supported browsers for the EDW are Internet Explorer and Firefox. You may experience issues with other browsers. It is expected that at some point in the future Safari and Chrome will also be supported.

3. The old EDW (v2.6) will be put out to pasture after this month (i.e. no longer available). Is anyone still using the old version??? 

(Thank you to Paula O'Sullivan, Data Specialist for the Greater Boston DSAC, for sharing this summary with me so that I didn't have to re-invent the wheel.)

DART Updated; Elements Now in Profiles

The folks at ESE have now integrated the DART (District Analysis and Review Tool) into the School and District Profiles Web site. All of the functionality built in the DART for Districts and DART for Schools spreadsheets is available online. A tab labeled “Analysis – DART” now appears on each organization’s profile page. Comparisons can be made with respect to enrollment, curriculum/instruction/assessment, achievement gap, and finance/management.

The Excel-based versions of the DART, including the DART Detail tools (for ELLs and Staffing/Finance) have been updated as of October 2012, and can be found at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/dart/.

2012 MCAS Data Now in the EDW Cube

The Education Data Warehouse "cubes" were updated this week to include 2012 data. (Cubes are predefined data tables in the EDW that make on-the-fly data manipulation possible.)

The cubes can be accessed from either the District tab or the School tab in the EDW, near the bottom on the left side of the page, under the header Data Analysis Cube. Clicking the link ESE Cubes will open a folder with both the cubes and supporting documentation (a handbook and an up-to-date FAQ). The MCAS Default View cube allows users to start from scratch to analyze data for a particular school or district. The folder Starting Points (Cube Views) provides cube starting points that have already been manipulated and saved to present the data in a particular way. The currently available cube views include:

• MCAS % Correct by Strand and Topic Trend
• MCAS CPI Trends by Grade Level
• MCAS Demographic Trends
• MCAS Performance by Grade Level
• MCAS Performance by Year
• MCAS Performance by Gender by Subject
• MCAS Special Education Performance Gap Trends
• MCAS Subject, Strand, Topic, Question Type, % Correct compared to State by Subgroup (SPED)
• MCAS Weighting by Strand and Topic Level

The State MCAS Default View cube is available for training purposes and contains only state-level data.

To save a cube view, click the Save As icon in the lower right corner and save it to the My Folders tab or your District Folder. (Don't worry, you can't accidentally overwrite the public cube views.) This is similar to saving Report Views. To convert the cube view to PDF for printing/saving outside of the EDW, click the File button in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen (looks like a page) and choose Export PDF. The File button will also allow you to export the data into Excel.

I will offer a regional workshop on using the Data Warehouse cubes if there is enough interest - please email me at laura.tilton@dsacma.org if you're interested in a workshop.

2012 MCAS and Accountability Data Available in Profiles

The 2012 MCAS and Accountability information for Massachusetts public schools and districts is now available through the School and District Profiles page on the ESE Web site. (http://profiles.doe.mass.edu)

The easiest way to find a school or district is by using the "Quick Search" box in the upper left corner of the Profiles page. After clicking the name of the desired school or district, the "Assessment" tab will provide information about MCAS performance and growth for 2012. The "Accountability" tab will provide information about the school/district accountability/assistance level and the data behind the PPI calculations.

For detailed information about the calculation of PPI and the new accountability system, please refer to the About the Data page linked to the accountability reports as well as the Interpretive Materials, including the School Leader's Guide to the 2012 Accountability Determinations. Of particular value in the Guide are the Level explanations on page 5, and the PPI breakdown on page 10.

I am more than happy to assist you in finding answers to questions about the new data so please don't hesitate to contact me at laura.tilton@dsacma.org.

Accountability Resources Available

DESE has posted several documents on their public Web site that may help people understand and explain the new state accountability system:

• School Leader's Guide to the 2012 Accountability Determinations (updated 9/4/12)
• Summary of Changes to Annual Accountability Determinations as a result of Massachusetts' Approved ESEA/NCLB Flexibility Waiver
• District & School Accountability & Assistance Levels & Required Actions
• Methodology for Identifying Level 3 Schools, Level 3 "Focus Schools" & Level 4 Schools
• Glossary of 2012 Accountability Reporting Terms

As most of you know by now, preliminary 2012 accountability data was made available in the security portal last week. It is expected that the official 2012 accountability data (along with overall MCAS data) will be made available publicly next week.

There is certainly a lot to understand in this new accountability system! Please don't hesitate to contact me (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) with any questions.

http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/accountability/default.html

2012 Accountability Webinars

Representatives from Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be holding three webinars to assist district and school leaders in interpreting the preliminary 2012 district and school accountability data which was made available in the security portal yesterday.

Webinars will be held on the following dates and times: Tuesday, September 11 at 10:00 a.m.; Wednesday, September 12 at 12:00 p.m.; and Thursday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m.

Topics will include: changes to annual district and school accountability determinations beginning with the 2012-13 school year as a result of Massachusetts' approved ESEA/NCLB Flexibility waiver; the Progress and Performance Index (PPI), school percentiles, and their relationship to district and school level classifications; and how district and school accountability results will be reported.

Please register at the following link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=1390.

MCAS Data Investigation Activity Ideas

Last week I posted information about an activity focused on the exploration of classroom growth data through the paper-and-pencil creation of a scatter plot of growth and scaled score for a given instructional group. One colleague asked me, "I wonder if people will be able to see how cool the activity is just by reading about it...or maybe it's only people like us who get excited by scatterplots??"

So, I'm posting this follow-up because I bet there are folks out there who missed the post last week, but I know you'll agree that the activity is worth investigating! Hope you'll check it out once you come up for air during this busy time of year. I also wanted to link back to some previous years' blog posts with additional MCAS data investigation activities...some ideas for digging in to the data during fall staff meetings or PLC's!

• Exploring Classroom Growth Data (August 2012)
• MCAS Item Analysis and the Standards for Mathematical Practice (August 2011)
• Engaging Staff in MCAS Data Exploration (September 2010)

Happy first days of school!

Embargo Reminder

Just a follow-up to my earlier post regarding the incorporation of information from the EDW into PowerPoint or other documents. The 2012 data in the EDW is preliminary and currently embargoed, so it is not permissible to present aggregate 2012 MCAS information to groups at this time. The Commisioner's May memo stated that, "since these are preliminary data, you may NOT release any aggregate data to the public until the official release of school and district results in September." I hope you will find the PowerPoint tips helpful at that time for presentations on the 2012 MCAS to staff, school committees, and other groups.

Putting EDW Information into PowerPoint

I often get asked about the best way to get information (such as the graph from PE405) from the Education Data Warehouse into PowerPoint or another document. Folks often want to share the data or graphs from reports in a presentation for district or school staff, school committees, and others (after the data becomes public and the embargo is lifted!)

There are several ways to go about this and it mostly depends on the technology you have available to you. I apologize that these are not the most formal "how-to" directions (they will vary slightly depending on your system) but I hope one of these options will work for you.

1) Screen Capture Software (puts the display in as an image)

If you have a screen capture software such as SnagIt or the Windows Snipping Tool, you can select/copy the part of your screen that you'd like to include, and then paste it into your document. However, SnagIt is not free (though there may be similar software that is free), and the Windows Snipping Tool is only included in Windows 7, 8, or Vista (look under "Accessories.") So these may not be options for many school users.

2) Screen Shot / Cropping Option (puts the display in as an image):

• Take a screen shot of the report by pressing the "Print Screen" button on your keyboard. This copies the screen image. (Alt-Print Screen will copy the active window only.)
• Then open your PowerPoint slide and choose Paste (Ctrl-V).
• Double-click the screen image you just pasted, look for a "Crop" option in the toolbar, and choose it.
• Use the "handles" that appear around the image to crop the image appropriately; hit the ESC key when you are done.
• To resize the image, click it and drag the corners (not the sides) to re-size.

3) Excel Option (puts the display in as an Excel object):

• At the top of the report page, look for the icon that looks like a little page with the globe on it (same place you go to convert to PDF)
• Click the icon and choose "View in Excel Options" and then "View in Excel 2007 Format"
• You will get a prompt asking if you want to open or save the file. Choose "Open."
• The report will open in Excel and you can copy and paste the graph, or any tables, from Excel to PowerPoint
• Note that this may not be straightforward on all computers. If it doesn't work for you the first time you try it, try choosing "Save" instead of "Open." Or choose Excel 2002 Format  instead of 2007. And if it still doesn't work, try holding down the Control key while opening/saving the report. Sometimes pop-up blockers get in the way.

I hope one of these options will work for you. If you have come up with a simpler/easier way to get information from EDW reports into PowerPoint, please let me know!

Exploring Classroom Growth Data

A favorite EDW report of many folks is the GR601 report, the Student Growth Scatter Plot. It displays a dot for each student showing his or her SGP (x-axis) and scaled score (y-axis) for a given MCAS test for an entire grade level. Wouldn't it be great to have this same scatter plot for a single classroom of students? There isn't currently an EDW report like this, but creating one by hand is a fantastic exercise for engaging with student data, particularly since student growth data is a piece of Massachusetts' new Educator Evaluation model.

You'll need a student data set (scaled score and SGP for each student for a given test) and a blank copy of the scatterplot document. I've written out some more detailed guidance for those that are interested, but this could be as formal or informal an activity as you like, as long as the participants have a working knowledge of SGP and how it is determined. Creating this type of graph by hand provides an opportunity for teachers to really engage with the data, student by student, and to reflect on the story the data tells for both individual students as well as groups or classrooms.

The activity I am sharing has evolved over time, and I would like to acknowledge Paula O'Sullivan (Data Specialist, Greater Boston DSAC), Mary Fredrickson (Assessment Specialist, Quincy Public Schools), and the educators at the Marguerite E. Small School in Yarmouth for their contributions to the development and refinement of this activity and related materials. I would love to hear from you (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) if you give this activity a try - feedback is always welcome!

Item and Task Prototypes from PARCC

As we take the time to examine the preliminary 2012 MCAS results, we also know that next-generation assessments will be coming our way in the next few years. Today, PARCC released samples which represent the types of items and tasks that may appear on state assessments in the future.

According to the release, 'The prototypes are a first step in demonstrating what is possible with new assessment technology that captures students' application of knowledge and skills that are essential to success in the 21st century," said Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, chair of the PARCC Governing Board. "The prototypes are illustrative of the  next-generation PARCC assessment system that reflects the Common Core State Standards."

Please visit the "Item and Task Prototypes" area of the PARCC web site for background information as well as sample ELA and Math tasks and items.

TELL Mass Survey Results Released

The 2012 TELL Mass Survey (formerly known as MassTELLS) was administered this past spring and provided an opportunity for licensed school-based Massachusetts educators to share their perceptions on teaching conditions such as time, leadership, facilities, resources, professional development, and supports needed for educators to do their jobs well. Approximately 52% of Massachusetts K-12 educators responded to the online survey.

The results of the survey (by school and district) have been released to the public, along with resources for the use of the survey data. One way that school leaders may wish to think about the data is through the lens of the Conditions for School Effectiveness.

MCAS and Accountability Teleconference Highlights

I know that many readers of this blog attended this week's teleconference related to the release of the preliminary 2012 MCAS results and related accountability reports but I thought I would provide some of the essential information for those that were not able to attend.

MCAS Results and Discrepancy Reporting
Earlier this week, the preliminary MCAS data files were posted in the ESE Security Portal for review and discrepancy reporting. Some preliminary EDW reports are expected to be available in the Education Data Warehouse by this Friday, August 10 (ELA long compositions can be downloaded from the MCAS Service Center.)

As a reminder, the preliminary data is embargoed - Commissioner Chester has given the following guidelines for the use of preliminary data:  “I want to encourage schools and districts to use the preliminary… student data for educational planning purposes. Preliminary student results can and should be shared with teachers, parents and instructional leaders who are making decisions about Individual Education Plans, summer programs or decisions about the scope of services needed for English Language Learners.” The folks from ESE expect that the 2012 MCAS and accountability results will be released publicly on or about September 19, 2012. 

Accountability Reporting

In June, districts received their schools' provisional PPI data and accountability and assistance levels, which are based on data from 2009, 2010, and 2011. During the week of August 13, districts will receive their preliminary school-and district-level PPI data and accountability and assistance levels based on four years of data (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) for review (also embargoed). The official results will be released in mid-September.

Education Data Warehouse Updates

There are lots of excellent new updates in the Education Data Warehouse just in time for the busy season! Here are some highlights:

• The EDW Home page is now standard for all EDW users without needing to be configured as previously discussed. It contains information about recent updates and improvements as well as what's coming down the pike. 
• All of the reports from version 2.6 have been migrated to the new EDW. Please note that although the link is still available from the landing page, EDW 2.6 is no longer being updated and will be retired in October.
• The Test Item Analysis reports now have the option to map the test items to EITHER the old or new curriculum frameworks for Math and ELA. 
• There is a "Super" student profile report which provides SIMS, attendance, course, MCAS, and CD status information for any selected student.
• There are several new classroom-level reports which utilize SCS data for a given instructional group (classroom, course section, etc.) These reports are only available to users who have been assigned the "DW-Evaluator" role. ESE has developed guidance around assigning this role to EDW users which they will post on the EDW home page shortly. (Watch for a more detailed blog post once this guidance document is available online.)

It's That Time of Year: Student Claiming

If this blog post seems like deja vu, it probably is...the student claiming process needs to take place annually!

By default, the Education Data Warehouse allows schools and districts to access data for tests administered only in those schools or districts. The student claiming process enables schools and districts to access to ALL historical MCAS data for their enrolled students, regardless of where the test was taken.

This means that Data Warehouse users can view historical data for students who are new to the district OR new to a school, if those students have been “claimed.” For instance, a middle school principal would (by default) only be able to view data for students who took the MCAS at the middle school. After the student claiming process has been completed, he or she would be able to access the data for students entering from the elementary school, as well as data for students who have come in from other districts.

The student claiming fields in the EDW have had their annual re-set as of July 12, 2012. So, once your district has "rolled over" the student information system to the 2012-2013 school year, a "claiming file" of all currently registered/enrolled students can be uploaded to the warehouse. Once you have successfully uploaded and accepted the data, users will then be able to access MCAS and SIMS history for all students registered to be in your schools this September. It's a great idea to do this now, if possible, before the preliminary data is released in August!

Generally, the student claiming process is handled by the person in your district who manages the SIMS data and involves creating and uploading a file containing a subset of the most recent student data. Information on the process for student claiming can be found at the end of Chapter 3: Basic Access of the EDW User Guide.

Please note that for those districts currently using SIF for claiming, this process should happen automatically. For further information, please contact your ESE SIF representative.

2012 MCAS and Accountability Data Release

The recent Commissioner's Update contained an announcement regarding the release of the 2012 MCAS and accountability data, including a release schedule, MCAS discrepancy reporting information, review of provisional and preliminary accountability data, EDW updates, and reporting teleconferences on August 6 and 7.

The full announcement is online here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=6928.

2012 School Leader's Guide to Accountability

The School Leader's Guide to the 2012 Accountability Determinations is now available publicly on the ESE Web site at http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/accountability/default.html in either Word or PDF format.

"The primary purpose of this guide is to help district and school leaders understand the key changes to the Massachusetts School and District Accountability and Assistance System resulting from the state receiving flexibility from certain No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirements. This guide may also be used to aid leaders in communicating these changes to parents/guardians, teachers, staff members, and other stakeholders."

This document provides extensive detail about the NCLB waiver request, the Progress and Performance Index (PPI), the Composite Performance Index (CPI), the Student Growth Percentile (SGP), and the system for classifying schools and districts to "levels" for accountability and assistance purposes.

It's a great beach read!

Growth and EDW 3.0 Workshops August 2012

The Southeast DSAC (Laura Tilton, Data Specialist) will be offering the following no-cost workshops on Thursday, August 16 at Pembroke High School. Workshops require a minimum of 12 participants (maximum of 24) and priority will be given to participants from regional Level 3 districts. (Customized in-district workshops are also available upon request for Level 3 districts.)

Getting to Know Data Warehouse 3.0 (2.5 hours, 9:00-11:30, 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 NEW 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, 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 to reserve your spot. Thank you!

EDW 3.0 Report Basics Handout

After mentioning that there are new 2012 pre-preliminary reports in the EDW, I realized that it would be helpful to post a copy of the EDW 3.0 Report Basics handout. This handout walks through the necessary steps to:

• Log in to the EDW
• Create a folder in "My Folders"
• Run reports and convert/save a to PDF

PDF files are much more manageable for printing, saving, and sharing (especially for multi-page reports) - although please remember that reports containing confidential data (student names and scores, etc.) should not be shared via email or stored to unsecured flash drives. The My Folders and District Folders areas of the EDW are secure and a better choice for storing files or sharing them with others in your district with EDW access.

I hope this is helpful!

EDW 3.0 Report Basics Handout:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw5VovkMQ3FFaHQwd3lJWEVxa2M

Preliminary MCAS 2012 in EDW 3.0

The following EDW 3.0 reports are now available with preliminary MCAS 2012 data:

District-Level Reports

• MCAS District Results by Subgroup (PE304)
• MCAS District Results by Strand and Topic (CU306)
• MCAS District Test Item Analysis Summary (IT301)
• MCAS District Test Item Analysis Graph (IT302)

School-Level Reports

• MCAS School Results by Subgroup (PE404)
• MCAS Detailed School Performance (PE408) and its drillthrough
• MCAS School Results by Strand and Topic (CU406)
• MCAS School Test Item Analysis Summary (IT401)
• MCAS School Test Item Analysis Graph (IT402) 

Student-Level Reports

• Assessment Detail (Individual Student)(PE606)
• Assessment History Summary (Individual Student)(PE613)
• MCAS Student Item Analysis Roster (IT616)
• MCAS Student Roster (All Subjects)( PE617)
• MCAS Student Growth Scatter Plot (GR601) (ELA only)
• MCAS Student Growth Roster (GR602) (ELA only)

Please remember that there is an embargo in place for preliminary MCAS data. While this data may be used for instructional planning, it may not be discussed with the public or press.

See the bottom of the “EDW Home” tab within the EDW for additional features and functionality that have been added to the EDW 3.0. The "EDW Home" tab can be added as the default home page in your EDW account by following the steps outlined in the May 17 blog post.

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.

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!

2012 Preliminary MCAS Release and EDW Updates

Yesterday's regularly scheduled Webinar on the Education Data Warehouse shared an excellent new feature - an EDW "Home Page" which will keep us updated about new features, data releases, and additional resources.This home page is now available, but does not currently appear automatically as a tab at the top of the screen after you log in. You can follow the steps below to add this tab as the default so that you will see the latest information when logging into EDW 3.0.

To add the EDW Home Page tab:

• In the upper left corner of the screen, under the “Data Warehouse” banner, click the “Tab Menu” button, and choose “Add Tabs.”
• Under “Available Entries,” navigate to Cognos > Public Folders > Pages.
• Click the checkbox next to “EDW Home” and then click the green arrow in the middle of the page so that “EDW Home” moves from “Available Entries” to “Selected Entries.”
• Click “OK” at the bottom of the page.

To make the EDW Home Page your default tab:

• In the upper left corner of the screen, under the “Data Warehouse” banner, click the “Tab Menu” button, and choose “Modify the Sequence of Tabs.”
• Select “EDW Home” and then click “To top.”
• Click “OK.”

One very important piece of information that was provided during the Webinar is that the preliminary 2012 MCAS data is expected to be released via the Dropbox on June 22, and then in the EDW on June 29.


The EDW Webinars are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 11 am and the third Wednesday of the month at 2 pm. Please email datawarehouse@doe.mass.edu if you would like to be placed on the notification/reminder list for these calls.