Edwin Workshops in November!

The ESE is hosting a one-day workshop to showcase EDWIN (Analytics & Teaching and Learning).  This is not the same workshop that was offered last fall.  There are six available dates in November, and sessions run from 9:00 AM - 2:45 PM.  Two of the workshops are taking place at the Taunton Holiday Inn, on Monday, November 3, 2014 and Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

Participants will leave with a solid understanding of the entire Edwin system, a view of enhancements to the system, and tips on next steps for how to implement Edwin in your district.

Sessions will include:

• Edwin 101 - An introductory look at the Edwin system (both Edwin Analytics & Teaching and Learning).

• A District Perspective - A look at how Edwin Analytics and Edwin Teaching and Learning are being used in the field.

• EWIS - Early Warning Indicator System implementation guidance.

• Data Quality - An overview of the Department's Data Quality Curriculum.

• Edwin Teaching and Learning for curriculum and instruction as well as for assessment and reporting.

• Edwin Analytics Scavenger Hunt (*requires a wi-fi enabled mobile device).

• Hands on Q&A Session for Edwin Analytics and Edwin Teaching and Learning.

See the online registration page for more agenda details: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3MKQFCD 

Teams including a district leader, school leader, data specialist, and teacher are encouraged to register.

Technology Grant Opportunity-Webinars 10/16 and 10/17!

The ESE's Digital Connections Partnership Schools Grant is a new opportunity for local school districts to upgrade their technology infrastructure through a matching grant program administered by ESE and the Executive Office of Education (EOE) in consultation with MassIT.

The reason I have posted this information is because if you have any interest in learning more, there are two technical assistance webinars that are happening right away.  The first is today, October 16 from 3-4:30 PM, and the second option is October 17 from 9:30-11 AM.  Click here to register:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=5968

Five million dollars is available in state bond funds: $2 million for suburban communities, $1 million for rural communities, and $2 million for urban communities.  Cities and towns will be required to contribute between 30 and 70 percent on a sliding scale based on their local contributions to the Chapter 70 formula.  Click here for the link to the grant information:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/grants/2015/DCPSG/

State bonds may be used to fund capital projects that provide high-speed broadband and/or wireless Internet connectivity for schools.  Up to 100 % of the local contribution may fund devices for students and teachers.  Applications must be received by ESE by 5:00 PM on November 17, 2014.

District-Determined Measures (DDM) Resources

MA ESE Resources that provide targeted guidance for schools and districts at each stage of DDM development, were created with CVTE educators and WestEd last year.  While these resources describe work underway in MA CVTE schools and districts, the recommendations, ideas, and processes will benefit ALL districts as they determine where they are in the process of implementation, and where they want to go.

To view these resources, visit http:www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/ddm/cvte-resources.html

Some highlights:

In Section II:  Links to informative and practical resource guides for each of the four stages of Implementation.  For those currently in "Stage 3: Evaluating", you will find great information in Guises F and G to support collaborative DDM review and improvement discussions this year
.
Appendix D-1: 1-page Summary of the Stages and Steps in DDM Development and Implementation 

Appendix A:  Includes samples of currently used CVTE Assessments which could be used as DDM's.

Appendix D-2:  District-Determined Measures Review and Discussion Guide

2014 ESE Accountability Changes  and Webinar

Click on 2014 Preliminary Accountability Review Webinars to sign up for an upcoming ESE webinar on interpreting the preliminary 2014 district and school accountability data (reports now available in the Accountability 2014 Data application in the Security Portal).  

Webinars will be held on the following dates and times: Wednesday, August 27 at 3:00 PM; Wednesday, September 3 at 12:00 PM; and Wednesday, September 10 at 10:00 AM.

On last week's conference calls, some of this information was discussed.  An example of two points of information from last week:  for 2014, the state median for SGP is 50 on all assessments; and high schools that reengaged 2 or more dropouts in the 2012-2013 school year will earn 25 extra credit PPI points (all students & high needs groups only).  The powerpoint for last week's calls, including information on reporting discrepancies (All Discrepancies to be reported by THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014) was posted on the MCAS Service Center.  

More information regarding 2014 accountability determinations, including the 2014 Accountability Data Overview and the School Leader's Guide to the 2014 Accountability Determinations can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/accountability.

EWIS Use Workshop Sept. 23, 2014

Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) Data Update:

The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education anticipates releasing the 2014-15 school year Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) data via Edwin Analytics by early September. The EWIS identifies students in grades 1-12 as being at low, moderate, or high risk of not meeting an upcoming education milestone. The data may be used to help to systematically identify students who may need additional supports to meet key academic goals. 

The  Department is offering a daylong workshop on how to use EWIS data thoughtfully and cohesively in conjunction with other initiatives and data sources throughout the school year. All participants will receive a copy of a new EWIS guide at the workshop. More information (below) and online registration is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EWIS9-23-14.  The workshop is scheduled to take place at the DoubleTree in Leominster, MA on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 from 8:45 AM - 2:30 PM.  Registration closes on Friday, September 12, 2014.

PARTICIPATION

This workshop is intended for participation by school-based teams of 3-6 staff (including but not limited to school leadership, student support, teachers). District-level staff are also encouraged to be included as members on school-based teams. There is no limit to the number of school-based teams participating from a district. For example, a district may send 2 elementary school teams, 1 middle school team, and 1 high school team. 
No prior EWIS use experience is necessary; the workshop is designed for users of various experience levels. 


TENTATIVE AGENDA
8:14-8:45 -- Registration
8:45-9:15 -- Welcome and overview of the day
9:15-10:00 -- What is EWIS? An Overview to ground everyone in the basics
10:00-11:30 -- Digging in on your data - a guided team exercise
11:30-12:15 -- Introduction of the EWIS use guide and the 6-step cycle
12:15-1:00 -- Lunch (on your own, available for purchase)
1:00-2:00 -- Applying the 6-step EWIS implementation cycle to your school context
2:00-2:30 -- Next steps, final Q&A, and closing

To ensure that your district receives its 2014-15 EWIS data on time, please: 1) certify all student data collections (i.e., SIMS, SCS, and SSDR) according to the schedule posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/data/schedule.html, and 2) complete the student claiming process by Aug. 22 for all students who are new to your district or who are in a new school within your district. If you have any questions, please contact the Edwin Analytics team at EdwinAnalytics@doe.mass.edu.

Passing the Torch

Please welcome Jane Daly as the Regional Data Specialist for the Southeast DSAC. Jane came on board this spring and will now be taking over as the official keeper of the SEED blog (as Laura Tilton is now the District Data Specialist in Marshfield). While the DSAC Data Specialist role is focused primarily on working with Level 3 districts in the region, Jane will continue to use this blog to share data-related information to districts in Southeastern Massachusetts (and beyond!) interested in staying informed.

Jane Daly brings PK-12 educational experience from both urban and suburban schools and districts. She has served in district leadership positions as the Assistant Superintendent for Accountability and School Improvement in New Bedford and Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Seekonk Public Schools. For over ten years, she held school leadership positions in middle schools in Seekonk, Dartmouth, and Bridgewater. Prior to that, she was a Math teacher at New Bedford High School for over ten years. She is experienced in leading, implementing, and monitoring the success of improvement efforts and change in small and large schools and districts. She has served on various MA DESE school panel reviews and committees. Jane holds a B.S. in Math from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Bridgewater State University, and a C.A.G.S. in Education Leadership Management from Northeastern University.

Welcome, Jane!

ESE Model Student and Staff Feedback Surveys Posted:

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education has recently posted student and staff 
model feedback surveys at http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/feedback/

Districts may adopt or adapt these surveys, and/or choose to use other feedback instruments.

ESE has also published guidance which includes: information about how to identify appropriate feedback instruments, recommendations on the use of student and staff feedback in the five-step evaluation cycle, and a review of alternative methods for collecting feedback from students and educators.

Posted Model Surveys and Administration Protocols include:

• Student Surveys - Gr. 3-5
• Student Surveys - Gr. 6-12
• Staff Surveys
• Discussion Prompts for Students in Gr. K-2

2014 MCAS and Accountability Release Schedule

The 2014 MCAS and Accountability Release Schedule was recently posted to the DESE Web site. Here is a summary of some key dates:

• June 23rd - partial* preliminary MCAS Student Rosters posted electronically at DropBox Central in the Security Portal
• June 26th - partial* preliminary reports available in Edwin Analytics 
• August 7th - full preliminary MCAS results available in both DropBox Central and Edwin Analytics
• August 12th - Preliminary Accountability data provided through the Security Portal
• Aug 7-14th - MCAS discrepancy reporting window
• Mid-September - Official data released publicly (note, all data are embargoed prior to this date!)

*Partial results include: 

• ELA, full results 
• Mathematics, multiple-choice results only 
• STE, grades 5 and 8, multiple-choice results only 
• MCAS-Alt, full results in all subjects

Using Student Growth Percentiles in Educator Evaluation

The folks at ESE recently released several Implementation Briefs focused on timely questions regarding District Determined Measures and Student Impact Ratings. One of these briefs focuses on the question, "How do districts use median Student Growth Percentile in the evaluation of teachers and administrators?" Many of the questions we have been asking about this use of SGP are addressed in this brief, including clarification about determining which teachers (and administrators) should use SGP as part of their Student Impact Rating determination.

While the median growth score for a group of students is the measure used, it is also very valuable to for an educator to examine the distribution of their students' MCAS growth and performance scores. In Edwin Analytics, we can look at a scatter plot of growth and performance by grade level, but no such report exists at this time for a classroom set of students. Creating this type of plot by hand can be very valuable in helping an educator explore classroom-level growth data in a reflective way.

Here's a link back to the activity (originally posted in August 2012, so the references are to EDW rather than Edwin Analytics) which gives some suggestions for facilitation along with a blank scatter plot and other resources: http://southeastdata.blogspot.com/2012/08/exploring-classroom-growth-data.html. I believe this is a valuable exercise as we talk about SGP in the context of educator evaluation - grounding the overall median score in reflection and explanation!

School and District Profiles Survey

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking feedback about the School and District Profiles website to inform its examination of current functionality and future potential use. The Department provides this site as the central online repository for sharing public education data. Please share your feedback through the anonymous survey posted at http://surveys.pcgus.com/s3/Profiles before February 28.

Anticipated MCAS Reporting Schedule 2014

Here are the dates that were shared in last week's MCAS test administration training (FYI, the conference call version of the training is being offered again next Wednesday 2/12). Of course, these dates may be subject to change but are still very useful for planning!

 

Anticipated MCAS Reporting Schedule 2014
March 21	Access February Biology data files and rosters at DropBox Central
April 16	Access March Retest data files and rosters at DropBox Central
May 1	Districts receive February Biology and March Retest Parent/Guardian Reports
Mid-May	Schools and districts receive printed ACCESS for ELLs reports and data posted at DropBox Central
Mid-June	Districts access prelim MCAS and MCAS-Alt student results:
	ELA: preliminary results, including performance levels, scaled scores, and SGPs
	Math: multiple choice only
	STE (5&8): multiple choice only
	MCAS-Alt
	MCAS ELA long comps available at MCASservicecenter.com
July 1-July 31	MCAS discrepancy reporting by phone
August 6	Preliminary Math and STE MCAS results (combined with June ELA)
August 6-12	MCAS discrepancy reporting online
mid-September	Official results in security portal for districts
(week of Sept 19)	One day later: Public release of results; Parent/Guardian Reports shipments
Note: data will be in Edwin Analytics within 3 days of DropBox release

Sharing Some News....and Looking for Your Help!

As some of you may know, I started a new position as the Data Management and Accountability Specialist for the Marshfield Public Schools last week. I'm very excited about this new challenge but will miss working with the dedicated educators in the DSAC districts...and those on the DSAC team as well!

I'm looking for YOUR help in finding a fabulous new Data Specialist for the Southeast DSAC. The position is posted on SchoolSpring at: http://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=599682. Please take a look and share with any colleagues you know who may be interested in this unique opportunity! Thank you!

P.S. Yes, I plan to keep up this blog in my new role, although I may tweak it a bit moving forward...stay tuned!

MCAS Long Compositions Downloads

Recently, I had inquries from several principals asking how to access their school's long compositions. I don't have access to these documents, but wanted to share the information that was given to me by the Measured Progress and the student assessment office at ESE.

The 2013 student compositions were made available for download at the MCAS Service Center web site last August (and then updated with the official results in September). Student compositions are accessible using the usernames and passwords that are mailed to school and district administrators at the start of each calendar year (schools should have received their letters about a week ago.) The username stays the same from year to year (an 8 digit number which represents a combination of the district and school codes) but the password will have changed since 2013.

To access the student compositions:

• Visit www.MCASservicecenter.com and choose MCAS and then MCAS Reporting
• Enter your 8-digit username and 2014 password.
• Click on Reporting. The compositions are located on a tab at the top of the page (MCAS Student Compositions). 
• Complete the Basic Filtering options and the student compositions should appear. They can be viewed, printed, or downloaded.

Be sure to keep your up-to-date password handy so that you can access the 2014 composition files in the fall of 2014!

If you have questions, you can contact the MCAS Service Center at 800-737-5103 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

New Year Updates

I wanted to share some updates that came in at the end of 2013 so that they aren't forgotten as we start a new year.

The 12/20 Commissioner's Weekly Update included a variety of timely items, including an opportunity for non-RTTT districts to access Edwin Teaching and Learning at no cost during the 2014-2015 school year. Interested districts should contact EdwinT&L@doe.mass.edu prior to January 10, 2014.


The materials from the 2014 Curriculum Summit are now posted on the ESE Web site, including information about the Model Curriculum Units (MCUs) and how the Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessments (CEPAs) can be used in District-Determined Measures (DDMs), as part of the Educator Evaluation system.

Finally, ESE has posted a survey about the ESEA waiver, seeking feedback from stakeholders about what changes might be made to further improve the state's accountability system. Parents, teachers, district and school administrators, school committee members, students, and other community members are encouraged to respond.

Happy New Year to all!