District and School Report Cards

The annual District and School Report Cards are now available in the Profiles section of the ESE web site, on the Accountability tab for any given school or district. There is also a Report Card search box that has been added to the main Profiles page. This year there is a Report Card Overview and also a Complete Report Card. The "Overview" page connects a variety of questions to the data, including:

• How is our school doing overall?
• How does our school's achievement over time compare to the district and the state?
• How does our school's growth compare to the district and the state?
• How does our school's enrollment compare to the district and the state?
• How do our school's teachers and classrooms compare to the district and the state?
• How is our school doing on other important measures?

For additional information and guidance around the report cards (distribution requirements, etc), please visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/accountability/reportcard/

PARCC Field Tests and the MCAS

As you may know, many questions have surfaced recently regarding the PARCC Field Test and the Spring 2014 MCAS. ESE has heard these questions and has put together resources related to field-test logistics, including a timeline and information related to future accountability determinations.

Additional details are contained within a recent memo to superintendents at http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=7849. Please note that the conference call registration and exemption surveys links in the memo are intended for superintendent use only. Other leaders who are not superintendents should coordinate with their superintendent as ESE has requested one phone line per district for the conference calls.

State Releases 2013 MCAS School and District Results

Today the state released the official 2013 MCAS School and District Results. Information is available in a multitude of places:

• Today's Press Release
• The ESE Accountability Web Page now includes an Excel file with commendation school information as well as level/PPI information for all districts and schools by region. This page also contains a variety of support documents around school and district accountability, including some short informative videos about the accountability system, PPI, and percentiles.
• School and District Profiles have also been updated to include 2013 MCAS information under the "Assessment" and "Accountability" tabs for a school, district, or the state.
• Edwin Analytics reports in the Security Portal have also been updated with the 2013 official data.

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.

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 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.)

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!

NCLB Waiver Materials

Additional materials regarding the Massachusetts NCLB flexibility request (as discussed in a recent blog post) are now available on the ESE Web site.

http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/titlei/default.html?section=GI