Teaching and Learning: Assessment

The Broad Prize Framework for School District Excellence

Assessment Requirements

The district provides a cohesive, comprehensive system for assessing and reporting student performance.
The district routinely analyzes data and uses results for decision-making and instructional improvement.
The district ensures that educators, students and parents know how to interpret and use data.

Best Practice Assessment Documents

Analyzing Data to Improve Instruction – Aldine Independent School District

Aldine Independent School District’s focus on data-driven instruction involves not only the availability of detailed information about student progress on district-designed benchmark assessments, but also the priority that the district places on investigating the implications of the data. While the assessment reports tell teachers and leaders where students are mastering or struggling with concepts, district protocols and practices ensure that educators are interpreting the assessment results to inform re-teaching and future improvements.

1 – Benchmark Test Subgroup Report Standard report breaking down high school science benchmark results by teacher and subgroup.
What to Notice Texas was a leader in the movement to break down state assessment results by subgroup, and Aldine has applied the same principals to its internal diagnostic tests. The report analyzes the results of a benchmark assessment by subgroup, an interim diagnostic test that the district developed to test student mastery of state standards at six-week intervals during the school year.	Questions to Ask Which subgroups seem to need the most improvement based on this report? Which subgroups are performing better? Which teachers show the biggest variation in the performance of different subgroups? How might the district use these data to provide targeted interventions? What processes are in place to ensure that teachers discuss their data and use it to improve instruction? How are teachers trained to interpret the information provided in these reports? How is the report generated? How quickly do teachers have access to their data after administering the assessment?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – Assessment Summary Report A summary of high school students’ content area strengths and weaknesses in the sciences, as reflected in the results of a district benchmark test.
What to Notice This document requires teachers and administrators to evaluate student progress based on the results of benchmark tests. For each content area, the educator must list areas where students have mastered the relevant standards and areas where re-teaching is necessary.	Questions to Ask How does the area superintendent use these summary reports? How does he/she follow up with school administrators?
> Download Document (pdf)

3 – TAKS and CAT Reflections Two worksheets asking teacher to reflect on student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the district’s common assessment tests (CAT).
What to Notice These are examples of tools used in Aldine to encourage teachers to reflect upon the assessment results of their students. Teachers are asked to reflect on their students’ strengths and weaknesses, based on the results of the district’s common assessment, or on the state assessment, the TAKS. The TAKS worksheet has a particular focus on interventions, asking the teacher to reflect on interventions that worked and those that did not, while the CAT worksheet is more general in nature.	Questions to Ask Who reviews these documents? What kinds of changes have resulted from these reflections and feedback? How do teachers decide which interventions to use and how to use them? How much freedom do teachers have to try their own strategies? How are these “lessons learned” aggregated and shared? Is there an opportunity for teachers to share successes —and ongoing challenges— in a collaborative environment?
> Download Document (pdf)

4 – Data Analysis Meeting Protocol Outlines the agenda and process for using common planning time to review and discuss student achievement data.
What to Notice In Aldine, teachers are expected to collaboratively discuss student assessment results as part of their lesson planning process. Notice that the protocol requires teachers to focus on gaps in learning (between groups and between topics) and leads the group through a “root cause” analysis to identify the reasons for the gaps so that specific intervention strategies can be identified.	Questions to Ask Who leads these discussions? How often do they take place? What kind of professional development was necessary to establish this protocol? What challenges has the district faced in implementing this approach to discussing data?
> Download Document (pdf)

Analyzing Data to Improve Instruction – Northside Independent School District

Northside Independent School District uses these frameworks and tools to ensure that teachers and principals use data in the continuous improvement of instruction.

1 – Framework for Using Data to Drive Instruction Offers a visual depiction of the district’s process for using assessments to drive instructional reforms.
What to Notice This one-pager shows how each school in the district is expected to link assessment data with instruction. Everything starts at the top—with the results of the Texas state exams (the TAKS) and the curriculum diagnostic benchmarks (CDBs). A process of school-site analysis leads to an identification of needs and strengths, as articulated in the campus needs assessment. The school then launches a plan of action designed to produce measurable results, and the process starts all over again. The full process is reflected in the school improvement plan, and all school-site educators—principals, teacher leaders, teachers and specialists—contribute to the process.	Questions to Ask When does this typical cycle start at a school? Who drives the process forward? Is this process iterative? How often are curriculum diagnostic benchmarks administered? How does the district support this cycle of inquiry and action? Do area superintendents or instructional coaches play a leadership role with school sites? How widely is this framework distributed? Do school-site educators understand the “big picture” in regard to how the district thinks about data and instruction? How is this assessment information at the school level used to inform district-level decisions?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – Protocols for Analysis of Curriculum Diagnostic Benchmark Data Provides guidelines for the generation and discussion of student achievement reports, using the district’s content management system.
What to Notice These protocols instruct teachers and principals how to generate and analyze student achievement reports. Notice that this process is mandatory—all teachers and principals must produce the relevant reports and discuss them. In addition to instructions, the document includes talking points for principals to ensure that teachers understand the thinking behind the process and guiding questions to encourage hard thinking about each teacher’s data.	Questions to Ask What training do principals receive that is relevant to this process? Does it include technical training on how to use CMS? Leadership training on how to work with teachers to understand the data? What training do individual teachers receive? Are they comfortable with accessing CMS on their own? Do they find the process helpful or threatening or both? How does the district address potential concerns?
> Download Document (pdf)

3 – Benchmark Test Item Analysis Forms Identifies questions missed by individual students and maps those questions to the Texas state standards.
What to Notice The cover sheet of this form shows a principal or teacher—at a glance—how his or her students performed on each item of the test. This information is immediately followed with an alignment of individual test questions with the Texas state standards. And then, on page 3, the principal or teacher can see how individual students performed on each item. Finally, for a given student, the report lists each item, one-by-one, with a description of the specific concept that was tested.	Questions to Ask How do teachers use the data? Is there common planning time that allows grade-level teachers to share and compare data, as well as instructional strategies? How did the district develop this type of practical tool? Did they buy it off-the-shelf from a vendor? Did they develop it internally? Did they work with a vendor to customize it? What kind of IT staff does the district need to support this type of system? Can curriculum diagnostic benchmark answer sheets be scanned? How quickly is data turned around and made available to teachers and principals?
> Download Document (pdf)

4 – Accelerated Instruction Plan Allows teachers to identify specific learning objectives for each and every student who fails the Texas state assessment (TAKS).
What to Notice After each administration of the TAKS test, teachers in Northside are required to fill out this accelerated instruction plan for every student who failed to reach proficiency. The document identifies specific learning objectives, as well as strategies for intervention, tied directly to the student’s performance on relevant items from the TAKS. At the bottom of the page, notice that promotion status is tied directly to this data from TAKS and the intervention plan.	Questions to Ask Who collects the accelerated instruction plans? Who works with the teachers to develop the plan and assess a student’s progress toward proficiency? How is the data aggregated? Do teachers have access to reports that show how many of their plans were successful in boosting a student to proficiency?
> Download Document (pdf)

Linking Assessment to Instruction – Long Beach Unified School District

Long Beach Unified School District places a special emphasis on linking content standards to classroom instruction, via assessments that provide teachers with real-time feedback on how well their students are performing. These documents show that Long Beach’s assessment plan is both strategic—reflecting careful thinking about the role that assessment plays in effective instruction—and practical—offering teachers concrete tools to analyze data and improve instruction.

1 – Framework Linking Data and Instruction Shows how Long Beach thinks about the link between different tests and the district’s goal of improving students’ mastery of state standards.
What to Notice This framework reflects Long Beach’s thoughtful approach to standards-based teaching. Notice that the California state standards are at the very top of the page, reflecting the fact that they drive all instruction in the district. And California’s state-wide assessments are at the bottom of the page, with all instruction driving toward them. The arrows reflect the fact that Long Beach believes in an iterative instructional process, where assessment results drive targeted re-teaching.	Questions to Ask How widely is this framework distributed? How does the district ensure that classroom teachers have an understanding of how assessments fit into the district’s larger goals? How do district staff members develop benchmark assessments, pacing guides and other tools that are tightly coupled to the California state standards? How do they distribute these materials?
> Download Document (doc)

2 – District Assessments Describes assessments and testing schedule for all grade levels.
What to Notice The assessment schedule is very easy to read and allows teachers to see—at a macro level—all the assessments that their students will participate in over the course of the school year. The accompanying summary of assessments very clearly identifies how each test is used to achieve the district’s goals. Notice in the final column of this table, the district has indicated in bold how different stakeholders will use the test results. Notice also that many of the tests are shown to be directly relevant to California’s state tests, the CST and the CAHSEE.	Questions to Ask How does the district share the resulting data with principals and teachers? Are the reports easy to read and understand? How quickly is the data made available to teachers? How many days of testing does the typical student participate in, by grade level? Is the balance between instruction and testing appropriate? For the optional tests, how many teachers participate? What are the criteria for deciding whether or not a teacher uses the optional tests? Does the testing regimen allow the district to determine the “value added” (average student growth) by classroom? What processes are in place to ensure that teachers are discussing the assessment results in departmental and grade-level meetings? How is the assessment information used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and intervention strategies?
> Download Document (doc)

3 – Open Court Literacy Assessment Plan Outlines the assessment plan for Long Beach’s elementary literacy program, Open Court.
What to Notice As a part of the federal Reading First initiative, Long Beach has implemented Open Court, a research-based, managed-instruction program for elementary school literacy. Their assessment plan—called Reading Lions—was developed specifically for Open Court, and the first page of this document describes the components of each test. This document also includes a description of the web-based assessment software—nicknamed OARS—which allows teachers to access assessment data online. Notice that Long Beach’s data effort included the development of both: (a) assessments mapped closely to the curriculum and (b) a system to make that data available for immediate use by teachers. Finally, the document depicts an item analysis form, which shows a teacher—at a glance—how individual students performed on different test items, allowing the teacher to re-teach as necessary.	Questions to Ask How do teachers use OARS to monitor student achievement? How often do they access the system? And what kinds of training do they receive in order to use the data most effectively? How do principals and district staff use the data to identify teachers who may need additional support in particular areas? What kind of process has the district implemented to insure that the tests are accurately assessing student proficiency? How often are the assessments updated and/or modified?
> Download Document (doc)

Linking Assessment to Instruction – Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has implemented an Eight-Step Continuous Improvement Model to ensure that data is used to improve instruction.

1 – Eight-Step Continuous Improvement Model Offers graphic depiction of the district’s continuous improvement model.
What to Notice The core model is based on four components: plan, do, check, act. The eight-step process builds on these components and provides teachers with a detailed step-by-step process that starts with using test scores to identify student needs. At the very bottom, this one-pager describes the five different levels of students.	Questions to Ask How was this process developed? Was it internally developed, or did the district hire consultants or instructional experts to develop the process and/or tool? How widely is the tool distributed? In what contexts are teachers and principals introduced to the tool and the process?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – Eight-Step Continuous Improvement Model Lays out the eight-step process along with other tools and guidelines to ensure the proper use of data to improve instruction.
What to Notice Immediately after introducing the eight-step process, the presentation offers a list of Miami-Dade’s “five characteristics of effective schools” on page 4. The bulk of the document offers extremely specific instructions on how to execute each of the eight steps effectively. In the instructions for step 1, the document includes a more detailed description of the mastery levels for students. Many of the sections include a page devoted to “keys to success.”	Questions to Ask Are Miami-Dade’s “five characteristics of effective schools” comprehensive? What else would you put on the list, if anything? Which are most important? What audience is this document intended for? Who leads the continuous improvement process at local schools? What training do they receive?
> Download Document (pdf)

3 – Classroom Walkthrough Checklist Identifies key classroom indicators for the eight-step process.
What to Notice This document offers principals or coaches a simple tool to use in classroom walkthroughs. For each step of the eight-step process, the document identifies two to four pieces of evidence that would indicate the teacher is involved in the continuous improvement process.	Questions to Ask How often are walkthroughs conducted and by whom? Are walkthroughs always targeted to the continuous improvement protocols? How are results of the walkthroughs communicated to the teacher? What intervention resources are deployed if the teacher does not appear to follow a continuous improvement process?
> Download Document (pdf)

4 – Agendas from Principals Meetings Describes agenda for monthly Friday principals’ meetings.
What to Notice Miami-Dade’s principals meet for a half-day on one Friday of every month. Notice how much of the agenda is devoted to instructional and assessment issues vs. operational issues. Notice also that the district lists “expected outcomes” at the top of the page.	Questions to Ask Who determines the agenda for these meetings? Are high-performing principals ever offered the opportunity to lead sessions for their peers? Do district presenters model effective instructional strategies in their sessions? Are the sessions designed to be interactive?
> Download Document (pdf)

Using Data to Improve Instruction – Long Beach Unified School District

Long Beach Unified School District has a reputation for being very data-driven. Using the Baldrige quality improvement processes first developed in the private sector, the district has established a culture in which all stakeholders focus on the measurable results of their work and strive to improve performance. The attached tools reflect the district’s laser-like focus on student achievement data.

1 – Data Analysis Template and Cycle of Inquiry Example Worksheet for educators using data to improve instruction.
What to Notice The template uses a series of questions to prompt principals and teachers to engage in a data-driven inquiry process. Notice that the questions are action-oriented and require the user to commit to specific activities that will encourage data-driven decision-making in the classroom. The second page uses a graphic organizer to depict the typical “cycle of inquiry” starting with the identification of an area in which student outcomes do not meet expectations.	Questions to Ask Who typically leads a “cycle of inquiry” in a school? Who is on the team and what is the typical timeline? What kind of training do teachers and principals receive on data analysis and the inquiry process? How does the district collect and analyze the data analysis worksheets? What are the best examples of schools or departments that have used the “cycle of inquiry” process to dramatically improve student achievement?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – School Data Profile Sample three-page report summarizing student achievement results at one school site.
What to Notice The school data profile provides a snapshot of the school’s performance. It starts with the context, providing detailed information about the school’s demographics (even including parental education levels). Separate tables assess school performance in key state/federal areas, including California Standards Test (CST) results, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status under NCLB, and even Title III. Note that the district’s and state’s statistics are also included as a benchmark. The final section summarizes the school’s strengths and weaknesses based on the data and highlights focus areas for improvement and strategies to address those focus areas.	Questions to Ask Who is responsible for producing the quantitative components of the dashboard, individual school sites or the district’s IT staff? Has the system been automated? When is this dashboard shared and with whom? Who identifies the strengths and weaknesses evident in the data, as well as the focus areas for the coming year? What is the process to translate focus areas into specific activities at the grade, department or classroom level that will improve instruction? What kind of training and support does the district provide around interpreting the information contained in the dashboard?
> Download Document (pdf)

3 – Item Analysis Report Standard report showing student performance on individual items on a district benchmark test.
What to Notice The item analysis report allows educators at the classroom, school and district level to identify specific student weaknesses. For each item on the test, the report shows the percentage of students who responded correctly, as well as a breakdown of how many students selected each potential answer. This level of detail allows educators to investigate questions where students selected a “distractor” answer and identify areas for re-teaching. Notice that the top of the report also provides summary statistics about the test.	Questions to Ask What system does Long Beach use to analyze its benchmark test data? How are completed tests scored and analyzed? How are reports generated and distributed? What training do teachers receive in how to interpret and act upon the results? What opportunities do teachers have to discuss results and strategies with colleagues? How does the district develop its benchmark tests? How does Long Beach ensure that the benchmarks are closely aligned with state standards and tests?
> Download Document (pdf)

4 – Mock California School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Sample Reports Sample reports showing item analysis by student and by teacher.
What to Notice California’s mandated High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is administered to students in their sophomore year. In order to evaluate students’ preparedness for the exam and identify areas for improvement, ninth-graders are administered a mock CAHSEE. Results from this mock test are provided to teachers, administrators and students to identify where extra supports or interventions might be needed. The reports, available through the district’s LROIX data system, aggregate student achievement results by concept, skill or performance level. Results are used to inform course pacing, professional development needs for teachers, or interventions for students. The first two reports, A and B, show individual student results and help teachers and students discern patterns in missed questions and better understand why a student selected an incorrect answer. Report C illustrates aggregated item analyses by grade and skill in an easily read format. This report shows teachers which skills were the most problematic among all the students and helps guide plans for re-teaching. The drop boxes provide a user-friendly interface for running different queries, and the color-coding and clear-cut categories lend to ease of analysis.	Questions to Ask Who produces these reports? Do teachers run the queries themselves, or do they request them? How do teachers and principals learn to use the reports? Are there expectations around how the reports are to be used? Do teachers and principals use the reports independently, or do they meet in teams to discuss the results? How often do teachers provide these results to students? What strategies has the district used to engage students in their own performance review? What supports or interventions are available to teachers and schools when report results in a given area are poor? Do these reports factor into any type of evaluation, or are they strictly used to make instructional decisions?
> Download Document (pdf)

5 – District Assessment Brochure Brochure for beginning educators outlining the district’s assessment program.
What to Notice This tri-fold brochure contains a concise summary of the district’s assessment program, including information on test security, accommodations and contact numbers for curriculum directors. The information is laid out in bulleted language, making it a handy quick-reference tool.	Questions to Ask What is the primary purpose of the brochure? How is this brochure distributed? Is it shared with any external stakeholders like parents? What feedback have school and district personnel provided about the brochure? Does it add transparency to the assessment process? How did the office of research, planning, and evaluation decide on the brochure contents?
> Download Document (pdf)