NWEA IN THE CLASSROOM

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NWEA IN THE CLASSROOM

• Paula Viner

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A Look at Growth

• If School A and School B had identical state test
  score averages, would you think that they were
  having similar success with their students?

• Before you answer, consider that School A
  started the year with low performing students,
  and caused every one of them to grow twice as
  much as the students in School B. What do you
  think of the two schools now?

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Activity for Thought

• The Bucket Game
• 3 volunteers
• These five buckets are placed at equal distance
  apart.
• You will have three tries to make one ball go in
  each bucket.
• Best score wins.

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Activity Discussion
The Bucket Game What constitutes the best
score the one who hits past a certain level,
the one who hits the most number of buckets or
the one who shows the greatest improvement in
throwing? What if they had had time to practice?
What would you want to constitute the best score
then?
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Standardized Testing vs. NWEA
Indiana Standardized Testing NWEA Testing
Status measurement Growth measurement
Three sub-category scores (math, reading, writing) Scores divided into three sub-categories and are then divided again into 5 sub categories from there
Given twice a year Given three to five times a year
Did Not Pass, Pass and Pass Plus Scoring Guideline RIT unit of scoring
Same questions for all students Test changes depending on childs answers (MAP testing)
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Pros and Cons of NWEA Testing
Pros Cons
Assesses individually Reliability only to the point that a student has taken the test seriously
Offers lexile scores, teacher reports by RIT band (even within substandards), DesCartes Students must take it 4 times a year in order to track changes
Sorts students by individual teachers and will adapt test for corporation or state standards Small margin of growth
Helps to divide student for differentiation of instruction and offers details about what they know based on RIT band Students can be divided into as many as ten levels, time consuming lesson plans
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Teacher Report by RIT band
Goal Area lt171 171-180 181-190 191-200 201-210 211-220 221-230 231-240 241-250 251-260 261
Information Text Comp-rehension Will(173), Brandon (181) D.D. (200) Tammy (211), Zane (207), Sara (206) Aaron (225) Mark (222)
Information text Structure Will (173) Brandon (181), Sara (206) Zane (207), D.D. (200) Mark (222), Zane (207) Tammy (211) Aaron (225)
Literary Text Comp-rehension Will (173) Brandon (181) Zane (207), D.D. (200) Tammy (211), Sara (206), Aaron (225) Mark (222)
Literary Text Structure Will (173) Brandon (180) Tammy (211), Zane (207), Sara (206), D.D. (200) Mark (222) Aaron (225)
Vocabulary and word development Will (173), Sara (206) Zane (207), D.D. (200) Mark (222) Tammy (211), Aaron (225)
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Teacher Report by RIT band
Goal Strand Comprehension and Analysis of Informational Text RIT Score Range 201 - 210 Goal Strand Comprehension and Analysis of Informational Text RIT Score Range 201 - 210 Goal Strand Comprehension and Analysis of Informational Text RIT Score Range 201 - 210
Skills and Concepts to Enhance 191 - 200 Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion, Persuasion Determines events as examples of cause and effect in informational text Determines the cause for a given effect using information supplied in an informational passage (1-3 paragraphs containing complex sentences) Explains why a specific effect (term not used) occurred using information supplied in an informational passage (1-3 paragraphs containing complex sentences) describing events Gives examples of informational sentences that are informative Locates the portion of a sentence that gives the effect for a given cause in informational text Skills and Concepts to Develop 201 210 Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion, Persuasion Gives examples of sentences in informational text that are opinions Classifies statements as examples of fact and opinion in informational text Distinguishes between fact and opinion in informational text Distinguishes between examples of fact and opinion in short (4-5 sentences) passages of informational text Distinguishes between examples of fact and opinion paraphrased from passages of informational text Distinguishes between facts and generalizations (term not used) in informational text Distinguishes between facts and opinions that are unsubstantiated by informational text Distinguishes characteristics of informational sentences that are opinions versus sentences that are facts Skills and Concepts to Introduce 211 - 220 Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion, Persuasion Classifies examples of propaganda to determine the method of persuasion used in informational text (loaded words--use of emotionally charged words to produce strong feelings) Analyzes persuasive/loaded language used in informational text Analyzes examples of propaganda to determine the method of persuasion used in informational text (broad generalizations--using specific examples to describe the general phenomenon) Analyzes examples of propaganda to determine the method of persuasion used in informational text (loaded words--use of emotionally charged words to produce strong feelings)
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Differentiating Instruction
What do none of my students know?
What do some of my students know?
What do most of my students know?
What do all of my students know?
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Differentiating Instruction
What do none of my students know?
What do some of my students know?
What do most of my students know?
What do all of my students know?
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Discussion

• What other data could you use to effectively
  drive instruction?
• How can you make differentiation manageable?
• How can each of the following from NWEA construct
  or destruct what you are doing in your classroom
• Teachers Report
• DesCartes skills list
• Differentiation Ladders

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Discussion
4. Do you score students on growth or status?
Which is a better method for teachers? Why?
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Questions?
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Bibliography Adkins, D. (2007). A Study of the
Alignment of the NWEA RIT scale with the Indiana
Assessment. Lake Oswego Northwest Evaluation
Association. Cronin, J. et. al.(2010). State
Standards and Student Growth Why State Standards
Don't Matter as Much as We Thought. Lake Oswego
Kingsbury Center at Northwest Evaluation
Association. Dalin, J. C. (2010). "Achievement
Gaps and the Proficiency Trap". Lake Oswego
Kingsbury Center at Northwest Evaluation
Association. Engle, B. (2009). STUDY DOCUMENTS
EFFECTIVENESS OF CTB/McGRAW HILLS ACUITY.
Monterey McGraw Hill. Iowa Department of
Education (2008). "Curriculum Ladders for
Reading". Retrieved March 25, 2010, from For
Idaho Teachers http//www.foridahoteachers.org/cu
rriculum_ladders_reading.htm McCall, M. et. al.
(2004). Individual Growth and School Success.
Lake Oswego Northwest Evaluation Association.
Northwest Evaluation Association. (2010).
Retrieved January 28, 2010, from Northwest
Evaluation Association http//nwea.org. Olson,
A. (2001). Data-Based Change Using Assessment
Data to Improve Education. Multimedia Schools,
8(3), 38. Retrieved from Professional Development
Collection database. "The Lexile Framework".
(2010). Retrieved March 9, 2010, from
MetaMetrics http//lexile.com/