This from KDE via Press Release:
COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS IS A BRIGHT SPOT IN DATA
(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The first results from Kentucky’s Unbridled Learning
accountability model indicate that, in 2011-12, slightly more than 47
percent of
the state’s public high school students were prepared for college and/or
careers, the Kentucky Department of Education announced today.
This is a nine-percentage-point increase from the 2010-11 school year,
for which the average college- and career-readiness rate was 38 percent.
“This
increase, which translates to more than 4,500 students, is a direct
result of Kentucky’s schools’ and districts’ focus on college and career
readiness,” said
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “The overriding goal of
the state’s public education system is to prepare students for the paths
they want to take after high school, and these data show that we are
making progress toward that goal.”
College/Career Readiness is one of five major components of the
Unbridled Learning accountability model, which was applied to test
scores and other data
for the first time for the 2011-12 school year. The data released today
is the first from the new model and includes information about
Achievement, Gap, Growth, College/Career Readiness and Graduation Rate.
Public schools and school districts receive overall scores on a scale
of 0 to 100 in the new model. On average, the statewide school overall
score was 55.2.
For elementary schools, the average was 57.3; for middle schools, 53.5;
and for high schools, 54.8.
OVERALL SCORE AVERAGES AND COMPONENT POINT TOTALS
|
||||||
|
Overall
|
Achievement
|
Gap
|
Growth
|
College/Career Readiness*
|
Graduation Rate
|
Elementary
|
57.3
|
69.6
|
40.5
|
60.5
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Middle
|
53.5
|
67.4
|
37.9
|
60.4
|
44.1
|
N/A
|
High
|
54.8
|
56.7
|
28.8
|
58.5
|
51.8
|
77.8
|
* College/Career Readiness includes the bonus calculation for accountability.
Five components contribute points to the overall score; each is weighted:
·
Achievement – student performance on tests of reading, mathematics,
science, social
studies and writing
·
Gap – comparing performance of students who are members of
traditionally underperforming groups (ethnic minorities, special education,
poverty and limited English proficiency) to the goal of 100 percent proficiency
·
Growth – comparing an individual student’s score to the student’s
academic peers to determine if typical or higher levels of growth have occurred
·
College/Career
Readiness -- high school graduates who have
successfully met an indicator of readiness for college and/or careers
·
Graduation Rate
– the percentage of on-time graduates
WEIGHTS FOR UNBRIDLED LEARNING COMPONENTS
|
||||||
Grade Range
|
Achievement
|
Gap
|
Growth
|
College/Career
Readiness
|
Graduation Rate
|
Total
|
Elementary
|
30%
|
30%
|
40%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
100%
|
Middle
|
28%
|
28%
|
28%
|
16%
|
N/A
|
100%
|
High
|
20%
|
20%
|
20%
|
20%
|
20%
|
100%
|
Schools are rank-ordered by overall score and by elementary, middle and
high school levels. Districts are rank-ordered
without dividing by levels.
Overall scores for elementary schools range from 28.0 to 85.2; for
middle schools, from 29.3 to 91.6; and for high schools,
from 27.9 to 87.3. Overall scores for districts range from 38.0 to 81.4.
SCORE RANGE
|
ELEMENTARY
|
MIDDLE
|
HIGH
|
DISTRICT
|
0 – 19.9
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
20.0 – 29.9
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
30.0 – 39.9
|
24
|
24
|
5
|
2
|
40.0 – 49.9
|
139
|
83
|
50
|
32
|
50.0 – 59.9
|
269
|
138
|
120
|
109
|
60.0 – 69.9
|
224
|
76
|
46
|
27
|
70.0 – 79.9
|
71
|
9
|
6
|
3
|
80.0 – 89.9
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
90.0 – 100.0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
TOTAL
|
733
|
333
|
230
|
174
|
Based on their percentile rankings, schools and districts are placed in one of three classifications:
·
Distinguished – Above 90th Percentile
·
Proficient – 70th to 89th Percentile
·
Needs Improvement – Below 70th Percentile
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS BY CLASSIFICATION
|
|||
|
Needs
Improvement
|
Proficient
|
Distinguished
|
Elementary
|
507
|
149
|
77
|
Middle
|
232
|
65
|
36
|
High
|
160
|
46
|
24
|
Total Schools
|
899
|
260
|
137
|
|
|
|
|
Districts
|
121
|
35
|
18
|
Specific 2011-12 overall scores are associated with the 70th, 90th and 95th percentiles.
OVERALL SCORE LINK TO PERCENTILE RANK
|
|||
70th Percentile (Proficient)
|
90th Percentile (Distinguished)
|
95th Percentile (School/District of Distinction)
|
|
Elementary
|
62.5
|
69.8
|
72.5
|
Middle
|
58.7
|
64.9
|
68.2
|
High
|
58.0
|
64.4
|
67.7
|
District
|
58.4
|
63.3
|
65.2
|
“Because
this year’s data is the first from the Unbridled Learning model, I
encourage educators, parents, communities,
elected officials and others with a stake in public education to think
of these classifications as a starting point for improvement,” said
Holliday. “Although more than two-thirds of schools and districts are in
the Needs Improvement category, this is not
an indicator of failure. The Unbridled Learning model is one of
continuous improvement, and schools and districts now have a wealth of
data to use as they plan for improvement in student learning and
achievement.”
Schools and districts also are placed in Rewards and Assistance Categories, based on overall scores and other data.
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS BY REWARDS AND ASSISTANCE CATEGORY
|
||||
|
School/District of Distinction
|
Highest Performing School/District
|
Focus
School/District
|
Priority
School/District
|
Elementary
|
40
|
37
|
103
|
0
|
Middle
|
17
|
17
|
106
|
9
|
High
|
11
|
8
|
75
|
32
|
Total Schools
|
68
|
62
|
284
|
41
|
|
|
|
|
|
Districts
|
9
|
9
|
17
|
N/A
|
Rewards and assistance categories are:
- School/District of Distinction -- a high-performing elementary,
middle or high school or district that:
- meets its current year AMO starting in 2012-13, student participation rate and graduation rate goal
- has a graduation rate above 60 percent for the prior two years
- scores at the 95th percentile or higher on the overall score
- for a district -- does not have a school categorized as a focus school or priority school
- Highest Performing School/District -- an elementary, middle
or high school or district that:
- meets its current year AMO starring in 2012-13, student participation rate and graduation rate goal
- has a graduation rate above 60 percent for the prior two years
- scores at the 90th percentile or higher on the overall score
- for a district – does not have any schools categorized as Focus Schools or Priority Schools
- Focus School -- a school that:
- has a non-duplicated student gap group score in the bottom ten percent of non-duplicated student gap groups scores for all elementary, middle and high schools
- has an individual student subgroup within assessment grades by level with a score in the third standard deviation below the state average for all students
- has a graduation rate that has been less than 60 percent for two consecutive years
- Focus District -- a district that has a non-duplicated student gap group score in the bottom ten percent of non-duplicated student gap group scores for all districts
- Priority School -- a school that has been identified as a “persistently low achieving (PLA)” school as defined by Kentucky Revised Statute KRS 160.346; does not apply to districts until the system has been in place for three consecutive years
COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS
The cornerstone of the Unbridled Learning Accountability model is
college and career readiness. Kentucky reported College/Career
Readiness Rates for schools and districts for the first time in 2010;
those data were not used for accountability purposes, but served as a
baseline.
Compared to 2010-11, the data for the 2011-12 school year show a nearly
nine-point increase in the percentage of public
school students who are considered ready for college or careers.
NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF STUDENTS CONSIDERED COLLEGE AND/OR CAREER READY
|
||||||
YEAR
|
Number of Graduates - Students with High School Diploma or Certificate of Attainment
|
College-Ready
|
Career-Ready
|
College and Career Non-Duplicated Total Count
|
Percentage of graduates College and/or Career Ready
|
Accountability Points with Bonus
|
2011-12
|
43,116
|
18,741
|
3,413
|
20,343
|
47.2%
|
51.8
|
2010-11
|
41,784
|
15,056
|
1,142
|
15,746
|
38%
|
N/A
|
- College-Ready -- graduates who met the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) Systemwide Benchmarks for Reading, English and Mathematics on any administration of the ACT; also, students who passed a college placement test like Compass or KYOTE
- Career-Ready -- graduates who met benchmarks for Career-Ready Academic (ASVAB or ACT WorkKeys) and Career-Ready Technical (KOSSA or received an Industry-Recognized Career Certificate)
- College and Career Non-Duplicated Total Count -- includes only individual graduates who received high school diplomas or certificates of attainment and are college-ready and/or career-ready
- Accountability Points with Bonus – includes percentage of graduates college- and/or career-ready plus a half-point bonus for graduates meeting both college-ready and career-ready benchmarks
ACHIEVEMENT
Early estimates indicated that the percentages of students scoring at
the proficient and distinguished levels on Kentucky
Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) tests in reading
and mathematics would be as low as 40 percent (reading) and 36 percent
(mathematics) at all grade levels. However, student performance was
better than expected.
PERCENTAGE PERFORMING AT PROFICIENT/DISTINGUISHED LEVELS
|
|||
|
Elementary
|
Middle
|
High
|
Reading
|
48.0%
|
46.8%
|
52.2%
|
Mathematics
|
40.4%
|
40.6%
|
40.0%
|
Writing On-Demand
|
31.7%
|
41.4%
|
43.8%
|
Science
|
68.8%
|
61.8%
|
30.3%
|
Social Studies
|
59.8%
|
58.6%
|
39.5%
|
Language Mechanics
|
49.1%
|
38.4%
|
50.7%
|
In 2010, Kentucky adopted the Common Core State Standards in reading,
writing and mathematics. These standards, which
are more rigorous that previous standards, were implemented in the
state’s public school system in the 2010-11 school year. Students were
first tested on the new standards in the spring of 2012.
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by nearly every
state, and work is underway on common standards in science
and social studies.
Public school students in grades 3-8 take K-PREP tests in reading,
mathematics, science, social studies, writing and language
mechanics. Their performance is categorized as novice, apprentice,
proficient or distinguished.
High school students take K-PREP tests in writing and language
mechanics, plus End-of-Course assessments in English II,
Algebra II, Biology and U.S. History. Their performance is categorized
in the same manner as elementary and middle school students’
performance.
Student performance in subjects other than reading and mathematics
showed traditional patterns of performance. The assessments
for science and social studies are based on standards in the Kentucky Common Core Assessment 4.1,
which was last revised in 2006. The language mechanics assessments are
part of the norm-referenced test items, which provide national
comparisons.
GAP
Kentucky’s goal is 100 percent proficiency for all students. The
distance from that goal or gap is measured by creating
a student Gap Group — an overall count of student groups that have
historically had achievement gaps. Student groups combined in the
overall count include ethnicity/race (African American, Hispanic, Native
American), special education, poverty (free/reduced-price
meals) and limited English proficiency.
To
calculate the combined student Gap Group, non-duplicated counts of
students who score proficient or higher and
are in any of the student groups are added together. This yields a
single gap number of proficient or higher students in the Student Gap
Group, with no student counting more than one time and all students in
included groups being counted once.
In
general, the data indicate that Gap Group students at the elementary
level are closer to the goal of 100 percent
proficiency in most subject areas than students at the middle and high
school levels. The largest gap for elementary school students is in
writing; the largest for middle school students is in language
mechanics; and the largest for high school students is
in science.
PERCENTAGE OF NON-DUPLICATED GAP GROUP STUDENTS PERFORMING AT PROFICIENT/DISTINGUISHED LEVELS
|
||||||
|
Reading
|
Mathematics
|
Science
|
Social Studies
|
Writing
|
Language Mechanics
|
Elementary
|
37.5
|
30.3
|
59.4
|
48.9
|
23.1
|
38.6
|
Middle
|
34.8
|
28.7
|
50.1
|
46.0
|
30.8
|
27.6
|
High
|
38.4
|
27.9
|
18.5
|
26.3
|
31.5
|
38.6
|
GROWTH
The
Growth category uses a Student Growth Percentile, comparing an
individual student’s score to the student’s academic peers. It
recognizes schools and districts for
the percentage of students showing typical or higher levels of growth in
reading and mathematics. For elementary and middle schools, growth is
based on annual reading and mathematics tests in grades 3-8. At high
school, the same model of recognizing student
performance uses the PLAN (grade 10) and ACT (grade 11) composite scores
in reading and mathematics for comparison. Points are awarded for the
percentage of students showing typical or higher growth, which is
defined as being at the 40th percentile.
The percentage of students showing academic growth is comparable across all grade levels.
PERCENT OF STUDENTS SHOWING ACADEMIC GROWTH
|
|||
|
Reading
|
Mathematics
|
Reading and Mathematics Average
|
Elementary
|
60.5
|
60.4
|
60.5
|
Middle
|
60.4
|
60.4
|
60.4
|
High
|
59.0
|
57.9
|
58.5
|
GRADUATION RATE
As
reported in August, the public high school graduation rate for the
2010-11 school year improved slightly over the rate for the previous
year. The statewide Averaged
Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) for the 2010-11 school year was 77.8
percent, an increase from 2009-10’s 76.7 percent. (Graduation rate data
is lagged by one year for accountability purposes.)
For the Unbridled Learning accountability model,
a
graduation rate for each high school and district that contains one or
more high schools is reported annually, and the rates receive a weighted
point total, just as the
other four components will.
For more details, including disaggregated data, visit the
School Report Card
on the Kentucky Department of Education’s website. Not to be confused
with student report cards, these Report Cards provide information about
each school and district, including test
performance, teacher qualifications, student safety, awards, parent
involvement and much more. The School and District Report Cards were
established by statute,
KRS 158.6453, and regulation,
703 KAR 5:140. Additionally, the Report Cards must incorporate the requirements of the federal
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
2 comments:
As an educator, I used to become frustrated because my educational preparation and certification was in teaching yet the expectation placed upon me often imposed expertise in psychology, security, medical care and technology just to name a few.
Now it would seem that teachers must be experts in whatever this stuff is. I really don't see how this helps an individual teacher in their classroom, other than to make 70% feel as though they have failed according to this ... whatever it is. I don't see how we are suppose to motivate staff who are already working harder with less when you have this dumped in most educators laps.
I am tired of being thrown under the bus by folks who don't teach.
KDE should provide concrete examples of these calculations and a rationale for producing them. It appears as though the Gap calculation covers up important differences between the "impacted" groups. A good example would be to display the score distributions of poor and wealthy students compared to what the new calculation produces.
The growth measure appears to change what growth has traditionally meant. Growth typically means change over time for, in this case, students. Again, a concrete example would be helpful.
These calculations, to my knowledge, have no basis in what in the past have been thought to be valid indicators of educational accomplishments. Where are the rationales ?
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