MONROE - There are many ways to measure the success of a school district. For Monroe School District administrators, student achievement is a key component.
Several administrators gave a presentation Monday to the school board on the district's testing data. Superintendent Larry Brown said that the average ACT score for Monroe seniors who took a retired ACT test last year was down 0.3 points. The district also is concerned with maintaining growth in DIBELS tests, which assesses early literacy; MAP; the Explore test; and the Plan test.
Brown said he has analyzed ACT test scores over the last 10 years and there hasn't been a significant change.
"The reality is the district is in a stagnant growth model," Brown said. "Our data says kids are not growing and our kids don't deserve that."
The district uses the DIBELS test with kindergarten through third-grade students and the MAP reading test for second- through seventh-graders to measure reading growth. The district also uses the Explore test for eighth-graders and freshman, the Plan test for sophomores and the ACT test for juniors.
To Brown, the district can't just rely on data for teaching.
"Data will not tell us how to teach kids," Brown said. "The only thing that data will tell us is how effective our teaching is."
Brown said the only way it will work is by empowering teachers to think outside the box to teach students.
Monroe Director of Instruction Cory Hirsbrunner shared the district's own achievement goals for each test. The average ACT test score for this year's Monroe seniors in the retired ACT test they took last year was 18.7. The growth from entry measurement score (ACT score-Explore score divided by Explore score equals a GEM score) is also a concern for district leaders. The district's GEM score, which measures growth, was a .15, which on an instructional GEM scale is failing.
Hirsbrunner said the goal for eighth-graders is to have 5 percent more meet proficiency benchmarks in English, reading, math and science; the goal is for freshman to have a 3 percent increase in each tested area in English, reading, math and science. Eighth-graders get a baseline ACT score, and while most students are proficient, Hirsbrunner said there are many who are not reaching the growth they expected.
"We expect two points in growth in the composite score every two years," Hirsbrunner said of the ACT after students enter high school.
Hirsbrunner said the Align by Design standards that the high school has implemented for English and social studies focuses on teaching students at their entry level. As part of the plan, Monroe freshman were placed in one of three courses for English and World Past and Present based on their entry level on various district tests.
Joe Monroe, the district's director of pupil services, said some may judge an excellent school district by its resources and facilities, and questioned if that was enough. The district's administrative team wants to establish goals, determine what is acceptable, determine how to measure success and identify who is accountable.
"Great schools collect and analyze data," Monroe said.
Deb Thompson, a Title I math teacher at Parkside School and the liaison between the teachers union and the school board, said she was excited with Brown's willingness to empower the teachers to use innovative teaching strategies.
Several administrators gave a presentation Monday to the school board on the district's testing data. Superintendent Larry Brown said that the average ACT score for Monroe seniors who took a retired ACT test last year was down 0.3 points. The district also is concerned with maintaining growth in DIBELS tests, which assesses early literacy; MAP; the Explore test; and the Plan test.
Brown said he has analyzed ACT test scores over the last 10 years and there hasn't been a significant change.
"The reality is the district is in a stagnant growth model," Brown said. "Our data says kids are not growing and our kids don't deserve that."
The district uses the DIBELS test with kindergarten through third-grade students and the MAP reading test for second- through seventh-graders to measure reading growth. The district also uses the Explore test for eighth-graders and freshman, the Plan test for sophomores and the ACT test for juniors.
To Brown, the district can't just rely on data for teaching.
"Data will not tell us how to teach kids," Brown said. "The only thing that data will tell us is how effective our teaching is."
Brown said the only way it will work is by empowering teachers to think outside the box to teach students.
Monroe Director of Instruction Cory Hirsbrunner shared the district's own achievement goals for each test. The average ACT test score for this year's Monroe seniors in the retired ACT test they took last year was 18.7. The growth from entry measurement score (ACT score-Explore score divided by Explore score equals a GEM score) is also a concern for district leaders. The district's GEM score, which measures growth, was a .15, which on an instructional GEM scale is failing.
Hirsbrunner said the goal for eighth-graders is to have 5 percent more meet proficiency benchmarks in English, reading, math and science; the goal is for freshman to have a 3 percent increase in each tested area in English, reading, math and science. Eighth-graders get a baseline ACT score, and while most students are proficient, Hirsbrunner said there are many who are not reaching the growth they expected.
"We expect two points in growth in the composite score every two years," Hirsbrunner said of the ACT after students enter high school.
Hirsbrunner said the Align by Design standards that the high school has implemented for English and social studies focuses on teaching students at their entry level. As part of the plan, Monroe freshman were placed in one of three courses for English and World Past and Present based on their entry level on various district tests.
Joe Monroe, the district's director of pupil services, said some may judge an excellent school district by its resources and facilities, and questioned if that was enough. The district's administrative team wants to establish goals, determine what is acceptable, determine how to measure success and identify who is accountable.
"Great schools collect and analyze data," Monroe said.
Deb Thompson, a Title I math teacher at Parkside School and the liaison between the teachers union and the school board, said she was excited with Brown's willingness to empower the teachers to use innovative teaching strategies.