By Crystal Hayduk
The Chelsea School District (CSD) Board of Education met at a work session on Oct. 11 to learn more about the district’s COVID-19 academic recovery goals.
Superintendent Julie Helber introduced the discussion with an overview of the goals, mission, and vision as set by the board in July. The goals included accelerated learning during COVID recovery; health and wellness, including social and emotional wellness and safety; allocation of COVID relief funds (CRF) to support goals; and engagement with families and community.
COVID Academic Recovery/Accelerating Learning
Heather Conklin, director of curriculum and instruction, presented the information and data on COVID academic recovery and accelerated learning. The district supports its goal of preparing students to be future competitive graduates by continually doing three things: professional learning on best practices; intervention resources and support; and ongoing review of data (standardized tests and classroom-level assessments) to inform instructional decisions.
Conklin said one of the two primary goals for 2021-22 is to accelerate learning and support growth for all students in core academic areas by providing effective grade-level instruction, and then “fill in the gaps.” The district has hired additional coaches and interventionists to work with teachers and small groups of students. Once it is determined what students currently know, further development of programs such as after-school tutoring can begin. “We just finished fall testing…and we hope to start tutoring in November,” she said.
The other primary goal for this school year comes from MICIP (Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process) and is a continuation from data reviews since 2016. The goal is that all students show average to above average growth on benchmark assessments in literacy by strengthening supports for literacy instruction.
Conklin said literacy is not just learning to read as students do in the early grades, but also disciplinary literacy, or reading to learn (in science, math, and social studies) as taught in sixth through twelfth grades. Action steps are similar to those for accelerating learning, but focused on literacy.
A variety of measurements will be used to determine progress, including NWEA, M-STEP, PSAT, SAT, and local assessments.
District Data Review
Conklin reviewed district data from the spring 2019 testing cycle, the most recent “normal” data available, pre-pandemic. These lengthy reports for the board’s review included M-STEP, SAT, and NWEA data.
Conklin said the fall 2020 PSAT and SAT tests were optional for students in grades 8-12.
NWEA reports were used to inform classroom instruction. Action steps for last year included interventions for literacy and specific grade level issues (for example, implementing a phonics program at North Creek Elementary School), professional development, and coaching and intervention support.
COVID complications
School buildings closed on March 16, 2020 due to COVID-19. Therefore, no standardized tests were given in spring.
Although the NWEA was administered on schedule three times during the 2020-21 school year, it was not a normal year. Conklin described factors affecting the collection of accurate data, which included multiple testing modes (for example, not all tests were taken in person in school, and at-home testing skewed scores up or down depending on the students’ focus or additional supports); and uneven participation (much lower than usual).
Conklin said NWEA norms were intentionally kept the same, even though it was an unusual year—not changing the bar allows administrators and teachers to continue to measure where students are to determine how quickly learning returns to normal.
It is impossible to make comparisons of results for students who took the M-STEP, PSAT, or SAT in spring 2021 because the tests were completely optional. Conklin said if one district gave the test to 80% of students, but another district gave it to only 10% of students, the data cannot be compared. For students who took the tests, the results aid in determining what they know. Like the NWEA, the norms for these tests were unchanged.
Results
Conklin shared a graph of average NWEA scores for each grade over the past 12 years. Average scores from fall and spring allow the district to track scores over time. The current national norms were released in early 2020, prior to the pandemic and based on the previous five years.
For math, “We were happy to see that all of our spring grade level norms were above the national grade level norms,” said Conklin. Although the growth rates between fall and spring were not as high as usual, average math scores at each grade level were still higher than the national norms.
Similarly for reading, growth rates were not as high as in a typical year, but the grade level averages were above national norms at every grade level, she said.
During discussion with board members, Conklin clarified that the district does not yet have relevant growth rates from NWEA or M-STEP since the pandemic.
Board members were provided links to documentation of results from the M-STEP (grades 3-7)/PSAT (grade 8)/SAT (grade 11) from spring 2021. Students receive results labeled advanced, proficient, partially proficient, and not proficient in language arts and math. Conklin said the percentage of students measuring proficient changed from 2019, but the state advised to use the data cautiously because it’s not reasonable to expect proficiency rates to remain the same after a year and a half of pandemic learning.
Conklin and teachers are also able to view individual students’ scores; she said many students who were partially proficient were very close to the edge of proficient.
Board member Tammy Lehman said based on her personal research on mischooldata.org and mackinac.org, she believes CSD scores have declined in the last five years. Conklin offered to look at the information Lehman has, because according to testing data, growth targets are being met and declines are “pocketed,” which is why the district plans to target specific areas based on the 2018-19 results.
Trustee Eric Wilkinson asked what the goal is for the spring 2022 NWEA results. Conklin said the goal is to increase the percentage of students who show average to above average growth between fall and spring; as well as increase the percentage of students who are proficient.
Testing data is looked at in conjunction with classroom assessments. Conklin said testing is a snapshot picture of one moment in one day, and although tests serve a purpose, the daily moments are more informative.
The next formal testing update is expected after the winter 2022 NWEA results are received.
