Transcript Reflections on Using Northwest Evaluation Assocation’s Scales

Lessons
from
Using NWEA’s Vertical Scales
Phil Dommes
North Thurston Public Schools
June 2, 2006
North Thurston Public Schools
• 1995 – 2005
• Customized reading and math tests
• Fall to Fall
Characteristics of NWEA Tests
• Common item pool of pre-tested items
• Common, cross-grade measurement
scales for all items in a content area
• Common test design
• Common psychometric properties
NWEA Vertical Scales
• Grade level independent
• Equal interval
• 150-300
Put Growth into Perspective
Tim's Growth on North Thurston
Levels Tests
215
210
205
200
195
190
185
180
175
Tim
North
Thurston
NWEA
Fall 2002
Fall 2003
Fall 2004
Fall to Spring RIT Growth
(Matched Students) for
RIT Growth
Reading
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
3
4
5
6
Grade
NWEA Growth
District Growth
7
Monitoring Growth in Student
Achievement
Reading Achievement and Growth
Fall
Spring
Mean Growth
Fall to
Spring
Fall to
Fall
Spring
to
Spring
Grade
Median
Mean
Median
Mean
Ending
Grade
2
179
177.7
188
186.6
2
14.9
3
191
188.7
200
197.9
3
10.5
11.9
14.1
4
200
198
206
204.6
4
7.4
7.6
10.7
5
207
205.2
213
210.8
5
6.3
7
8
6
212
210.5
217
215.3
6
5.3
5.3
6.1
7
216
214.4
221
219.1
7
4.3
4.3
5.3
8
220
218.3
225
223.2
8
4.2
4.3
4.6
9
223
221
226
224.2
9
2.9
3
3.8
10
225
223.1
231
229.2
10
2.6
3.3
3.6
n/a
RIT Block Growth Norms
Math Achievement Levels Test
Growth from Fall 7 (2003) to Fall 8 (2004)
57%
50% ile
5 1%
45%
36% ile
20% ile
1
% m aking typical grow th
2
3
NWEA com parison group(%ile)
North Thurston Public Schools
Percent Making Growth on Math Levels
Grade 3 to Grade 4
District Goal: 60%
VVery High
Hi
70% or Higher
higher
High
60%-70%
High Av
50%-59%
Low Av
40%-49%
Low
25%-39%
Very Low
V
0-24%
er
1
2
3
% making typical growth 2002
4
5
6
7
% making typical growth 2003
8
9
10
% making typical growth 2004
11
12
RIT 
<150
161-170
181-190
201-210
231-240 of
241-250
Learning
continuum
sequence
Skill 
skills
Whole
Numbers
-Identify fact
families with
sums 0-18
in horizontal
format
- Subtract
two
numbers in
vertical
format.
-Subtract a
1-digit
number from
a 2-digit
number with
no
regrouping
-- Solve
simple
addition
word
problems.
-Solve 1step word
problems
involving
division
-Divide a 3digit or 4digit number
by a 1-digit
number.
-Understand
the concept of
division using
pictorial
representation
- Divide a 2digit by a 2-digit
number with a
remainder
-Divide multidigit numbers
using a
calculator
N/A
-N/A
-N/A
-Read,
shade &
write
fractional
parts of a
group
-Add mixed
numbers with
like
denominators
with regrouping
-Multiply mixed
numbers
Divide a mixed
number by a
whole number
or a fraction
Divide a
fraction, whole
number, or
mixed number
by a mixed
number
Multiply a
whole
number by
a fraction
-N/A
-N/A
-N/A
-Write a
Find the percent
N/A
Fractions
Don’t Forget about
Error of Measurement
Test # 2
(Obtained
Score)
2
1
0
197
205
207
2
0
2
Test # 1
(Obtained
Score)
Most likely:
Student’s true score grew 8 points.
Plausible:
Score increased by 2 points
Or
Score increased by 16 points.
213
Be cautious when interpreting
subtest results
Test # 2
(Obtained
Score)
2
1
0
207
197
213
205
2
0
2
Test # 1
(Obtained
Score)
Most likely:
Student’s true score grew 8 points.
Plausible:
Student decreased by 4 points
Or
Student increased by 20 points.
Triangulate the Data
TRIANGULATION
Local
Assessment
Teacher
NWEA
When 3 points of data
tell the same story about a student,
we can comfortably
make the appropriate decisions.
Data begins a discussion;
it doesn’t end the discussion.