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Data provides answers for student learningBy Joan Richardson Tucked under Houston along the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazosport Independent School District has eliminated the achievement gap between racial groups in its schools and between affluent and economically disadvantaged students. Last year, the Texas Education Agency recognized the district as "exemplary." That means that 90% of every subgroup of students -- white, black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged -- performed successfully on the stateís mandatory assessment in each of the district's 18 schools. "We're an overnight success story that took seven
years to happen," said Patricia Davenport, director of instruction. Brazosport set its course for improvement after being embarrassed in 1991-92 when half of its 18 schools were labeled "accredited/warned." That designation meant at least one subgroup of students scored lower than 25% on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). If that subgroup didn't move above 25% the next year, the school would be considered "low performing" and subject to state review. (Texas has since changed labels and moved the minimal percentages up to 40%.) Examining the TAAS data was at the heart of the improvement process. Rather than merely looking at schoolwide data, Davenport examined thousands of student test results and re-assembled them into classroom reports for each teacher in the accredited/warned schools. The subgroup scores indicated black and Hispanic students
were faring the worst. But, by reassembling the data, Davenport soon learned
that the picture was much worse for economically disadvantaged children,
regardless of race or ethnicity. Davenport began to focus on those teachers, particularly
on the work of third-grade teacher Mary Dunbar. That year, 94% of Dunbar's
students were economically disadvantaged and 73% were minority. But each
of her students mastered the TAAS. After two years, the school's TAAS scores improved dramatically. In writing, 90 to 100% of every subgroup mastered the exam; in reading, 69 to 85%; and, in math, 50 to 76%. With such results, Davenport said it took little convincing
to get other low achieving schools to adopt the same process. "I think
because it was a teacher's idea and because it was piloted successfully,
we had very little resistance," Davenport said. 1) Disaggregate test scores During the summer, teachers receive folders with TAAS results in math, reading, and writing. Teachers learn results for their previous year's class and for incoming students. Results are distributed to every elementary and middle school classroom teacher as well as upper level math and language arts teachers. Principals receive folders identical to the ones for each teacher. Examining last year's data helps teachers identify their weak areas. Having the individual student profiles for incoming students lets them identify objectives children have and have not mastered, Davenport said. Teachers have had intensive training in data interpretation. Developing data skills is part of new teacher induction; mentors continue to help new teachers this area throughout the year. 2) Instructional timeline Based on the schoolwide data available in the spring, grade-level teachers decide how much time to spend on each objective based on student needs. Then, grade-level teachers plot out when they will teach each concept. Davenport said, "Teachers are really asking themselves three questions: What do students need to know? What do I need to teach? How much time do I need to do that?" 3) Instructional focus Announcing the instructional focus also drives home the district's message that learning is the purpose of school, Davenport said. "There are three things we announce over the P.A. on Monday morning: weekend football scores, lunch menus, and that week's instructional focus," she said. As each school determines its own needs, teachers also decide what to learn and how to learn it. Sometimes, teachers model lessons for each other; sometimes, outside experts may work with the staff. 4) Assessment The assessments are the same across the district. But testing dates vary from school to school according to each school's needs. "If everybody bombs on fractions, for example, we might bring in an instructional specialist to work with teachers or a supervisor to model a lesson," Davenport said. Doing shorter, more frequent assessments ensures that teachers catch problems early and correct them, she said. If 80% of the children in a class have mastered the objective, the class moves on. If not, the teacher re-teaches until 80% have mastered. 5) Tutorials and enrichment Students who fail an assessment attend a short-term daily tutorial with no more than 12 students. Those who master an objective go to an enrichment class that is typically about 30 students. All teachers have either a tutorial or an enrichment session. Teachers switch about every month so that no teacher has a steady stream of one or the other. In intermediate and high schools, electives have become a privilege that students earned after mastering the basics, Davenport said. That has kept older students focused on learning and on the testing and has won widespread parental support, she said. 6) Maintenance "If a teachers teaches summarization, for example, during the first four weeks of school, she has to maintain what they've learned up through the testing date. This is how we do that," Davenport said. This technique has been particularly helpful for economically disadvantaged children. "They need constant structure and constant reinforcement," she said. "It's a very short activity. But, if a kid slips, teachers can catch it quickly," she said. 7) Monitoring But daily visits also tells students that what they're learning is important, she said. Initially, principals were required to maintain logs of their visits. Having a "recognized" school earned the principal the right not to keep the logs but Davenport said every principal in the district has continued to log their visits. Now that district has achieved exemplary status, the challenge is to remain at that high level. As teachers have learned more about how to improve their instruction, Davenport said they have become even hungrier to learn still more. Now, she said, her challenge is to find ways to add time into their professional week for more staff learning.
Brazosport Independent Enrollment: 13,500 students Schools: Demographics: Free/reduced lunch: 35.6% ESL students: 8.1% Staff size: For more information, contact Patricia Davenport, director of instruction, Brazosport ISD, P.O. Drawer Z, Freeport, TX 77541 or call (409) 265-6181, ext. 110. |
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