Students everywhere are either returning to school part-time or full-time in the coming weeks. There have been many districts that spent the fall and winter in remote learning and more districts that were in a hybrid attendance model where students were in-person about half the time. The other days were spent in remote learning activities. Personally, I have been involved in a hybrid system and I have several questions about the effects of part-time attendance will have had this year.
Part of my previous role included an expectation that I dig through grade level data for patterns or to find out how certain practices or interventions were working. After all this, I wish I had access to all grades and scores to examine growth and attainment from this year compared to the national norms and previous years and cohorts of students. If I had access to a district’s fall and winter data from this and previous years, here are the questions I would like to answer.
Fall to Winter Growth
- What was the average growth from fall to winter in each grade level?
- What was the average growth from fall to winter in each grade for the past 3 years?
- Using those average growth scores, how did students who are included in the following groups perform?
- Race, Income, English Language Learners, Students with IEPs
- This year? Was this similar to previous years?
- For each grade, was this year’s growth similar to prior years? Was growth above or below expectations and is that similar to prior years?
Fall Attainment
- What was the average score by grade in the fall?
- What was the average score by each disaggregated group in the fall?
- How do the average scores from this year, compare to the previous 3 years?
- What percentage of students are in each performance band (e.g. minimal, basic, proficient, advanced) or in each quartile or quintile? How do the numbers in each band compare to prior years?
Winter Attainment
- What was the average score by grade in winter?
- What was the average score by each disaggregated group in winter?
- How do the average scores from this year, compare to the previous 3 years?
- What percentage of students are in each performance band (e.g. minimal, basic, proficient, advanced) or in each quartile or quintile? How do the numbers in each band compare to prior years?
- Are there greater numbers of students in the lower quartiles or bands? Are discrepancies growing in the lower and higher ends of the continuum of achievement?
Although some of the questions are largely based on curiosity, looking for changes in growth from fall to winter or if there are greater numbers of students who scored below the 50th percentile or even the 25th would have implications for instruction. What if growth from fall to winter was less for students who scored below the 25th percentile but students scoring above the 75th percentile demonstrated average growth? What are the instructional implications?
Many schools had data-based decision-making guidelines that were established before a pandemic was even on our radars. Between reduced attendance and last spring’s closure, now might be the time to examine the present status of your students and make a quick decision if explicit and systematic instruction is needed now more than ever. Any previous opportunity costs from the use of less than evidence-based instruction need to be corrected now.
Got Results, Now What?
If the pattern of achievement was the same in the current grade as in the past and students in the current grade maintained growth, there would be little to recommend other than keep accelerating. Not to be too negative but I would suspect less attainment and growth would be suspected based on the amount of time outside school and adjustments over the past year.
Classroom Routines
If asked what are the smallest actions with the largest actions to improve achievement, I would have a few suggestions. In elementary or up to about Grade 5 and maybe 6, I’d look at using peer-assisted learning strategies and building this into a daily routine in class. I’d use this for supplemental math and reading support. In the elementary grades, I’d also look at fluency with comprehension checks as activities to build into the routine in class.
In middle school, I would take a good look at the Field Guide from The Middle School Matters Institute at the Meadows Center in Texas. This resource is full of evidence validated practices and interventions that could be used to reinforce classroom instruction or seek intervention ideas.
Writing
Although writing screening is not a highly developed process for many, I would assume students needed writing and look for an efficient and effective way to teach the writing process. Summer would be an ideal time for districts to investigate and invest in Self-Regulated Strategy Development from Dr. Karen Harris. The structure of SRSD covers pre-writing to the organization through final edits. There are two organizations that provide training where one is more in person and the other is online in delivery.
Interventions
Response to Intervention is mandated as a practice to identify Specific Learning Disabilities in a handful of states. In states that use RtI to identify disabilities, interventions, and monitoring have requirements for high levels of fidelity and that the intervention was targeted to student need. In these systems, having adequate access to interventions that address each component skill in reading, math, and writing likely required. In other states or districts, it is still in student’s best interest to receive interventions that align closest to the area of need.
If auditing student progress, I would look at the progress of students provided interventions as long as possible last year. Then, consider examining the same students’ progress this year. Problem-solving teams may be on hold for a while until needs and system capacity are equalized. If a district was able to provide intervention, even abbreviated versions, checking progress and comparing growth to the peer group would be worthwhile.
If ever there was a year to consider the removal of interventions that were either lacking an evidence base or not providing strong local outcomes, this is that year. In a good year, we have an opportunity cost when students with significant needs receive less than quality instruction due to adult preferences. This year, cut the services that are not providing adequate results for students.
Conclusion
This year has been unlike any that any of us have experienced. If you are in a position where you analyze district data and convey results to stakeholders, I would appreciate hearing what questions you asked or what questions came up. Do outcomes look better than anticipated? However, is this the tip of the iceberg and we are just beginning to see the effects of the past year on students? Mental health screening would also be valuable to examine. Are students experiencing significantly more anxiety, depression, or just difficulties concentrating this year? Does anyone have solid solutions for any of this? I predict those who pick a few things and do them well will outperform those who seek all the shiny objects and try to make up all the ground in a few months.
I would appreciate hearing what works and what has been surprising so far too. Thanks,