Welcome
Welcome to the fourth issue of The Netter, the Schoolnet newsletter for data-driven decision making and student achievement. The Netter is written for educators who regard technology as an important component in the success of our districts, schools, teachers and students.
In this issue, Schoolnet shares an interview with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, a look at what’s brewing in our “Schoolnet Lab,” and of course, some useful tips and tricks, and much more. As always, we want to hear from you! Send us your feedback or visit us at one of our upcoming events!
Client Spotlight
Dr. Jared Cotton, Assistant Superintedent, Department of Research, Evaluation and Assessment at Virginia Beach City Public Schools speaks to The Netter regarding their implementation of Schoolnet’s Instructional Management Suite and what’s happening in their district.
Can you tell us about you district best practices with data a few years back to today?
We already had a very data-driven culture in place as we had a lot of data that we were utilizing and disseminating to all stakeholders. However, our process for sharing data was challenging and time consuming at times. It did not place the data directly in the hands of teachers in a timely manner in order to effectively inform classroom instruction. What was really an impetus for finding an instructional management system was that we wanted data all in one place, a one-stop-shop, where everyone could access necessary data in a timely manner. Moreover, we had to ensure that teachers had direct and immediate access to the information they needed to do their important work.
What are some of your immediate results from having the data all in one place?
We now have the ability to disseminate our curriculum materials and resources to teachers online. For the past several years, we have provided comprehensive curriculum to assist teachers with delivering high-quality instruction. Today, we continue to provide these valuable resources, but we no longer utilize “hefty” binders that can be overwhelming to teachers. Since the content is now online, we can easily access it and keep it updated in real-time. We update our curriculum frequently (adding lesson plans, etc.). We make the changes right away and send out an email notification to teachers who are impacted by the changes, as opposed to having everyone make copies to update their binders whenever there is a change.
Moreover, it has really changed how we handle local assessments and the analysis of the results.
Before the move to online assessments, our students were taking local assessments using scan forms or bubble sheets. Each form had to be scanned and results had to be sent to central office as a data file. Unfortunately, the scanners often had to be serviced frequently. Moreover, central office had to spend time compiling the data to produce division-wide, school-level and Item Analysis reports for schools.
Because of this process, schools frequently had to wait three to four weeks for this information! The data were sent to the principals in PDF and Excel formats and principals would, in turn, disseminate the results to their teachers. By that time, teachers were already three to four weeks into new instructional material. Now, through online testing, we get the reports and results immediately into the hands of teachers. Once we were able to put assessment data directly to teachers in a timely manner, it became important to ensure that we didn’t just provide teachers with data for informational purposes only. We need teachers to use these data for action. As a result, we created data protocols to assist teachers in analyzing student achievement data and to really look at individual students and their specific needs. This has been our focus this year and we are already seeing some positive effects.
Currently, all our secondary local assessments are being administered online through Schoolnet. In addition, we are encouraging the elementary schools to “opt-in” to use the online assessments this year but next year all elementary schools will be required to conduct assessments online. So far, most have opted in as they see the value in receiving immediate results.
In addition, we are in the process of creating even deeper reports so that ultimately we will have just one data source for all our reporting needs.
What are some other types of data, besides curriculum and assessment, that you can now also access via the one system?
We now can more easily access disciplinary data, attendance data and student demographics.
What about historical student data?
We loaded three years worth of data into the system for the initial roll-out. These data are now readily available in the Student Profile and teachers have this information at their fingertips. There is no longer a need to go to the previous teacher or the cumulative student folder that is stored in the office.
Did you have to convince teachers to use the data?
Not at all. We implemented the system using a strategic approach, starting with the secondary teachers the first year and elementary teachers the second year of the implementation. We actually started with a group of secondary teachers that served as our “test drivers.” We gave them access, training, and homework! They provided valuable feedback which was used to inform the elementary rollout.
We have heard quite a bit about the work the district has done to reduce the achievement gap for African American males. Will you talk to us about that?
We have always disaggregated data by subgroups, including ethnicity and gender. As a result, we uncovered a large disparity when we compared the academic achievement of African American males to all other males in VBCPS. The elimination of this gap was initiated by our School Board and quickly became one of our main objectives in our recently adopted strategic plan. The reports from Schoolnet drill down to ethnicity and gender and provide central office and principals the ability to easily and personally monitor all the subgroups. Thus, the information is now more readily available and continues to be on everyone’s radar screen. We can now keep the achievement of all our students, especially our African American males, in the forefront. In fact, we have already seen improvements in the academic achievement of our African American male students.
21st century skills is also a major part of your district strategic plan, can you tell us more about that?
We have defined the 21st Century skills for the Virginia Beach Outcomes for Student Success as follows: to be academically proficient; to be effective communicators and collaborators; to be globally aware, independent, responsible learners and citizens; to be critical and creative thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers.
We cannot assess these outcomes with multiple choice tests. So, we have identified those skills and aligned them to our growing curriculum. We determined that we can create performance-based assessments and utilize scoring rubrics to evaluate student mastery of these important outcomes. We are currently testing this with a few schools and hope to implement division-wide next year.
We are also thinking about surveying our students at the end of the online assessment to get their feedback. We have never done this but think that it would be very valuable information as students are our most valuable stakeholders
Are your teachers using the classroom-based testing tool yet?
We are currently field testing the ETS Item Bank for online classroom assessments. As mentioned earlier, we are very strategic in how we implement and rollout new initiatives. We have identified 10 schools, and asked each school to select a grade level or department to work with staff from central office to create common assessments for each grade level. The method is as follows: assess students using common assessments; analyze the results using data protocols; plan for necessary intervention; and reassess as appropriate. If this proves effective, then we will consider releasing it to all schools next year. We want this initiative to be closely tied to the work that we are doing with Professional Learning Communities. This is the reason why we are emphasizing the importance of developing common assessments across departments or grade levels as this will give teachers common student data to discuss. We don’t want teachers to work in isolation because it is important to continue to promote effective collaboration around student learning.
Are you using the parent portal?
We opened the parent portal up to parents of secondary students last year. We are witnessing in increase in parent participation and feedback has been very positive overall. It has created an open dialogue between parents and teachers. Parents are also able to see the gradebook. We don’t use Schoolnet’s gradebook, but parents can easily access our gradebook through the Schoolnet Parent Portal.
We are also looking to utilize the Student Portal this year so that students can follow their own academic progress and not just use the system to take assessments. In fact, we found that students were asking for it! One student in particular exclaimed, “You don’t need a Parent Portal, you need a STUDENT Portal!” Many students use the Parent Portal to see their grades and what their parents are seeing! Giving students access to their assessment results and daily progress is important to helping students develop into independent and responsible learners.
What are your takeaways in the approach to how you implemented Schoolnet and all your moving parts?
None of us realized the work and planning required in the implementation process. It has many parts that have to be implemented so it is important to be realistic when developing a roll-out plan.
To successfully implement all parts, we established a steering committee with the following subcommittees:
| - Elementary Curriculum | - Parent Portal |
| - Secondary Curriculum | - Teacher Web pages |
| - Local Assessments | - Media and Communications |
| - Data and Reporting | - Staff Training |
We really started making progress when we created these subcommittees as each team had responsibility for its focus area. The teams created action plans and were empowered to make necessary progress. In fact, we just had a year-end-review with the Schoolnet team and it was impressive to see what we have been able to accomplish with this model in place.
It’s fair to say that it did not start out this way as we had a rocky start from both ends. We had just finished the implementation of our gradebook (from another vendor) and the feedback from teachers indicated that we had implemented too quickly, and people weren’t quite ready for another technology solution. When we started working with Schoolnet, we overcompensated and almost moved too slowly. Once we created our current model of the sub-committees, necessary progress was made.. We are looking forward to continued, meaningful progress this year.
Jared, thank you so much for your time and sharing what’s happening at VA Beach Public Schools!
Events
Register for the Free Interactive Workshop: Data-Driven Achievement: The Key to Writing a Winning Innovation Grant Proposal
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Wednesday, November 4
2–3pm EST (11am-12pm PST)
Between now and the spring of 2010, $650 million in
Innovation Grants will be awarded to districts to help close the achievement gap and improve student performance. Now, make sure you get your fair share of this invaluable funding. Register now for this highly actionable, interactive workshop
and discover:
Learn how to win your fair share of the $650 million in Federal Innovation Grants that are about to be awarded.
- Discover how to write a compelling Grant proposal on using data to improve student achievement
- Learn about the different types of Grants that are available – and which type gives you the greatest chance to secure funding
- Get an up-close look at proven data-driven education programs in place at Cleveland MSD, Albemarle County Public Schools and DeKalb Public Schools
Don’t miss this important event. Register now!
Schoolnet In the News
NBC Philadelphia talks to a student at The School District of Philadelphia about StudentNet, Schoolnet's Student Portal. See the video
Albemarle County Public Schools Makes AYP with Help from Schoolnet. Read on
Back to School: Parents check student's progress from home.
Austin Independent School District engages parental involvement with Schoolnet's Parent Portal. Read on
ETS and Schoolnet, Inc Join Forces to Deliver Integrated Formative Assessment Solution to K-12 School Districts.
Schoolnet now offers the ETS researched and proven item banks as a preloaded option within the Schoolnet Suite. Read on
District's new StudentNet aimed at helping kids plan and organize.
The School District of Philadelphia uses Schoolnet's Student Portal. Read on
School Resources
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Could your school use $250,000?
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications under the Texas Secondary School Redesign and Restructuring Cycle 6 grant, offering up to $250,000 to approximately 10 eligible campuses.
Eligible campuses are those that have earned a rating of Academically Unacceptable (AU) for the 2008-2009 school year. The purpose of TSSRR Cycle 6 is to provide middle school, junior high and high school campuses rated AU with the resources to implement innovative, school-wide initiatives designed to improve student performance on the campus. Once selected for funding, grantees collaborate with regional education service center (ESC) 13 to assess needs. Next, grantees select approved service providers (i.e., educational partners with specific expertise in school redesign) from an approved vendor list supplied by TEA. Approved service providers work with grantees to identify resources and develop and implement a redesign plan.
Requesting the Application:
RFAs are no longer available in print. The announcement letter and complete RFA will be posted on the TEA website at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms for viewing and downloading. In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the RFA from the drop-down list. Scroll down to the “Application and Support Information” to view all documents that pertain to this RFA. Applications must be received in the Document Control Center of TEA by 5:00 PM (Central Time), Thursday, December 10, 2009, to be eligible to be considered for funding.
For Further Information:
For clarifying information about the RFA, contact Donnell Bilsky, Division of Discretionary Grants, TEA, (512) 463-9269.
Tips & Tricks
Amy Cook, Schoolnet’s Senior Instructional Designer, shares a few of her favorite tips. You can access all of Amy’s Tips and Tricks anytime at Schoolnet.com Tips & Tricks:
User Guides Available Online
In case you didn’t know, you can easily access User Guides at any time: go to My Schoolnet, and click on the “Take a Tour of Schoolnet” button at the top right of the page. This will bring you to a Support Library with PDFs of the latest user guides available for each product. In addition, you will also find release notes explaining the latest features.
Renaming Analysis Spreadsheet Columns
You can now rename analysis spreadsheet columns:
1. Set up and run your spreadsheet as usual.
2. Click Column Details.
3. Click the pencil icon next to the current column name.
4. Change as desired and click Save.
The renaming will 'stick' if you save or publish the columns.
Saving a Spreadsheet with Students
Did you know that now, with V.10, you can save an analysis spreadsheet in Account with or without students?
When you save columns, choose the option “Complete Report (Parameters + Student Set)”. The criteria that were used to display the students currently in the spreadsheet will be used the next time you view the saved columns.
Product Spotlight from the
Response to Intervention
Schoolnet is working in a module for Response to Intervention, which is due to be released in June 2010. RtI is a natural next step for Schoolnet, which already enables districts to assess students, manage curriculum, and analyze data, all from one centralized location.
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Schoolnet’s RtI solution will allow districts to efficiently implement, track and manage district-wide RtI initiatives. With Schoolnet’s RtI educators will be able to evaluate the needs of all students and quickly provide intervention to students who are falling behind. Teachers will identify struggling students, create, track and manage intervention plans, capture progress monitoring assessment data and deliver detailed reports to all constituents.
Leveraging the wealth of student information available in the Schoolnet Suite, Schoolnet’s RtI solution will make it easy for district- and school-level staff to define thresholds for at-risk students and systematically refer them for RtI programs. Teachers will use standards-based assessment data to accurately diagnose the individual strengths and weaknesses of each child with an RtI plan to help target instruction. At the same time, parents will be engaged in a variety of ways, including the ability to log in and track progress online.
From the Desk of Denis Doyle
Denis Doyle, is the publisher of the online educational Viewpoint: The Doyle Report.
Lessons Learned: The “New” Urban School District: As they say in the State Department, Governor Pawlenty (R-MN), chair of the SMHC National Task Force (Strategic management of Human Capital), and I had “a frank exchange of views” last year when I was gathering data on Montgomery County, MD. In response to Governor Pawlenty’s observation that few, if any, urban districts were doing well, I offered Montgomery County as an example of one “urban” district that was, continue reading.