How I prepare for Data Team

I am posting this entry in real time and will contribute each day,

It's Thursday, one week before Data Team.  I send out an email reminding the team that data will be held on Thursday (I have already sent out calendar invites with all of the data team meetings for the year, so they all have the meetings on their calendars). In the email I outline the requirements for the various prizes (The google doc filled out=Bronze, at least 50% of student goals graphed or an intervention=Silver, at least 50% of student goals graphed and an intervention=Gold), and gently suggest that they spread out graphing.

Friday: One of my overachievers has already sent me graphs for 100% of goals. I sent out my first Shout out! "Woo hoo! We have an overachiever and our first Silver medal winner!  M. has sent me her graphs!  I can't wait to see what the rest of the team can do!" 

Saturday: I post the folder for this month's data team on the google drive and share with the team. So far it contains the  Intervention Idea Generation Helper, Working Agreements, and Excel Helper documents. In addition to sharing the resources, I remind teachers that they can upload their graphs directly to the google drive, and that they should notify me when their AIMSweb graphs are ready so that I know when to review them.

Sunday: Picked up some extra apples and oranges for the team during my grocery shopping trip.  I have candy left over from Halloween, so that saves me some money (Yea!).

Monday: I sent out an email with the Intervention Idea Generation Helper. That's right I have it in two places; redundancy is a good thing.  I also send out an email challenging teachers to send me their graphs. It's 9:00 pm and no one has taken me up on my offer.  Tomorrow is another day.  We have gift cards people!!

Tuesday: No one sends me any graphs, so I send out this message, "Hello Team,

Will no one accept my challenge to go for the Silver medal?  I know you can do it ladies, send me your graphs!" 

Wednesday: Now we have some action. The graphs are poring in.  We have Shout out 2! "Challenge met!! We have 2 more silver medal winners! B. and P.!  Way to go! Who will be next?"  Shout out 3! "All right! We have 2 more team mates who have risen to the challenge. We now have 5 out of 8 teachers with graphing complete.  The meeting is tomorrow; can we make it 8/8? T., M. and L. you can do it!! For our Silver medalists. Enter a student you need help with on the Data Team Summary tab under todays date (3 sets down).  Let's see some Gold Medalists!  We have gift cards."

Thursday: Today is the day! I send out my last few Shout outs. "Whoopie! L. has joined the ranks of the Silver medalists! That's 6/8! I know T. is in process and will have her graphs in soon! However, we have a PROBLEM. No one has entered any students that are in need of interventions. That means that no one has the opportunity to win a gold medal,and more importantly, the team has less of a chance of leaving the meeting with a comprehensive plan for their students.
So...Please enter your students in the Data Summary page under the section titled 11/16/17 (the 3rd section down)." and "We have 100% participation with graphing!!! You guys rock! See you soon, with your laptops!"  I fill my bowls with candy and fruit. I gather my Silver prizes (folders, notebooks, spinners, fidget toy); no gold medals today.  I have my agenda and CCI set up and I am ready to go.

4Ps of Assessment and the New Improved Google Doc

New team, new Google doc .  I have prepared a slightly altered Google doc for this additional team. One that will hopefully help this team wrap their head around the whole 4 P thing and start thinking about the four areas of assessment as part of their daily practice. Of course I will not be expecting this team to be ready to fill out the doc with information on all three areas (the fourth area is summativ

e and won't be appropriate until later in the year).  Data team is a process of growth for everyone. My hope for our first meeting is that most teachers will have filled out most on their Predicting data and a few teacher will have filled out their progress monitoring data. I would be very exited if one or two teachers filled out information about the area of need and current interventions for the child they want to talk about (But that would be like Christmas!) New processes are hard and any paperwork may feel like the straw that broke the Special Education Teacher's back. I understand this and I understand that until a teacher gets a taste of getting better feedback and intervention because she was pre-prepared, she will see this as just another task.  Of course I will be giving out incentives and lots of Shout Outs! Who knows, I may be surprised!

For the details: The new doc separates the Current SSD/Partner District data column (column F) into three columns (F-H), one each for Predicting data, Planning data, and Progress Monitoring data. Each column has examples of the type of data that is intended.  The column for Progress Updates now reads Progress Updates/Performance Data.

4 P's of Assessment

I have been asked to provide extra support for a new elementary data team. Yea!  They need some help with the 4 P’s of Assessment.  You may wonder what the 4 P’s of assessment are.  So did my team.  The exciting news is that the 4 P’s are the answer to the biggest question of our new reality as special educators.  WHY DO WE TEST SO MUCH?  Well, I will tell you why; because each type of assessment that we give serves a different and equally important purpose. We use a Predicting assessment at the beginning of the year, or when we get a new student, to get a baseline for where that child is functioning. We then use a Planning assessment at any time of the year to identify strengths, weaknesses, and skill gaps.  Progress Monitoring assessment is formative assessment that is used year round to measure gains and guide instruction. Performance assessments are used at the end of units, courses, or the year as outcome, summative measures of accomplishments.

I don’t know if you will love or hate me for this but, you can use the 4 P’s for social/behavioral skills too; it’s not just for academics!

 

Now that you know why we assess; I bet you are wondering how you can get your hands on some assessment materials.  Below is a list with links to a variety of assessment tools and resources. Some you may know, some you may not.  Academic assessments are first.  Behavior assessments are second, as they are likely to be less familiar and need some explanation. 

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT TOOLS/RESOURCES

Predicting- Screening assessment done with all students, provided information about knowledge and skills bases of students.

 Examples:

AIMSweb benchmarking, FastBridge benchmarking , easyCBM benchmarking, DIBELS benchmarking, District Screening Assessments (e.g., STAR, eValuate, iReady , Galileo)

Planning- Diagnostic assessment, used to identify specific strengths and weakness, or specific skill gaps.

Examples:

Running records, Really great reading placement tests for intervention programs, Jerry Johns basic Reading Inventory, authentic assessment, student reflection, working/growth portfolios, DRA test scores with skill analysis, video tape of student.

Progress Monitoring- More frequent, formative assessments that helps determine whether students are making adequate progress, and guides ongoing modification of instruction.

Examples:

AIMSweb, FastBridge, easyCBM, DIBELS, video tape of student, tape recorded samples (of reading), student self-evaluation and feedback, process/progress/growth portfolios

Performance- Mastery or outcome assessment to provide data on existing accomplishments and program evaluation.

Examples: MAP/MAP-A/ EOC, end of course examination, chapter or unit exam, showcase portfolios

 BEHAVIOR/SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS/RESOURCES

Predicting- Screening assessment done with all students, provided information about knowledge and skills bases of students.

Examples:

Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE): The Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS) is a free-access tool, that measures both the original externalizing behaviors and more recently internalizing behaviors. All items rated on the same 4-point Likert-type scale: never = 0, occasionally = 1, sometimes = 2, frequently = 3. Items include the original 7 items (1) steal; (2) lie, cheat, sneak; (3) behavior problem; (4) peer rejection; (5) low academic achievement; (6) negative attitude; and (7) aggressive behavior, and newly added and retained items (8) emotionally flat; (9) shy, withdrawn; (10) sad, depressed; (11) anxious; and (12) lonely. (ci3t.org)

Strengths and Difficulties Questionaire (SDQ):  is a free-access screening tool for use with students ages 2 to 17. The SDQ allow schools to determine how students are progressing over time. The 25-item SDQ screening tool is available in many languages. One page is completed on each student, asking for about 25  attributes rated on a 3-point Likert-type scale where 0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, and 2 = certainly true . The 25 attributes divide between five scales:1. Emotional Symptoms, 2. Conduct Problems, 3. Hyperactivity / Inattention, 4. Peer Relationship Problems, 5. Prosocial Behavior and Total Difficulties (sum of first four scales)The SDQ considers input from teacher, parent, and student perspectives. (Lane, Menzies, Oakes, & Kalberg, 2012). (cit3.org)

Planning- Diagnostic assessment, used to identify specific strengths and weakness, or specific skill gaps.

Examples: 

Teacher observations: Microsoft word behavior data tools , Excel behavior data tools, SSD SEB data tools.

Progress Monitoring- More frequent, formative assessments that helps determine whether students are making adequate progress, and guides ongoing modification of instruction.

Examples:

Strengths and Difficulties Questionaire (SDQ), FastBridge

Direct Behavior Record (DBR) is a method of data collection that quantifies the presence of a behavior on a simple scale. After a set period of time, the teacher rates the student from 1-10, usually based on the percentage of time the student displayed the behavior. 

Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was developed to assess the effects of treatment and has been used to monitor the general well-being of an individual over time. The ATEC consists of four subtests: I. Speech/Language Communication (14 items); II. Sociability (20 items); III. Sensory/ Cognitive Awareness (18 items); and IV. Health/Physical/Behavior (25 items).

Performance- Mastery or outcome assessment to provide data on existing accomplishments and program evaluation.

 Examples: 

Soft skills on report cards (attitude/work habits) , student led IEP conferences