When are the DC CAS scores published?

[Anonymous]

I am hoping someone on this forum knows when and how the DC CAS scores are typically released. I searched online but couldn't find any clear guidance. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

late July, I think

[Anonymous]

someone on this forum said that the drafts are already at schools, being reviewed. this was on a thread about how can Rhee be firing principals without the data. Last year it was late July / early Aug. Whatever the exact date, it was about 2 weeks after the promised date.

[Anonymous]

Washington teacher blog will likely leak them again this year.

If potential scores are the ONLY thing keeping a principal in place, then higher scores should not save them, right? Rhee often claims that scores aren't the only thing in performance measurement. Guess now's the time to prove it.

I get the sense that no matter what, the results will be spun to death, like NAEP gains despite consistent low rankings.

[Anonymous]

Draft scores are DEFINITELY NOT at schools. I agree with the PP who said July. Principals will have the scores about a week before they are published, in order to clear up any discrepancies with data.

[Anonymous]

Any word on scores? Web site says "Up in July"....

[Anonymous]

Don't hold your breath. Rhee needs time to "analyze the data" and figure out how to release it with the maximum spin.

[Anonymous]

Test scores can tell a lot more than most of us appreciate. Often what makes them challenging is that we don't have the the missing demographic information such has how many kids started at the beginning and ended that year or how these kids started out earlier in their school career. I here people criticize the tests all the time, but then they also make judgments on these same tests. Such as the statement I excerpted from above:


I get the sense that no matter what, the results will be spun to death, like NAEP gains despite consistent low rankings.

We are just as impatient as Rhee to get these scores up and in some cases, elementary schools it is easier than say taking a 15 year old still reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level to create meaningful change. From my perspective when I look at a school, I do look how much failure they have, but I also look at how many advanced, that more likely reflects the range of kids at a school. I look to see if they have big drops between grades, that tells me if they have a grade with potentially weak teachers. I look to see if their significant size or demographic changes from year to year so that I can see what type of change the school is experiencing. I honestly think a lot of us have issues with test scoring because we have math issues. I know their are very valid reasons not to completely rely on them but they are a pretty important part of understanding how well a school is serving its students. One more thing, DC was never really willing to put the money and effort (even if you hate Rhee, you can't doubt the effort) until numbers screamed at us about the level of failure within the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Test scores can tell a lot more than most of us appreciate. Often what makes them challenging is that we don't have the the missing demographic information such has how many kids started at the beginning and ended that year or how these kids started out earlier in their school career. I here people criticize the tests all the time, but then they also make judgments on these same tests. Such as the statement I excerpted from above:


I get the sense that no matter what, the results will be spun to death, like NAEP gains despite consistent low rankings.

We are just as impatient as Rhee to get these scores up and in some cases, elementary schools it is easier than say taking a 15 year old still reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level to create meaningful change. From my perspective when I look at a school, I do look how much failure they have, but I also look at how many advanced, that more likely reflects the range of kids at a school. I look to see if they have big drops between grades, that tells me if they have a grade with potentially weak teachers. I look to see if their significant size or demographic changes from year to year so that I can see what type of change the school is experiencing. I honestly think a lot of us have issues with test scoring because we have math issues. I know their are very valid reasons not to completely rely on them but they are a pretty important part of understanding how well a school is serving its students. One more thing, DC was never really willing to put the money and effort (even if you hate Rhee, you can't doubt the effort) until numbers screamed at us about the level of failure within the system.

Comparing socres between grades levels won't tell you whether the teachers are weak. The content is different. It's basically comparing apples to oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I look to see if they have big drops between grades, that tells me if they have a grade with potentially weak teachers. I look to see if their significant size or demographic changes from year to year so that I can see what type of change the school is experiencing.

When I see a grade that is weaker than the one above/ below, I think that the students in that grade are for some reason different, more OOB, more special needs, more discipline problems, etc. And I would hesitate to put my child in with that cohort. A friend removed her child from an almost JKLM school, saying the school was good, but the students in her child's grade were out of control discipline problems. I don't think that in one year teachers can help or hurt that much.

[Anonymous]

Comparing socres between grades levels won't tell you whether the teachers are weak. The content is different. It's basically comparing apples to oranges

I can see that issue, but you can see if that dip happens over several years. There is 3-5 years of data now that will tell a lot about a school.

[Anonymous]

what makes you think this data is valid or reliable?

[Anonymous]

832 raises good point about advanced numbers and lack of SLED data (e.g. switching between charter and DCPS). The pro charter FOCUS DC website seems to have interactive data trends. It still feels like a lot of work to use scores as part of choosing schools in DC. Almost feels irrelevant at elementary level given all the qualitative components of early years.

[Anonymous]

"an almost JKLM school" Isn't this like being a little pregnant? It either is a JKLM school, or it isn't.

[Anonymous]

The reason I am interested in test scores is that I believe in the school, but the scores will impact AYP grade and funding. I hope the school 'passed the test' so it can get on with its real goal, 'educating', without OSSE and NCLB breathing down its neck.