When are the DC CAS scores published?

[Anonymous]

When you are actually in a DCPS school you can see the test scores more accurately for that school. There has been a huge demographic shift at my DS's school- basically from 90% OOB for current 3rd graders to 100% in boundary for pre-K. It's going to look like a miracle over the next few years, but it's not. It's completely different kids being tested. There has also been quite a bit of teacher turnover and for the most part the strongest teachers have stayed.

[Anonymous]

The test scores by themselves cannot tell you anything definitive about the reason for a drop or even a rise. One year our DCPS ES did not make AYP because the sub-group of special education did not meet it's goals on the DC CAS. You could hear parents of non-special ed children wondering aloud "What has happened to our wonderful special ed department?". In fact, nothing had happened, it was the same mediocre to poor program it had always been. The difference was in this particular year there were enough special ed students to make up a sub-group that "counted", the magic number being 25. All the special ed parents were glad that this was coming to light. I am explaining this to illustrate that schools can have hidden weaknesses that test scores or AYP status may not show. When you are looking at a schools test scores you should look at the details to see how the school does with a child most like yours.

[Anonymous]

Certainly. If only NCLB and OSSE made such a nuanced assessment.

[Anonymous]

I just assume that everyone looks at the more detailed scores, that is the only useful data. I agree you see one group such as special education that may not affect your child, so you can have a reasonable assurance that your not walking into a disaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just assume that everyone looks at the more detailed scores, that is the only useful data. I agree you see one group such as special education that may not affect your child, so you can have a reasonable assurance that your not walking into a disaster.

You can analyze that data till you're blue in the face. It doesn't tell you anything helpful.

[Anonymous]

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

WHAT?!?! Are you insane? If you see a pattern where, for example, you see Grades 3, 4, 5 and 7 hovering between 55 and 65 percent proficient and Grade 6 is at 40%, you best believe that you can infer that the Grade 6 teachers are weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can analyze that data till you're blue in the face. It doesn't tell you anything helpful.

If you want to put your head in the sand, then go on ... those of us who have the ability to use reason and logic will continue to make use of the data and will make more informed decisions based (partially) on that data.

[Anonymous]

You are assuming that this data is valid and reliable. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Comparing scores[sic] between grades levels won't tell you whether the teachers are weak. The content is different. It's basically comparing apples to oranges."

WHAT?!?! Are you insane? If you see a pattern where, for example, you see Grades 3, 4, 5 and 7 hovering between 55 and 65 percent proficient and Grade 6 is at 40%, you best believe that you can infer that the Grade 6 teachers are weak.

What I would do in this instance is look at the previous year's data. How did grade 5 do the year before, and grade 4 the year before that? Although there is quite a bit of fluctuation in which students attend a school from year to year, it is certainly possible that there is a cohort moving through the school, that for whatever reason is weaker than the class above and below.

I would also look at grade 6 the year before, and the year after. I would then need to know the school well enough to know if the same teachers were teaching grade 6 every year. . . . .

[Anonymous]

Scores released today, according to the Post, Fenty press conference at Ballou.

[Anonymous]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/dc-elementary-test-scores-show.html

secondary - up
elementary - down

[Anonymous]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/how-charter-schools-stack-up-c.html

I started another thread as this might be worthy of its own discussion as it unfolds. When you look at the results, it looks like the new test was introduced and children did poorly. More training for the test was put into place--but DCPS appears to be 'plateauing'. Given that each year DCPS has poured more and more effort into test prep, well, I am very curious about how to interpret this in relation to Rhee's 'record'.

[Anonymous]

The new DCPS middle class families are in younger grades, not in testing years. I don't think you'll see a change until those kids are in DCPS for a while.

[Anonymous]

What will be interesting is to see where schools dipped. Coming from a school that dipped last year a number of issues shifted in our student population, teachers and even principal.

[Anonymous]

Another thing to consider is that many 6th grade classes were shifted from elementary to middle schools last year. Were these scores counted for elementary last year but for secondary this year?