syracuse city school district june 2015 teaching is the core action plan

Syracuse C i ty School D istr ic tJune 2015

TEACHING IS THE COREACTION PLAN

Introduction and Overview

• Strategic Initiative 1.2 – Develop or acquire comprehensive assessment systemThe Situation

• Concern from educators and public that student assessment has become a distraction from educator’s core work

• Fine line between valuable, timely information and over-testing

The Challenge

• District-wide initiative aimed at improving the quality of tools our educators use to measure student learning

The Opportunity

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Table of Contents

3

Section SlidesTeaching is the Core – Overview 4-20

Assessment Framework and Strategy Recommendations 21-30

Changes to Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Plan 31-34

Steps to Implement Proposed Changes 35-38

Plan for Stakeholder Engagement 39-41

Grant Recipient Knowledge Sharing Timeline 42-43Explanation of Grant Funds 44-45

Teaching is the Core - Overview4

Section Overview

The following section provides an overview of the Teaching is the Core effort, what the district has accomplished to date and key findings from the assessment inventory summary and assessment review.

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Teaching is the Core - Purpose

Syracuse City School District (SCSD) recently concluded a comprehensive, district-wide effort aimed at improving the quality of assessment tools our educators use to measure student learning and inform teaching

The district worked with teams of teachers to do the following:

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Review the assessments currently in use across the district

Eliminate any assessments that do not contribute meaningfully to teaching and learning

Improve the quality of existing assessments

Support teachers to use assessments more effectively in the classroom

Three Phases - Overview7

PHASE THREE:Implement Action Plan

(May–August 2015)

Implement each component of the action plan and prepare for an improved district assessment system in the 2015–16 school year

PHASE TWO:Develop Action Plan(March–May 2015)

PHASE ONE:Review Current Assessments

(November 2014–February 2015)

Based on the results of the reviews, work with teacher review teams and other constituents to develop clear next steps to streamline and improve assessments

Establish a district-wide assessment strategy and framework

Conduct a comprehensive review of the local assessments schools are currently administering:

Administer a school survey to take inventory of current assessments

Identify and train teams of teachers to review current assessments and determine whether they are high-quality and meaningful

Recommend each assessment for elimination, replacement, modification or no change, and make notes of any important assessment gaps

Assessment Inventory Survey 8

Survey Administration

Between November 17 and December 19, 2014, each school was asked to complete a brief online survey to help identify assessments currently in use by Syracuse schools

Each school designated a representative (school leader or academic leadership team representative) to complete the survey on behalf of the school

Schools were asked to identify school-based assessments that met the following conditions: Administered by at least two teachers in the school Cover a period of instruction of a week or more

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Survey Content

We asked each school for three types of information:

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I. General School Information

Primary point of contact?

School Leader or Academic Leadership Team Rep.?

Grade levels served?

School’s name?

II. District-Supported Assessments

Which of these district supported assessments is

your school currently using (select all that apply)?

III. Other School-Based Assessments

What is the name of the assessment?

What type of assessment is it?

How widely is this assessment used in your school?

How did you obtain this assessment?

Information for School-Based Assessments11

What is the name of the assessment?

Fill-in the blank

response

What type of assessment is it?

Diagnostic

Quiz

Unit Test

Interim Assessment

Progress Monitoring

Summative Assessment

How widely is this assessment used in

your school?

By the entire school?

By an entire grade(s)?

By an entire subject(s) or course(s)?

By two or more teachers, but not an entire grade or

course?

How did you obtain this assessment?

The district provided it

It is part of our curriculum materials

We purchased it from an external vendor

We found it online

Someone in our school compiled it (item bank)

A team of educators at our school created it

An individual at our school created it

Other

Highlights of Survey Results

In addition to district-supported assessments, schools identified 63 additional school-based assessments that they currently administer to students

The majority (52%) are used by an entire subject(s) or course(s) within the school

42% were created by an individual or team of teachers at the school

39% are used for progress monitoring35% are interim assessments

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District Assessments Currently in Use13

Intensified Algebra Topic Assessments (Math, Algebra)APPR Interim Assessments (Social Studies, 6-8)

APPR Performance Tasks (CTE, 9-12)APPR Performance Tasks (World Languages, 7-12)

APPR Performance Tasks (Social Studies, 3-12)Fundations Unit Assessments (ELA, K-2)

AIMSweb Test of Early Literacy (ELA, K-3)Running Records Assessments (ELA, K-5)

APPR Performance Tasks (ELA, K-12)AIMSweb Tests of Math Computation (Math, K-8)

APPR Performance Tasks (Science, 3-12)EngageNY Module Assessment (Math, K-Algebra)

Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) (ELA, 4-8)APPR Performance Tasks (Math, K-12)

APPR Performance Tasks (Art, K-12)APPR Performance Tasks (Music, K-12)

SCSD Curriculum Unit Assessments (ELA, K-12)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 354

66

1017

182020

2223

242424

252929

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Survey Response Count

Curr

ent D

istr

ict A

sses

smen

ts

School-Based Assessments by Type 14

Diagnostic Quiz Unit test Interim Progress monitor-ing

Summative0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

24.6%

9.2%

27.7%

35.4%38.5%

15.4%

What type of assessment is it? (Select all that apply)

Type of School-Based Assessments

% o

f Ass

essm

ents

School-Based Assessments by Breadth of Use15

18.5%

16.9%

52.3%

10.8%

How widely is this assessment used in your school?(Select one option)

By the entire school

By an entire grade(s)

By an entire subject(s) or course(s)

By two or more teachers, but not an entire grade or course

Assessment Review16

Teacher Review Teams – Overview 17

Revi

ew T

eam

s Teams of teachers, organized by subject area, used a rubric to review the assessments currently in use across the district

Asse

ssm

ent P

lan Based on this analysis,

district leadership created a plan to streamline assessments that do not contribute meaningfully to teaching and learning and to improve the quality of other assessments

• 5 teacher review teams organized by subject areas: ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies and ESL, reviewed 27 assessments that represent multiple grade levels and most frequently used

• Review team members recommended by school, district and STA leadership• Each team consisted of 3-8 educators from elementary, middle and high schools• Teams used the rubric, came to consensus on overall rating and recommendation for each

assessment. Recommendations are to keep as is, modify, replace or eliminate

Assessment Review Rubric – Overview

The assessment rubric is made up of four components

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Category Questions to Consider

Observations and Evidence Rating

Assessment Review Rubric: Key Questions and Rating Scale

The rubric is organized around four key questions:Does the assessment measure learning standards? (customized

by content area)Does the assessment support learning goals?Does the assessment inform instruction?Does the assessment utilize different assessment techniques?

Reviewers used the rating scale to rate each indicator for all subjects and provide a summary rating:1=Does Not Meet, 2=Partially Meets, 3=Mostly Meets, 4=Fully Meets

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Source: New York State Education Department Teaching is the Core RFP: http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/rfp/sa-17/nysed-rfp-sa-17.pdf

Teacher Review Team Assessment Recommendations

• Teachers recommended that the majority of unit assessments be modified or eliminated

• The district maintained the spirit of review team recommendations and took as much information into account as possible to streamline assessments

Examples of streamlined assessments for SY 2015-16

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AIMSweb

Recommended for elimination

STAR

Recommended to keep with no changes

Engineering

Recommended for elimination (both intro.

to engineering and engineering part 2)

Assessment Framework and Strategy Recommendations

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Section Overview

The following section outlines SCSD’s assessment framework, belief statements, proposed assessment strategy for the 2015-16 school year and guidance for principals, teachers, parents and students.

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Assessment Framework Overview

The Assessment Framework provides information about the different types of assessments used by the Syracuse City School District to support student learning, the intended purpose and timing, content and modifications.

The Frequency of Assessments provides a snapshot of the number of each assessment type in a school year and when they typically occur.

Schools should use the district’s assessment framework as a guide for making decisions about how and when to administer school-based assessments (e.g., daily formative and/or unit assessments).

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SCSD Assessment Framework: Belief Statements

Assessments should be high-quality. We must make the most of the time students and teachers have together. Assessments must be aligned with rigorous standards and measure students’ abilities to think critically, synthesize material from multiple sources, analyze problems and justify responses.

Assessments should be part of a coherent system. Assessments should complement each other in a way that defines a coherent system of measures. This requires balance of different assessment types staggered across a school year to holistically capture student performance and growth. Assessments that provide similar information on teaching and learning should be eliminated.

Assessments should be meaningful. Assessments are critical to improving instructional practice in the classroom by arming stakeholders with the most important information. A robust assessment system is also empowering to students. Students should have access to assessment data so that they understand where they are in relationship to the goals they are setting for themselves. To best accomplish this, the results of assessments should be timely, transparent, disaggregated, and easily accessible to all stakeholders so they can interpret and analyze results.

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SCSD Assessment Framework25

Assessment Intended Purpose

Choice (timing, content, modifications)

“for learning”

Daily Formative

In the moment and Teacher Created Measure mastery of lesson component

Individual teachers with guidance from Grade-

Level Team

Lesson/Unit Assessment

Evaluate student knowledge relative to standards

Used to inform instruction Designed for quick feedback for teacher Grade-level team decisions about

modification

Grade-Level Teams with guidance from resources –

Scope and Sequence, foundational documents,

curriculum

Screening and Progress

Monitoring

Provide measure of growth within grades Adaptive Comparative evaluation of curriculum

Vendor/District

Paced Interim Paced to measure standards taught Multiple questions to inform instruction

District/School

“of learning”

Outcome Assessment

Meet state accountability requirements Measure mastery of grade level standard

State/Federal

Frequency of Assessments26

Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June

Lesson/Unit

Screening

Paced Interim

Outcome

SY 15-16 Assessment Strategy: Intended Changesas of May 27, 2015, pending local negotiations

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• Eliminate AIMSweb• Eliminate SRI • Add STAR (PK-12)• Expand ANet Interim Assessments (2-8)

Change #1: Eliminate assessments that are not aligned to SCSD strategic plan; add or expand assessments aligned to SCSD

strategic plan

• Eliminate school-based pre-assessments• Eliminate unit assessments that fall within a

week of interim assessments• Issue guidance to support schools to collect

relevant data about student progress while maximizing instructional time

Change #2: Eliminate extraneous assessments, when other rigorous

data are already available

• Eliminate APPR performance tasksChange #3: Where possible,

eliminate assessments that are only used for the purpose of evaluation

Based on the survey results, teacher review team recommendations and SCSD’s assessment framework, the district proposes the following changes for SY15-16:

EXAMPLE: SCSD 5th Grade Assessmentsas of May 27, 2015, pending local negotiations

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Assessment Current Assessments - # of Administrations in a Calendar Year

Proposed Assessments for SY15-16 - # of Administrations in a Calendar Year

“for learning” Daily Formative

Teacher-created assessments

Lesson/Unit Assessment

Math engageNY or Math Envision Topic – (6-16)

ELA SCSD Units – 5 Social Studies Alive! – 4 Science SCSD Units – 4 Running Record – 4

Math engageNY or Math Envision Topic – (4-12)

ELA SCSD Units – 3 Social Studies Alive! – 4 Science SCSD Units– 4 Running Record – Teacher discretion

Screening and Progress

Monitoring

Math AIMSweb – 3 ELA SRI – 3

Math TBD/STAR – 3 ELA SRI/STAR – 3

Paced Interim Math ANet – 3

ELA ANet – 3

No change (Expand Math and ELA ANet Districtwide)

Outcome

Assessment

Math NYS 3-8 – 1 ELA NYS 3-8 – 1 SPED NYS Alternative – 2 ESL NYSESLAT – 2

No change

“of learning”

Other

Social Studies Performance Task – 2 Science Performance Task – 2 Art Performance Task – 2 Music Performance Task – 2

Eliminate

Total 49 – 59 33 – 41

EXAMPLE: Current Frequency (5th Grade)29


Lesson/Unit

Screening

Paced Interim

Outcome

APPR Perform.

Tasks

Key:Math= ESL & SPED=ELA= Art=Science= Music= Social Studies=

EXAMPLE: Proposed SY15-16 Frequency (5th Grade)as of May 27, 2015, pending local negotiations

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Lesson/Unit

Screening

Paced Interim

Outcome

APPR Perform.

Tasks

Key:Math= ESL & SPED= ELA= Art= Science= Music= Social Studies=

Changes to APPR31

Section Overview

The following section outlines the proposed changes to APPR for the 2015-16 school year.

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Plan to Streamline Assessments for APPR in SY15-16as of May 27, 2015, pending local negotiations

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Current APPR Plan

60% Classroom Observations* 20% Growth Score:

• State-calculated growth score for ELA and Math

• Combination of SLOs and statewide assessment results for tested subjects with no pre-test (e.g., Regents courses)

• Building-wide growth score for non-tested subjects and grades

20% Local Measure: • APPR performance task

assessments for non-tested subjects and grades

Tentative APPR Plan for SY15-16

50% Classroom Observations* 50% Growth Score:

• State-calculated growth score for ELA and Math

• Combination of SLOs and statewide assessment results for tested subjects with no pre-test (e.g., Regents courses)

• Building-wide growth score for non-tested subjects and grades

*Final weights for all APPR measures will be set by NYSED by June 30.

Plan to Implement Proposed Changes to APPR in SY15-16as of May 27, 2015, pending local negotiations

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June 30 State issues final APPR

guidance to districts

September-OctoberDistrict submits proposed changes for approval to

NYSED

May 27District presents plan for initial

approval by Superintendent and Board

July-AugustSTA and district agree to final

changes to APPR plan

September 2015-June 2016SCSD implements new APPR

plan for all teachers

Steps to Implement Proposed Changes

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Steps to Implement Proposed Change #1: Add or Eliminate Assessments to Align to SCSD Strategic Plan

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Key Activities Departments and Key Staff Key Dates Status

Terminate vendor contracts for assessments that have been eliminated (AIMSWeb); Discontinue SRI administration

Office of Teaching and Learning Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer; Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

January 2015 Complete

Incorporate cost of new assessments in SY15-16 Teaching and Learning budget


January 2015 Complete

Implement stakeholder engagement plan to introduce new assessments to key stakeholders (see slides 39-40 for details)

Office of Teaching and LearningPaula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer; Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

January 2015-August 2015

In progress

Submit Teaching and Learning budget to Supt. and Board for approval


March 2015 Complete

Execute agreements with vendors to administer new assessments in SY15-16 (STAR and ANet)


April 2015 –July 2015

In progress

Select one school to pilot new assessments (STAR) Office of Teaching and Learning Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer; Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

May 2015 In progress

Run new assessment pilot (STAR) to test technology needs and capacity

Office of Teaching and Learning and Office of AccountabilityNathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and LearningBrandan Keaveny, Chief Accountability Officer

May 2015 -June 2015

In progress

Coordinate Offices of Teaching and Learning and Student Accountability to determine technology needs to administer assessments in Fall 2015

Office of Teaching and Learning and Office of AccountabilityNathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and LearningBrandan Keaveny, Chief Accountability Officer

May 2015 –July 2015

In progress

Steps to Implement Proposed Change #2: Eliminate Extraneous Assessments and Issue Guidance on Administration

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Develop key messages and draft guidance for various stakeholder groups


May 2015 –June 2015 In progress

Develop stakeholder engagement plan to introduce guidance to key stakeholders (see slides 39-41 for details)


May 2015 – Sept 2015 In progress

Draft assessment administration guide for principals and teachers


July 2015 Not started

Implement stakeholder engagement plan to introduce new assessments to key stakeholders (see slides 39-41 for details)


August 2015 Not started

Steps to Implement Proposed Change #3: Where Possible, Eliminate Assessments Used Only for Evaluation

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Present plan to Superintendent and Board Office of Teaching and Learning Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer; Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

May 2015 In progress

Implement stakeholder engagement plan to introduce new APPR plan to stakeholders (see slides 39-41 for details)

Office of Talent ManagementJeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

May 2015 –October 2015

In progress

Negotiate changes to APPR with STA Office of Talent ManagementJeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

July 2015 –August 2015

Not started

Submit new APPR plan with changes for approval to NYSED

Office of Talent ManagementJeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

September 2015 – October 2015

Not started

Plan for Stakeholder Engagement39

Stakeholder Engagement Plan40

Key Activities Key Dates Deliverable(s) Key Staff

Present plan to Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council

Jan–May 2015 FAQ for teachers and Action plan deck Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Present plan to College, Career and Civic Ready Work Group (C3)

Jan–May 2015 Action plan deck Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Present plan to Educational Work Session May 2015 Action Plan deck Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer

Post plan on SCSD website June 2015 Action plan deck Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Present plan to principals during Leadership Summit July 2015 FAQ for principals, assessment administration guide, Action Plan deck

Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Present plan to principals during Leadership Institute August 2015 FAQ for principals, assessment administration guide, Action Plan deck

Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer

Present plan to teachers during Summer PD August 2015 FAQ for teachers, assessment administration guide, Action Plan deck


Present plan to coaches during Coaching Academies August 2015 FAQ for teachers, assessment administration guide, Action Plan deck


Email blast to all parents with summary of changes September 2015

Constant Contact email blast/FAQ for parents

Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Print short blurb explaining changes in Superintendent Parent Newsletter

September 2015

Newsletter summary blurb Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan to SCSD Parent Advisory Council Sept – Oct 2015 FAQ for parents and Action Plan deck Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan at SCSD Parent University Sept – Oct 2015 FAQ for parents and Action Plan deck Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan to Student Advisory Council Sept – Oct 2015 FAQ for students Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer

Post community flyers and hold information sessions Sept – Oct 2015 1-page flyer with information session Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Print short blurb in SCSD Staff Newsletter Sept – Oct 2015 Newsletter/Summary blurb Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Family and Community Engagement Plan41

Key Activities Key Dates Deliverable(s) Key Staff

Post plan on SCSD website June 2015 Action plan deck Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Email blast to all parents with summary of changes

Sept 2015 Constant Contact email blast/FAQ for parents Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan to SCSD Parent Advisory Council

Sept-Oct 2015 FAQ for parents and Action Plan deck Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan at SCSD Parent University Sept-Oct 2015 FAQ for parents and Action Plan deck Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Present plan to Student Advisory Council Sept-Oct 2015 FAQ for students Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer

Print short blurb explaining changes in Supt Parent Newsletter

Sept-Oct 2015 Newsletter summary blurb Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management

Post community flyers and host information sessions

Sept-Oct 2015 1-page flyer in community centers and churches; Action Plan deck and FAQs for community members


Grant Recipient Knowledge Sharing Timeline

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Knowledge Sharing and Dissemination43

Key activities Key Dates Resources/Deliverable(s) Key Staff

Share SCSD process and plan or streamlining assessments with Race to the Top states

January 2015 & May 2015

Presentation on the Reform Support Network’s Streamlining Assessments Webinar Series


Collaborate on publication of an Assessment Review Toolkit (in partnership with Education First and the Achievement Network)

June 2015 Assessment Review Toolkit Nathan Franz, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning

Share SCSD Teaching is the Core planning resources with peer grantees (through secure NYSED network and/or Dropbox folder)

June 2015 Action Plan Assessment Review Rubric Assessment Inventory Survey


Share SCSD Teaching is the Core communications/stakeholder engagement deliverables with peer grantees (through secure NYSED network and/or Dropbox folder)

August 2015 Key messaging materials for principals, teachers, parents and students (e.g., letters, flyers, FAQs, etc)


SCSD is committed to sharing knowledge and resources generated through this project with peer grantees and with the broader community.

Explanation of Grant Funds44

Explanation of Grant Funds

SCSD has budgeted for the implementation of the Teaching is the Core Action Plan.

The major costs around procurement and administration of screening and progress monitoring assessments will be funded by the A-fund for school year 2015-16.

SCSD shifted the work from temporarily grant-funded to a permanent component of the core budget.

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syracuse city school district june 2015 teaching is the core action plan

Documents

assessment review

schoolbased assessments

school survey

student assessment

assessment framework

school schools

assessment inventory

core action plan slide