The New Standards Reference Exam is an assessment which measures student achievement against a specific criterion standard in all three areas of basic skills, conceptual understanding and problem solving. The results shown below indicate that, contrary to the common misconception that students are weakest in basic skills, it is in conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills that our students and students across the nation have the greatest need for support. Following two years of work developing a common vision and two years implementing our plan, we appreciate the hard work and patience needed for organizational change. We are becoming more adept at using data to help us think about our work. The kinds of data that we are using have expanded along with the ways that we are using them.
Continuous improvement depends on continuous use of information.
Setting achievement targets on student assessments and measuring progress toward the target is becoming a more natural part of our routine. Collaboration among teachers has expanded beyond the sharing of curriculum ideas to include collaboration on common assessments and discussions about the instructional implications of student performance. Strong leadership is essential at each school site. Our Teacher Leadership Team and principals are the lynchpins without whom this effort could not succeed. Next Steps We want to explore ways to link elementary science and literacy so that they do not compete for valuable time in the school day.