A screening tool for student performance in Springfield Public Schools showed encouraging results in a mid-year report.
The Springfield Board of Education on Feb. 13 heard an update about mid-year assessments performed through Galileo, a computerized screening system used by teachers in each school and at most grade levels. Teachers had the chance to tell board members about some specifics of classroom instruction.
Teachers and administrators from Hillcrest High School, Pipkin Middle School and Disney Elementary School spoke to board members, based on high performance results from their students. They're using the screening system to track how well students are preparing for the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests given annually near the end of an academic year.
The mid-year update showed growth rates across the school district that surpassed expected targets in virtually all but two categories of math classes. Only eighth grade math students and geometry students did not meet expected growth targets, according to a presentation shown to the board.
In English language arts, four of 11 grades — first, second, seventh and eighth — surpassed their growth expectations.
The report also showed the amount of students reaching proficient levels between assessments at the school year’s start compared with the halfway point. First through fourth grade students surpassed English growth targets, as did seventh and 10th graders. In math, fourth graders and algebra 2 students surpassed growth targets.
“I think it’s encouraging for teachers and it’s encouraging for students that we are seeing growth on the grade level standards,” said Crystal Magers, SPS executive director for academics. “The growth data is most important. We want to have students be proficient, but we know that we have to grow students to get there.”
The results showed more students moving toward a level where they will score at least proficient in state testing. Nicole Holt, deputy superintendent of academics, said that the mid-year report shows an encouraging number of students moving toward proficient levels — an important measure in the testing portion of how Missouri school districts will receive state accreditation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The tests through Galileo help teachers plan lessons, as well as strategies for teaching those lessons.
“The data that we are able to turn to, and provide back to teachers who can use it, is what actually promotes the teaching and learning,” Holt said during the meeting. “We have been spending a lot of time getting ourselves prepared and prepped for this good work. It did not start just this year.”
Teachers working together
Teachers working in collaborative groups is a key element of SPS' strategy to improve test scores. Comprised of similar types of teachers, the groups are often guided by coaches who help analyze results and measure a combination of which lessons have been learned, and which types of teaching tactics were effective.
Through observational sessions, teachers are getting more information about restlessness among students that can lead to distractions or behavior problems, said Pipkin Middle School principal Duane Cox.
As an example, Cox mentioned that an observer might notice students disengaging with a lesson after about 10 minutes. To deal with that, teachers can change up their tactics.
“Here’s what we are seeing going on in the classroom with students,” Cox said. “When we are talking and working with them on lesson planning, what instructional strategies are being used at this time frame? And how do those impact this engagement? That’s where we marry the curricular and behavior pieces together.”
Debbie Lambeth, a learning coach at Pipkin Middle School, said one-on-one sessions are also used for more deliberate coaching.
The use of teams helps identify subjects where students need more work, said Nick Kroll, principal of Hillcrest High School. That school’s professional learning teams meet on Wednesdays during a late start to the day for students.
Dialing down the testing data
Galileo data helps narrow down exactly what needs more reinforcement, said Chelsea Russell-Ice, an English 2 teacher at Hillcrest.
“That is where we utilize our time to possibly look back at what we’ve done in our curriculum pacing,” Russell-Ice said. “To look at where we are and to look ahead, and especially if we need to do any kind of readjustment reteaching in the classroom. Where Galileo has helped us a lot is being really intentional with what we’re doing in the classroom.
Galileo has helped usher a cultural shift, said Lori Elliott, principal of Disney Elementary, where teachers are able to better determine why a lesson doesn’t stick with students.
“If one of our students didn’t learn something, what is it that we are missing, and how do we want them to learn it? What do we need to do to adjust our instruction?” Elliott said. “We aren’t looking at how students need to adjust to our instruction. We are adjusting to them, and that data has allowed us to dive into that.”
Next steps
Holt said her team will be visiting schools that struggled with meeting growth targets, in advance of another assessment in March, and upcoming MAP tests, which start on the week of April 22.
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