How to Raise Your School's Proficiency Scores
No Child Left Behind Demands Higher Scores Each Year
Sep 16, 2009
Is testing becoming more important than the entire child in education? Apparently so with No Child Left Behind in place under the Obama administration. Few changes have been made from the Bush era. A San Diego school has found a formula for success and is sharing it.
Low Achievers With Ability for Improvement are Targeted
Every school has student tiers. There are the
- Top students who perform up to their ability
- Average students who perform up to their ability
- Low students who perform up to their ability
Then, there is that group of students who have great potential but score low for various reasons. It could be that they have test anxieties, dyslexia, an illness, emotional issues, or they may belong to the dreaded "I Don’t Care Club."
San Marcos Unified School District’s Wake Up Plan
San Marcos made the decision that the infamous "I Don’t Care Club" would be the focus of a new intervention. Students with potential would no longer be hibernating during the school year. What were the results? Scores are up in nearly every grade and every subject area. Proficiency scores were up by 10 percent or more in language arts. Math was also up at several grade levels. What did this school do to achieve success?
The four-fold plan was a combination of common sense, best practices, research, and reviewing the skills of the under-performing students.
First, teachers got better acquainted with the district’s standards and closely studied the state exams to match test components with what was being taught in the classrooms.
Next, teachers changed teaching methods. They focused on
- What motivated students
- How to keep students engaged throughout the lesson time
- Preparing students for learning
- Checking for learning at the end of the lesson
- Helping students remember new material
After that they established guideposts. Student progress was tested weekly, quarterly and annually.
Finally there was collaboration. Teachers were given time to talk to each other about the best test taking strategies.
Minority Students Show Impressive Progress
There was a gap between various groups within the district. Hispanic students make up 48 percent of the students in the San Marcos District and made significant progress under this intervention. 6th grade Hispanic students rose from 41 percent proficient to 58 percent. 7th grade Hispanic students rose from 42 percent proficient to 52 percent proficient. 10th grade Hispanic students rose from 30 percent proficient to 40 percent. [1]
Across the board, the district saw large improvements in scores. However, the impact is more than merely raising scores for No Child Left Behind. The self-esteem of low achieving students was raised. Students received individualized instruction. Study skills were improved for future learning. Students were more motivated to learn. And, perhaps, dropout rates will be reduced. One could make the assumption that students who are more successful in school and are confident in their ability to achieve success are more likely to graduate and go on to further their education.
[1] Lieberman, Bruce."Program boosting district’s scores," SignOnSanDiego.com, September 13, 2009.
Related article: School Proficiencies Inconsistent
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