http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/ Online Education Blog – LetsGoLearn.com en rcapone@letsgolearn.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-22T06:17:24+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/student_growth_objectives_and_lets_go_learn/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/student_growth_objectives_and_lets_go_learn/#When:06:17:24Z Last week I met with a large New Jersey school district.  I ended up reading the entire Achieve New Jersey document on student growth objectives (SGOs) on the plane ride home.  We have always known that our assessments can be used to measure student growth, which in turn is being driven by teacher evaluation, but it finally hit me that we can play a very interesting role in this whole process.  As many people know, NWEA has been getting a lot of bad press because its MAPS assessment is being used extensively for teacher evaluation.  But the reason teachers are upset is that when a summative score is used to inflexibly evaluate teachers, results can be misleading.  And MAPS is primarily used as a summative assessment. For example, two teachers have classes of 30 students.  One teacher has 3 students with diagnosed behavior issues.  The other does not.  A simple measure looking at mastery of grade-level standards will statistically result in a lower score for the teacher with these 3 students with behavior issues.  That is because statistically, 3 out of 30 is significant.  Also, 3 students who are multiple years below grade level will significantly throw off some statistical measures, such as averages.  With this said, student growth objectives, or SGOs, if implemented correctly, can offer a more flexible means of measuring a wider range of objectives.  In New Jersey, as in other race-to-the-top states, SGOs are happening.  But what we can do to help these districts is provide a way for teachers to measure skills by which they choose to be measured for their particular classes.  In New Jersey, for instance, a teacher will be able to decide that he or she is going to focus on phonics mastery for the class.  Then the teacher will perhaps use DORA's Phonics sub-test for pre- and post-measurement.  Next, looking at the make-up of this teacher’s specific class, the principal and teacher can decide that the target is 60% mastery at grade level by the end of the year, or possibly set two or more targets for two or more groups.  Likewise, another teacher, teaching the same grade as the first teacher, may determine that his or her class is actually already good at decoding so may focus instead on vocabulary development.  What is great about this is that it is allowing teachers to set personalized goals for their specific classes.  This is moving towards personalized learning.  Our next goal is to develop some tools that will make this plan easier for districts to implement.  We've already proto-typed these and will probably deploy them in the summer.  If anyone has comments about this topic, please email me or comment below.  Thank you. Common Core, Assessments, Experts, Richard Capone, CEO, Let’s Go Learn 2013-05-22T06:17:24+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/how_can_my_district_prepare_for_the_new_common_core_state_standards_online_/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/how_can_my_district_prepare_for_the_new_common_core_state_standards_online_/#When:17:19:16Z Last weekend I presented at the California Math Council conference in Asilomar, California, and a month earlier at the council’s Palms Spring conference. I presented on the technology implications of the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) state test. I defined “adaptive assessment” for the audience and discussed the logistics of online testing, and we had a super discussion on the entire topic. Last weekend I presented at the California Math Council conference in Asilomar, California, and a month earlier at the council’s Palms Spring conference.  I presented on the technology implications of the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) state test.  I defined “adaptive assessment” for the audience and discussed the logistics of online testing, and we had a super discussion on the entire topic.  (My slides - PDF) Here are some of the questions and concerns that emerged about CCSS and the upcoming Smarter assessment. How many computers will we need to test all our students? What is computer adaptive testing? How can adaptive testing be used on a summative state assessment? What will the test look like? How can free response questions be used in an assessment? Is the state test going to be valid if they use open or free responses? Will the tests work on iOS or iPads? What is the difference between the summative SBAC assessment and the interim assessments? What is the difference between SBAC and PARCC? How can we prepare for the new CCSS assessment? Before I answer these questions, I want to point out that many teachers and administrators present were concerned about whether the new state tests would be fair or valid given that many of the CCSS were potentially very hard to assess.  For instance, higher-level thinking and problem solving were areas of real concern.  I and others in the audience tried to put things in perspective.  The CCSS are here.  They reflect a shift toward instructional standards that is necessary for long-term student growth and readiness for college and careers.  With that said, districts cannot control how well SBAC or PARCC develop their assessments.  But schools and districts can adopt instructional practices to teach students for the long term:  not teaching to the test, not focusing solely on skills-based exercises, including higher-level thinking and problem-solving strategies in our curriculum, etc.  Of course, the idea of a new online state test is a scary prospect, so the focus remained on discussing and debating the implications of SBAC.  Q: How many computers will we need to test all our students? A:  The testing window for the year-end summative test is currently set to 12 weeks.  This means that one or two labs of computers may be sufficient for a school of 500.  I pointed out that in our experience, schools were able to test their students with our assessments using only one lab.  I recommended that schools that only have one lab work to have two labs or approximately 60 computers.  This could mean 30 computers and 30 touch screen devices.  Q: What is computer adaptive testing? A: Adaptive testing allows the test to adjust to the student in real-time.  It serves to reduce student frustration and improve the quality of the assessment by not wasting precious testing time with questions that are clearly too hard or too easy for a student.  In the case of our assessments, even at-risk students walk away feeling good about how they did.  Let’s Go Learn works on a set level, and once we know a student can’t master a construct such as short-vowel, there is no reason to give him or her the full set of 5-8 questions.  We stop and move on to something easier within the same sub-test or on to a new sub-test. Q: How can adaptive testing be used on a summative state assessment? A: There was a lot of worry because in an adaptive assessment students are not all given the same questions.  Therefore, concerns were raised as to whether the test could provide normative results—for example, Student A is at the 45th percentile, etc.  I explained that this is not a concern.  In adaptive tests, all items are statistically scaled prior to the real assessment.  The modern statistical methods used today allow adaptive tests to be norm-referenced.  I am 100% confident in this and it should not be a concern at all.  Q: What will the test look like? A: SBAC has release items on their site:  (http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample-items-and-performance-tasks/) Q: How can free response questions be used in an assessment?  AND Q: Is the state test going to be valid if it uses open or free responses? A: The questions surrounding open or free response brought a lot of heated discussion.  First, I clarified that open or free response does not always mean the question will be hard to score.  In the case of certain math or spelling questions, free response is easy to score and reduces the chance of guessing.  If the answer to a math problem is “15.8,” allowing the student to enter a free response reduced the chances of guessing from 25% in a four-choice multiple choice question to almost 0% in an open response question. However, I think the greatest concern related to the category of written free responses.  Teachers and administrators were concerned that having either humans or an automated system review the responses might lead to inaccurate results.  There is a rubric that is supposed to be used for the scoring.  But here is what I stated, in sum:  SBAC is not going to be using items that are unreliable.  If a rubric is faulty or the human scores are not consistent, this fact will come out in the trial data analysis.  I reminded everyone that this is a high-stakes test, and if the variability is too great, the items will not be used.  I’ve talked to psychometricians, and we have one at Let’s Go Learn; I know that identifying bad items is a known science.  In simple terms, you take sample items and pilot them with real students.  If too many test-takers get a question correct, you throw it out.  If too few test-takers get a question correct, you throw it out.  If the variability of the item is too great, you throw it out.  This last section is harder to explain, but essentially, it is derived by comparing items with other similarly leveled items.  In large quantities, you can group students with like abilities.  If these students have results that vary too much with certain free response questions, you now know that these questions have some issues and will probably not give you reliable results if used.  Q: Will the tests work on iOS or iPads? A: All test and web developers know that Adobe Flash is on the way out.  HTML5 is the new standard and from my expert perspective, I am fairly confident that all new state tests will work on the iOS or iPad platforms.  Also, SBAC states that they will support multiple platforms, including iOS.  See the link here. Q: What is the difference between the summative SBAC assessment and the interim assessments? A: The summative assessment will be given during the last 12 weeks of school.  This is the norm-referenced, high-stakes test that will be used to rank schools.  The interim assessment is an optional assessment that districts can choose either to use or not.  It will provide formative and diagnostic data to inform instruction.  Given that Let’s Go Learn is a diagnostic assessment company, we see this interim assessment as being very different and probably having a greater adaptive logic range.  Reports will target teachers who will use the data in the classroom to inform instruction.  Here are some samples of Let’s Go Learn’s diagnostic reports; notice how they are focused on individual students. Reading Detailed Report - K-7 Math Detailed Report - Pre-Algebra Detailed Report Q: What is the difference between SBAC and PARCC? A: SBAC, or the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, is developing an adaptive online state assessment based on the new CCSS.  The PARCC is another group that is building an online state test that is not computer-adaptive.  So CCSS will be assessed, but it will follow the traditional model of a fixed test and be administered per grade level.  SBAC webstie - PARCC website Q: How can we prepare for the new CCSS assessment? A: From a technology standpoint, online testing is not new.  The pitfalls are known:  Internet bandwidth, district web-content filters, problematic wireless networks, lack of logistical experience by schools, etc.  My recommendation is that you check out the links below.  Then create your own district guidelines.  Also, most districts now use some sort of web-based services.  I think it is a good idea to use web-based testing tools that will help you move towards personalized learning and at the same time give you experience at rolling out testing to portions of your student population.  Our diagnostic assessments and optional instruction are a good place to start.  You can use them with a single class, school, or district.  Get More Info or Start a Trial Now with Let's Go Learn. District Technical Document Review Guide (PDF) - School Lab Guide (PDF)     Common Core, Assessments, Educational Technology, Experts, Richard Capone, CEO, Let’s Go Learn 2012-12-10T17:19:16+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/why_doesnt_my_child_have_phonemic_awareness_skills/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/why_doesnt_my_child_have_phonemic_awareness_skills/#When:16:32:37Z While practicing word play with my son, I became aware that he was lacking some phonemic awareness skills, in particular the ability to segment sounds in a word. The National Reading Panel reports that instructing children in how to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds in language (phonemes) improves their ability to read, comprehend what they are reading, and spell. While practicing word play with my son, I became aware that he was lacking some phonemic awareness skills, in particular the ability to segment sounds in a word.  The National Reading Panel reports that instructing children in how to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds in language (phonemes) improves their ability to read, comprehend what they are reading, and spell. Elaine McEwan-Adkins suggests that phonemic awareness has nothing to do with intelligence, but a child lacking phonemic awareness skills will have a difficult time learning how sounds relate to the written word.  If a child has poor phonemic awareness, he or she will typically mix up words, stumble over sounding out words, and spell poorly.  The eyes, ears, and mouth work together to see, hear, and feel the sounds.  Some children are unable to distinguish the sounds within words because of a difference in processing ability.  Some children just need extra practice to develop their phonemic awareness skills.  The National Institute for Literacy advises that phonemic awareness skills should not be assumed even in older children and that early assessment is the key to identifying a child’s skill level.  Let’s Go Learn’s DORA Phonemic Awareness measures nine phonemic awareness skills using audio and picture-only items for a thorough assessment of oral phonemic awareness skills. Specific phonemic awareness categories tested include:  1) addition, 2) deletion, 3) substitution, 4) identification, 5) categorization, 6) blending, 7) segmenting, 8) isolation, and 9) rhyming. Reading, Instruction, Teachers, For Parents, Special Education 2012-10-19T16:32:37+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/help_them_prepare_but_let_them_perform_a_striking_realization/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/help_them_prepare_but_let_them_perform_a_striking_realization/#When:15:30:12Z I am a helicopter parent, and I am not alone. Lisa Belkin, a blogger for the New York Times, admits to many of the same tendencies I exhibit. This school year I am determined to let go of the reins a little. I want to do my best to help my children prepare for their academic careers as well as the social challenges they will face while at the same time encouraging them to strike out on their own a bit. I am a helicopter parent, and I am not alone.  Lisa Belkin, a blogger for the New York Times, admits to many of the same tendencies I exhibit.  This school year I am determined to let go of the reins a little.  I want to do my best to help my children prepare for their academic careers as well as the social challenges they will face while at the same time encouraging them to strike out on their own a bit. I can encourage them to sleep well by keeping them to a routine bedtime.  I can feed them well-balanced meals.  I can check their homework.  I can ask where they spend their free time away from home while still encouraging their independence and keeping my fingers crossed that they stay motivated to make the right choices academically and socially. The one thing I really need to work on, though, is remembering that my children are not me.  They have different likes, wants, and aptitudes. Stephanie Elliot recommends being aware of the difference between helpful involvement and unproductive hovering.  The best way for me to stay involved in my children’s academic careers is to know what they are learning and what they still need to learn to achieve academic success.  Let’s Go Learn offers effective online assessments to diagnose students’ math and reading abilities, coupled with great differentiated instruction to enable me as a parent to help them prepare but let them perform. For Parents, Home School 2012-10-04T15:30:12+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/tips_to_help_my_child_build_phonemic_awareness/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/tips_to_help_my_child_build_phonemic_awareness/#When:20:02:54Z My son is an unenthusiastic reader. With his entrance into the first grade, I wanted to make sure his foundational skills were strong and that his reluctance to read was not due to a lack of proficiency. I found some great tips for increasing phonemic awareness, and I wanted to share them. My son is an unenthusiastic reader.  With his entrance into the first grade, I wanted to make sure his foundational skills were strong and that his reluctance to read was not due to a lack of proficiency.  I found some great tips for increasing phonemic awareness, and I wanted to share them. The National Institute for Literacy has identified phonemic awareness as a building block of successful reading.  Here are some fun games that can be played with your child to increase his or her phonemic awareness skill level.  Using a white board or chalk board, write a simple word like mat.  Ask your child to sound the word out, breaking it into its three phonemes:  /m/, /a/, /t/.  Have your child replace the /m/ sound with an /s/ sound to make the word sat.  You can work on replacing beginning, ending, or middle sounds. Play rhyming games or read books like those of Dr. Seuss. Play sound games that involve blending.  Sound out mop using its three phonemes, /m/, /o/, /p/, and let your child blend the sounds together to figure out the word. Elaine Engerdahl recommends giving your child a mirror so he or she can watch while sounds are formed during these games. The most important part of helping your child succeed in reading is to be aware of his or her skill level.  In Let’s Go Learn’s DORA Phonemic Awareness, children are presented with a number of audio and picture-only items, ideal for non-readers or struggling readers. Reading, Instruction, For Parents 2012-09-25T20:02:54+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/teaching_the_video_game_generation/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/teaching_the_video_game_generation/#When:16:05:27Z It is estimated that 97% of school-aged children play video games. They are part of the ever-growing video game generation who are used to higher levels of stimulation because of this game play. My eleven-year-old loves to play her hand-held video game; my seven-year-old begs to have more than 30 minutes on his video game system.  It is estimated that 97% of school-aged children play video games.  They are part of the ever-growing video game generation who are used to higher levels of stimulation because of this game play.  They are used to high quality graphics, quickly evolving scenarios, and multiple outcomes all wrapped up in an environment that they control.  Elizabeth S. Simpson notes that the video game generation interprets, interacts with, and solves problems in their world differently than any prior generation.     Anne Chappell Belden points out some positive aspects of the video game; it can help children develop strategic thinking and complex problem-solving skills.  Because children have been exposed to this kind of stimulation, are traditional educational techniques enough to keep them engaged, especially if they are struggling or frustrated with a particular subject?  There is a wave of support for educational instruction that mimics the components of a video game.  Grace Rubenstein, in her Edutopia blog, calls for educational tools that are innovative, differentiated, and driven by assessment yet designed with video games in mind to engage this generation.  Let’s Go Learn’s interactive and differentiated instruction uses multi-media approaches in an online environment to effectively engage the student of the video game generation.  Assessment and instruction are available for the classroom or for the home. Instruction, Educational Technology 2012-09-11T16:05:27+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/motivating_high_school_students_to_learn_a_hopeless_attempt/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/motivating_high_school_students_to_learn_a_hopeless_attempt/#When:15:47:56Z High school is full of distractions. The average high school student is involved in something other than school, whether it is sports, clubs, the work force, or numerous social activities. But even with all of these distractions, high school students are still interested in learning. High school is full of distractions.  The average high school student is involved in something other than school, whether it is sports, clubs, the work force, or numerous social activities.  But even with all of these distractions, high school students are still interested in learning.  The Board on Children Youth and Families released a MetLife survey that found that 89 percent of low-income students selected the survey response “I really want to learn.”  This is especially encouraging news, yet American high schools struggle to improve a 70 percent graduation rate.   Steve Peha calls for a revolution in American education to address the K-12 drop-out crisis.  By addressing specific student needs and matching them with level-appropriate learning materials, struggling students can become successful.  When students find success in their learning path, they are motivated to continue learning.  Dorit Sasson reminds us that in high school, “more differences in learning styles are becoming more apparent.”  In order to help students reach their full potential, educators need to understand students’ abilities, have the tools to motivate them, and offer engaging ways to keep them learning. Let’s Go Learn’s family of products offers diagnostic assessment paired with differentiated instruction to help teachers respond to different student needs.  Let’s Go Learn’s EDGE series offers exciting new instructional tools previously unavailable to secondary teachers and students, designed to help bridge the gap in student achievement and ensure that all students achieve proficiency. Instruction, Response to Intervention 2012-08-28T15:47:56+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/implementing_the_common_core_state_standards/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/implementing_the_common_core_state_standards/#When:22:32:02Z Here is an interesting blog about the new Common Core State Standards from the Executive Director of The Digital Promise Team, Adam Frankel.   In it he discusses the challenges facing school districts when it comes to implementing the Common Core State Standards.  The comments that follow are interesting as well. http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/08/my-view-the-looming-classroom-cliff/?utm_source=Digital+Promise+General&utm_campaign=65a97b7efc-CNN+Blog+Post&utm_medium=email Common Core, Assessments 2012-08-13T22:32:02+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/the_problem_with_sorting_putting_ell_kids_into_low-level_programming/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/the_problem_with_sorting_putting_ell_kids_into_low-level_programming/#When:20:32:02Z Hispanics have recently surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group in the United States. Immigration has accelerated, and larger numbers of children in U.S. schools come from homes where English is not the primary language. Students referred to as English Language Learners (ELL students) are the fastest growing segment of the student population. Hispanics have recently surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group in the United States.  Immigration has accelerated, and larger numbers of children in U.S. schools come from homes where English is not the primary language.  Students referred to as English Language Learners (ELL students) are the fastest growing segment of the student population. The National Council of Teachers of English points out that ELLs are a highly diverse group, made up of different nationalities and backgrounds, some with English language knowledge and use at home, some with virtually no English language support at all, and all of these students have different educational needs.  Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of ELL students are placed in special education classes because most assessments are unable to distinguish between disability and linguistic differences. Nanette Koelsch posits that ELL students who are placed in higher level courses develop higher levels of literacy than those ELL students who are tracked in remediation or special education courses.  In his blog, Larry Ferlazzo encourages focusing on the assets that ELL students bring to the learning table instead of recognizing only their deficits.  In order to prevent low expectations of students based on incorrect assessment, ELL students need to be assessed for competency in their native languages. DORA Spanish/EDELL allows teachers to compare Spanish-speaking students’ first language reading strategies with their English reading strategies.  This comparison enables teachers to determine whether the ELL student is specifically lacking English language skills or requires special education instruction. Reading, Assessments, Instruction, Response to Intervention 2012-08-13T20:32:02+00:00 http://www.letsgolearn.com/blog/can_assessments_with_high_validity_and_reliability_provide_accurate_diagnos/ http://www.letsgolearn.com/site/can_assessments_with_high_validity_and_reliability_provide_accurate_diagnos/#When:19:35:02Z By Richard Capone, CEO/Co-Founder of Let's Go Learn, Inc. Here is the short answer: Not all the time.  In the case of benchmark-based tests, validity and reliability are based on how well the test works with large numbers of students.  So if the test is consistent when the data is averaged for 10,000+ students, it will be declared valid and/or reliable.  But diagnostic at the individual student level requires the test to be able to make conclusions about one single student!  Generally, assessments used in special education and assessments like DORA, ADAM, and DOMA can do this, but few others can. Here is the long answer: In order to answer this question, I am going to quickly define validity and then move on to explain diagnostic.  First, validity* means whether or not the claims of the assessment can be believed.  When a test makes a claim about a student, is it essentially trustworthy?  Often, as purchasers of tests, we look to the research, and if the research data says the assessment is valid, we accept this statement.  But validity means a lot more.  If I take a middle school English language learner and test him in fluency, and the test comes back saying the student has poor reading skills, can this be believed?  In the past, educators across the nation said “yes” when the assessment was a “valid” test like DIBELS.  But if we dig deeper, we realize this may not be the case.  Fluency was determined to be a skill that predicted reading success.  But the case of a student who is not a native English speaker is not the norm.  If this student studied English for multiple years but simply lacked practice in speaking, he or she would test high on a comprehension assessment but low on a fluency test.  So the prediction that this student is a poor reader would be wrong.  I saw this in an entire school of students a few years ago.  All the students came back with low “reading” scores based on Scholastic’s SRI assessment.  But when these students took our DORA assessment, they were all high comprehension readers.  The reason turned out to be that these were all exchange students from Hong Kong who studied English for 4 to 6 years.  But they all lacked practical vocabulary mastery and thus could not comprehend grade-level reading materials.  So in conclusion, what is actually being tested also determines whether it is “valid” for a particular testing situation.  Just because an assessment is a “reading” assessment doesn’t mean it will work for a particular assessment situation. We see claims that assessments are diagnostic all over the K-12 U.S. market.  Virtually every benchmark test or test-prep assessment makes the claim that it is formative and diagnostic.  This is incorrect and in many cases an unethical statement to make.  These publishers state that their assessments are valid and reliable, but the dirty little secret is that their research data is based on examining large numbers of students and making conclusions about these large numbers.  So when they make a “diagnostic” prediction about an individual student, the claim is only valid if the student is the “average” student who fits the average student mold.  Diagnostic results on individual students must be based on the assumption that students are not the norm.  A true diagnostic assessment cannot make assumptions.  Let me give you an example of this incorrect use of testing data.  If someone with fair skin went to her dermatologist regularly to test suspect patches of skin, the dermatologist could say, “You know, 90% of the patches of skin I test don’t have cancer.  Therefore, from now on I’m going to take samples of your skin but I won’t send them to the lab.  I will just conclude that they are negative, since statistically I would have a 90% chance of being correct.  How does this sound to you?”  You of course would fire the dermatologist and tell him to go somewhere very, very hot. Well, this is what usually happens when you take an assessment that was designed as a benchmark or test-prep test and try to use it to diagnose students.  Just because a report show breakouts in multiple areas of reading or mathematics doesn’t mean it can reliably draw those conclusions.  Valid benchmark tests may be valid when the data is rolled up at the school level, but when the same test says a student is low in phonics or comprehension, you won’t know if it is accurate.  So what can you do to find out whether an assessment will meet your diagnostic needs?  One good suggestion for evaluating an assessment is to administer at least 20 tests to kids with different levels of skill:  high, low, medium.  Also, give some students the test two times to see if the results are consistent (“test-retest”).  Usually, shorter tests that don’t administer enough items in specific areas will show greater changes.  One day the student is very high in skill A and the next day 2 years below!  Also, use some common sense.  For instance, a diagnostic assessment in reading can’t really be shorter than 30 minutes unless the student is at the extreme range of abilities--just starting to read or very advanced and able to max out very quickly. * Validity relates to the question of whether a test assesses what it claims or intends to assess.  It deals with whether or not an assessor's findings correspond to some form of objective reality.  The data collected during an assessment must in some way accurately reflect the actions being assessed.  To the extent that this is so, the assessment is valid.  Here is an article from Illinois State University that has a good definition of validity and reliability (View article) Assessments, Administrators, Experts, Richard Capone, CEO, Let’s Go Learn 2012-08-09T19:35:02+00:00