Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jean Evans Davila shared an evaluation of the district's student assessments with the Board of Education at its meeting on Tuesday, June 21.

A group of educators representing different grade levels and schools began working on the evaluation in January.

Ms Davila said the group worked "To finally get a handle in one room about all of the district assessments out there, the key ones that we require, how many instructional minutes they take away and how… we are using that data and whether the purposes are valid for retention of the assessments construction."

The group also looked at "next steps," she said, on how the district can coordinate assessments between grade levels.

The evaluation, Ms Davila said, was put together with the intention of providing a document with detailed information on assessments.

"Anyone in the future that wants to discuss assessment in the district doesn't have to do the research we had to do," said Ms Davila. "They can just begin with this document and look at the pieces and see how things fit in."

The group, according to the report, began by identifying assessments and pertinent information, such as the type of instruments used, frequency of administration and use of data related to each assessment. The evaluation also included state-mandated assessments.

"The session resulted in the development of the Assessment Inventory Matrix, which will serve as a resource for all future districtwide discussions on the issue of assessment," the report reads.

The report also includes recommended changes for the 2016-17 school year. The recommendations were made using the Assessment Inventory Matrix.

"The goal of these recommendations is to support a cohesive, vertically aligned, instructionally focused, and streamlined assessment program for mathematics, science, and English language arts and reading for the 2016-17 academic year," the report reads.

Recommendations include implementing a Developmental Reading Assessment in kindergarten to second grade and decreased administration of the assessment for third and fourth grade; eliminating the Northwest Educational Assessment (NWEA) from kindergarten and using it at other grade levels as "in grades one to four test administration is scheduled efficiently with the technology rotation and the data has high utility for instruction," a new protocol for using NWEA assessments for first through ninth grade; and eliminating the Degrees of Reading Power assessment from two grades at both Head O' Meadow Elementary School and Newtown Middle School. There were six recommendations listed in the report, and more recommendations were listed regarding continued implementation of other assessments.

"All changes described… are intended to reduce testing and regain instructional time with students," the report reads.

Reclaimed instructional hours were also shared by grade in the report. No reclaimed hours are listed in first grade, second grade, or in ninth through twelfth grade. In seventh grade and eighth grade the most hours were reclaimed, with 7.75 hours and 9.25 hours, respectively.

"We also decided we want a recurring annual convening, nothing that lasts all year again, but that at least touches base once a year to see if there needs to be any updates or reconsideration of what is in the plan," Ms Davila told the school board.

Ms Davila said a number of members on the evaluation team felt like this was the first time a districtwide assessments evaluation was conducted.

"We're pretty proud of the work we came up with," said Ms Davila.

 

A Board Member Resigns

Also at the June 21 meeting, board Chair Keith Alexander announced he had received a resignation letter from board member Kathy Hamilton. The school board, he said, will look into the process of filling the position with another member in the next 30 days.

"This has been an extremely difficult decision," Ms Hamilton said following the meeting. "Due to changes in my personal circumstances, I have had to reevaluate my priorities. I have worked tirelessly to effort the ideals of transparency, accountability and responsible spending. I remain committed to the town and the voters who elected me. I very much appreciate the support that the voters have always shown me."