September 20,2008
CSAP Mania!
Cindy and I are in the process of mailing out CSAP test scores for all 3-8th graders. These standardized tests were taken during March of 2008. We use standardized tests, in concert with other assessments, to help shape both individual instruction and to recognize what we are doing well as a school and what we can improve on.
When you receive your child’s scores please look them over carefully. The charts can be a little hard to read. If you have questions or concerns please contact your child’s teacher. Parent teacher conferences are coming up (10/9,10 for 5-8 and 11/6,7 for K-4) and this is an excellent time to learn how we use CSAP, and a host of other data, to craft instruction to meet your child’s needs.
Along with monitoring individual progress we also use CSAP to see how ACS as a school is doing. There are many ways we analyze these scores. Two indicators we look at closely are growth and achievement, over time. Growth is how much the same group of students improve as they move through the grades. Achievement is the total measure of academic achievement this group of students attains.
If you’re not a data nerd know this: ACS students are showing levels of academic growth and improvement that are among the highest in Colorado. If you’re a data nerd, like me read on.
Fantastic News. In both 2007 and 2008 the students at the Aspen Community School earned the highest growth rates in reading, writing and math in the Aspen School District. That’s something to be proud of, because Aspen is one of the top school districts in the state. Our biggest area of growth in the past two years has been math, where ACS scored a growth rate average of 72%. The state median growth rate is 50%. Aspen Elementary is 53% and Aspen Middle is 51%.
In terms of actual achievement, the news is also fantastic. We all know that the 6-8th grade has earned an “excellent “ school rating for the past three years (this year they will earn it again). Equally impressive are the new achievement numbers for the 3-5th grade. Overall reading scores improved from 74% proficient/advanced in 2007 to 87.5% in 2008. Math scores from 07-08 jumped from 65% to 76%. Pretty cool and cause for celebration.
If you’re a super data nerd, like me; go to cedar.cde.state.co.us/documents/Growth2008/2008_2640_DGS.pdf and check out the “raw data.” This is information about all Aspen School District Schools. ACS is on page 4.
