the wasl : what do our 10th graders think about it? washington educational research association 22nd...
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The WASL : What do Our 10th Graders Think about It?
Washington Educational Research Association
22nd Annual Washington State Assessment Conference
December, 6-8 2006
SeaTac
Mike Jacobsen-Assessment & Curriculum Director-White River School District
Background
• No previous survey data on this question• Student voice/perspective is critical to our work• Needed to obtain data in an objective fashion• Helps to guide intervention efforts• Curiosity• Data is good
Development of the Tool
• Reviewed the literature– Educational Effectiveness Survey-Summary of Students
Perceptions of the Characteristics of High Performing Schools-2005
• Determined a 5 point Likert scale was the most appropriate response format
• Determined questions that needed to be addressed• Draft questions were shared with secondary building
administrators• Final draft after revisions was created in a WORD
doc.
WRSD WASL 10th WASL Survey: Gender Participation
47%
53%
Male
Female
WRSD 10th WASL Survey: Ethnic Status
85%
3%
2%4%
5%
White
HispanicAfrican-American
American IndianAsian/Pacific Islander
WRSD 10th WASL Survey: Special Education Status
16%
87%
Yes
No
Participation
• 198 Surveys returned
• 51% of all 10 graders taking the WASL in WRSD
• Focus groups conducted in five different 10th grade classes
The Survey
• I have had discussions with my parents about the WASL?
• My language arts/reading teachers prepared me to take the WASL?
• My math teachers prepared me to take the WASL?
• I was given practice with questions in a WASL format before taking the test?
• I was nervous before taking the WASL?
• I know the state learning targets for my grade level and subject?
• My school provided enough support for me to be successful on the WASL?
The Survey• The WASL was a difficult test?
• I am confident I passed the WASL in Reading?
• I am confident I passed the WASL in Math?
• I am confident I passed the WASL in Writing?
• If I need to retake the WASL because I did not pass, I would most likely:– Attend before school tutoring
– Attend after school tutoring
– Attend a 4 week, 2 hour a day summer school
– Take a WASL help class during the school day
– Go on-line and use the practice tests
• How could your school better prepare all students to be more successful on the WASL?
The Survey• All items were scored as follows:
– Almost Always True=5
– Often True=4
– Sometimes True=3
– Seldom True=2
– Almost Never True=1
Development of the Tool
• The scantron form was created using Magenta-Scan Form Design Software– Published by Data Blocks-Palmdale California.c. 2005
www.datablocks.com
• The finished form was sent to district print shop for multiple copies
• During copying the machine mis-aligned the timing marks on the side
• Scanning was not possible so the results had to be tabulated using Excel
Administration Procedures
• Scheduled the week after the High School WASL
• Classroom teachers were asked to participant by high school administrators
• Teachers were told that students could opt out if they had any objections
• Sample script was developed for teachers to read to students prior to taking the survey
• Administered during within the 10th grade core
• Enough copies for each 10th teacher were sent from the Assessment and Curriculum Office
• The estimated time was about 20 minutes for completion of the survey
WASL Survey Results 10th 2006
23%
56%
14%
23%
19%
31%
31%
13%
25%
18%
13%
4%
16%
3%
19%
3%
17%
4%
23%
43%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Discuss WASL w/parents
Prepared by LA/Reading Teach.
Prepared by Math Teach.
Practice questions in WASLformat
Almost Always True Often True Sometimes True Seldom True Almost Never True
The Results: Mean Scores
4.1
3.2
4.3
3.1
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Mean Score
Practice questions in WASL format Prepared by Math Teach.
Prepared by LA/Reading Teach. Discuss WASL w/parents
WASL Survey Results 10th 2006
22%
22%
27%
19%
16%
25%
38%
22%
24%
25%
23%
34%
15%
14%
8%
16%
23%
15%
4%
9%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Nervous before taking WASL
Know learning targets
School provided enough support
WASL was a difficult test
Almost Always True Often True Sometimes True Seldom True Almost Never True
The Results: Mean Scores
3.3
3.7
3.2 3.2
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Mean Score
WASL was a difficult test School provided enough support
Know learning targets Know learning targets
WASL Survey Results 10th 2006
43%
18%
26%
26%
16%
35%
16%
33%
20%
8%
18%
9%
7%
15%
7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Confident passed WASL Reading
Confident passed WASL Math
Confident passed WASL Writing
Almost Always True Often True Sometimes True Seldom True Almost Never True
The Results: Mean Scores
3.9
3.1
3.6
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Mean Score
Confident passed WASL Reading Confident passed WASL Math Confident passed WASL Writing
WASL Survey Results 10th 2006
7%
14%
5%
21%
25%
8%
17%
5%
19%
15%
13%
16%
11%
19%
22%
18%
18%
23%
14%
10%
55%
34%
55%
27%
28%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
If retake, attend before school tutoring
If retake, attend after school tutoring
If retake, attend 4 wk summer school
If retake, attend WASL class duringschool
If retake, On-line practice tests
Almost Always True Often True Sometimes True Seldom True Almost Never True
The Results: Mean Scores
1.9
2.6
1.8
2.9 2.9
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Mean Score
If retake, attend before school tutoring If retake, attend after school tutoring
If retake, attend 4 wk summer school If retake, attend WASL class during school
If retake, On-line practice tests
Focus Groups/Comments on Surveys: What they told us
• Students wanted instruction on skills they were not proficient on rather than just being assigned a grade and moving on
• Students appreciated the water and snacks on the days of the WASL
• The WASL was not as hard as they had been led to believe
• Provide credit for WASL help classes
• Provide practice on WASL type items starting in first grade
Focus Groups/Comments on Surveys: What they told us
• They could give us practice tests, tutor us and encourage us that we could do it
• The way our school could help us better with the WASL is to work more with the math and science
• Maybe a pre-test on the expected basics of the WASL test itself
• Provide more practice packets
• They did an awesome job with reading and writing prep. They need better math prep.
Focus Groups/Comments on Surveys: What they told us
• Teach the students the skills needed in the first place so that way students don’t have to worry about whether they are going to pass the WASL or not
• Keep students with familiar teachers during the WASL window
• Start preparing at the beginning of the year
• Look more closely at what teachers are teaching us in regards to the WASL to see if we are learning everything we need
Focus Groups/Comments on Surveys: What they told us
• Bring a lot of Mountain Dew
• Get more snacks and keep the room warmer
• Give the dates of the WASL so that I could show up on the right days
• I have no clue and don’t care
• Don’t have it!
• I don’t have enough knowledge about student learning behaviors to know
Implications
• Even though progress has been made with putting WASL practice items in student hands, 25% of survey respondents indicated this practice was either sometimes, seldom or never true
• When asked about being prepared by math teachers, 58% of survey respondents indicate this practice was either sometimes, seldom or never true
• Even though progress has been made with providing support to students, 35% of survey respondents indicated this practice was either sometimes, seldom or never true
Implications
• 54% of students reported that their knowledge of the learning target was either sometimes, seldom or never true
• In contrast to reading which was 31%, 66% of students reported that their confidence in passing the math was either sometimes, seldom or never true
• 89% of students reported their interest in attending a 4 week WASL summer school was either sometimes, seldom or never true
• In contrast, 40% of students reported their interest in attending a WASL class during school was either almost always or often true
White River School District Aligning Instruction with Assessment
12/5/2006
ReadingHigh School
From WASL Results to Grade Level Expectations and Classroom Instruction
Step 1: Identify Learning Target(strand) area weaknesses for thebuilding
Step 1 Resources: Building WERA PowerPoint
School Roster of StudentPerformance-Hard copies ofWASL results sent to eachbuilding
Washington School Report Card-http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us
Step 3: Review the GLE’sassociated with the weaknessesidentified in Steps 1 and 2.
Step 3 Resources: WRSD Grade Level Expectations
(Blue Book) Reading, K-10 Grade Level
Expectations: A New Level ofSpecificity-OSPI
Step 2: Review Test and ItemSpecifications Identifies the relationship between the
learning target identified in Step 1 andthe strands (pages 2 - 3)
Provides details on the composition,organization and “look” of the test
Identifies how many items are assessedin each strand by the type of item (e.g.,multiple choice, short answer, extendedresponse)
Provides detail about what areacceptable responses
Describes the learning target, thestimulus, the stem and prompt rules, themathematical vocabulary and terms onthe WASL
Step 2 Resources:
Washington Assessment of StudentLearning (WASL) Test and ItemSpecifications for Grades 3-High SchoolReading WASL, April 2006
Step 4: Provide students with regularfocused instruction on WASL-typeitems
Model good practice Hand out the rubric before hand Administer the WASL-type item to
determine what students do and don’tunderstand
Provide feedback to students Teach skills students need to have to be
successful Re-administer the WASL-type item to
determine skill mastery Repeat the sequence if student does not
understand the skill
Step 4 Resources: Grade 10: Washington Assessment of
Student Learning-WASL High SchoolReading WASL Practice TestReading for Life
Washington Assessment of StudentLearning-WASL High School ReadingWASL Practice TestDirections for Administration
Washington Assessment of StudentLearning-WASL High School ReadingWASL Practice TestScoring Guide and Training ManualTeacher Edition
Washington Assessment of StudentLearning-WASL High School ReadingWASL Practice TestReading for LifeStudent/Parent Edition
White River School District Aligning Instruction with Assessment
MathHigh School
From WASL Results to Grade Level Expectations and Classroom Instruction
Step 1: Identify Learning Target(strand) area weaknesses for thebuilding
Step 1 Resources: Building WERA PowerPoint School Roster of Student
Performance-Hard copies ofWASL results sent to eachbuilding
Washington School Report Card-http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/
Step 2 A: Review Test Specifications Identifies the relationship between the
learning target identified in Step 1 and thestrands (pages 2 - 3)
Provides details on the composition,organization and “look” of the test
Identifies how many items are assessed ineach strand by the type of item(e.g., multiple choice, short answer,extended response)
Step 3: Review the GLE’sassociated with the weaknessesidentified in Steps 1 and 2.
Step 2 B: Review Item Specifications Provides detail about what are acceptable
responses Describes the learning target, the stimulus,
the stem and prompt rules, themathematical vocabulary and terms on theWASL (Pages 6 – 8)
Step 3 Resources: WRSD Grade Level Expectations
(Blue Book) Mathematics, K-10 Grade Level
Expectations: A New Level ofSpecificity-OSPI
White River School District 2006-2007 Math Alignment Form
Step 4: Provide students with regular focusedinstruction on WASL-type items Model good practice Hand out the rubric before hand Administer the WASL-type item to determine
what students do and don’t understand Provide feedback to students Teach skills students need to have to be
successful Re-administer the WASL-type item to
determine skill mastery Repeat the sequence if student does not
understand the skillResources 2 A: Test Specifications for the Washington
Assessment of Student Learning-Grade,Updated 2005
Resources 2 B: Item Specifications for the Washington
Assessment of Student Learning-Grade,Updated 2005
Step 4 Resources: Mathematics Grade 10 WASL Released Items
2004 Grade 10: Washington Assessment of Student
Learning-WASL High School MathematicsPractice Test, Mathematics for Life
Washington Assessment of Student Learning-WASL High School Mathematics WASLPractice Test, Directions for Administration
Washington Assessment of Student Learning-WASL High School Mathematics WASLPractice Test, Scoring Guide and TrainingManual, Teacher Edition
Washington Assessment of Student Learning-WASL High School Mathematics WASLPractice Test, Mathematics for Life,Student/Parent Edition