Using MCA growth data to identify classrooms

making unexpected positive growthBeating the Odds in

Middle School Math – Classroom profiles found in some high

performing classrooms

by:John Froelich

& David Heistad

Beating the Odds…Fall of 2008 schools identified with groups of

students who made much greater than the anticipated gains on the 2007 MCAII (both simple and value added growth calculated)

Multiple regression factors: ethnicity, poverty, gender, ell, special ed

Teachers responsible for gains identified

A focus group study was conducted on October 9, 2008

Classroom observations of 2 – 4 hours per teacher completed October 2008

Beating the Odds…Focus Group

High Expectations with no student allowed to “fall through the cracks”

Frequent formative assessment with use of data to drive whole group and small group instruction

Collaboration on individual and grade level math interventions within the school and across schools.

Extra help and time for students struggling with math but rigorous pacing of instruction aligned with the standards.

Efficient use of every minute available for math instruction.

Beating the Odds…Focus Group

Balance of ensuring mastery of prerequisite skills with lots of exploration of higher order math concepts.

Thorough knowledge and training in math with attention to High School and Elementary math prerequisites.

Excellent experiences in staff development including classroom management skills, Avid, Responsive Classroom, etc.

A passion for teaching mathematics which is evident to all observers and evidenced by their dedication to the work.

A love of learning for themselves and well as the children who they consider “their own.”

Beating the Odds…Focus Group (J.F. comments)

High Expectations with no student allowed to “fall through the cracks” (Apparent belief that all students were capable of learning the math being taught as reflected by giving independence to students as they did the work)

Efficient use of every minute available for math instruction. (Teaching bell to bell)

Excellent experiences in staff development including classroom management skills, Avid, Responsive Classroom, etc.— (Reflected by CMP curriculum being delivered as the author intended)

Creating the classroom profiles

Looking at Learningis an intuitive software program that

automatically calculates duration and student participation for all activities

generates reports including graphs for individual observations or aggregate reports for any combination of observations

Looking at Learningmeasurement focus

Is based on the student’s point of view, not on the teacher’s point of view

Is based on constructivist learning strategies

Recognizes the importance of lesson design that emphasizes the cognitive purpose for activities

Recognizes that what happens in the classroom is the true indication of whether any reform effort has had the intended effect

What Looking at LearningMeasures

Who is leading the class

How are the students being grouped

What is the activity the students are doing

What proportion of the students are actually doing the activity

What is the cognitive purpose for the activity (as know by the students)

Looking at Learning calculates the proportion of time devoted to the various class configurations and activities plus it calculates the relative proportion of students “on-task” during each activity.

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Teacher 1School 1

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Teacher 2School 1

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Teacher 3School 2

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Teacher 4School 2

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Teacher 5School 3

Looking at Learning Profiles:

Aggregate

A “typical” profile from a school NOT beating the odds

Based on many observations

Hypotheses about high performing math

classrooms: The teachers whose students make unanticipated positive

gains have a strong belief that all students can learn and this plays itself out in the mix of classroom activities.

The mix of student grouping and student activities has an effect on the student growth.

Having students knowing the cognitive purpose of the work seems important to student growth.

There is probably an optimum mix of grouping, activities and cognitive purpose that will result in maximum growth for all students. We need to explore what this mix should look like—teacher #1 may represent a desirable mix for typical lessons.

In the case of using the CMP materials, lesson designs that follow the publisher’s recommendation seem to result in excellent growth when used by skilled teachers.