NCA Day October 18, :25 – 10:25 am Facilitator: Kyla Gurganus

Today’s Agenda 1. Staff Introductions 2. Overview of the NCA Process 3. Next Step: School Profile 4. Data and Information 5. Brainstorming Sessions

Staff Introductions Your Name Your Subject/Department/Focus Your Room Number/Location Fascinating fact/dream travel location?

REFLECTION ON LAST NCA CYCLE

Overview of the NCA Process 1. What is NCA? 2. What is its process? 3. What’s new? 4. How will I be involved? 5. Proposed Timeline

What is NCA? North Central Association accredits schools in the north-central part of the US and the Department of Defense’s military installation schools. The NCA standard is for each member school to maximize the proportion of its graduates who are self-directed learners and are prepared to make successful transitions from school to career.

What is the NCA Process? Combines No Child Left Behind, Education YES, and the new Michigan School Improvement Framework requirements with its own quality standards and expectations to streamline paperwork and effort.

NCA-accredited schools are challenged to: meet high standards engage in a continuous improvement process (required by MI law since 1990) have on-site reviews at least once every 5 years

School improvement: should be continuous should NOT be an event (like an NCA day ☺) should NOT just be an act of compliance! is a way to “fight back” against negative press (show we know what’s happening and are trying to do something about it)

NCA Process 1. VISION AND PROFILE 2. PLAN 3. IMPLEMENT 4. RESULTS 5. ACT 6. REPEAT

1. Vision and Profile Make/renew commitment to NCA/school improvement Get started Compile and analyze data (Write a school profile) Select appropriate goals and measures based on the profile

What’s New with NCA No more peer reviews Assessments do not need to be of the same kids or at the same time every year No set time line (but usually 5 years) No affective goals needed No set number of goals Include state, federal, and district goals in NCA goals

How will I be involved?

Ways to be involved: School Improvement Committee/NCA Steering Committee (need leaders) Profile data gathering Profile report writing Goal selection (all staff) Goal committees (need chairpersons) Implementation!

Timeline: : –Focus on preparing for the new HS graduation requirements : –Write School Profile –Choose school improvement goals based on the profile’s data

Timeline: : –Choose assessments –Collect baseline data –Decide on strategies/interventions/PD related to goals –Begin implementing strategies/interventions/PD

Timeline: : –Continue implementing strategies/interventions/PD –Check progress –Administer assessments –Refine strategies/interventions as needed

Timeline: : –Continue implementing strategies/interventions/PD –Check progress –Administer assessments –Refine strategies/interventions as needed –Collect and analyze final data –Write final report

Next Step: School Profile for ourselves, not the shelf! data needed to make wise decisions (not just hunches, anecdotes, or feelings) first profile takes lots of effort; after that, it should be easy to update!

What to Include in a Profile Basic data –what our community is like, who our students are, GPA, MEAP, ACT, attendance, graduation rates Interpretations/implications of the data Courses taught, initiatives, instructional techniques, tutorials, remediation Strengths!! Points of pride!! –from every program, subject, and department Graduate follow-up data

Data and Information New Michigan High School Graduation Requirements New Michigan Merit exam Where are we now? –Current MEAP and ACT scores –Graduation Rates Where do we go from here?

New Michigan High School Graduation Requirements: Start with this year’s 8 th graders (next year’s freshmen) Each required course has lengthy content expectations associated with it –See Michigan Department of Education website for details

Summary of Requirements: 4 credits English language arts 4 credits mathematics (1 in senior year) 3 credits science 3 credits social studies 1 credit physical education/health 1 credit visual/performing/applied arts Online course/experience required

New Michigan Merit Exam (MME): Not yet approved by the US Dept of Ed! –If not approved, MEAP will still be administered Based on the ACT, WorkKeys test, and several other MEAP-like components This fall’s senior re-testing will be the MEAP

New Michigan Merit Exam (MME): ACT part administered on March 13th to all Michigan juniors March 14: WorkKeys and mathematics Mar. 14/15/16: science and social studies ACT and WorkKeys scores may be used for college admissions and job applications One re-test will be paid for by the state Home-schooled students may participate at their local high school

New Michigan Merit Exam (MME): Very controlled conditions –All students must face the same direction –Minimum 3 feet apart –Assigned seating –Uninterrupted testing –Bells, PA turned off –Testing rooms separated from regular school activities

New Michigan Merit Exam (MME): Very controlled conditions –No food or drink in room (students OR proctors) –Testing must be the first activity of the day –Testing must start no later than 9 am –Quiet part of the building –Tests timed; time remaining may NOT be posted

MME Assessment Design: MME English Language Arts score will be based on: –ACT Reading (MC), English (MC), and Writing (constructed response) –WorkKeys Reading for Information test (MC) –Michigan Social Studies constructed response item (rubrics available on-line)

MME Assessment Design: MME Mathematics score will be based on: –ACT Mathematics (MC) –Selected ACT Science items (MC) –WorkKeys Applied Mathematics test (MC) –Michigan supplemental items (about 13 MC)

MME Assessment Design: MME Science score will be based on: –ACT Science (MC) –Michigan supplemental items (53 MC)

MME Assessment Design: MME Social Studies score will be based on: –Michigan supplemental items (57 MC and 2 constructed response)

MEAP SCORES

Last year’s juniors’ MEAP scores: higher in every subject area the first time out (as compared to the class of 2006) Increases over the previous year’s scores: –Reading + 5% –Writing + 7% –ELA + 5% –Mathematics + 4% –Science + 4% –Social Studies + 53%

How the Class of 2007 compares to the state:  Reading – Above the state by 5% (last year below 4%)  Writing – Below the state, but only by 1% (last year below 9%)  ELA – Above the state by 2% (last year below 8%)  Mathematics – Below the state by 5% (last year below 9%)  Science – Even with the state average (last year below 1%)  Social Studies – Below the state, but only by 1% (last year below 7%)

How our MEAP scores affected AYP:  LHS made AYP in English Language Arts –Total 11 th grade cut scores (includes MI-Access students) were above the 52% threshold (by 34%) –All sub-groups met the participation rate and cut scores needed to make AYP in ELA LHS did not make AYP in mathematics –Total 11 th grade cut scores (includes MI-Access students) was above the 44% threshold (by 22%) –All sub-groups met the participation rate and cut scores needed to make AYP in math except students with disabilities They were only 14.3% proficient, and they missed safe harbor by 5%

MEAP Concerns: Less than half of the students are “passing” the math portion Overall ELA scores are falling because of low writing scores Science scores lower than they could be because not all students take earth science

ACT Scores:

Where do we go from here? Break out in groups of 10 Use list of questions to initiate discussion of school improvement Have one person record/summarize responses Reconvene at 10:00 am to report

Brainstorming Questions: 1. What are your reactions/responses to the MEAP and ACT scores? 2. How are we meeting (or not meeting) the needs of our students? How do we know? 3. What changes (if any) need to be made in the courses I/we teach to meet the new graduation requirements? What resources are needed to make those changes? 4. What changes need to be made in the courses I/we teach in order to improve our students’ standardized test scores? What resources are needed to make those changes? 5. What changes need to be made in our overall school in order to have the greatest impact on the current and future success of our students? 6. What should be our #1 focus of improvement in the next two years? Why?