>> GOOD FOR YOUR OWN. [00:00:03] >> GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO THE WORK SESSION FOR THE BOARD OF ED, THOSE WHO ARE PRESENT AND THOSE WHO MAY BE VIRTUAL. WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS MORNING. WE WILL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER WITH THE MOTION, PLEASE. [1.01 Call Meeting to Order/Members Present 8:30 a.m.] I'LL MAKE A MOTION. OPEN THE MEETING. >> I'LL SECOND. >> IT'S BEEN PROPERLY MOVED AND SECONDED THAT WE BEGIN OUR WORK SESSION FOR CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF ED. LET US STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. >> >> WE HAVE THE AGENDA BEFORE US. WE NEED APPROVAL TO THE AGENDA WITH ADDITION. >> I MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE AGENDA WITH THE ADDITIONS. >> THE ADDITION IS I'M ASKING THE BOARD MEMBERS TO STAY JUST FOR FIVE MINUTES, WE NEED TO DISCUSS AN ACTIVITY WE'RE PLANNING FOR THE HOLIDAY. ALL IN FAVOR? >> [OVERLAPPING] AYE. >> ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU. WE WILL MOVE RIGHT ON TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS, [2.01 2022-2025 MCAP Data] WHICH IS ALL OF OUR DATA INFORMATION THAT EVERYONE HAS. I DON'T KNOW WHO'S GOING FIRST. >> IT'LL BE MYSELF, MRS. WAYMAN, AND THEN SUPPORTED WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM. MRS. ALLIS FISHER SENDS HER REGARDS. SHE HAD A STATE LEVEL MEETING TODAY, SO SHE WILL NOT BE JOINING US, BUT I THINK WE'LL BE OKAY WITH HER PARTNERS WHO ARE WITH US. DOES BRING ME GREAT EXCITEMENT TO BRING BEFORE THE BOARD. TAKING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT APPROACH THIS YEAR AND LOOKING AT OUR STATE ASSESSMENT PERFORMANCE, AND NOT JUST LOOKING AT A YEAR OVER YEAR PERFORMANCE OF 24 AND 25, BUT REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT THE TREND DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS 2022-25. TREND DATA IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE LET'S US SEE WHERE THINGS ARE GOING OVER A YEAR TO YEAR, YOU CAN HAVE CHANGES WITH KIDS. YOU CAN HAVE CHANGES WITH STAFFING. SOMETIMES TESTS DO HAVE AN IMPACT. THERE ARE SOME SHIFTS FROM THEIR FIELD TESTING CERTAIN ITEMS, AND LOTS OF THINGS CAN IMPACT THE YEAR TO YEAR. IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE TREND TO SEE THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE HEADING AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE'RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH OUR ELA AND MATH DATA GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT AND HIGH SCHOOL. IT WILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FLAVOR AS WELL AS WE'RE GOING AND I WILL APPRECIATE THE BOARD'S FEEDBACK AFTERWARDS. INSTEAD OF DOING ENGLISH SEPARATE, MATH SEPARATE, PUT TOGETHER THE PRESENTATION BY GRADE LEVEL. IT'S THE SAME GROUP OF KIDS AND LOOKING GRADE 3. HOW ARE WE DOING GRADE 4, GRADE 5? IT IS A DIFFERENT FLAVOR. IT WILL BE A DIFFERENT LOOK. BUT THERE WAS THE INTENTIONALITY OF TRYING TO LOOK AT THE SAME COHORT OF KIDS OR GROUP OF KIDS IN THEIR ASSESSMENT EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE YEAR. AS WE'RE DIGGING IN A COUPLE OF JUST EXCITEMENTS TO SHARE OUT FOR THE BOARD. BOARD HAS HEARD THIS, BUT JUST TO KICK OFF WHERE WE ARE HEADING AND THE EFFORTS THAT WE'VE DONE. PROUD OF THE WORK OF OUR TEAM AND OF OUR TEACHERS AND OF OUR KIDS AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM 2022-25, OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST RATE OF GROWTH IN MATHEMATICS IN THE STATE. SIX HIGHEST RATE IN ELA, AND THE TRENDS HAVE BEEN STEADY AND CONTINUOUS. ON THE GRAPH IN FRONT OF YOU, THE BLUE LINE IS US, THE ORANGE IS STATE OF MARYLAND. BUT IF YOU NOTICE, OF COURSE, IN LOOKING AT TRENDS, OURS IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'RE NOT REALLY SEEING THAT BUBBLE OF BACKSLIDE, WHICH WHEN YOU'RE SEEING A TREND LINE MOVING IN THOSE DIRECTIONS, THAT WON'T OVERSIMPLIFY, BUT THAT LARGELY TELLS US THAT WE MOVING OUR TIER 1, REMOVING OUR CORE CURRICULUM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'RE PUTTING SUPPORTS IN PLACE FOR OUR KIDS IN TIER 2 AND TIER 3, AND WE ARE MOVING AND CLOSING THE GAP. WHEN WE'RE DOING IT AT A FASTER RATE THAN THE STATE, STATE TAKES ALL 24 SCHOOL SYSTEMS INTO CONSIDERATION. OBVIOUSLY, THE STATE IS IMPROVING AT THE SAME TIME, BUT US MOVING AT A FASTER RATE, PUTS US MORE ON PAR WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AND THEN BETTER THAN OTHERS. THE OTHER PIECE THAT I WILL SHARE AND BOARD HAS HEARD THIS BEFORE, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT INCLUDING IN THE DATA PRESENTATION ALSO AND IT'S PRELIMINARY DATA. IT IS DEFINITELY PRELIMINARY THAT MR. BEHKLE PULLED TOGETHER REGARDING OUR FREE AS MEALS POPULATION, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST STUDENT GROUP, OUR LARGEST SUB-POPULATION OF OUR KIDS. EVERY BIT OF RESEARCH THAT HAS BEEN DONE ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 20, IF NOT LONGER YEARS, DISCUSSES THE FACT THAT POVERTY HAS [00:05:02] THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON THE STUDENTS LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN THEIR FUTURE. NOT JUST EDUCATIONALLY, BUT OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPERIENCE. IT IS THE BIGGEST THING THAT DRIVES PERFORMANCE FROM A RESEARCH STANDPOINT. AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE SIT AT 23 OUT OF 24 IN TERMS OF WEALTH PER STUDENT IN THE STATE. WE GO BACK AND FORTH WITH 24. IT'S BEEN US AND COMMON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, FIGHTING OVER THAT BOTTOM SPOT. OUR KIDS PERFORMANCE ON THEIR ASSESSMENTS CONTINUALLY RANKS IN THE MID TIER AND WE'VE BEEN MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. WE ARE CONTINUED TO OUT-PERFORM BASED OFF POVERTY ALONE, WHICH WHAT THAT IS INDICATING AT LEAST FROM MY LENS IS THAT WE DO HAVE A STRONG CURRICULUM IN PLACE. WE HAVE STRONG INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN PLACE. WE HAVE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE WORKING. WE'RE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AND ELIMINATING THE IMPACT THAT POVERTY CAN HAVE. WE HAVE NOT COMPLETELY ELIMINATED IT, BUT WE ARE ABSOLUTELY REMOVING THAT BARRIER AS BEST WE CAN TO HAVE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR KIDS. I WANT TO FRAME IT WITH THAT AS WE DIG IN INTO THE DATA TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND LENS AS WE PUSH THROUGH. ON THE SLIDES AS WELL, WHAT YOU WILL SEE AS WE MOVE INTO, YOU'LL SEE OUR PERFORMANCE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. YOU WILL ALSO SEE DATA AS IT RELATES TO OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS ON THE EASTERN SHORE. PART OF LOOKING AT DATA, YOU CAN COMPARE IT TO YOURSELF, BUT IT HELPS TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE TO OTHERS WHO ARE AROUND OR MAYBE SIMILAR TO YOU. BOTH THOSE DISTRICTS THAT ARE LIKE US, PLUS THOSE DISTRICTS THAT MAY HAVE LESS POVERTY, MAY HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY, MAY LOOK DIFFERENT, BUT THOSE ARE STILL STRETCH GOALS FOR OUR DISTRICT TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO SURPASS. I WON'T BE HIGHLIGHTING OTHER DISTRICTS TO POINT OUT, BUT I DO THINK THAT COMPARISON IS HELPFUL FOR US TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT PIECE FOR OUR PERFORMANCE. WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO DIVE IN AND I KNOW OUR TEAM WILL JUMP IN WITH QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK AS WELL AS WE GO THROUGH AND TALK A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE DATA AND WHAT IT'S SHOWING US AND THE GROWTH THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING TO CONTINUE TO SEE. FIRST, WE'LL START WITH GRADE 3, AND WE'LL START, WE'LL DO READING AND THEN MATH. OUR GRADE 3 PERFORMANCE FOR OUR STUDENTS, WE ARE SITTING AT ABOUT 48% PROFICIENT RATE ON GRADE 3. WE'RE UP ROUGHLY 6% SINCE 2022. THE INTERESTING THING WITH THIS COHORT OF STUDENTS TO KEEP IN MIND FOR OUR GRADE 3. THIS IS OUR FIRST GROUP OF KIDS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED SCIENCE OF READING SINCE THEIR FIRST TOUCH WITH CAROLINE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ALL THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TO BUILD THE FOUNDATIONAL READING SKILLS, THIS GROUP HAS HAD THAT AT A FULL FLIP FROM THEIR FIRST TOUCH COMING IN OUR DOOR. FOR THE LATER GRADES AS WE GO THROUGH, THEIR TOUCH IS A LITTLE BIT LESS AS WE MOVE UP. WE BACK FILLING SOME SKILLS, BUT WE ARE SEEING A GOOD GROWTH AMONGST OUR ELA STUDENTS FOR GRADE 3 LAST YEAR. AGAIN, THEY JUMPED TO 48. IT'S A GREAT IMPROVEMENT OVER 24, AND WE'RE PLEASED WITH THE PROFICIENCY THAT WE ARE SHOWING THERE AND EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE AS WE MOVE FORWARD OVER TIME. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR FARMS RATE DATA AS WELL ON THE NEXT SLIDE. SINCE 2022, WE'VE HAD AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 12% AND OUR FREE AS MEALS KIDS PASSING ARE DEMONSTRATING PROFICIENCY ON THE READING ASSESSMENT AS WELL. AGAIN, WE ARE ACTUALLY CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN OUR FREE AS MEALS KIDS AND OUR NON FREE AS MEALS KIDS AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM. AGAIN, I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE STUDENTS WITH A HIGH QUALITY TIER 1, FIDELITY AROUND TIER 2 AND TIER 3 AND DOING A BETTER ALIGNMENT FOR INTERVENTIONS AS KIDS NEED IT. OUR READING COACHES, MRS. ALLIS FISHER HAS DONE A GREAT JOB TO BETTER ALIGN OUR WORK IN THIS AREA TO CLOSE OUR GAPS AND TO HELP SERVE OUR STUDENTS AT A BETTER RATE AND BETTER CLIP. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT MATH, AND I'M GOING TO LET DR. BRANDENBURG DO A LITTLE BIT OF TALKING ON THIS ONE, BUT I REALLY JUST WANT TO ADMIRE THAT LEAP IN GRADE 3. ABOUT A 15% INCREASE IN GRADE 3 SINCE 2022, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT SPIKE YOU SEE THAT WE ANTICIPATE THE TREND TO CONTINUE. BUT AS YOU'LL SEE AS WE MOVE ACROSS OUR MATH, YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THIS REAL TREND MOVING UP. NICKI, IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THE EFFORTS THAT HAVE GONE IN. [00:10:04] >> SURE. >> WHAT WE'RE SEEING AROUND THAT. >> THIS COHORT OF STUDENTS IS A COHORT THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO TRACK AND FOLLOW. THIS IS OUR FIRST GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE REALLY FOCUSED ON FLUENCY WITH. WHEN I TALK ABOUT FLUENCY, I DON'T MEAN JUST MEMORIZING YOUR MULTIPLICATION FACTS AND YOUR ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION FACTS. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT KIDS HAVE STRATEGIES AND THEY'RE ABLE TO WHEN THEY COME TO A MATH PROBLEM THAT THEY DON'T KNOW, THEY HAVE A WAY TO GET TO THE ANSWER. IF WE KNOW THAT 7*5 IS 35, BUT WE FORGOT 7*6 IS 42, WE KNOW THAT OUR FIVE FACTS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN COUNTING BY FIVE SINCE WE WERE IN FIRST GRADE. WE CAN GET TO THAT 35, AND THEN I KNOW WELL, IT'S JUST ANOTHER 7. BUT I KNOW 7 IS 5 AND 2. I'M GOING TO ADD ANOTHER 5 BECAUSE THAT'S EASY FOR ME. I CAN DO THAT RIGHT IN MY HEAD. I CAN GET TO 40, AND THEN 2 MORE IS 42. SO 6*7 IS 42. THAT'S FLUENCY. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED KIDS TO BE ABLE TO DO. THEN WE WANT THEM TO BE AUTOMATIC. WE WANT THEM TO HAVE FLASHCARDS AND KNOW THEIR FACTS, BECAUSE ONCE THEY GET INTO FIFTH GRADE AND THEY'RE ADDING AND SUBTRACTING MIXED NUMBERS AND THEY NEED TO FIND LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE OR GREATEST COMMON FACTOR, THEY NEED TO KNOW THOSE FACTS REALLY QUICKLY. OTHERWISE, THEY'RE STUCK IN THE MUD. IF I DON'T KNOW MY FACTS, I'M EMBARRASSED. IT'S LIKE THE POPCORN READING BACK IN THE DAY. IF WE WERE SWEATING, I REMEMBER SITTING IN FRENCH CLASS SWEATING WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO SPEAK FRENCH. [LAUGHTER]. IF WE HAVE MATH KIDS THAT ARE REALLY STRESSED ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW MY BASIC FACTS, THEN THEY TEND TO SHUT DOWN AND MATH JUST BECOMES MORE COMPLICATED AND THE GAP WIDENS. I EQUATE KNOWING HOW TO ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY AND DIVIDE WITH KNOWING PHONICS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW PHONICS, READING BECOMES DIFFICULT. IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR BASIC FACTS AND YOU DON'T HAVE NUMBER SENSE, MATH BECOMES DIFFICULT. I'VE BEEN IN CLASSROOMS AND ALGEBRA CLASSROOMS WHERE KIDS CAN'T FIGURE OUT 2% OF SOMETHING OR 5% OF SOMETHING, AND THEY'RE PUNCHING IT IN THE CALCULATOR, AND I'M LIKE, WAIT A MINUTE. GIVE ME A CALCULATOR. LET'S THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND, AND GETTING INTO THOSE MATH STRATEGIES. THIS GROUP OF KIDS, WE REALLY FOCUSED ON NUMERACY AND FLUENCY. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE AT FEELS BURG IN PARTICULAR, WHO HAD AN EXTREME, THEY HAD THE HIGHEST JUMP IN THIRD GRADE, REALLY CELEBRATING THE KIDS. THE KIDS GOT DOG TAGS EVERY TIME THEY PASSED A FACT FAMILY, AND THEN THEY WOULD GET TO BE A MATHLETE. SOME PEOPLE WENT TO THE SCHOOL AND DRESSED UP LIKE FLUENCY THE DOG AND WENT AROUND THE CLASSES AND HELP CELEBRATE THAT. WHAT WE SAW WAS THE KIDS WERE EXCITED. IF THE KIDS ARE EXCITED AND THEY'RE FEELING CONFIDENT, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE MORE RISKS WHEN IT COMES TO MORE DIFFICULT THINGS. THEY HAVE THOSE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS AND THEY'RE NOT PREVENTING THEM FROM THE HIGHER LEVEL THINKING. IT'S NOT TO SAY, WE TAUGHT THEM THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS AND THOSE SCORES WENT UP. YES, WE TAUGHT THEM STRATEGIES AND WE MADE SURE THAT THEY WERE FLUENT, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAD THEM APPLY THOSE SKILLS TO HIGHER LEVEL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE GROWTH ACROSS THE DISTRICT AND THESE KIDS IN PARTICULAR. WHAT WE WILL HEAR FROM FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE TEACHERS IS, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME REVIEWING THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEM. THAT PRACTICE IS GOING TO CONTINUE. WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON THROUGH FIFTH GRADE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE READY. I THINK THAT'S HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR GROWTH ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND I THINK THAT IT WILL SERVE THESE KID AS WELL AS THEY PREPARE FOR ALGEBRA IN HIGH SCHOOL OR MIDDLE SCHOOL. >> OUR GROWTH IN THIRD GRADE WAS HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE? THE LEAP WAS INCREDIBLE. >> YES. FEDERALSBURG ELEMENTARY BEAT THE STATE FOR THEIR THIRD GRADE SCORES, SO VERY EXCITED. >> FROM WHERE THEY WERE THE YEAR BEFORE, THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE. WE'LL HIGHLIGHT, AS WELL, ALSO THE WORK THAT DR. [INAUDIBLE] HAS BEEN DOING WITH THE MATH COACHES TO BUILD OUT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES. WE TEACHERS ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE SEEING WITH THEIR STUDENT PERFORMANCE, CONNECTED WITH THE TRAINING THAT HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE AROUND OGAP, AND HELPING TEACHERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE THINKING BEHIND MATHEMATICS. I THINK IS HAVING A HUGE IMPACT AS WELL. I THINK WE'LL SEE GREAT THINGS AS IT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD. >> DID YOU WANT TO SHARE WHAT OGAP STANDS FOR? >> SURE. ONGOING ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. OGAP. I THINK I'VE TALKED TO YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS BEFORE. THERE'S FOUR: MULTIPLICATIVE REASONING, [00:15:04] FRACTION REASONING, PROPORTIONAL REASONING, AND ADDITIVE REASONING. WE TRAIN OUR TEACHERS WITH ALL THE COACHES HAVE BEEN TRAINED. ONE OF OUR COACHES, KIMMIE WILLIS AT COLONEL MIDDLE, WHO HAD A HUGE JUMP IN HER ALGEBRA SCORES THIS PAST YEAR. SHE IS TRAINED IN PROPORTIONAL REASONING, SO SHE WAS ABLE TO GIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THIS SUMMER TO ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS. I'M PRETTY SURE ALMOST ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS HAVE HAD THAT TRAINING. BUT IT'S REALLY TO EQUATE IT WITH READING, IT'S THE SCIENCE OF MATH, IT'S HOW KIDS LEARN MATHEMATICS. THOSE FOUR STRANDS REPRESENT 80% OF WHAT'S IN OUR STANDARDS. IF OUR TEACHERS CAN BE REALLY FLUENT AND HOW KIDS UNDERSTAND THOSE CONCEPTS, THEN THEY CAN BETTER TEACH THEM. BUT ALSO IT TEACHES YOU HOW TO ASSESS STUDENT LEARNING. IF I GIVE KIDS AN EXIT TICKET, WHICH IS JUST A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF WHAT CAN THEY DO ON THEIR OWN AFTER I GAVE THEM INSTRUCTION, I PULL THAT TOGETHER AND THEN I SORT IT BY, THESE KIDS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, THESE KIDS ARE STRUGGLING, THESE KIDS ARE LOST, AND THEN I RE-TEACH THAT GROUP OF KIDS. IT'S JUST AS SIMPLE AS THAT. THAT CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THE DATA AND REASSESSING AND RE-TEACHING WHERE NEEDED. >> LOOKING AT OUR MATH 3, FARMS DATA. SAME TREND. SIGNIFICANTLY AND OUR STUDENTS WHO WERE FREE USED MEALS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE, 20% INCREASE AGAIN OVER THAT TIME PERIOD. THE WORK IS DEFINITELY HELPING AND REALLY SHOWING DIVIDENDS. AGAIN, AS THAT GRADE 3 COHORT MOVES ALONG, IT'LL BE NICE TO SEE THAT GROWTH IN GRADE 4 THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING BECAUSE THAT BASELINE HAS BEEN BUILT AS FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS. AGAIN, IF THE BOARD HAS QUESTIONS, PLEASE JUST JUMP RIGHT AHEAD. >> I'M TALKING ABOUT MOVING INTO GRADE 4, WE AS A PORTAL WE LIKE NEXT YEAR WILL WE SEE WHERE THIS GROUP OF KIDS BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE GETTING A THIRD GRADE REPORT, WE GET A FOURTH GRADE GRADE REPORT NEXT YEAR AND FIFTH GRADE TO PASS. YOU'RE TRACKING THEM, CAN WE THE BOARD ALSO REPORTS TO TRACK THAT SAME GROUP? >> [OVERLAPPING] THAT COHORT AS THEY MOVE. >> AS THEY MOVE ON TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING. >> ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO LEAD INTO THE GRADE 4 ELA. >> QUESTION 2. >> YEAH. >> REGARDS TO WHAT'S WORKING AT FEDERALSBURG, HAS THAT BEEN SHARED WITH THE OTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, [OVERLAPPING], OR DO THEY SEE THEMSELVES TAKING ON THAT BECAUSE I REMEMBER DOING THE TOUR THERE AND SEEING THAT AND JUST WALKING IN THAT CLASS. THE KIDS WERE SO EXCITED. I'M LIKE, "THIS IS AWESOME, " AND I'M LIKE, "I KNOW WHAT MY DAUGHTER WANTED DID AND THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT, NECESSARILY, BUT JUST THE EXCITEMENT BEHIND IT, I'M LIKE, I WONDER IF ANYBODY ELSE ASKS MORE QUESTIONS TO DO SOME [OVERLAPPING]. >> WE MEET MONTHLY, AND PART OF THAT, WE MEAN MYSELF AND MY MATH COACHES, PART OF THAT IS SHARING OUT WHAT'S GOING WELL, WHAT'S WORKING. I THINK THAT DENTON ELEMENTARY DID AN ICE CREAM PARTY AT THE END OF THE YEAR FOR THEIR KIDS. >> IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE MY DAUGHTER WAS IN 7TH GRADE. IT'S BEEN A WHILE [INAUDIBLE]. >> THEY EACH DID SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I THINK AT DENTON, YOU PASSED THIS FACT, YOU GOT THIS ON ICE CREAM SUNDAY, THEY COLORED IT IN THAT THING. EACH SCHOOL HAD ITS OWN DIFFERENT INCENTIVE. CERTAINLY, AT FEDERALSBURG, THE PRESSURE WAS ON BECAUSE WE DID HAVE A STATE VISIT THERE. >> WERE YOU EXPECTING THAT? >> HELLO. >> HOW'S IT GOING? >> I THINK YOU GUYS ARE AT THE HOSPITAL OR COMMISSIONS. >> WHERE? >> YEAH, AT THE BIG COMMISSIONS MEETING. >> DID YOU SEE [INAUDIBLE]. [LAUGHTER] >> GET READY TO GET UNDER THE TABLE [LAUGHTER]. >> THE HIGHWAY ONE, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' HIGHWAY MEETING WHEREBY HE INTENDS TO ATTEND. >> IT LOOKS LIKE WE MADE THAT MATH GROWTH ON THE SHORE. >> FOR 3RD GRADE? >>YES. [OVERLAPPING]. >> I SEE WORSTER IS UP THERE, BUT THEIR GROWTH DOESN'T COMPARE TO..... >> WORSTER, SO JUST TO LET YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WORSTER TORE. [00:20:03] THEY HAVE LOTS OF MONEY, AS YOU KNOW. BUT WE VISITED WORSTER, AND THAT IS ACTUALLY WORSTER IS VERY OGA TRAINED. THEY'VE BEEN DOING OGA FOR A WHILE. THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I SAID, WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER HERE. WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT A COUPLE OF SCHOOLS IN WORSTER. I SPENT THE DAY AT BUCKINGHAM WITH SOME OF MY COACHES. WE SAW THEIR PLCS IN ACTION, AND AMAZING, THEY'RE VERY DATA-DRIVEN. WE REPLICATED WHAT THEY DO. THAT WAS THE DRIVE BEHIND THAT AS WELL. BUT YES, I THINK BETWEEN THE FOCUS OF FLUENCY, THE PLCS FOCUSED ON DATA AND REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAT WE INTERVENE WITH, I WOULD SAY, WOULD BE BETTER. >> WORSTER IS THE ONE COUNTY IN FRONT OF US IN THEIR 4TH OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS. LOOKING AT GRADE 4, THIS IS WHERE A COHORT PIECE WILL BE HELPFUL. GRADE 4 AS A DISTRICT, WE WENT BACKWARDS. MISS ALLIS FISHER IS NOT HERE, BUT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DATA AND TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF IT. OUR I-READY DIAGNOSTIC DATA SHOWED ONE THING. WE LOOKED AT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY DEFICIENCY PIECE ON A STRAIGHT LINE ACROSS. BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE COHORT ANALYSIS OF THE GROUP OF KIDS FROM WHERE THEY WERE IN GRADE 3, WE ACTUALLY WENT UP A COUPLE OF PERCENT FROM WHERE THAT COHORT OF KIDS WERE. I KNOW THAT KATIE AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN LOOKING INTO THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE DIP, AND HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT FORWARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CLOSING THAT GAP AS WE MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WE WERE SEEING IN OUR I- READY DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH JUST MAKES YOU THINK WHEN YOU DON'T SEE THOSE CONNECTION PIECES WITH OUR ASSESSMENT DATA. >> IT'S TO PUT A LITTLE PIECE IN THAT. IF YOU NOTICE, EXCEPT FOR A COUPLE OF DISTRICTS, EVERYBODY DIPPED, SO THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ASSESSMENT-ORIENTED [OVERLAPPING]. THAT WE'RE DIGGING INTO. THAT'S NICE TO SEE THAT IT WAS A TREND OF THE ASSESSMENT, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THE I- READY WAS COUNTERINTUITIVE. >> FOUR AND FIVE, I THINK, BOTH AT THE STATE LEVEL DID NOT SEE THE GIRL [OVERLAPPING]. IN DLA, THAT WORK WAS ELSEWHERE, WHICH AGAIN MAKES YOU JUST SCRATCH YOUR HEAD A LITTLE BIT, BUT YOU STILL WANT TO DIG IN TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT MISSING SOMETHING AND HAVE ANY DEFICIENCIES IN THOSE AREAS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS. OF COURSE, IT SHOWS UP AGAIN IN REFER US MEALS RATE WITH THAT BACKSLIDE. WE WERE MAKING GREAT GAINS, SO IT JUST HAD US LOOKING INTO WHAT IT WAS ABOUT THAT GROUP OR THAT ASSESSMENT OR THAT THING, WHATEVER IT WAS, THE IMPACT THAT I HAD TO IMPACT THAT. NOW, MATH IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL IN THIS ONE AS WELL. CONTINUED WITH OUR TREND UPWARDS IN MATH. WE SAW AN INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE. THAT IS A BIG, MIGHTY PERCENT. BUT WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE TREND UPWARDS IN MATH 4, AND DR. VAN ABOUT JUST SPOKEN ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE IN ELEMENTARY TO HAVE THAT IMPACT. AGAIN, IF WE WERE TO GO BACK TO MATH TO OUR GRADE 3 CO-WORK BEFORE, WE HAD BEEN FLAT AND GRADE 3 IN MATH FOR 22, 23, 24, AND WE'RE PICKING UP THE GROWTH IN 4. WE'RE STILL MOVING THE KIDS ALONG. THAT'S AS WE SEE THAT BIG SPIKE IN 3, WE SHOULD SEE 4. WE'RE ANTICIPATING A NICE LEAP THIS YEAR IN GRADE 4. NOT TO PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE, BUT WE'RE EXPECTING TO CONTINUE TO MOVE UP. TO CONTINUE TO TREND LINE, WE SAW THE SAME THING WITH THREE REDUCED MEALS WITH AN INCREASE IN GRADE 5 MATHEMATICS. AGAIN, THE TREND LINE IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE TAUGHT GRADE 3 ELA AND GRADE 5. IT'S THE SAME TREND PIECE WE'RE TRYING TO ANALYZE AND LOOK INTO AS WELL, BECAUSE OUR I-READY DATA FOR GRADE 5 INDICATED, WE HAD 129% OF OUR STUDENTS PROGRESSING TOWARDS ANNUAL TYPICAL GROWTH. OUR PLACEMENT DATA INDICATED A BETTER PERFORMANCE OR AN IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OVER WHERE WE WERE. STATE, AS A GRADE 5, DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT GROWTH ACROSS THE BOARD. AGAIN, WE'RE DIGGING INTO WHAT THAT IS. THIS IS A GROUP OF STUDENTS, AND AGAIN, I HATE EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WHEN I APPLIED DIDN'T HAPPEN. BUT THIS IS A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN BACK-FILLING BECAUSE THEIR FORMATIVE READING YEARS WERE VIRTUAL. THAT IS A REALITY THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH, AND IT SOUNDS COUNTERINTUITIVE OR SOUNDS LIKE A DO STATEMENT, BUT AS THE KIDS GET OLDER, THE TEST DOES GET HARDER. IT DOES. THAT'S A COMMON-SENSE PIECE. BUT THE GAPS CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROFICIENT AS THINGS GET HARDER. WE'LL CONTINUE TO REFINE AND TRY [00:25:01] TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MOVE THAT A LITTLE FURTHER AS WELL, BECAUSE THOSE KIDS ARE GOING TO BE IN GRADE 6 OR THEY'RE IN GRADE 6 THIS YEAR. WE NEED TO SEE JUMPS CONTINUE. WE SEE THE SAME THING IN OUR GRADE 5 FARMS, WHICH AGAIN, SHOULD MAKE SENSE WITH FARMS BEING OUR LARGEST. GOOD WORK ON THE LITERACY PIECE. NOW, TALKING MATH. I SAW A GREAT LEAF IN GRADE FIVE AS WELL. AGAIN, DR. ONBOCH TALKED ABOUT ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE IN AT THE ELEMENTARY, 6% INCREASE IN MATH 5, GETTING AHEAD OF MY SLIDES FASTER THAN THIS. YEAH. 6% INCREASE IN MATH 5, WHICH WE PUT A START ON THE SHORE IN TERMS OF COMPARISON PIECE IN TERMS OF OUR GROWTH. THE ONLY 2 ABOVE US ARE THOSE WHO SPEND SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER AMOUNTS IN TERMS OF WEALTH PER STUDENT. BUT WE DID SEE GREAT GROWTH IN MATH 5, AND AGAIN, OUR FARM KIDS ARE CLOSING THE GAP AS WELL IN THAT. >> DOCTOR SIMMONS, IF I CAN, JUST INTERJECT. >> YEAH, PLEASE. >> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE Y AXIS ON THE GRAPH, WHICH IS YOUR VERTICAL NUMBERS, YOUR INTERVALS, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT ON MATH, THEY'RE DIFFERENT THAN ELA, RIGHT? YOU LOOK AT THAT AND YOU THINK, 4TH GRADE, 30, SOME PERCENT OF OUR KIDS ARE PROFICIENT. THAT DOESN'T SOUND GREAT, RIGHT? A THIRD OF OUR KIDS ARE PROFICIENT. IN MATH, WHAT WE HAVE FOUND, AS WE'VE STUDIED, OUR UNIT ASSESSMENTS, AND WE'VE LOOKED AT I-READY DATA. THE CORRELATION BETWEEN WHAT KIDS HAVE TO DO EVERY DAY IN THE CLASSROOM, TO BE PROFICIENT ON MCAP. WHAT THE DATA TELLS US IS THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO CONSISTENTLY GET 85% OR BETTER ON UNIT ASSESSMENTS JUST TO BE PROFICIENT ON MCAP ON OUR STATE ASSESSMENT. WHEREAS IN ELA, MISS HASSON HAS RUN THOSE SAME NUMBERS, AND THE CORRELATION THERE IS WHAT PERCENT YOU'RE SAYING. >> IT'S A LOWER PERCENT. >> WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT IF OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO BASICALLY HAVE ALMOST AN A, A HIGH B ON ALL OF THESE ASSESSMENTS, JUST TO PASS THE STATE ASSESSMENTS. THAT TELLS YOU HOW DIFFICULT IT IS. I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT Y AXIS FOR YOU AND THAT YES, WE ARE CELEBRATING GROWTH, ABSOLUTELY. BUT WHERE STUDENTS END UP ON THAT AXIS COMPARED TO ELA IS MUCH LOWER. BUT WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS THAT THE MATH TEST IS MUCH HARDER, RIGHT? WE WANT TO CONSTANTLY LOOK AT HOW WE ARE GROWING, HOW WE ARE PROGRESSING, HOW WE GROW HERE ACROSS THE STATE. I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. >> I WANT TO CONNECT TO DR. ANBOTH'S POINT. I'M GLAD SHE RAISED IT. THE STATE OF MARYLAND IS GOING TO RELEASE AN RFP FOR NEW STATE ASSESSMENTS THIS DECEMBER, I BELIEVE. AS PART OF THAT EFFORT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BECOME VERY OBVIOUS TO THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE GOING THROUGH THIS WORK, AND THE PSYCHOMETRICIANS, WHO THE STATE HAS, IS PART OF A TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WHICH HASN'T BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR QUITE A WHILE IN MARYLAND, AND IT IS BACK INTO EXISTENCE. THEY HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN THE MATH TEST. WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE INS AND OUTS OF IT, IT IS AN ADAPTIVE TEST, WHICH DEPENDS ON HOW YOU SCORE, AND GIVES YOU THE NEXT LEVEL OF QUESTION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET. WHEN THE ASSESSMENT WAS SHORTENED TO FIT TIME CONSTRAINTS THAT WERE PASSED INTO LAW. THEY DID NOT GO THROUGH A METHODICAL PROCESS OF ELIMINATING QUESTIONS FROM ALL DIFFICULTY LEVELS. IT APPEARS THEY MAY HAVE JUST ELIMINATED ONES AT THE EASIER END, WHICH THEN, WHEN KIDS ARE TESTING, THEY DON'T STAGGER INTO BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GIVE THEM THOSE OPTIONS. IN ESSENCE, WHEN WE COMPARE AND THAT'S WHAT I DO LIKE ABOUT THE COMPARATIVE PIECE ON THE ASSESSMENT : THE MATH ASSESSMENT IS NOT GREAT AT ALL IN TERMS OF PROFICIENCY, BUT WE'RE ALL TAKING THE SAME ROUGH TEST. SO HAVING THAT COMPARISON ACROSS THE STATE IS HELPFUL BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE MAKING GAINS ON A BAD TEST, WE REALLY ARE RAISING THE RIGOR FOR THE KIDS TO PERFORM BETTER, BUT IT ALSO HELPS FOR THAT COMPARISON BECAUSE WE'RE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. ALL 24 DISTRICTS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET KIDS OUT OF THE HOME, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE PROFICIENCY RATES ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. BUT THAT IS ONE THING THAT I'M SURE THE ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE, WHICH IS PART OF THE GROUP MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL GO TO THE STATE BOARD IN DECEMBER, WILL BE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION. THAT A NEW ASSESSMENT DOESN'T DO THAT BECAUSE IT IS REALLY HARD FOR KIDS TO GET TO THAT TIER. [00:30:02] THIS ONE HAS BEEN AT LEAST SINCE COMING OUT OF COVID, IF NOT BEFORE. >> IT WAS BEFORE. [OVERLAPPING] 2017. >> AND THEY SHORTENED IT RIGHT AROUND 1920? I GUESS IT WAS SOMEWHERE IN THAT TIME PERIOD THAT THEY CHANGED. [OVERLAPPING] IT WAS THE SAME AS WHEN THEY. >> THE CUT SCORE WAS 725. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT CHANGED AGAIN IN 2022. >> YEAH. >> NOW OUR CUT SCORE IS 750, USED TO BE 725. IF YOU LOOKED AT THOSE NUMBERS, MUCH WILL BE [LAUGHTER]. MUCH DIFFERENT. THERE ARE A LOT OF GHETTOS IN THAT. >> EVEN OUR I-READY DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH IS A NATIONALLY NORMED REFERENCE ASSESSMENT, HAS DATA THAT IS PREDICTIVE OF MCAP. BUT WHAT THAT DATA TELLS US IS WE HAVE TO LOOK AT KIDS WHO ARE MID OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL. AT 30% OF OUR KIDS ARE MID OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL, THAT'S GOING TO BE WHO'S GOING TO PASS THE STATE ASSESSMENT. >> THERE ARE SOME REAL CONCERNS WITH IT. I'M OPTIMISTIC THE STATE WILL MAKE THOSE CHANGES AND HOPE THEY HAVE A TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE; IN ESSENCE, PEOPLE WITH DOCTORATES IN ASSESSMENTS AND PSYCHO ANALYTICS WILL BE THE PEOPLE WHO HELP DESIGN AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CORRECT AND NOT JUST RELY ON A VENDOR TO SAY, YAP, THIS WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT IT TO. >> HOW LONG DO WE ANTICIPATE? >> THE RP WILL [OVERLAPPING] THE STATE PLANS TO HAVE THIS ASSESSMENT ROLL OUT IN 27. WE HAVE THIS ONE FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR, 2 YEARS. TWENTY-FIVE, 26, THIS ONE IS IN ONE MORE ADMINISTRATION AFTER THIS YEAR. THEN IN 27, THE NEW ONE SHOULD BE WRITTEN TO GO, WHICH THEN MEANS NEW CUT SCORES AS WELL. >> IN THE MEANTIME, WE CAN STILL LOOK AT DISTRICTS AND COMPARE OURSELVES; [INAUDIBLE] THAT'S HOW WE RECOGNIZE OUR GROWTH. IT DOESN'T IMPACT OUR WAY OF ANALYZING AND EVALUATING HOW WE DO. >> YEAH. BUT THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT. IT WAS IN MY NOTES, BUT THANK YOU BECAUSE I MISSED IT. >> BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK, WE DID HAVE THE LARGEST INCREASE. >>YES. >> YEAH. >> WE MAY NOT BE WHERE WE WANT TO BE, BUT WE'RE HEADING THERE [OVERLAPPING]. >> OVERALL SECOND IN THE STATE. WITH OUR GROWTH, WHICH HAS BEEN GOOD. LET'S GO TO ELA AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S A LOT TO CELEBRATE WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL, ELA. I'M GLAD MISS SESSIN IS HERE. BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF EFFORT PUT INTO THE MIDDLE. TO ADDRESS THOSE COMPONENTS. FROM A TREND, YOU SEE WE'RE ABOUT A 15% IMPROVEMENT SINCE 2022 IN 6TH-GRADE ELA. >> I ALSO SAY THAT THE COHORT IN 2024 WAS AT 38% PROFICIENT AS 5TH GRADERS. IT IS EVEN MORE DRAMATIC. IMPROVEMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS SORRY, INTERRUPT. >> NO, YOU'RE GOOD. NO. THANK YOU FOR THAT. >> IT IS A PRETTY SALIENT POINT, I THINK. >> AND WE ARE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE NOW AS WELL? [OVERLAPPING] YES. I'M GOING TO JUMP TO FARMS REAL QUICK AND THEN PASS TO MISS HASSON TO SHARE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE MIDDLE FOR THAT PIECE, AND YOU SEE THAT GREAT INCREASE WITH OUR FARM FREES MULE STUDENTS AS WELL, WHICH IS ROUGHLY A 20% INCREASE OVER THOSE 4 YEARS AS WELL. REMEMBER, MIDDLE SCHOOL TRADITIONALLY IS WHERE EVERYBODY MIDDLES OF STRUGGLE BUS FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS THEIR CHILDREN GO THROUGH IT [LAUGHTER]. IT'S JUST IT. YEAH, TOLD IT, LIFT IT, MIDDLE IS MIDDLE. MISS HASSON, I'LL PASS TO YOU IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE EFFORTS THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE AND WHERE WE'RE GOING. >> ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN FOCUSING ON OUR HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TIER 1, TIER 2, AND TIER 3, AND BEING VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT WE ARE USING TO SERVE STUDENTS IN THEIR TIER 2 INTERVENTION. I THINK THAT CURRENTLY HAS BEEN OUR GREATEST STRENGTH, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO STUDENT SUBGROUP ACHIEVEMENT, BUT IT'S ALSO MOVING ALL STUDENTS AND FLOATING ALL BOATS, BECAUSE WE ARE USING LEXIA POWER UP, WHICH REALLY TARGETS ANY GAPS IN FOUNDATIONAL READING SKILLS, AND THAT INCLUDES READING COMPREHENSION, WORD STUDY, AND GRAMMAR, JUST FOR THE STUDENTS WHO ARE DEMONSTRATING THAT THEY HAVE SOME NEEDS AND SOME GAPS IN THOSE AREAS. OTHER STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY APPROACHING GRADE LEVEL, WE'RE USING COMMON TARGET LESSONS, AND WE ARE ALSO PILOTING THIS YEAR CURRICULUM RESOURCES FOR TIER 1 THAT INCLUDE COMMON 360 AND MICROSPECTIVE 2025, WHICH ARE CURRICULUM RESOURCES THAT OUR TEACHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING [00:35:05] A STRONG INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL BASE IN THE STANDARDS AND ALIGNMENT, BUT ALSO ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENTS, WHICH IS A CRITICAL ASPECT OF ANY TYPE OF CONTENT INSTRUCTION, PARTICULARLY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. >> IN ADDITION, WE ARE LOOKING VERY CLOSELY AT USING THE SAME RESOURCE FOR TIER 1 AND TIER 2, WHEREAS IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD TO PIECEMEAL A BIT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE JUST RIGHT TOOLS IN OUR TOOLKIT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHEREVER THEY WERE. WE ARE EXPERIENCING EXACTLY WHAT DR. SIMMONS REFERRED TO IN THE EARLIER GRADES, GRADES 4 AND 5. AS STUDENTS MATRICULATE INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL, SOMETIMES THOSE GAPS WOULD NATURALLY BEGIN TO WIDEN AND WHAT WE ARE DOING AS YOU CAN SEE, IS WORKING AGAINST THAT NATURAL TREND AND I BELIEVE IT'S THE SMALL GROUPS AND TARGETED INSTRUCTION AND INTERVENTION, NOT JUST IN TIME, BUT ON TIME AND STUDENTS CAN MOVE AMONG THE TIERS OF INTERVENTION AS WELL. OUR TEACHERS HAVE HAD TRAINING IN THE SCIENCE OF READING AND STRUCTURED LITERACY THAT I THINK IS UNIQUE TO CAROLINE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE MADE THAT OUR PRIORITY FIRST AND FOREMOST BEFORE THE STATE OF MARYLAND OFFERED IT, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ALL TEACHERS, USING THE FUNDS THAT WE HAD ALREADY ALLOCATED. I THINK IT WAS MONEY VERY WELL SPENT. >> THANK YOU, MRS. HASSON. LOOKING AT MATH IN GRADE 6. MATH PERFORMANCE, WE WERE DOWN ABOUT 3%, I BELIEVE, DR. VAN DEN BOSCH, IN GRADE 6. AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT THE ASSESSMENT AND CHALLENGES THAT PRESENT WITH THAT. BUT IF AT THIS TIME AND THERE'S OUR PREVIOUS MEALS, PERFORMANCE AS WELL, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL? >> SURE. OUR SIXTH GRADE, THIS WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPRISE TO US. WE HAD BEEN MAKING SOME STEADY PROGRESS WITH THIS GROUP OF KIDDOS SO WE ARE REVAMPING OUR PLCS WITH SIXTH GRADE A LITTLE BIT. HISTORICALLY, THEY HAD FOCUSED MORE ON UNIT ASSESSMENTS, BUT WE FEEL LIKE TEACHERS CAN ANALYZE THAT DATA THEMSELVES AND MAKE INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS. WE'RE FOCUSING MORE ON THE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT THAT EVERY DAY. THE COACHES, AGAIN, HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT OGAP TRAINING AND ALL OF THE SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT OGAP TRAINING. THEIR PLC FOCUS IS GOING TO BE MORE ON THAT EVERY DAY DATA AND MAKING SURE THAT WE AREN'T MISSING KIDS OR MISSING CONCEPTS THAT THEY NEED SOME HELP WITH. BUT THIS GROUP WAS DEFINITELY ONE THAT WE'RE GOING TO ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON AS FAR AS SEVENTH GRADE AS WELL. WE HAVE A REALLY STRONG MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM OF MATH TEACHERS THAT I KNOW CAN HELP THESE KIDS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL. >> LOOKING AT OUR ELA 7 PROFICIENCY RATES. THANK YOU, RAMBASH. >> SURE. >> ELA 7 PROFICIENCY, WE SAW A REALLY GOOD INCREASE. LET ME FLIP MINE. NOTES WE HAD ALMOST AND ROUGHLY 11% INCREASE SINCE 2022 AS WELL OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND A STEADY CLIMB UP AND PROFICIENCY RATES LOOK REALLY STRONG ACROSS THE EASTERN SHORE. COUPLES BACK TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MRS. HASSON TALKED ABOUT. I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE WORK THAT BOTH OF THEM HAVE LED AT OUR MIDDLES AND WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT AND THAT IS THE CONCEPT OF TIER 2 AT THE MIDDLE. TIER 2 IT'S A SHIFT AT SECONDARY, ELEMENTARY, NOT SO MUCH. BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT OF BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT SMALL GROUP AND WHY YOU'RE PULLING SMALL GROUP. BUT WE REALLY ARE SEEING THE IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME OF IMPROVING SKILLS FOR OUR STUDENTS. THEN YOU'LL SEE THAT TREND CONTINUE TO BUILD AS WE GO INTO EIGHT AND THEN OF COURSE, OUT FOR ONE AND THEN LOOKING AT ELA 10, ENGLISH 10. THAT IS A SHIFT. WHEN YOU HAVE A BIG CULTURAL SHIFT LIKE THAT, AS I'M SURE THE BOARD IS AWARE AND AS WE'VE [00:40:02] TALKED ABOUT OVER THE LAST PROBABLY TWO YEARS, THESE ARE SHIFTS FOR PEOPLE TEACHING SECONDARY, THEY ARE. THEY HAVE TRIED, THEY HAVE WORKED THROUGH, THEY HAVE EMBRACED AND WHEN THERE'S CHANGE IT CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE AT TIMES WITH THEM AND THEY HAVE PROGRESSED AND THEY'RE SEEING THE RESULTS OF THAT EFFORT. I APPRECIATE THEM ALSO HANGING IN AND BELIEVING AND SEEING IT THROUGH AND SEEING THAT IMPACT AND CHANGE TAKE PLACE IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO CHANGE SOME THINGS THAT THEIR LONG HELD BELIEFS AND PRACTICES AND THAT'S JUST NOT EASY TO ASK SOMEBODY TO CHANGE THAT PRACTICE OVER TIME. REALLY APPRECIATE THEN EMBRACING AS WELL. OUR FARMS IMPROVEMENT AS WELL IN ELA 7 OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, INCREASE OF 12% THERE OVER TIME, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT TO SEE. AGAIN, MRS. HASSON TALKED ABOUT THAT. I'M GETTING MY CHARTS MIXED UP HERE. THERE WE GO. OUR MATH 7 INCREASE, WE JUMP TO A 21%. WE ARE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE HERE AS WELL IN MATH, WHICH I GO BACK TO PART OF HER COMMENT A FEW MINUTES AGO ABOUT THE Y AXIS. ON ANY GIVEN DAY, 21 IS NOT SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. BUT WHEN THE STATE'S AT 17 AND WE'RE OUT PACING THE STATE, THAT PUTS A LEVEL SETTING, I THINK THAT HELPS WITH THAT LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING. IN TERMS OF HOW WE ARE DOING AND AGAIN, DR. VAN DEN BOSCH TALKED ABOUT THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE DOING AT THE MIDDLE AND THE COACHES HAVE REALLY BEEN POURING IN TO THAT DATA ANALYSIS PIECE AND BUILDING OUT AND THE INCREASE WE'RE SEEING IN FARMS RATES OVER TIME AS WELL FOR OUR STUDENTS. AS WE MOVE INTO ELA 8, 15% IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE'RE SITTING RATE AT 50% AND WE ARE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE ON THIS ONE AS WELL IN MIDDLE. IT'S EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO SAY WE'RE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGING SEVERAL GRADE LEVELS AT THE MIDDLE BECAUSE AGAIN, MIDDLE IT'S JUST MESSY. SOME OF THE HARDEST AREAS TO CHANGE WITH WHAT KIDS ARE EXPERIENCING AND THAT GROWTH HAS BEEN JUST FANTASTIC TO SEE AND THAT GROWTH WITH OUR FARMS RATE AS WELL ABOUT AN 18% IMPROVEMENT OVER THAT SAME TIME PERIOD WITH OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE IDENTIFIED AS STUDENT REDUCED MEALS. ANY FINAL THING ON ELA MIDDLE SCHOOL? >> YES. I WILL ALSO SAY THAT THE TEACHERS AND COACHES AND MYSELF WORK TOGETHER TO SET SOME GOALS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE KNOW THAT 50 AND 51% AVERAGE IS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE. BUT WE ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH ONE OUT OF EVERY TWO KIDS DEMONSTRATING PROFICIENCY AND WE KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EXPECTATION WILL RISE TO THAT OCCASION AND WE DO FORECAST ADDITIONAL GROWTH IN THIS COMING YEAR TOO. THE SCHOOLS HAVE REALLY BEEN INCENTIVIZING AND PLANNING FOR READINESS. ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES ON MCAP IS THAT IT IS A TIMED AND TIGHT ASSESSMENT. THE WRITING THAT STUDENTS ARE DOING IS NOT HANDWRITING. THEY ARE HAVING TO WORD PROCESS AND THAT IS AN AREA THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE SO THAT ALL STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD IN WRITING ON THE COMPUTER. >> DR. VAN DEN BOSCH, BEFORE I EVEN FLIP. >> YOU WANT ME TO PREFACE THIS? >> YES, IF YOU WANT. ONLY BECAUSE THERE'S MATH 8 AND THERE'S THE KIDS TAKING ALGEBRA 1 IN EIGHTH GRADE. >> ABOUT 25% OF OUR EIGHTH GRADERS RIGHT NOW ARE TAKING ALGEBRA 1 IN EIGHTH GRADE SO DO THE MATH. [LAUGHTER] IF WE'RE PASSING OUR STATE ASSESSMENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AT A RATE OF IN THE 20S AND THEN WE'RE TAKING THOSE STUDENTS AND WE'RE PUTTING THEM IN ALGEBRA THEN THEY DON'T TAKE THE EIGHTH GRADE MATH TEST, THEY TAKE THE ALGEBRA TEST. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EIGHTH GRADE SCORES, EVERY YEAR AS OUR ALGEBRA SCORES, AS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT GO INTO ALGEBRA AND EIGHTH GRADE INCREASES THAT SCORE MAY DROP BECAUSE WE ARE TAKING THE STUDENTS THAT ARE DOING WELL ON GRADE LEVEL MATERIAL AND PUTTING THEM INTO ALGEBRA IF THAT MAKES SENSE. >> IF YOU GO BACK TO WHERE CUT SCORES ARE INDICATED ON OUR COMMON ASSESSMENTS, [00:45:01] IT'S ABOUT AN 85% YOU NEED ON THE UNIT ASSESSMENTS TO PASS THE MCAP AND THE KIDS WHO ARE PROBABLY GETTING AN 85 ON THE UNIT ASSESSMENT ARE GOING IN ALGEBRA 1. JUST AS A PREFACE WHEN WE GET INTO IT. WE DID INCLUDE ALGEBRA 1 EIGHTH GRADE ON THE SLIDE AS WELL. THAT WAS A LATE AD BECAUSE I MISSED THAT, BUT WE DID ADD THAT YESTERDAY, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT AS WELL BECAUSE THAT TELLS A STORY AS WELL FOR US. WITH THIS CHART, JUST SO YOU KNOW, THIS DATA COMES FROM WHAT IS RELEASED PUBLICLY. IF ANYTHING IS LESS THAN 5%, STATE SUPPRESSES THE DATA. WE ARE UNDER A 5% PASS RATE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT. WE ARE SITTING AT A 4% PASS RATE FOR OUR ALGEBRA ASSESSMENT IN EIGHTH GRADE. >> CORRECT. EIGHTH GRADE ASSESSMENT. >> EIGHTH GRADE. >> EIGHTH GRADE ASSESSMENT, SORRY. YES. THANK YOU. THE STATE AVERAGE IS A NINE. AGAIN, NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. THIS IS THAT PIECE ALSO THAT WHEN THE ISSUES THAT THEY ARE SEEING, THE ASSESSMENT FOLKS ARE SEEING, THE ASSESSMENT GURUS ARE SEEING AND LOOKING AT OUR TESTS. IF WHEN THEY MADE THE TEST SMALLER, THEY TOOK OUT QUESTIONS ON THE LOWER END THAT HELP KIDS GET TO PROFICIENCY, THEY'RE ONLY GETTING THE HARD QUESTIONS AND IF THEY DON'T GET THOSE IT DROPS THEM OFF WHEN IT'S ADAPTIVE. IT'S ALSO NO SURPRISE THAT YOU SEE PASS RATES WHERE YOU DO FOR SOME. WE HAVE MADE THE DECISION AND CONTINUE TO MAKE DECISION THAT KIDS WHO QUALIFY FOR ALGEBRA 1 SHOULD GO IN ALGEBRA 1 AND THEY SHOULD GET THAT STRETCH. I BELIEVE ALL DISTRICTS ARE LOOKING AT THAT SAME THING, WE WANT OUR KIDS TO TAKE ALGEBRA, GET THOSE ADVANCED MATH CLASSES WHERE THEY CAN. BUT WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU DO PULL THEM OUT OF THE TESTING BLOCK, OUT OF WHAT GOES INTO YOUR POT FOR MATH 8. BUT THEN ON YOUR STATE REPORT CARD, YOUR EIGHTH GRADE ALGEBRA 1 KIDS DO NOT SHOW UP. IT'S A THING BECAUSE THEN YOU'RE NOT GETTING HELP ON YOUR STATE STARS REPORT CARD FOR THE SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR HIGHER PERFORMING MATH KIDS COMPLETELY OUT OF IT IN EIGHTH GRADE SO THAT IS JUST JUST A THING. >> WHEN WE SHIFT TO INTEGRATED ALGEBRA 1 AND 2 EIGHTH GRADERS THAT ARE TAKING INTEGRATED ALGEBRA 1 WILL HAVE A SEPARATE ASSESSMENT THEN THE ALGEBRA ASSESSMENT THAT THE HIGH SCHOOLERS TAKE SO I THINK THAT WILL FIX THAT PROBLEM. >> YES. WE HOPE. >> HOPEFULLY. [LAUGHTER] >> YEAH. >> EIGHTH GRADERS THAT DO NOT YET QUALIFY FOR ALGEBRA AND EIGHTH GRADE WOULD STILL TAKE AN EIGHTH GRADE MCAP ASSESSMENT. WE CERTAINLY WANT OUR EIGHTH GRADERS TO BE ON GRADE LEVEL AND TO DO WELL. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ABSOLUTELY PAYING ATTENTION TO AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE INTERVENING AS NECESSARY. >> THAT'S OUR FARMS DATA AS WELL. WHICH AGAIN, IF IT'S LESS THAN FIVE, IT'S SUPPRESSED. LET'S GO TO HIGH SCHOOL WHICH WE'LL PULL AN ALGEBRA 1 AS WELL, BUT WE'LL START WITH ELA 10. I'LL JUST ADD A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS FOR MRS. HASSON TO SHARE SOME OF THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE ELA 10, WHICH ONE OF THE BOARD IS AWARE OF AS WELL, SOME OF THE COURSE CHANGES. ABOUT A 20% IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS IN ELA 10. WE HAVE SEEN WE ARE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE IN THE ELA 10 AND AGAIN, IT'S BEEN A STRONG PERFORMANCE THAT WE HAVE SEEN ACROSS THE BOARD AS WE ARE MOVING FORWARD AND THE FARMS DATA IS THERE WITH REALLY STRONG IMPROVEMENTS THE LAST TWO YEARS. I REALLY SAW THAT GRAPH SHOOT WAY UP AS WELL AND IT'S A 20% IMPROVEMENT IN OUR FARMS KIDS OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. MRS. HASSON, IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THE HIGH SCHOOL. AGAIN, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE BOARD, BUT IT'S GREAT TO SUMMARIZE. >> ABSOLUTELY. IT'S A SIMILAR MODEL TO WHAT WE'RE USING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE SMALL GROUP TIER 2 INSTRUCTION. YOU ALLOWED ME TO PILOT AND THEN HAVE APPROVED THE ENGLISH ESSENTIALS COURSES. THAT HAS ALLOWED MORE TARGETED INTERVENTION TO STUDENTS IN REAL TIME, IN GRADE 9 AND IN GRADE 10, THAT HAS HELPED TO MAKE THIS VISION A REALITY. WE ARE AT 63% AND THAT WAS FIVE POINTS OFF OF WORCESTER COUNTY. >> NOT THAT WE'RE COUNTING. [LAUGHTER] >> WE'RE DONE COUNTING EVERY SINGLE PERCENT. THAT IS WE ARE AS SCRAPPY AS WE CAN BE TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH AND EVERY STUDENT REALIZES THEIR FULL POTENTIAL BEFORE GRADUATION. TENTH GRADE IS A VERY FORMATIVE HIGH SCHOOL YEAR FOR STUDENTS. [00:50:01] WE'VE WORKED WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS HAVE COME IN AND DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH CLASSES SO THAT STUDENTS ALSO TRY THEIR BEST ON THE ASSESSMENT. I DON'T KNOW THAT IN THE PAST WE WERE ALWAYS GETTING THEIR PERSONAL BEST AND THAT'S ALL WE ASK FOR, IS THEIR PERSONAL BEST. WITH THE EFFORTS OF THE SCHOOLS AND THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE, I THINK A BREAKTHROUGH IN JUST PERCEPTIONS OF THE ASSESSMENT AND WHY HAVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS IMPORTANT TO A STUDENT WHO REALLY ONLY HAS TO TAKE IT FOR GRADUATION. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PASS IT, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND THAT'S BEEN OUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT. IS ONCE A STUDENT OWNS THEIR OWN LEARNING, THIS GUY IS THE ABSOLUTE LIMIT AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR. IN THE SPRING, THAT COHORT OF STUDENTS, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE ARE ON A BLOCK SCHEDULE, WAS IT 71% PER QUESTION AND ADVANCED. THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING GROWTH WHEN SPRING FEVER HITS. THAT'S THE BEST WAY THAT I CAN DESCRIBE IT. I OWN A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT STILL AND SO IT IS QUITE CHALLENGING TO KEEP THE ENGAGEMENT LEVEL UP. IT IS A FOUR DAY ASSESSMENT. I KNOW THAT THE STATE HAS SHARED THAT IT IS SHORTER THAN EVER AND THAT IS NOT TRUE. BECAUSE OF FIELD TESTING, THAT WILL NEVER GO AWAY. IT MAKES IT FOUR SESSIONS INSTEAD OF THREE AND THAT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF TIME FOR A STUDENT TO REMAIN FOCUSED AND ENGAGED. WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS AND I THINK THAT IT TAKES GREAT FORTITUDE FOR A YOUNG PERSON TO REALLY SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT ON ALL OF THOSE DAYS. WE HAD OUTSTANDING ATTENDANTS, VERY FEW MAKEUPS. THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS OF THE TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE STUDENTS OWNING THE RESULTS. THEN AGAIN, I THINK WE HAVE A VERY STRONG PLAN IN PLACE TO CONTINUE THIS MOMENTUM. >> I DON'T WANT TO BUILD OFF OF THAT AS WELL. MRS. BUTLER HAS BEEN VERY INFLUENTIAL WITH WORKING WITH HER SCHOOL TEST COORDINATORS AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS WHO REALLY RAISE THE ATTENTION AT THE BUILDING LEVEL ON ASSESSMENT DAY AND ALSO HELP ENCOURAGE ATTENDANCE AND ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES, WHATEVER THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING KIDS THERE TO TEST AND GIVE IT THEIR ALL AND IT REALLY HAS BEEN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT ACROSS THE BOARD AND EVERYBODY. BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO GET A KID TO REALLY WANT TO DO WELL ON A TEST THAT THEY MAY BE AWARE HAS VERY LITTLE BEARING ON THEIR FUTURE BUT IT DOES FOR US. IT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD TO SEE THAT EFFORT DOWNSTREAM PAYOFF. >> WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO SAY SOMETHING? >> THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE BOUGHT INTO THE SMALL GROUPS PRETTY WELL. >> YES. THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE MOST FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE. I THINK SOMETIMES WE UNDERESTIMATE THE FACT THAT THEY WANT SOME PERSONALIZATION TO WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING. I FOUND THAT TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE ACADEMICS ALSO. BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE MEETING WITH A FEW STUDENTS AT A TIME, IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE LEARNING SOMETHING THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN, BUT THEY'RE LEARNING IT FROM THEIR TEACHER. I THINK THERE'S LESS RESISTANCE AND RELUCTANCE BECAUSE THEY'RE SEEING THE RESULTS AND WE WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE, EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE FOR THE DATA TO NO LONGER BE EMBARGOED, WHICH IS ALSO A CHALLENGE TO KEEP PEOPLE MOTIVATED. THE TEACHERS ONCE YOU SEE IT, YOU CAN'T UNSEE IT. I THINK THAT THEY ARE FULLY INVESTED IN THE SMALL GROUPS AND EVEN AS THEY'RE LEARNING, THROUGH IT, HOW THAT STRUCTURE IMPACTS STUDENTS SO POSITIVELY. >> I'D HAVE TO ASSUME BECAUSE IT WAS FOR ME WAY LESS INTIMIDATING TO ASK A QUESTION IN FRONT OF TWO OR THREE OF YOUR PEERS THAN IT IS TO BE THE PERSON THAT RAISES YOUR HAND IN THE CLASSROOM OF 25 TO ASK A QUESTION. >> THEY WON'T. >> NO. I DIDN'T. [LAUGHTER] I THINK SOMEBODY CAN TEACH IT LATER. >> YOU LEARN A LOT MORE ABOUT KIDDOS THAT WAY. COACHES PUSH INTO CLASSES. OUR CO-TEACHERS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS. [00:55:01] THEY TAKE SMALL GROUPS AS WELL, BUT IN THE CLASSROOM, I'VE DONE SMALL GROUPS. IT IS ALL HANDS ON DECK. I THINK THAT ALSO BUILDS THAT COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS THAT SOMETIMES IT IS MISSING IF THE MODEL ISN'T IN PLACE. I'M REALLY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS. >> BEFORE WE GET TO MATH, I JUST WANT TO SHARE AND IT'S IMPLIED IN WHAT THEY'RE SHARING WITH YOU. THE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE PROVIDED, THE SMALL GROUP THAT'S HERE TO THOSE RESOURCES. THEY ARE TEACHER ENGAGED AND TEACHER CENTRIC. THEY'RE NOT PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN FRONT OF STUDENTS, AND THEN THERE'S NOT THAT ANALYSIS THAT HAPPENS WITH THE INFORMATION. THIS GROUP OF SUPERVISORS HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF TRAINING THEIR TEACHERS AND THEIR COACHES TO HAVE A HANDS ON ACCESS TO WHAT THE ASSESSMENTS LOOK LIKE USING A STUDENT WORK TO MAKE DECISIONS. IT'S NOT PUTTING SPACE BETWEEN THE STUDENT AND THE TEACHER, LIKE A COMPUTER OR A PROGRAM OR INTERVENTION PROGRAM. THEN WE REALLY DON'T REALLY LOOK AT THAT DATA TO MAKE DECISIONS. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK ON THE PART OF THE SUPERVISORS AND THE COACHES BECAUSE TRAINING UP TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT TYPICALLY HAPPENING AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL. REALLY DOES HAVE AN IMPACT AND IT FOSTERS THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RELATIONSHIPS THAT SOMETIMES GO MISSING WHEN YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN FRONT OF A STUDENT AS INTERVENTION INSTEAD OF A TEACHER OR TEACHER LED INTERVENTION. I WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH THE GROUP HERE. >> THANK YOU. NOW FOR ALGEBRA, WE'LL DO ALGEBRA AS A WHOLE, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT ALGEBRA AT THE MIDDLE. ALGEBRA AS A WHOLE INCLUDES OUR HIGH SCHOOL TEST TAKERS. PAST RATE OF 15 WERE UP SLIGHTLY OVER THE LAST THREE. IN TERMS OF THAT GROWTH, AND THE BUCKET OF KIDS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE ALGEBRA I DATA FOR THIS, CAN YOU CLARIFY? >> SURE. THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN ALGEBRA IN 8TH GRADE AND ALSO STUDENTS THAT ARE IN ALGEBRA IN HIGH SCHOOL. IT COULD ALSO INCLUDE SOME STUDENTS THAT DIDN'T DO SO WELL IN ALGEBRA AND HAD TO RETAKE ALGEBRA AGAIN. THIS GRAPH RATE HERE LOOKS BELOW 15%, BUT THE ACTUAL TEST TAKERS LAST YEAR, THE STUDENTS IN SEATS TAKING THIS TEST, THE SCORE WAS 15%. THE STATE THEN WEEDS OUT KIDS IF THEY WEREN'T THERE BY THE SEPTEMBER 30TH COUNT. THEY DON'T COUNT OF REASONS. >> YOU ALSO HAVE ALGEBRA I, THE TEST IS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. IF FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHEN THE STUDENTS TOOK ALGEBRA IN 9TH GRADE, THEY WERE MISSED AND THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE TEST, WE WOULD PICK THEM UP IN EITHER 10TH OR 11TH OR 12TH GRADE AND THEY'D BE SITTING FOR A TEST THAT THEY'RE THREE YEARS REMOVED FROM INSTRUCTION, SIMPLY SO THEY CAN GET A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. THEY KNOW WHEN THEY SIT FOR THE TEST, THEY JUST HAVE TO SIT FOR THE TEST. IT'S NOT A MEASURE OF THEIR ACTUAL LEARNING. THERE ARE SEVERAL KIDS IN THIS REPORTED GROUP THAT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY AS WELL. SKEWS THE DATA MORE IN ALGEBRA I THAN ANY OTHER TEST BECAUSE OF IT BEING THAT GRADUATION. >> YOU ALSO GET THE ADDED SKEWED, I'M THANKFUL THE STATE CHANGED THE PERSPECTIVE FOR THE CCR DESIGNATION, BUT IT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON ASSESSMENT. THAT IF A KID GETS A C OR HIGHER IN ALGEBRA I, THEY'RE CONSIDERED A CCR, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO PASS THE TEST. THEY STILL HAVE TO TAKE IT, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO PASS THE TEST. JUST THOSE AN INTERESTING WRINKLE THE MIX FOR THE ASSESSMENT FOR KIDS. [BACKGROUND] CCR IS WHAT OPENS UP DO ENROLLMENT FOR THEM AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS SO IF THEY GET TO SEE, THEY'RE GOOD. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE FARMS DATA WISE FOR ALGEBRA I, BUT I'M GOING TO MOVE TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SLIDE BECAUSE THOSE ARE KIDS THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING EARLY TO TAKE THE ALGEBRA I. THIS SHOWS WHERE WE ARE WITH ALGEBRA I PROFICIENCY AT OUR SCHOOL LEVEL. COLONEL HIGH WAS SITTING AT 68% LAST YEAR, LOCKERMAN OUT OF 43% LAST YEAR, AND THE STATE AVERAGE IS A 39.7 AND DR. BONOBOSH, I KNOW YOU HAVE A FEW THINGS YOU WANT TO SHARE ABOUT THIS DATA. >> WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DATA BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES RATE. WE'RE COMPARING THE 8TH GRADE STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE THAT TOOK ALGEBRA I COMPARED TO COLONEL MIDDLE AND LOCKERMAN. WE KEEP EXPANDING, AS I'VE SAID, EACH YEAR, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TAKING ALGEBRA AND 8TH GRADE. WE KNOW ALGEBRA IS THE GATE KEEPER TO COLLEGE. STUDENTS THAT WANT TO GO ON TO COLLEGE, [01:00:02] THEY NEED TO HAVE ALGEBRA, THEY NEED TO HAVE ALGEBRA II. THAT WILL BE A REQUIREMENT. ALGEBRA II WILL BE A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT ONCE WE SWITCH TO INTEGRATED, WHICH WILL HAPPEN 27, 28 FOR ALGEBRA I, 28, 29 FOR ALGEBRA II. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE APPROPRIATELY PLACING STUDENTS IN ALGEBRA I AND 8TH GRADE. WE WANT THE CHALLENGE TO BE APPROPRIATE FOR THEM AND WANT THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL SO THAT THEY CAN GO ON TO ALGEBRA II WHEN THEY GET INTO HIGH SCHOOL. BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DATA BECAUSE WE'RE BEATING THE STATE. AS I SAID, KIMMIE WILLIS, WHO IS THE COACH AT COLONEL MIDDLE WENT ON TO THE OGAP TO FACILITATOR TRAINS SO SHE CAN RUN THIS TRAINING AND DID A FANTASTIC JOB THE SUMMER TRAINING OLIVER. WE INCLUDED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. WE INCLUDED ML TEACHERS AND ALSO ASSISTANCE IN THIS TRAINING. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRESS AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE THAT AS WELL. >> LOCKERMAN IS VERY COMPETITIVE. THEY SEE THAT GAP. MR. ALSTON IS HARD AT WORK, AGAIN, WITH THE TEAM THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT. TO TRY TO CLOSE THE GAP WITH COLONEL MIDDLE, AGAIN, THEY'RE EXCEEDING THE STATE, SO I DON'T WANT TO DOWNPLAY THAT. BUT THEY'RE COMPETITIVE AND I GET IT. ONE OF THE THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT, THOUGH, YOU DON'T SEE IT IN THIS DATA, BUT AS THE COACHES DO ITEM ANALYSES AND LOOK THROUGH WHERE EACH KID IS WITHIN A CUT SCORE. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF OUR KIDS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR ALGEBRA I, IF THEY'RE NOT MAKING IT ARE WITHIN A QUESTION OR TWO OF MAKING PROFICIENCY. IT'S THAT CLOSE OF THE TERM WE ALWAYS USE AS KIDS ON THE CUSP. SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THOSE KIDS ARE ON THE CUSP, ONE OR TWO QUESTIONS, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, AND THEY'RE BOTH SITTING THE SAME. IT'S ALSO TRUE, ONE OR TWO QUESTIONS, THE OTHER WAY, COLONEL MIDDLE COULD BE SITTING EVEN HIGHER. BUT MOST OF OUR KIDS IF THEY'RE NOT THERE, THEY'RE JUST WITHIN A GRASP OF A QUESTION OR TWO THAT WILL CLOSE THAT GAP WHICH IS EXCITING. >> THAT GAIN FOR COLONEL MIDDLE IS A 25% GAIN IF YOU COMPARE IT TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WHICH IS HUGE. >> IT DOES CONCLUDE OUR MCAP DATA. FOR THE BOARD, THIS IS REALLY WANTED TO GIVE AN ANALYSIS OF WHERE WE ARE SITTING IN THE GROWTH WE'RE SEEING, PLUS THE AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO PUT A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION IN OUR WORKING THROUGH. I'M PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE TEAMS DOING, PROUD OF THE WORK THAT OUR KIDS ARE DOING AND SHOWING UP. AGAIN, WHERE WE NEED TO BE, NOT YET. WE'RE MOVING. WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF THAT, BUT THE GROWTH WE'RE SEEING IN THE TRENDS REALLY ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP CONTINUING TO POUR INTO AND ELEVATING AND MAKING SMART DECISIONS FOR CHANGES IN TWEAKS AND MODIFICATIONS TO KEEP MOVING THINGS FORWARD FOR MORE KIDS. BUT FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT THE PROGRESS WE ARE MAKING AS A SYSTEM SUPPORT, HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. >> EXCUSE ME FROM HERE. COMMEND THE SUPERVISORS FOR THE WORK THAT DIRECTORS, WHATEVER THE CORRECT TITLE IS, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU PUT INTO THE RESULTS THAT WE SEE THIS MORNING. I CAN TELL YOU I ATTENDED A MEETING ON MONDAY, AND CAROLINE'S NAME IS DEFINITELY OUT THERE. FOLKS ARE SEEING THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT WE'RE DOING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. IT'S BECAUSE OF THE EFFORT YOU PUT IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN GET. PLEASE PASS THAT ON TO MRS. ALLIS FISHER. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. VERY WELCOME. >> THAT WAS THE LAST I HAD. [LAUGHTER] >> THEY MAY WOULD TO BE DISMISSED. [LAUGHTER].YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE DISMISSED. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS, [3.01 Upcoming Meetings and Events] AS YOU CAN SEE, THE CALENDAR IS STARTING TO. >> WHAT IS AGDAY? >> IT IS A STATE OPPORTUNITY, AND WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN A DISTRICT WIDE AGDAY EXPERIENCE. ANOTHER DISTRICT DID IT AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THAT MADE SENSE TO BRING IT TO CAROLINE AS GREEN GARDEN? [OVERLAPPING] YES, IT IS. >> AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS? [01:05:04] >> [OVERLAPPING] THE INFORMATION JUST STARTED COMING IN MORE FIRM END OF LAST WEEK. >> WHAT'S THE AUDIENCE FOR THAT? >> MIDDLE SCHOOL. >> VERY FUN. >> YEAH. >> DID I SEE NIKKI'S EVENT AT THE WHARFS? >> YES. FOR PROJECT AWARE. CLOSING OUT THAT GRANT. HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK WE DID WITH THAT. >> AND HOMECOMING. >> ONE THING TO NOTE. MENTION OF BILL MIDDLETON WAS SUPERINTENDENT, AND I THINK IT WAS [INAUDIBLE] OUR SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH AND PASSED AWAY AND FUNERAL AND STUFF IS AT THE END OF THE WEEK I SAW IT LAST NIGHT. I KNOW WE PROBABLY COULD SEND SOMETHING DOWN THERE AS FAR AS HOW MICHELLE AND I WERE HERE FOR THE SEARCH AND HIS HISTORY AND HIS KNOWLEDGE, HIS PASSION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT REALLY JUST HIS KNOWLEDGE, I KNOW WE REALLY RESPECTED HIS INPUT AND THE WAY THAT HE WAS ABLE TO LEAD THAT SEARCH TO HELP US NOT ONLY SELECT THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT TO BE REALLY TRANSPARENT ABOUT IT AND TO REALLY TAKE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND ALSO THE WAY HE TOOK THE FEEDBACK FROM THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THAT WERE HERE AT THE TIME AND WAS ABLE TO WITH HIS TEAM PUT THAT INTO THE WHOLE PROCESS AND, I SAID REALLY BEING ABLE TO. I KNOW IT WAS IMPORTANT AT THE TIME FOR THE BOARD TO GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON IT AND THE WAY THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK THAT IN. HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US NOT MAKING THAT DECISION FOR US, BUT ALLOWING US TO WORK AS A BOARD AND MAKE OUR OWN DECISION, BUT LEADING THAT PROCESS THE WAY IT NEEDED TO BE LED FOR A REALLY NEW BECAUSE OTHER THAN JIM, WE WERE ALL BRAND NEW. NONE OF US HAS NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE, REALLY LESS THAN A YEAR ON OUR BOARD MEMBERSHIP. HE'LL BE MISSED. I'M SURE THAT WHAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAD. >> CAN YOU REPEAT HIS NAME? >> BILL MIDDLETON. >> THEY ANNOUNCED MONDAY [OVERLAPPING] >> JUST A REALLY KIND GOOD SOUL. >> DEDICATED. [NOISE] >> IT SOUNDS LIKE HE WAS STILL [NOISE]. >> JUST ONE OTHER COMMENT REAL QUICK AS IT RELATES TO UPCOMING EVENTS. I HAD A STAFF MEMBER AT NORTH HIGH REACH OUT TO ME WITH A REMINDER, BUT IT WAS NEW INFORMATION FOR ME. THERE IS A TIME CAPSULE THAT WAS BURIED OVER ON THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE WITH THE INTENTION OF IT BEING OPENED IN MARCH OF '26 FOR THE BICENTENNIAL. I WOULD LOVE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER MAKING THAT A THING. WE ALREADY HAVE SOME STAFF WHO ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. I THINK SO IT WAS '76. I THINK IT WAS ON THE GROUND. >> WE ARE WORKING ON PUTTING SOMETHING TOGETHER. >> PERFECT. >> WITH THAT AS WELL. MS. PINKETT WAS ONE WHO LAST YEAR[OVERLAPPING] YES, SHE WAS. NO, WE'RE WORKING ON PUTTING TOGETHER TRYING TO DO THE PROGRAM. BUT ALSO TALKING TO MS. PINKETT. BEING SOMEONE WHO HAS HELPED PUT IT THERE GOING, WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT THE LOGISTICS. IS IT JUST UNDER THE THE STONE? DO WE NEED PUBLIC WORKS TO DO SOME DIGGING? [LAUGHTER] >> THEN I THINK ALSO THE CONSIDERATION OF REPLACING IT. IT'S THIS MUCH FUN. THERE'S THIS MUCH EXCITEMENT ALREADY. I GOT PHONE CALL FROM A STAFF MEMBER WHO WAS LIKE, DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING? DIDN'T WANT TO SAY TO HER LIKE, I WASN'T BORN. [LAUGHTER] SOME STAFF ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. I THINK IT COULD BE A FUN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ALSO GET THEM INVOLVED AND LET THEM MAKE SOME DECISIONS. >> CLASS GRADUATING THIS YEAR. >> [OVERLAPPING] I THOUGHT I SENT IT TO YOU. >> SOMEONE RAN OVER AND TOOK A PICTURE. >> YOU COULD MISS IT IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING. >> NO IDEA. >> ON THE SIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE SCREEN. >> NEITHER WE PROBABLY WALK ON THAT. >> IT'S NOT REAL BIG AND IT'S RIGHT AT GROUND LEVEL. >> IT DOESN'T STICK UP. >> FIFTY YEARS. THANK YOU. >> ANY MOTION TO ADJOURN [INAUDIBLE] [01:10:05] >> I'LL SECOND. >> I SECOND THAT OUR MEETING BE ADJOURNED. ALL IN FAVOR. >> AYE. >> OPPOSE. >> [NOISE] THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.