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How to be an "A" school: Love reteaching and remediating!
by Jan Barrick, Alpha Plus CEO

The traditional hundredth day of school is near Valentine’s Day in most districts. The actual 100th day of instruction is a different date. For teachers who start using the Alpha Plus Model of School Improvement during Labor Day week, the 100th day falls between Feb. 20 and mid-March depending on your school's calendar and how well instructional days are protected. Regardless: Spring Break is just a month away!

Hopefully, most days have been in-person so far, and you are using the data to coordinate reteaching and remediation every school day.

  • Most reading and math teachers at grades 3-8 in Alpha Plus Online completed the B summative assessment by mid-January so they could adjust plans, pace of instruction, and intervention for spring semester.
  • First- and second-grade classes and science classes currently have one summative assessment available, so their schedule is different for measuring growth.

Growth is the key! With 11,781 students completing summative assessments of ELA and math in 104 schools (74 districts) statewide, the average score at midyear was 53%. 

Midyear performance indicates an average of 10% growth in score from the baseline. This growth is consistent with past years – including during the pandemic – even when many fewer students were in the dataset.

For the state-tested grade levels, best practice is to administer the spring (A2) summative assessments just before Spring Break. They should be administered using a similar schedule (see “Test Administration Details” in state item specifications) and the same student accommodations as the state tests in April.

To get the best data for decision-making, teachers should conduct an in-class review of all content taught before administering A2. Use the “Review” test function with summative B (under Classroom tab) to discuss questions most students answered incorrectly at midyear. Each assessment provides opportunities to practice accommodations identified in IEPs.

Educators at Alpha Plus Partner Schools continue working diligently to cover all the Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS) and check for mastery of their lessons with formative assessments. Both the average number of tests taken and Running Proficiency Rates will continue to increase throughout the spring. The Alpha Plus goal – after remediation and retakes – is 70% of students proficient on formative quizzes.

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What's next?

  1. OAS Objectives on which fewer than 70% of students in a class score proficient should be retaught ASAP.
  2. OAS Objectives listed in the Standards at Risk report should be remediated before students take the spring summative.
  3. At this time, it is critical to provide tutoring and other intervention for students – individually or in small-groups – who were non-proficient on objectives in the Power Standards. Power Standards comprise the largest share of questions on state tests.

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If you need help identifying students or objectives at risk, please contact your Alpha Plus Facilitator or call (405) 842-8408.

Want to learn more about how to teach to mastery? Check out our November newsletter here. 

Need advice on getting ready for spring benchmarks? Access our February newsletter here. 

 

Let us know how we can help!
– CEO Jan Barrick and the Alpha Plus Team

Copyright © 2023 Alpha Plus Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
ALPHA PLUS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS
3315 N.W. 63rd St., Oklahoma City, OK 73116
Call (405) 842-8408 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions!