I. Executive Summary

The results of our students’ performances on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Test are used in a variety of ways. The federal government is using student and school MCAS performance to determine whether or not schools and districts are “steadily progressing, year by year, toward achievement by 2014 of the national goal set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The goal is: all students will achieve proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics.” The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Department of Education, evaluates MCAS results to determine a school’s performance based on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP is calculated by a formula that uses three factors that are weighted differently; Participation Rate, Performance Improvement, and Additional Indicator (such as attendance or graduation rate). Student performance is the fundamental component of AYP. It is measured by calculating the Composite Performance Index (CPI) for the district based on each individual student score. CPI is a 100-point index that assigns values to the scores of each student participating in the MCAS. For example, any student who performs in the Proficient (P) or Advanced (A) categories on the MCAS is assigned 100 points. Needs Improvement (NI) and Warning (W) categories are split into “High” and “Low” sub categories to award districts points for progressing toward student proficiency.

Composite Performance Index Point Scale MCAS Category Points Awarded Proficient and Advanced 100 Needs Improvement - High 75 Needs Improvement - Low 50 Warning/Failing - High 25 Warning/Failing - Low 0

The Mass DOE has discontinued the practice of using multiple years for determining AYP. Instead they will issue an AYP determination on a yearly basis. They feel the change in practice creates a simpler calculation formula and is more transparent in determining AYP. As a school district, Wayland met its AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) targets in the participation, performance, and attendance categories but did not meet the AYP targets for improvement in two student sub- group categories (special education at the Elementary Schools and African American/Black at the Middle School). However, the district is rated as “No Status” for the NCLB Accountability Status because at least one grade level at each level has met the AYP targets. All of the aggregate and other sub-categories met their respective AYP target, and the District’s performance is “Very High.” In short, none of the district’s schools has been identified for “Improvement.” It should also be noted that we have identified some additional sub-groups in our analysis that are not part of the Department of Education (DOE) reports. The DOE does not separate out our Black and Hispanic students because we do not have the minimum number of students in their particular sub-categories for the state to report on that particular sub-group. At the local level, we use MCAS results to help us make informed decisions about curricular and instructional change and to monitor the extent to which local curriculum is aligned with the

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 1 State Framework. We also use the test results of individual students to help determine which students need additional instructional opportunities. In summary, all of the Wayland Public Schools are doing well. We have among the highest composite scores in the upper grades for all the school districts in the Commonwealth. We will, however, inevitably experience some score variation from year to year as individual students change at a particular grade level. We are concerned about and committed to improving the performance gaps that have been identified in this report between several sub-groups and the aggregate. We are also focused on meeting AYP in the Improvement Goal categories despite the difficulty of meeting those goals as we close in on the performance ceiling. Overall, we experienced slight improvement in four of the seven ELA grade levels that were tested, one grade level remained the same, and two of the seven fell slightly. In mathematics, we experienced some very dramatic increases in scores, with increases in six of the seven grade levels tested and only a slight decrease (1% point) in the 10th grade scores. The charts that follow present a snapshot of our performance over time in the various subject areas. A cell with “NA” on the chart is an indication that a subject test was not administered by the state in that given year.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 3

READING NEEDS PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 NA NA NA 2000 NA NA NA 2001 84% 15% 1% 2002 86% 13% 0% 2003 80% 17% 3% 2004 79% 17% 3% 2005 79% 19% 2%

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS PROFICIENT + PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 22% 51% 24% 3% 2007 31% 47% 20% 3%

GRADE 4

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 0% 27% 70% 3% 2000 1% 22% 74% 3% 2001 8% 60% 30% 3% 2002 15% 58% 23% 3% 2003 29% 54% 17% 1% 2004 14% 67% 18% 1% 2005 17% 48% 30% 5% 2006 12% 59% 26% 3% 2007 15% 56% 25% 4%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 2 GRADE 5

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 25% 56% 17% 2% 2007 30% 52% 17% 2%

GRADE 6

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 24% 65% 9% 1% 2007 18% 67% 13% 2%

GRADE 7 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 NA NA NA NA 2000 NA NA NA NA 2001 12% 70% 16% 1% 2002 28% 64% 7% 1% 2003 23% 72% 5% 0% 2004 29% 66% 5% 0% 2005 28% 67% 4% 2% 2006 44% 49% 6% 2% 2007 28% 68% 3% 1%

GRADE 8 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 17% 73% 9% 2% 2000 13% 75% 11% 1% 2001 18% 73% 9% 1% 2002 NA NA NA NA 2003 NA NA NA NA 2004 NA NA NA NA 2005 NA NA NA NA 2006 34% 60% 5% 1% 2007 37% 60% 4% 0%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 3 GRADE 10

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 8% 58% 26% 8% 2000 17% 50% 27% 5% 2001 53% 39% 6% 1% 2002 54% 36% 9% 1% 2003 46% 44% 9% 1% 2004 51% 35% 13% 1% 2005 54% 39% 6% 1% 2006 38% 57% 5% 0% 2007 49% 44% 8% 0%

GRADES 3-10 ELA SCORES Grade NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 3 2006 22% 51% 24% 3% 4 2006 12% 59% 26% 3% 5 2006 25% 56% 17% 2% 6 2006 24% 65% 9% 1% 7 2006 44% 49% 6% 2% 8 2006 34% 60% 5% 1% 10 2006 38% 57% 5% 0%

Grade NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 3 2007 31% 47% 20% 3% 4 2007 15% 56% 25% 4% 5 2007 30% 52% 17% 2% 6 2007 18% 67% 13% 2% 7 2007 28% 68% 3% 1% 8 2007 37% 60% 4% 0% 10 2007 49% 44% 8% 0%

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PROFICIENT & ADVANCED

Grade Grade 3 2006 73% 3 2007 78% 4 2006 71% 4 2007 71% 5 2006 81% 5 2007 82% 6 2006 89% 6 2007 85% 7 2006 93% 7 2007 96% 8 2006 94% 8 2007 97% 10 2006 95% 10 2007 93%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 4 MATHEMATICS GRADE 3

MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 4% 57% 30% 9% 2007 25% 55% 18% 3%

GRADE 4 MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 29% 32% 33% 5% 2000 22% 46% 30% 3% 2001 14% 39% 40% 8% 2002 27% 40% 30% 3% 2003 29% 44% 26% 1% 2004 31% 36% 31% 2% 2005 21% 35% 38% 6% 2006 28% 26% 36% 9% 2007 28% 34% 33% 6%

GRADE 5

MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 24% 35% 28% 13% 2007 41% 37% 15% 8%

GRADE 6

MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT IMPROVEMENT WARNING 1999 NA NA NA NA 2000 NA NA NA NA 2001 52% 28% 12% 8% 2002 50% 36% 11% 3% 2003 50% 32% 14% 5% 2004 52% 24% 18% 6% 2005 45% 30% 20% 5% 2006 41% 33% 16% 10% 2007 46% 32% 16% 6%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 5 GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2006 37% 40% 18% 5% 2007 37% 46% 13% 5%

GRADE 8 MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 40% 35% 17% 8% 2000 39% 31% 18% 12% 2001 43% 33% 20% 5% 2002 44% 36% 13% 7% 2003 42% 30% 19% 9% 2004 42% 36% 18% 4% 2005 39% 38% 17% 6% 2006 36% 34% 23% 7% 2007 45% 37% 13% 5%

GRADE 10 MATHEMATICS NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 1999 22% 28% 26% 24% 2000 48% 25% 17% 10% 2001 65% 20% 11% 4% 2002 55% 27% 15% 3% 2003 51% 34% 13% 3% 2004 66% 22% 9% 4% 2005 67% 23% 8% 3% 2006 78% 18% 3% 1% 2007 77% 18% 4% 0%

GRADES 3-10 MATHEMATICS SCORES

NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT IMPROVEMENT WARNING 3 2006 4% 57% 30% 9% 4 2006 28% 26% 36% 9% 5 2006 24% 35% 28% 13% 6 2006 41% 33% 16% 10% 7 2006 37% 40% 18% 5% 8 2006 36% 34% 23% 7% 10 2006 78% 18% 3% 1%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 6 NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT IMPROVEMENT WARNING 3 2007 25% 55% 18% 3% 4 2007 28% 34% 33% 6% 5 2007 41% 37% 15% 8% 6 2007 46% 32% 13% 5% 7 2007 37% 46% 13% 5% 8 2007 45% 37% 13% 5% 10 2007 77% 18% 4% 0%

PROFICIENT & ADVANCED

Grade Grade 3 2006 61% 3 2007 80% 4 2006 54% 4 2007 62% 5 2006 59% 5 2007 78% 6 2006 74% 6 2007 78% 7 2006 77% 7 2007 83% 8 2006 70% 8 2007 82% 0 2006 96% 10 2007 95%

GRADE 5 SCIENCE NEEDS ADVANCED PROFICIENT WARNING IMPROVEMENT 2001 10% 45% 39% 6% 2002 19% 60% 20% 1% 2003 26% 49% 21% 4% 2004 38% 46% 14% 2% 2005 22% 52% 23% 3% 2006 25% 37% 33% 5% 2007 31% 41% 27% 2%

GRADE 8

SCIENCE NEEDS WARNING ADVANCED PROFICIENT IMPROVEMENT 2006 15% 55% 26% 5% 2007 13% 56% 28% 4%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 7 Current 10th Grade Class Current 10th Grade Class English/Language Arts Math PROFICIENT & ADVANCED PROFICIENT & ADVANCED

Grade 3 1999 NA 4 2000 23% 5 2001 NA 6 2002 NA 7 2003 95% 8 2004 NA 10 2006 95% Grade 3 1999 NA 4 2000 68% 5 2001 NA 6 2002 86% 7 2003 NA 8 2004 78% 10 2006 96%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 8 II. Reading and English Language Arts

A. Grades 3, 4, and 5 I. Overview Wayland Elementary Schools performed well on the 2007 English Language Arts (ELA) MCAS. Wayland performed better than the state average in all grade levels. Wayland third and fifth grade students performed slightly better in 2007 than in 2006 (78% vs. 73% in grade 3 and 82% vs. 81% in grade 5). Wayland fourth grade students performed the same as in 2006. The following chart documents the performance across the district:

Grade 3

Performance Levels 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Above Proficient District 22% 25% State 18% 14%

Proficient District 86% 80% 79% 79% 51% 55% State 67% 63% 63% 62% 40% 45%

Needs Improvement District 15% 13% 17% 19% 24% 17% State 31% 27% 30% 30% 34% 34%

Failing/Warning District 1% 0% 3% 2% 3% 3% State 7% 6% 7% 6% 8% 9%

Grade 4

Performance Levels 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced District 1% 8% 15% 29% 14% 17% 12% 15% State 1% 7% 8% 10% 11% 10% 8% 10%

Proficient District 22% 60% 58% 53% 67% 48% 59% 55% State 19% 44% 46% 45% 45% 40% 42% 46%

Needs Improvement District 74% 38% 23% 16% 18% 30% 26% 25% State 67% 38% 37% 34% 35% 40% 39% 34%

Failing/Warning District 3% 3% 3% 2% 1% 5% 3% 5% State 13% 11% 10% 10% 9% 11% 12% 10%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 9 Grade 5 Performance Levels 2006 2007 Advanced District 25% 30% State 15% 15%

Proficient District 56% 52% State 44% 48%

Needs Improvement District 17% 17% State 31% 28%

Failing/Warning District 2% 2% State 9% 9%

II. Analysis of Performance by Grade and Test The ELA MCAS assesses students’ reading comprehension and students’ writing ability. In grades 3, 4, and 5, students’ reading comprehension is assessed with multiple choice questions that require students to respond to a piece of literature and open response questions to demonstrate reading comprehension through writing. The grade 4 test also includes a long composition prompt requiring students to write a narrative connected to personal experience.

Multiple Choice Questions Over the last few years, Wayland’s performance on multiple-choice questions has improved. As a district, we have focused on reading comprehension strategies and our students are applying this knowledge on the MCAS. The following chart documents the district’s performance on multiple choice items:

Grade 3 Multiple Choice Percent Correct 2004 2005 2006 2007 81% 81% 82% 89%

Grade 4 Multiple Choice Percent Correct 2004 2005 2006 2007 84% 78% 80% 86%

Grade 5 Multiple Choice Percent Correct 2004 2005 2006 2007 NA NA 85% 87%

Wayland’s performance is not only improving on each grade level test from year to year (grade 3 in 2004 was 81% and grade 3 in 2007 is 89%), but students are performing better as they progress through elementary school (students scored 81% on multiple choice items as third graders in 2005 vs. 87% as fifth graders in 2007).

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 10 Also notable in the multiple-choice section is the decrease in “most-missed” questions (less than 80% correct as a district) over the last year:

Number of “Most-Missed” Questions Grade 2006 2007 3 9 4 4 10 8 5 10 2

Last year we noted that our students were not performing as well as expected on questions related to the Language Standard. These questions ask students to label or find a part of speech or determine the meaning of a vocabulary word in context. We recommended that instruction in K-5 have a stronger focus on grammar and vocabulary. Wayland performed better on Language questions in 2007 in all grades:

Language Questions – Percent Correct Grade 2006 2007 3 73% 91% 4 74% 86% 5 83% 88%

Open Response Questions Open response questions require students to compose short answers demonstrating their understanding of the text. There are two open response questions on the grade 3 test and four on the tests for grades 4 and 5. Each relates to a reading piece and assesses a student’s ability to make an inference and support his/her ideas by quoting facts from the text. Wayland continues to score below expectations in this area in all three grade levels. Wayland students need explicit instruction in writing a response to a question about a text. This is an area of focus for the elementary schools.

Open Response – Percent Correct Grade 2006 2007 3 60% 65% 4 53% 55% 5 57% 62%

Writing Prompt The Writing Prompt is only on the grade 4 MCAS. It is a long composition prompt requiring students to write a narrative connected to personal experience. The Writing Prompt assesses students on two aspects of composition: 1. Topic/Idea Development (CT), which includes writing development, organization, use of detail, variety in sentence structure and language 2. Use of Standard English Writing Conventions (CC), which includes mechanics as well as usage and grammar Wayland continues to score below expectations in this area. Wayland students need explicit instruction in writing a narrative in response to a prompt. Research in current writing practices discusses the importance of classroom practice that reflects the structure of the gradual release of

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 11 responsibility theory (Pearson and Gallagher 1983.) (i.e. explicit whole class lessons, small group guided practice, independent application, and one-on-one instruction). This is recommended four times per week for approximately 45 minutes to lift the quality of student writing (L. Calkins, D. Graves 1983.). Wayland Elementary Schools is implementing a new writing program for the district this year. This program will explicitly model strategies for topic development, conventions and revision. This will be an area of focus for the elementary schools over the next four years.

Grade 4 Writing Prompt – Percent Correct 2004 2005 2006 2007 73% 74% 76% 74%

III. Analysis of Identified Subgroup Performance Special Needs Students Wayland students with special needs continue to perform significantly lower than the district average. More than fifty percent of our students with special needs are scoring below Proficient in all three grade levels (58% in grade 3; 70% in grade 4; and 57% in grade 5). 95% of our students with special needs passed the 2007 test in grade 5, which is an increase from the grade 3 test in 2005 (87% passing). We are seeing trends that indicate that our students with special needs are continuing to improve their performance from grade 3 through grade 5.  31% of students with special needs scored in the Proficient or above range on the 2006 grade 3 MCAS. These same students scored 30% in the Proficient or above range on the grade 4 MCAS this year. The grade 4 MCAS is a more difficult test so it is significant that this group of students maintained the percentage of students in the Proficient and above range.  45% of students with special needs scored in the Proficient and above range on the grade 5 2007 MCAS. This is an increase from their performance on the 2006 grade 4 MCAS (39% in the Proficient or above range) Also notable this year is the increase in percentage of students in Proficient and Above in grade 3 (31% in 2006 vs. 43% in 2007).

The elementary schools need to continue to focus on closing this gap in performance for students with special needs.

Boston Resident Students Boston Resident students continue to perform significantly lower than the district. More than fifty percent of our Boston Resident students are scoring below Proficient in all three grade levels (54% in grade 3; 90% in grade 4; and 54% in grade 5). 95% of our Boston Resident students passed the 2007 test in grade 5, which is an increase from the grade 3 test in 2005 (89% passing). We are seeing trends that indicate that our Boston Resident students are continuing to improve their performance from grade 3 through grade 5.  46% of Boston Resident students scored in the Proficient and Above range on the 2007 grade 5 MCAS. This is an increase from their performance on the 2006 grade 4 MCAS (43% in the Proficient or above range) and on the 2005 grade 3 MCAS (44% in the Proficient or above range).

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 12 Also notable this year is the increase in the percentage of students in Proficient and Above in grade 3 (30% in 2006 vs. 46% in 2007) and in grade 5 (36% in 2006 vs. 46% in 2007).

Grade 5 Performance Levels 2006 2007 # % # % Above Proficient 0 0 2 15 Proficient 5 36 4 31 Needs Improvement 7 50 5 38 Failing/Warning 2 14 2 15

Grade 4 Performance Levels 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 # % # % # % # % # % # % Above Proficient 0 0 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Proficient 2 17 4 36 7 58 2 13 6 43 1 10 Needs Improvement 9 75 4 36 4 33 8 53 6 43 7 73 Failing/Warning 1 8 1 9 1 8 5 33 2 14 2 20

Grade 3

Performance Levels 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 # % # % # % # % # % Above Proficient 2 20 1 9 Proficient 11 61 7 54 4 44 1 10 4 36 Needs Improvement 5 28 5 38 4 44 6 60 5 45 Failing/Warning 2 11 1 8 1 11 1 10 1 9

IV. Recommendations 1. Teachers will implement the new Lucy Calkin’s Writing Curriculum and learn how to analyze student writing in order to lift the level of writing for all students.

2. Teachers will implement the Open Response Unit of Study and teach how to answer open response questions during their weekly lessons. Students will regularly generate open-ended questions and answer these questions during interactive read aloud, whole class focus lessons, and nonfiction content reading.

3. In 2007-2008 all K-2 teachers are implementing the Open Court Phonics Program. This program places particular emphasis on decoding multi-syllabic words, learning spelling rules, understanding the meaning of many vocabulary words, and understanding English grammar. This program should improve students’ ability to answer the language questions and decode unfamiliar words in the reading samples. The ELA Curriculum Directors will continue to research the Open Court Grade 3 Program to determine if it will meet the needs of the Wayland grade 3 students.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 13 4. All elementary teachers will meet monthly with Lab Classroom Teachers, Building Principals, and/or Curriculum Directors to analyze the following assessment data: . Classroom notes from small group and individual student conferences . Grade level assessments (DRA; Lexia; DIBELS; GRADE; MCAS) . Comprehension results from a grade level passage and test questions . Student reading response journal entries Special education and classroom teachers will use this assessment data to create a monthly plan for whole class, small group, and individual instruction.

5. All elementary teachers will visit the lab classrooms and/or watch a colleague’s instruction via videotapes twice during the year. This practice enables teachers to share and discuss teaching techniques and student learning.

6. The district will build a reading intervention model for students in grades 4-5. This model will be integrated into the reader’s workshop structure of the classroom curriculum.

7. Last spring the district conducted a time study in order to reduce classroom interruptions. The administrative team will continue this work with a particular emphasis on scheduling instrumental lessons at a consistent time for a particular grade level or before/after the school day.

8. All Boston Resident Students in grades 3-5 will participate in the IPOD Program. The goal of this program is to improve students’ vocabulary and comprehension knowledge, and to also promote a love of reading. The IPOD project enables students to listen to recorded books while commuting to and from school. After the students have listened to a book, the Principal and/or the Curriculum Directors will meet with students to discuss it. This year the program will expand to all three elementary schools.

9. The ELA Curriculum Directors will provide professional development for teaching assistants in K-5 classrooms on how to teach explicit skills during small group lessons and individual conferences.

10. Because the population of students with a second language has continued to increased in Wayland, the district will review and revise the plan to support these students in the classroom according to best practice models from around the country.

11. Classroom teachers in grades K-5 will teach the following genres over the course of the year: . Poetry . Traditional Literature (folktales, fairytales, myths, legends, nursery rhymes) . Nonfiction (biographies, informational articles, journals) . Fiction (picture books, realistic fiction, fantasy)

12. The ELA Directors and Elementary Principals will coordinate with the Special Education Director to research and develop an intervention to help identified students reach grade level reading benchmarks.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 14 13. The ELA Directors recommend adding a literacy component to the Kindergarten BASE program to allow Boston Resident students who stay for a full day to receive additional support in literacy.

14. All K-5 classrooms will continue to use Lexia as a support for students who are struggling with decoding, automaticity, and fluency skills. The ability to read accurately and fluently is essential to scoring well on this assessment.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 15 IIIB. Middle School English/Language Arts

Grade 6 I. Overview Wayland Middle School students performed well on the spring 2007 English Language Arts MCAS. Eighty-five percent of the students performed in the Proficient range and above. Overall, students demonstrated an ability to think deeply and critically about text, spanning a wide range of genres by identifying correct responses as well as writing in response to the selected literary pieces. Wayland Middle School students outperformed the state percentages in both the Advanced and Proficient levels of performance. The percentage of students scoring in the Advanced range is about 9% higher than the state average, and the percentage of students scoring in the Needs Improvement category is 11% lower than the state average. Our students are demonstrating a high level of proficiency as readers and writers in response to literature. Fifteen percent of students are still in need of an intervention model that furthers their literacy development.

Performance Level Results

Performance 2006 2006 2007 2007 Levels District State District State Advanced 24% 10% 18% 9% Proficient 65% 54% 67% 58% Needs Improvement 9% 28% 14% 25% Warning 1% 8% 1% 7%

II. Analysis This assessment requires students to demonstrate their literacy proficiencies by responding to 36 multiple choice questions based on texts spanning many genres, as well as four open response short essays. The following table presents levels of students’ proficiency within different types of response formats.

Type of Question 2006 2006 2007 2007 District State District State Multiple Choice 84% 73% 84% 75% Open Response 64% 52% 62% 55%

Multiple Choice The multiple choice questions are related to either the Literature or Language strands of the ELA State Framework. Students scored above 80% on 30 questions. The following shows the categories of questions that fell below 80% accuracy and the matching learning standards:

 Standard 8 (1 question) Understanding a Text (main idea)  Standard 12 (1 question) Fiction structure and elements  Standard 14 (1 question) Poetic theme and structure  Standard 15 (1 question) Style and Language  Standard 17 (2 questions) Dramatic theme and structure Students may need more experience with dramatic and poetic form. The ELA department does believe that students engage in rich poetry study in all three grades. It was difficult to analyze the questions, as the text was copyrighted and therefore not published. Two questions were missed in

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 16 response to a dramatic selection. This selection was also not included in the test items. Students do study dramatic form in Combined Arts for an eight week course. This is not a widely studied genre at the middle school. We do read Twelve Angry Men in the seventh grade and Romeo and Juliet in eighth grade.

Open Response Questions

2006 2006 2007 2007 District State District State 1 2.57 2.19 2.53 2.24 2 2.48 1.81 1.93 1.86 3 2.44 1.77 2.51 2.09 4 2.75 2.40 2.64 2.46

Open Response questions (4 points each) require students to respond in short essay format to literature. This year they responded to two nonfiction pieces, a poem and a story. Though we continue to exceed the state average, building writing fluency in response to literary prompts within ELA classes and across the curriculum remains an ongoing goal. The scores were consistent across genres except in response to the poem. The poem in the assessment is by T.S. Elliot. Its comparative text structure was challenging, and eluded many sixth grade readers and thinkers. A school-wide approach to writing in response to literary prompts was shared two years ago and revisited last school year.

III. Analysis of Subgroups Special Needs Population

Performance Level 2006 2006 2007 2007 District State District State Advanced 4% 1% 4% 1% Proficient 52% 26% 49% 26% Needs Improvement 38% 46% 40% 45% Warning 6% 28% 7% 28%

53% of the Special Needs population scored Proficient or better. However, 47% of this subgroup is struggling to achieve proficiency in the area of ELA. This population continues to score below proficiency from year to year.

Boston Students

Performance Level 2006 2007 District District Advanced 3 (39%) 0 Proficient 7 (36%) 7 (47%) Needs Improvement 2 (21%) 7 (47%) Warning 2 (14%) 1 (6%)

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 17 About half of our Boston students performed in the Proficient range. The one student who scored in the Warning level is now being serviced in the Language Alternative Program. Reviewing the SET curriculum and the after school program may continue to boost the literacy development of this subgroup.

IV. Recommendations  To continue to:

o Provide Literacy Boost to support at-risk non-special needs students in grade six and seven o Provide explicit, direct reading and writing experiences within English Language Arts classrooms using appropriate leveled texts o Build classroom libraries and text sets spanning multiple genres for the purposes of matching students with appropriate leveled texts and expanding students’ wide reading experiences o Explicitly teach nonfiction text structure, and build experience with rich and complex nonfiction text o Lift the quality of short answer responses to fiction and nonfiction text o Develop grade level author study units o Implement a mystery genre study in all grade six ELA classes o Have a whole-school approach to the writing of the short essay

 To examine: o The teaching of open response writing in response to fiction and nonfiction text o The inventory of the reading and writing instruction delivered in special education classes and analyze how these practices interface with Literacy Boost and regular education ELA instruction o The inventory of the reading and writing instruction and practice within the SET and after school Boston programs o Content area support in the explicit teaching of nonfiction reading and writing strategies through Curriculum Leader meetings

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 18 Grade 7 English/Language Arts

I. Overview Wayland Middle School students’ performance on the spring 2007 English Language Arts MCAS is noteworthy. Ninety-six percent of the students performed in the Proficient range and above. Overall, seventh grade students demonstrated an ability to read deeply and critically across genres, while also being able to write with depth, clarity, and convention in response to an informational writing prompt. This assessment required students to exercise stamina and persistence over a three day testing period. While variation in test results from year to year is expected, Wayland Middle School students for the past four years have consistently outperformed the state percentages in both the Advanced and Proficient levels of performance. The percentage of students scoring in the Advanced range has been nearly three times higher than the state average, and the percentage of students scoring in the Needs Improvement category has been 20% less than the state average. This year, a smaller percentage of students performed in the Advanced category, but scores were consistent with previous years’ performance. There is a combined 5% decrease in the Needs Improvement and Warning categories. Wayland Middle School students are demonstrating a high level of proficiency as readers and writers.

Performance Level Results

Performance 2003 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 Levels District State District State District State District State District State Advanced 23% 8% 29% 9% 28% 10% 44% 10% 28% 9% Proficient 72% 57% 66% 59% 67% 56% 49% 55% 68% 60% Needs 5% 28% 5% 25% 4% 27% 6% 26% 3% 23% Improvement Warning 0% 7% 0% 7% 2% 8% 2% 9% 0% 8%

II. Analysis This assessment requires students to demonstrate literacy proficiencies by writing an informational, long composition based on a writing prompt, 36 multiple choice questions based on texts spanning many genres, as well as four open response short essays. The following table presents levels of students’ proficiency within different types of response formats. WMS students outperform the state on all types of response formats, and some improvement is noted in student long and short response essay writing.

Type of Question District District State District State 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 Writing Prompt 79% 81% 69% 75% 67% Multiple Choice 87% 87% 77% 89% 78% Open Response 67% 69% 52% 68% 53%

Writing Prompt The writing prompt assesses students’ skills at writing in an informational mode that shares knowledge and conveys instructions, messages, and ideas. The writing prompt assesses two areas of composition: Topic/Idea Development, which includes writing development organization, use of detail, and sentence and language variety, in addition to the use of Standard English conventions, which include mechanics as well as usage and grammar. Students are scored between 2 and 12

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 19 points for topic development and 2 and 8 points for conventions. The following grid indicates the ability to use language in the context of writing. While well above the state average, there is modest decrease from last year. Our performance in the area of topic development is consistent with past performance. Writing is an area in which we continue to teach with great energy through explicit instruction and regular guided practice in a variety of genres. Last year the ELA professional development emphasis was on revision strategies that enhance the quality, voice, and authority in student writing. We are in the process of articulating the revision strategies to be emphasized at each grade level. We hope to see improvement in students’ ability to use conventions in their writing to support them in sharing their meaning.

2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 Item Type District District State District State Topic Development 8.28 8.6 7.1 8.0 7.0 Writing Conventions 7.48 7.6 6.8 6.9 6.3

Multiple Choice The multiple choice questions are related to either Reading or Literature (36 questions) or Style and Language (4 questions) strands of the ELA Curriculum Framework. Students scored above 80% on all but the following question.  Standard 14 (1 question) Theme and structure of poetry WMS students were able to interact with a variety of genres with accuracy and meaning. In the past, responses to nonfiction texts and vocabulary were identified areas of need. Students seem to have an even response to literature in relation to genre and question type (main idea, theme, inference).

Open Response Questions Open Response questions (4 points each) require students to respond in short essay format to a piece of literature. This year they responded to two nonfiction articles, one tall tale, and an excerpted story. Though we continue to exceed the state average, building writing fluency in response to literary prompts within ELA classes and across the curriculum has been an ongoing goal. The increase in scores may be in response to a change in instruction across the curriculum in short essay using a common graphic organizer.

2005 2006 2007 2007 District District District State 1 2.53 2.73 2.83 2.22 2 2.53 2.84 3.05 2.56 3 2.47 2.77 2.80 2.13 4 2.59 2.99 2.48 2.07

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 20 III. Analysis of Subgroups Special Needs Population Performance Level 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced 4% 12% 10% 5% 2% Proficient 83% 73% 75% 60% 79% Needs Improvement 12% 15% 10% 25% 17% Warning 2% 0% 5% 10% 2%

81% of students achieved a score of Proficient or above. Based on error analysis, it is difficult to find patterns of responses. Questions requiring inferential thinking also caused greater error. Regular and Special Education staff are implementing resources such as Lexia and Wilson (fluency), robust vocabulary instruction, and two comprehension programs to elevate the skill level of these students. Clearer articulation of regular education and special needs services may elevate student performance.

Boston Students Of the thirteen Boston students, 23% scored Advanced, 46% scored Proficient, 23% scored Needs Improvement, and 8% fell into the Warning category. An emphasis on meaningful and rich literacy instruction within the ELA classrooms, SET, Literacy Boost, and Special Needs services will be ongoing. Vocabulary and idiom usage instruction continues to be needed.

Recommendations  To continue to: o Provide Literacy Boost to support at-risk non-special needs students in grades six and seven o Provide a three week, short-term writing intervention mini-course for at-risk writers o Provide explicit, direct reading within English Language Arts classrooms using appropriate leveled texts o Build classroom libraries and text sets spanning multiple genres for the purposes of matching students with appropriate leveled texts and expanding students’ wide reading experiences o Explicitly teach nonfiction text structure and build experience with rich and complex nonfiction text o Lift the quality of short answer responses to fiction and nonfiction text o Provide explicit revision strategies to increase the complexity and richness of writing pieces o Implement grade level author study units o Teach open response writing for fiction and nonfiction text across content areas

 Examine o Expanding the teaching of topic development for the writing of informational texts across content areas o Shared support for the teaching of reading and writing strategies to at risk students, especially Special Needs and Boston students

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 21 o Inventorying the reading and writing instruction delivered in special education classes and analyze how these practices interface with Literacy Boost and regular education ELA instruction o Inventorying the reading and writing instruction and practice within the SET and after school Boston programs o The amount of instructional time in reading and writing beyond the allotted four hours a week at the seventh and eighth grade level

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 22 Grade 8 English/Language Arts

I. Overview Wayland Middle School students performed very well on the Spring 2007 English Language Arts MCAS. Ninety-six percent of the students performed in the Proficient range and above. Overall, students demonstrated an ability to think deeply and critically about text, spanning a wide range of genres by identifying correct answers as well as writing in response to selected literary pieces. Wayland Middle School students outperformed the state percentages in both the Advanced and Proficient levels of performance. The percentage of students scoring in the Advanced range is 25% higher than the state average, and the percentage of students scoring in the Needs Improvement category is 14% lower than the state average. Most students are demonstrating a high level of proficiency as readers, and writers in response to literature. Four percent of WMS students still need continued support to move toward proficiency.

Performance Level Results

Performance 2006 2006 2007 2007 Levels district state district state Advanced 34% 12% 37% 12% Proficient 60% 62% 59% 63% Needs Improvement 5% 19% 4% 18% Warning 1% 7% 0% 6%

II. Analysis This assessment requires students to demonstrate their literacy proficiencies by responding to 36 multiple choice questions based on texts spanning many genres, as well as four open response short essays. The following table presents levels of students’ proficiency within different types of response formats.

Type of Question District State District State Multiple Choice 88% 77% 90% 77% Open Response 72% 57% 57% 59%

Multiple Choice The multiple choice questions are related to either the Literature or Language strands of the ELA State Framework. Students scored above 80% on 35 of 36 questions. Students were able to respond to questions in a multiple choice format with greater accuracy than they were able to respond in an open ended format. This result is a bit confusing in that teachers at the middle school rarely use multiple choice formats to access students’ understanding of literature. Students more regularly respond to questions using textual evidence to support their thinking, which is in concert with the open response format found on the MCAS.

Open Response Questions Open Response questions (4 points each) require students to respond in short essay format to a piece of literature. This year they responded to two articles, an epic piece and a narrative. Though we continue to exceed the state average, building writing fluency in response to literary prompts within ELA classes and across the curriculum remains an ongoing goal.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 23 2006 2006 2007 2007 District State district state 1 2.57 2.19 2.88 2.35 2 2.48 1.81 2.69 2.20 3 2.44 1.77 3.09 2.38 4 2.75 2.40 2.92 2.34

III. Analysis of Subgroups Special Needs Population

Performance Level 2006 2006 2007 2007 District State District State Advanced 34% 12% 7% 1% Proficient 60% 62% 73% 35% Needs Improvement 4% 19% 20% 39% Warning 1% 6% 0% 25%

Eighty percent of Special Need students demonstrated proficiency or above. Although fewer students scored Advanced than last year, there were no students in the Warning category.

Boston Students Seven Boston Students were administered the test last spring. One scored Advanced, 3 scored Proficient, and 3 scored Needs Improvement. The seventh and eighth grade tests are not comparable in that the eighth grade does not include a long composition component. However, more Boston resident students did move into the Proficient range.

Recommendations o To continue to bridge ELA experiences from the Middle School to the High School o To inventory the reading and writing instruction delivered in special education classes and analyze how these practices interface with regular education ELA instruction o To inventory the reading and writing instruction and practice within the SET and after school Boston programs

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 24 IIIC. Grade 10 English Language Arts

I. Overview Wayland High School students have always scored well on the ELA MCAS, with some fluctuations each year as both the test and the group of test-takers changes from year to year. The tenth grade English Language Arts MCAS results were excellent again this year, with 92% of the 223 test- takers scoring in the Proficient and Advanced categories. Although we had three percent fewer students score in the top two categories than last year, our number of students scoring in the Advanced category climbed by 11% over last year. The 49% Advanced-level students are closer to the levels students achieved in 2004 and 2005. Last year (2006) saw a 16% decrease in the number of students scoring in the Advanced category and an 18% increase in the number of students scoring in the Proficient category. A similar downturn in scores in the Advanced category occurred statewide. Given this year’s results, the 2006 results do not appear to be the start of a trend. The rise in students scoring in the Advanced category resulted in a corresponding 14% decrease in students scoring in the Proficient category (43% in 2007 as compared to 57% in 2006) and a three percent increase in students scoring in the Needs Improvement category.

For the second year in a row, no Wayland High School tenth graders failed the ELA MCAS.

WHS Scores and Comparable State Scores for 2007 Wayland State Advanced 49% 22% Proficient 43% 49% Needs Improvement 8% 24% Failing 0% 6%

WHS Scores for 2007 and 2006 2007 2006 Advanced 49% 38% Proficient 43% 57% Needs Improvement 8% 5% Failing 0% 0%

II. Analysis of Test Results There are three types of questions on the tenth grade English Language Arts MCAS. For the Composition (Writing Prompt) section, students produce a first draft and a final copy of an essay about a student-selected piece of literature. On the Language and Literature portion, students read short works, complete works, and excerpts from all genres, and respond to 36 multiple-choice and four open-response questions.

Multiple-Choice Questions Wayland students have shown again that they are well prepared for the ELA MCAS, having scored 81% or above on 33 of the 36 multiple-choice questions. 30 of the 36 multiple-choice questions were on literature; six were on language. On every multiple-choice question, Wayland High students scored higher—and often well above—the state average.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 25 2007 WHS Scores on the 36 multiple-choice questions 90%+ 16 80%+ 16 70%+ 2 60%+ 1 50% + 0

The three questions (#16, 33 and 40), on which students achieved lower than 80%, pertained to Learning Standards 14, 8 and 4, respectively. There is no discernable pattern in students having difficulty with any of the three standards, as they performed well in answering other questions related to these standards.

Percentage of students who Question chose the Learning Standard that applies to Summary of the question Number correct each question answer: WHS (State) LS 14: Students were asked: “What is the Students will identify, analyze, and main purpose of the phrase ‘perfect apply knowledge of the themes, 16 72% (54%) silence’ in the last line of the poem?” structure, and elements of poetry concerning Whitman’s “When I Heard and provide evidence from the text the Learned Astronomer.” to support their understanding. Students were asked: “Which of the LS 8: following statements best characterizes Students will identify the basic facts 33 70% (55%) the article’s main conclusion?” and main ideas in a text and use concerning a nonfiction article on New them as the basis for interpretation. England Clam Chowder. Students were asked: “According to the information in paragraph 8, which LS 4: of the following is the best synonym Students will understand and 40 65% (49%) for the word halcyon?” concerning the acquire new vocabulary and use it summary of the myth of Ceyx and correctly in reading and writing. Alcyone.

Analysis of “Missed” Multiple-Choice Questions For question 16, the correct answer was C, “to contrast with the sounds in the lecture room.” 12% of WHS students chose answer B, “to convey a sense of loneliness and sorrow,” and 14% chose answer D, “to highlight the pleasure of science learning.” Students who chose either answers B or D may have done so because they misread a rather difficult poem for the average 10th grader.

For question 33, the correct answer was A, “Good clam chowder can be prepared at home.” 13% of WHS students chose answer D, “Test kitchen cooks are undecided about the best chowder recipe,” and 10% chose answer C, “Amateur cooks should experiment with chowder techniques.” The article does state the choices for answers C and D, so some students chose the literal statements for the article’s purpose rather than draw an inference.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 26 For question 40, the correct answer was C, “serene.” 19% of WHS students chose answer A, “joyful,” and 12% chose B, “reborn.” Students who chose answer A may have done so because they focused on the details of the myth rather than what the myth means to those who hear/read the myth.

Open-Response Questions The four open-response questions require students to write one or two-paragraph responses to prompts about selected pieces. According to the Mass DOE, “Responses to open-response questions are scored using a scoring guide, or rubric, for each question. The scoring guides indicate what knowledge and skills students must demonstrate to earn 1, 2, 3, or 4 score points. Answers to open-response questions are not scored for spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Responses are scored…by two scorers independently at grade 10.”

Two of the open-response text selections were nonfiction, one was fiction, and one was a poem. Listed below are the titles of those selections, their accompanying questions and corresponding learning standards and Wayland High and state average scores.

Average Scores Question Learning Standard that applies (Out of 4 Text and Question Number to each question points each) WHS (State) LS 13: “Gill” (nonfiction) Students will identify, analyze, and “ Based on the excerpt, explain how apply knowledge of the purpose, Gill finds climbing boulders and structure, and elements of 9 2.59 (2.23) solving mathematics equations to be nonfiction or informational similar. Use relevant and specific materials and provide evidence information from the excerpt to from the text to support their support your answer.” understanding. “ When I Heard the Learned Astronomer” (poem) “In the poem, a shift occurs at the end LS 14: of line 4. Students will identify, analyze, and a. Explain what happens before and apply knowledge of the themes, 19 2.55 (1.95) after the shift. structure, and elements of poetry b. Explain what causes the shift. and provide evidence from the text Use relevant and specific information to support their understanding. from the poem to support your answer.” LS 12: Girl With a Pearl Earring (fiction) Students will identify, analyze, and “Based on the excerpt, describe Griet’s apply knowledge of the structure 27 2.90 (2.39) character. Use relevant and specific and elements of fiction and provide information from the excerpt to evidence from the text to support support your answer.” their understanding.

36 2.99 (2.55) “ New England Clam Chowder” LS 8:

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 27 (nonfiction) “ Using the information form the Students will identify the basic article, describe how you could use the facts and main ideas in a text and authors’ discoveries to make clam use them as the basis for chowder at home. Use relevant and interpretation. specific information from the excerpt to support your answer.”

The reading sections of the English midyear and final exams provide students at the high school opportunities to practice this type of writing. English teachers also use open-response type questions for in-class and homework assignments. WHS students performed better overall on the open- response questions in 2007 than they have in previous years.

Long Composition The Long Composition tests students on two aspects of composition. 1. Topic Development (CT): 12 points Includes writing development, organization, use of detail, variety in sentence structure, and language. 2. Standard English Conventions (CC): 8 points Includes grammar, punctuation, and mechanics of writing. The writing prompt requires students to develop a thesis and support it with specific details from a student-selected text.

The 2007 Writing Prompt “Works of literature often feature characters who overcome hardship and misfortune. From a work of literature you have read in or out of school, select a character who overcomes hardship and misfortune. In a well-developed composition, identify the character, describe how the character overcomes adversity and why this success is important to the work of literature.”

2007 WHS and State averages on the Long Composition Wayland State Topic Development (12 points) 8.50 7.51 Use of Standard English Conventions 7.68 7.20 (8 points)

Students are given frequent assignments requiring them to practice topic development and use of standard writing conventions throughout the high school ELA curriculum.

Analysis of Identified Subgroup Performance (for NCLB) Students with special needs (categorized as “Students with Disabilities” by the Massachusetts DOE), are the NCLB-identified subgroup for Wayland High School. 38 students with identified special needs took the test this year and scored as follows:

Scores of WHS Students with Disabilities who took

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 28 2007 MCAS. Percentage and (actual number). 2007 2006 2005 Advanced 8% (3) 16% (5) 17% Proficient 53% (20) 74% (23) 53% Needs Improvement 39% (15) 10% (3) 28% Failing 0% 0% 3% The results for students with special needs are not as high as in 2006, when 90% of the special needs 10th graders who took the MCAS scored in the Proficient and Advanced categories, a figure significantly higher than the 70% who did so in 2005 (and 36% in 2004). The 2007 results for students with special needs are similar to the 2005 averages. For the second consecutive year, not one special needs student failed the ELA MCAS, a remarkable achievement.

III.Suggestions for Improvement/Recommendations

1. Continue to provide a strong program, aligned with the English Language Arts Frameworks, for all students.

2. Continue to give students opportunities to practice MCAS-like questions (multiple choice, open response, long composition) so that they are familiar with the various formats.

3. Coach students in “task analysis” for the long composition and open response prompts.

4. Evaluate in-class and homework open response answers using a rubric or other standards-based feedback to make students conscious of the requirements for such answers.

5. Continue to identify ninth and tenth grade students “at risk” for failing MCAS, based on their ELA MCAS scores from seventh grade, and offer these students either one-on-one or small groups remediation before the test.

6. Continue a strong relationship between the English Department and LRT to help special needs students succeed on the MCAS.

7. Given the MCAS emphasis on using nonfiction selections, the English Department needs to discuss potential modifications to the 9th and/or 10th grade curricula for more inclusion of this genre.

8. Just before the Long Composition, 10th students will be prompted to review books they have read in school to help them recall themes, characters and plots. This review will provide students a repertoire from which to draw for the Long Composition.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 29 III. Mathematics

A. Elementary Mathematics I. Overview The Wayland Elementary Schools performed very well on all grades 3-5 Mathematics MCAS in 2007. There has been significant increase in all grade levels from the previous year results of students scoring in Advanced and Proficient: Grade 3: 80% vs. 61% Grade 4: 62% vs. 54% Grade 5: 77% vs. 59% In the 2006-2007 school year the Everyday Mathematics program was implemented. This program provided our students with a comprehensive math curriculum that aligns to state and national standards. It is exciting to see the results of the spring Mathematics MCAS in grades 3-5, as there was much growth and progress in just one year. The students in grades 3-5 in Wayland performed well beyond the state average in all areas this year. It is particularly notable in grades 3 and 5 of the increase of our students performing at the Advanced level from 2006 to 2007. The following charts document the performance across the district for the 2007 grades 3-5 Mathematics MCAS.

Grade 3 Performance Levels 2006 2007 Above Proficient District 4% 25% State 4% 19% Proficient District 57% 55% State 48% 41% Needs District 30% 18% Improvement State 32% 24% Failing/Warning District 9% 3% State 16% 16%

Grade 4 Performance Levels 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced District 31% 21% 28% 27% State 14% 14% 15% 19% Proficient District 36% 35% 26% 34% State 28% 26% 25% 29% Needs District 31% 38% 36% 33% Improvement State 44% 44% 45% 39% Failing/Warning District 2% 6% 9% 6% State 14% 15% 15% 13%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 30 Grade 5 Performance Levels 2006 2007 Advanced District 24% 41% State 17% 19% Proficient District 35% 36% State 26% 32% Needs District 28% 15% Improvement State 34% 31% Failing/Warning District 13% 8% State 23% 18%

The result of the 2007 Mathematics MCAS in grades 3-5 is very impressive. The students of Wayland have increasingly improved in all scoring categories. More students are progressing to Advanced and Proficient in all grades. Students in grade 3 increased by 19 percentage points, grade 4 increased by 17 percentage points, and grade 5 increased by 18 percentage points overall. Notably, the same cohort of students improved as they progressed from year to year in the Advanced reporting category alone. In 2006 the same cohort of students in grade 3 scored 23 percentage points higher in Advanced as fourth graders in 2007 from 4% to 27%. The students in grade 4 scored 13 percentage points higher in Advanced as fifth graders in 2007 from 28% to 41%.

II. Analysis of Performance by Grade and Test The Mathematics MCAS for grades 3-5 assesses five content strands of mathematics: Number Sense and Operations; Patterns, Relations, and Algebra; Geometry; Measurement; and Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability. Each of the tests consists of three forms of questions: multiple choice, short answer, and open response questions. The focus of these tests is to assess mathematical concepts, skills, and application of understanding.

Content Strand The preceding analysis reveals how the district scored in each content strand. The chart below describes each strand and the percentage of correct answers. Overall, the results show gradual improvement in the content strands at every grade level. Number Sense and Operations comprised of more than 2/5 of the questions on the MCAS for all grade levels.

Grade 3 Content Strand 2006 2007 Number Sense and Operations 78% 79% Patterns, Relations & Algebra 86% 82% Geometry 73% 86% Measurement 76% 85% Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability 87% 89% Overall improvement in all content strands: 80% to 84%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 31 Grade 4 Content Strand 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Sense and Operations 75% 75% 73% 78% Patterns, Relations & Algebra 74% 70% 79% 78% Geometry 73% 69% 59% 67% Measurement 68% 56% 57% 69% Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability 82% 79% 80% 80% Overall improvement in all content strands: 70% to 74%

Grade 5 Content Strand 2006 2007 Number Sense and Operations 71% 82% Patterns, Relations & Algebra 79% 78% Geometry 69% 75% Measurement 65% 71% Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability 53% 83% Overall improvement in all content strands: 67% to 78%

Question Type The following tables describe the percentage of correct answers by students for each form of question. It is important to recognize that both the open response and short answer sections consist of only 5 questions each. Therefore, a slight shift in performance appears larger statistically. All three forms of questions reflect the five content strands. The grade 3 MCAS Open Response is scored out of a range of 2 points whereas the Open Response in grades 4 and 5 are based on a scale of 4 and requires in-depth responses from students. Overall, grades 4 and 5 have made great strides of improvement in the area of Open Response questions compared to previous years. The elementary math curriculum is paying particularly close attention to providing students with the ability to apply and record their knowledge for open response questions.

Grade 3 QUESTION TYPE 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 81% 86% Short Answer 73% 80% Open Response 80% 78%

Grade 4 QUESTION TYPE 2004 2005 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 81% 78% 79% 79% Short Answer 77% 73% 70% 77% Open Response 66% 61% 63% 71%

Grade 5 QUESTION TYPE 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 77% 83% Short Answer 68% 77% Open Response 58% 73%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 32 III. Analysis of Identified Subgroups Performance

Special Needs Students Students receiving Special Education services are continuing to progress in performance on the mathematics MCAS, but it is still much lower than the district and the state average in the combined areas of Advanced and Proficient overall. Not all students receiving Special Educations services are being serviced in mathematics. The 2007 results revealed that 95% of the students passed the grade 3 MCAS, 82% in grade 4, and 60% in grade 5. Grade 4 is the only grade where students decreased in performance in the combined Advanced and Proficient levels, but the total number of students passing increased by 24 percentage points over the previous year.

Grade 3 – 39 students PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2006 2007 Advanced 0% 5% Proficient 22.5% 44% Needs Improvement 45% 47% Failing/Warning 32.5% 5%

Grade 4 – 43 students PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2006 2007 Advanced 9% 2% Proficient 18% 16% Needs Improvement 30% 63% Failing/Warning 42% 18%

Grade 5 – 37 students PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2006 2007 Advanced 4% 5% Proficient 20% 27% Needs Improvement 36% 27% Failing/Warning 36% 40%

We need to provide our Special Needs students with more consistent support in the upper grade levels.

Boston Residence Students The students in the METCO program comprise a small percentage of students at each grade level. The performance in all three grades has slightly increased in students performing in the Advanced and Proficient levels. It is notable to see the increase in grade 5 above all. The number of students scoring in the Proficient range increased to 31%. There were no students who performed at the Proficient level in 2006. Students in this subgroup are still performing below average. It is to be noted that the METCO population depicts only .05% of the student population in all grades 3-5. That is a minute fraction of the overall picture of how our students perform. As a district, it is our mission to work on the achievement gap that exists within our student population. There is a conscious effort toward focusing on this issue.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 33 Boston Resident Students Grade 3 – 10 Students Performance Level 2006 2007 # % # % Above Proficient 0 0% 0 0% Proficient 3 30% 4 40% Needs Improvement 6 60% 4 40% Failing/Warning 1 10% 2 20%

Grade 4 – 9 Students Performance Level 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 # % # % # % # % # % Above Proficient 1 9% 2 14% 0 0% 0 0% 2 22% Proficient 4 36% 5 36% 0 0% 2 15% 0 0% Needs Improvement 5 46% 5 36% 10 67% 7 54% 5 56% Failing/Warning 1 9% 2 14% 5 33% 4 31% 2 22%

Grade 5 – 13 Students Performance Level 2006 2007 # % # % Above Proficient 0 0 0 0 Proficient 0 0 4 31 Needs Improvement 7 50 6 46 Failing/Warning 7 50 3 23

IV. Recommendations

1) Teachers will continue to implement the Everyday Mathematics Program, which is a spiraling standards-based math program. The program emphasizes balanced instruction and real-life experiences that are developmentally appropriate, and addresses skills in all content strands of mathematics. This is the second year of using the program and a primary goal for teachers is to better meet the needs of diverse learners.

2) Analyze student performance on the MCAS from 2007 to ensure that learning gaps are identified. The instructional teacher assistants are to work with all teachers in grade 4 to reinforce math skills at this level.

3) Practice and emphasize writing in mathematics using accurate math vocabulary, multi-step questions, and problem solving strategies regularly. Teachers are to provide End-of-Unit Open Response problems to all students in grades 1-5 consistently.

4) Differentiate math instruction within a whole class setting. Teachers will be introduced to “Lesson Structure” and differentiating using math exploration stations and small homogeneous groupings.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 34 5) Provide support and assistance to our subgroups in basic facts and mathematical foundations.

6) Utilize the professional collaboration of the Math Lab Classroom Teachers to enhance our mathematics instruction. Teachers are to visit Lab classrooms at least once this year in grades 3-5.

7) Teachers will collaboratively analyze student work grade levels to identify specific areas of reinforcement in skills.

8) Put standardized assessments in place to detect reinforcement in math skills, collect data, and for early intervention purposes. The Math Curriculum Director will be evaluating math assessment programs to be in place for 2008-2009.

9) Teachers will integrate mathematics into other areas of the curriculum. With the support of the WPS Foundation Grant, teachers will be able to access math games software and math related literature to makes these connections.

10) Provide continuous training to all teachers, SPED teachers, and teaching assistants in differentiating instruction in mathematics to meet the needs of all learners.

11) Teachers will continue with additional basic facts practice throughout the year.

12) Provide an optional MCAS practice and review after-school program to specific students in need of reinforcement.

13) It is essential for the district to look into considering a math support program. Hiring a math specialist who will focus on supporting students who are not being serviced by SPED is essential for the growing needs that this district is facing every year. This math specialist would assist in meeting the needs of students who would be identified through forms of formal assessments who fall above and below grade level.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 35 III B. Middle School Mathematics

I.Summary of Tests and Student Results For two years now, we have had MCAS math exams in all grade levels at the middle school. This gives us a lot of data to track the effectiveness of our math programs and the progress of individual and groups of students. Below is an overall snapshot of our scores.

Grade 6 Wayland (State) Student Performance Levels 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced 52% 50% 50% 52% 45% 41% 46% (13%) (13%) (16%) (17%) (17%) (17%) (20%) Proficient 28% 36% 32% 24% 30% 33% 32% (23%) (28%) (26%) (26%) (29%) (29%) (32%) Needs 12% 11% 14% 18% 20% 16% 16% Improvement (30%) (29%) (32%) (32%) (30%) (29%) (28%) Warning 8% 3% 5% 6% 5% 10% 6% (33%) (30%) (26%) (25%) (23%) (25%) (20%)

Although these scores show only a modest improvement over the previous year, we are especially proud of these numbers. Of the students who took the sixth grade test last spring, only 59% of them were Proficient or higher at the end of 5th grade, but now 78% are performing at least proficiently on the math MCAS exam. This is a substantial gain.

Grade 7 Wayland (State) Student Performance Levels 2006 2007 Advanced 37% (12%) 37% (15%) Proficient 40% (28%) 46% (31%) Needs Improvement 18% (33%) 13% (30%) Warning 5% (28%) 5% (24%)

The seventh grade test debuted last year, so trends are short-term only, but we achieved a decrease in students needing improvement and a corresponding rise in proficiency.

Grade 8 Wayland (State) Student Performance Levels 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced 27% 40% 39% 42% 44% 42% 42% 39% 36% 45% (8%) (6%) (10%) (11%) (11%) (12%) (13%) (13%) (12%) (17%) Proficient 40% 35% 31% 33% 35% 30% 36% 38% 34% 37% (23%) (22%) (24%) (23%) (23%) (25%) (26%) (26%) (28%) (28%) Needs 19% 17% 18% 20% 13% 19% 18% 17% 23% 13% Improvement (26%) (34%) (27%) (34%) (33%) (30%) (32%) (30%) (31%) (30%) Warning 14% 8% 12% 5% 7% 9% 4% 6% 7% 4% (42%) (40%) (40%) (31%) (33%) (33%) (29%) (31%) (29%) (25%) Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. 83% of our 8th grade students are Proficient or above. This is the highest rate of proficiency our students have reached since the exam was introduced a decade ago.

II. Analysis of Test Results

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 36 This year, Wayland Middle School students outscored the state averages on every single test item on all three exams. We report trends for each area of math and response type.

By Math Content Area Five content strands of mathematics are tested on the MCAS exam.

Grade 6 Wayland Percent Right by Content Area 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Sense 72% 76% 77% 77% 77% 83% 79% Patterns, Relations, & Algebra 77% 74% 80% 77% 80% 84% 85% Geometry * 84% 80% 85% 73% 73% 78% Measurement 74% 71% 79% 78% 71% 76% 79% Data Analysis, Statistics, 62% 72% 65% 71% 71% 77% 67% & Probability *Geometry and Measurement were considered one category prior to 2002.

Students improved in Patterns, Relations, & Algebra; Geometry; and Measurement while falling slightly in Number Sense and Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability.

Grade 7 Wayland Percent Right by Content Area 2006 2007 Number Sense 79% 79% Patterns, Relations, & Algebra 76% 85% Geometry 86% 82% Measurement 76% 76% Data Analysis, Statistics, & Probability 81% 88%

Students held steady or improved in all areas except for Geometry.

Grade 8 Wayland Percent Right by Content Area 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Sense 71% 74% 68% 72% 78% 73% 79% 78% 76% 80%

Patterns, Relations, & 66% 77% 75% 75% 75% 76% 78% 80% 82% 84% Algebra Geometry * * * * 68% 75% 73% 69% 75% 77%

Measurement 61% 71% 65% 65% 64% 65% 68% 68% 78% 74%

Data Analysis, Statistics, 69% 68% 68% 66% 69% 71% 78% 82% 80% 82% & Probability *Geometry and Measurement were considered one category prior to 2002.

8th graders set or tied school records in all areas except Measurement, where there was a small decrease from last year’s stellar performance.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 37 By Response Type Questions on the MCAS exam are of three different varieties: multiple choice, short answer, and open response. Open response questions require significant writing to support students’ mathematical thinking and reasoning.

Grade 6 Wayland Percent Right by Problem Type 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 75% 80% 82% 82% 81% 84% 84% Short Answer 68% 75% 82% 80% 74% 81% 71% Open Response 70% 65% 67% 69% 69% 74% 73%

Our students had particular difficulty with short answer questions on this year’s test.

Grade 7 Wayland Percent Right by Problem Type 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 78% 83% Short Answer 86% 81% Open Response 78% 82%

This is the first middle school math MCAS exam on which a group of our students has scored above 80% on open response questions.

Grade 8 Wayland Percent Right by Problem Type 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 70% 79% 75% 73% 74% 76% 82% 77% 80% 81% Short Answer 67% 72% 66% 73% 64% 59% 76% 71% 73% 80% Open Response 61% 64% 62% 63% 70% 70% 73% 77% 78% 79%

8th graders made gains in all item types and continued the previous improvements on open response items.

By Identified Subgroup Last year, Wayland Middle School was identified for improvement of our special needs subgroup under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. NCLB tracks student performance using a measure called the Composite Performance Index (CPI). Details about how CPI is calculated for a group of students are available at the DOE website.

Every two years, the CPI that schools must meet with their various subgroups increases.

Required CPI Spring 2003 and 2004 60.8 Spring 2005 and 2006 68.7 Spring 2007 and 2008 76.5

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 38 The following chart shows the CPIs of various Wayland Middle School subgroups:

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 WMS MA WMS MA WMS MA WMS MA WMS WMS Aggregate 90.7 65.2 89.1 69.3 89.6 70.4 88.7 72.4 87.5 91.1 Special Needs 67.7 41.9 64.7 45.9 65.6 47.0 62.9 49.6 60.8 70.9 African 43.3 49.2 56.7 51.0 53.4 68.0 71.1 American Asian 97.7 70.1 97.8 77.5 97.4 78.9 95.6 81.0 96.6 98.3 Hispanic 40.1 46.7 66.4 48.5 51.2 71.7 82.6 White 92.1 71.0 90.6 74.5 90.9 75.4 89.1 77.3 88.1 91.8 *In some years, a subgroup may contain too few students for data to be reported.

During 2007, each subgroup improved enough that we were deemed to have made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2007. If we continue the gains we made last year through the 2008 tests, we will be removed from the NCLB list of underperforming schools.

By Graduation Year

All Students by Graduation Year 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 CPI in 4th Grade 82.0 87.5 Data Not Data Not Data Not Available Available Available CPI in 5th Grade 79.4 No Test No Test No Test No Test CPI in 6th Grade 90.0 87.1 88.4 89.4 91.7 CPI in 7th Grade 90.8 90.2 No Test No Test CPI in 8th Grade 92.4 86.2 89.0 CPI in 10th Grade 98.3

Special Needs Students by Graduation Year 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 CPI in 4th Grade 65.4 68.75 Data Not Data Not Data Not Available Available Available CPI in 5th Grade 57.7 No Test No Test No Test No Test CPI in 6th Grade 73.9 61.1 62.5 62.5 66.2 CPI in 7th Grade 66.3 65.4 No Test No Test CPI in 8th Grade 72.6 56.8 62.2 CPI in 10th Grade 92.6

III. Suggestions for Improvement A. Teachers should continue with the adoption and implementation of a trio of new programs designed for our most struggling math learners:  Everyday Mathematics program in Level One math to provide a broad-based mathematics course with thorough coverage of grade-level concepts and skills  FASTTMath computer software to support learning and retention of number facts  KeyMath 3 assessment to monitor student progress toward grade level goals as they progress through middle school

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 39 B. Teachers should continue to refine the 7th grade Math Boost program that increases the percentage of students ready for algebra in 8th grade.

C. Teachers should provide opportunities inside and outside of class for students to review math concepts and skills before the MCAS exams.  Coordination with other departments (especially ELA and student services) as we teach students techniques for answering open response questions  Incorporation of math writing throughout all math courses  Continuation, revision, and possible expansion of the “Believe, Achieve, Succeed” program for at-home MCAS preparation specifically targeted for students who are not yet performing proficiently on MCAS tests

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 40 III C. Grade 10 Mathematics

General Notes Once again, this year's class did extremely well on the MCAS exam, with an average scaled score of 263. This is the second year in a row that Wayland High School had an average score at the Advanced level. Seventy-seven percent of our students in the sophomore class performed at the Advanced level and 19% scored at the Proficient level on the exam. With 96% of our students scoring Proficient or above as compared with 69% statewide, we continue to work toward the goal of having every student Proficient in mathematics by the year 2014. (Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding)

2005 Wayland (State) 2006 Wayland (State) 2007 Wayland (State) Advanced 67% (35%) 79% (40%) 77% (42%) Proficient 23% (27%) 18% (27%) 19% (27%) Needs Imp. 7% (24%) 4% (21%) 5% (22%) Failing 3% (15%) 0% (12%) 0% (9%)

Average Score: 259 263 263

This report is an analysis of the performance broken down into five specific categories.

I. Analysis of Performance by Question Type II. General Analysis of Performance in Five Content Areas III. Analysis of Areas of Strength IV. Analysis of Performance of Special Needs Students V. Recommendations Based on Data

I. Analysis of Performance by Question - Type There are three types of questions on the math portion of the MCAS. Thirty-two of the forty-two common questions were multiple choice with four possible responses given. Four questions were short answer in which students were expected to write an answer. Both Multiple Choice and Short Answer questions are worth one point. Finally, there were six open response questions. These problems have several parts and the problem gets more difficult as one progresses through the parts. Students were expected to supply mathematical justification for their responses or explain how they obtained their answers. Open Response questions are worth four points each. The percent reported is the percent of possible points earned on these questions.

Type of Question Percent of Questions Correct 2005 2006 2007 Multiple Choice (MC) 75% 75% 76% Short Answer (SA) 68% 74% 75% Open Response (OR) 65% 80% 79%

There was very little difference in the percentage of questions correct by question-type from last year to this year. Students continue to perform well on all types of questions and the faculty will continue to stress correct methods of answering all types of questions.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 41 II. General Analysis of Performance in Five Content Areas There are five reporting areas in high school mathematics: Number Sense and Operations; Patterns, Relations and Algebra; Geometry; Measurement; and Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability. The class of 2009 had a slight increase in Measurement (5%) and Statistics (3%) and a slight decrease in Geometry (5%). Wayland students continue to out-score the state average by approximately 20 percentage points in each category.

% Of Questions Correct Area of Mathematics 2005 2006 2007 Number Sense 68% 78% 77% Patterns, Functions, and Relations 71% 74% 74% Geometry 66% 79% 74% Measurement 73% 79% 84% Statistics and Probability 75% 75% 78%

III. Analysis of Areas of Strength This year's class was strong in every category and in every question type. There were neither glaring deficiencies nor any obvious abnormal strengths. We are very happy with the performance of this year's class and will continue to provide a strong curriculum along with excellent instruction for future classes.

IV. Analysis of Performance of Special Needs Students Thirty-seven students with identified special needs took the test.

Percentage Category (2005) (2006) (2007)

Advanced 11% 16% 43% Proficient 44% 74% 38% Needs Improvement 33% 0% 19% Failing 11% 0% 0%

V. Recommendations Based on Data 1. Continue to provide a strong program for all students. Through our consistently high test scores we have learned that our regular education program is very effective. 2. Reinforce concepts in Geometry and continue to strengthen our program in Statistics and Probability. 3. Continue to require all students to check their work and to work through each problem to the end. 4. Continue to familiarize students with the types of questions that appear on the test. Continue to include open response questions on regular tests and familiarize students with the rubrics used to assess them. 5. Continue to employ non-calculator sections for Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 midyear and final exams.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 42 6. Review test-taking strategies and impress upon students the need to answer as much of the open response questions as possible and not to skip any questions on the exam. 7. Continue to review common mistakes made in algebra and to concentrate on number sense and operations.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 43 IV. Science A. Grade 5 I. Overview The Wayland fifth grade students performed well on the 2007 Science and Technology/Engineering MCAS. 72% of our students performed in the Proficient and/or Advanced Levels. There was a increase of 10 percentage points in our performance of students scoring on this level from the previous year. There is a major focus in science at the fifth grade level. In the summer of 2007, the Science Curriculum Team developed and identified core topics of study in the four major science content strands. The following chart documents the performance across the district from 2003- 2007.

GRADE 5

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced District 24% 38% 22% 25% 31% State 19% 20% 16% 17% 14% Proficient District 48% 46% 52% 37% 41% State 33% 35% 35% 33% 37% Needs Improvement District 22% 14% 23% 33% 27% State 34% 33% 38% 39% 37% Failing/Warning District 4% 2% 3% 5% 2% State 14% 13% 12% 11% 12%

II. Analysis of Performance by the Test

Question Type The following table reveals the breakdown of student scores by question type. Students improved in the areas of responding to the multiple choice questions and increased slightly with the open responses. There is an emphasis for our students to record their thinking in science and document their discoveries from their experiments.

TYPE OF QUESTIONS 2004 2005 2006 2007 Multiple Choice 83% 82% 77% 81% Open Response 81% 63% 57% 59%

Content Strand The chart below depicts the percentage correct in each of the content strands in science. Our Wayland fifth graders continue to stay steady in most areas. There were increased scores in Physical and Life Sciences and a slight decline in Technology/Engineering content area.

CONTENT AREA 2004 2005 2006 2007 Physical Science 85% 75% 69% 76% Life Science 85% 79% 69% 77% Earth and Space 80% 68% 63% 63% Technology/Engineering 80% 79% 77% 76%

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 44 III. Analysis of Identified Subgroups Performance Special Needs Students Students receiving Special Education Services represent 18.5% of the students tested, a total of 37 students out of 200 in grade 5. Students receiving Special Needs services do not receive additional help in science. It is notable that there was a 7 percentage points increase of students performing in the Advanced level alone. There was a 4 percentage point decrease in Failing/Warning, which is an improvement from the previous year. We still have a large portion of our students who are performing below Proficient at 65%. The alignment in curriculum should benefit all students in grade 5 and we hope to see performance increases in this subgroup.

Performance Levels Data

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Advanced 17% 27% 8% 4% 11% Proficient 40% 40% 41% 30% 24% Needs Improvement 31% 25% 39% 52% 57% Failing/Warning 12% 8% 12% 12% 8%

Boston Residence Students - 13 Students Thirteen students who are part of the METCO program participated in the 5th grade MCAS Program. They represent .07% of the 200 students who were tested. That is a minute fraction of the overall picture of how our students perform overall. It should be noted that the students increased the performance level in Proficient by 17 percentage points over the previous year. Students in this subgroup are still performing below average. As a district, it is our mission to work on the achievement gap that exists within our student population. There is a conscious effort toward focusing on this issue.

PERFORMANCE LEVELS 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 # % Advanced 0% 27% 13% 0% 0 0% Proficient 33% 45% 7% 14% 4 31% Needs Improvement 33% 18% 60% 57% 7 54% Failing/Warning 33% 9% 20% 29% 2 14%

IV. Recommendations The goal is for our students to become scientific thinkers and problem solvers. We will continue to work toward securing a higher level of understanding and comprehension in all content areas of science. Below are some recommendations that we will address this 2007-2008 school year to effectively instruct and improve our students’ scientific understanding and create a connection of the natural world around them.

1) Collaborate and analyze student performance on the 2007 MCAS to ensure that learning gaps are narrowed.

2) The Core Topics of science were developed and identified in the 2007 summer curriculum work. These topics will be taught in 2007-2008 with the assistance of the WPSF grant that

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 45 was proposed to create specific Learning Labs for each core topic in the science content strands.

3) In FY08 and FY09 a Science Curriculum Committee will be developed to review the alignment of grade level curriculum to match the MA Science Curriculum Framework.

4) Instruction in science should continue to work through scientific inquiry, and students need ample opportunities to write and discuss their thinking through the scientific method.

5) Provide students with more exposure to work with multi-step problems, where they need to keep track of pieces of information in a systematic format, and then articulate their findings in writing. (Scientist Notebooks or Science Lab Reports)

6) Align and revise science curriculum in grades K-5 to meet the MA Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework that will enhance more real-world experiences and better scientific thinking. Teachers and the Science Curriculum Director will develop the essential learning goals and objectives in science for all grades K-5.

7) Develop an after school Science Club for students who have a high interest in science for grades K-5.

8) Provide an optional MCAS practice and review after-school program to specific students in need of reinforcement.

9) Continue to develop and plan for summer curriculum work to review, revise, and discuss the needs in science in the elementary schools. The summer of 2008 will focus on grades 3 and 4.

10) Promote more scientific inquiry in our science curriculum at all levels K-5 by providing hands-on activities, science oriented assemblies, inviting professionals in the field of Science/Engineering/Technology, and science related field trips.

11) Promote Science Classroom Lab Teachers for 2008-2009

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 46 IV B. Science and Technology/Engineering, Grade 8

I. Overview Eighth grade students who took the science and technology/engineering MCAS test in the spring of 2007 once again have performed quite well. Overall there is no significant difference in the scores compared to last year. The structure of the test is the same as previous years with 34 multiple choice questions and 5 open-response questions. While the content varied from last year, the overall test was similar, as were our results.

Percent of students in each of the performance levels Advanced Proficient Needs Improvement Warning/Failing Wayland State Wayland State Wayland State Wayland State 2003 26 4 49 28 19 37 6 31 2004 35 5 43 28 18 36 4 31 2005 24 4 58 29 16 41 2 26 2006 15 4 56 28 25 43 4 25 2007 13 3 56 30 28 44 3 24

CPI (Composite Performance Index) is calculated by attributing a weighted distribution of points for each of the subdivisions of the scaled score. Wayland Middle School students scored 87.8 points compared to the state’s 65.9. It is interesting to note that even with slight differences in our distribution into the four performance levels compared to last year, our CPI score was exactly the same, 87.8 both years.

Of our student subgroups, we had a limited number of groups of statistically significant sizes. However, there is a significant difference among some of our subgroups. Students with disabilities (40 out of 240 tested) scored 68.1 on the CPI, and Asians 93.5, compared to our white population of 87.6. There are no significant differences among our genders: our girls scored 88.3 CPI, while our boys scored 87.2.

Overall, Wayland’s eighth grade class performed well on this test, as it has consistently done over the past years of MCAS testing.

II. Analysis of test result

Performance by subtopic—percent correct Earth & Space Life Physical Technology/ Science Science Science Engineering 2005 82 84 79 79 2006 90 87 84 81 2007 77 80 73 78

It seems that our percentage of correct answers within each category is lower this year than in the previous two within each of the subtopic areas, however our composite index is the same, reflecting a scaling of the scores, possibly to correct for a more challenging set of questions.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 47 Subtopic analysis Of the 34 common Multiple Choice questions, there were only eight on which fewer than 70% of our students were correct. Of those, five were categorized as physical science, two were earth science, and one technology. Three of the physical science questions tested understanding of chemistry, one was a rate problem in which students who were incorrect selected the answer that used multiplication instead of division, and the last was a potential energy problem about a pendulum. Of the Earth Science questions, students had some difficulty discriminating between solar and lunar eclipses on one question and identifying conditions for forming metamorphic rock on the other. The most challenging technology question, on which 69% of our students were correct, concerned the reason a company would irradiate food. This topic has not been part of our curriculum to date, but could be discussed in our existing fall unit in Life Science.

Performance by question type On the multiple choice questions, Wayland eighth grade students answered correctly 80% of the time compared to the state average of 65%. The previous year our students answered correctly 84% of the multiple choice questions. On open-response questions, Wayland students earned 72% of the points possible compared to the state’s 49%. This is an improvement in open-response scores: last year our average score was 2.6 points out of four; this year our average score earned 2.8 points out of four, similar to our average score two years ago.

III. Recommendations As a department, we will need to look at our curriculum on chemistry. While this is a significant unit in our sixth grade curriculum, students are not performing well on chemistry vocabulary questions and some concepts on this test taken in 8th grade. We will consider emphasizing vocabulary more in sixth grade, spiraling the topic through each year of middle school science, and instituting a greater review during the eighth grade MCAS review unit.

We also need to continue working on our writing instruction, as it provides skills required for successful answers to open-response questions. The middle school math department has made significant gains in their MCAS open-response scores. This progress results from training students to answer open-response questions through direct instruction and regular practice at each of the grade levels. The middle school science department would benefit from exploring those practices and considering whether they should be implemented within the science curriculum.

We will continue to monitor the progress of our subgroups of students. Of special interest are our students with special needs and our Boston-resident students.

The science department has benefited from the efforts last year to document our alignment with the state’s Curriculum Framework. Doing so required close attention to the framework and coordination within each grade level of our science curriculum. We are continuing to emphasize the close coordination of curriculum objectives this year, and we will work on this in the future. Additionally, this year we are including our Applied Sciences teacher, Hip Rivera, in our science department meetings and professional development sessions. In doing so, we are increasing our communication about and coordination among our curricula.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 48 IV C. Science

Grade 10 I. Overview At the start of the 2006 – 2007 school year, the state announced that this would be the final year for the development and testing of the new science MCAS exams. Then, in November, it was announced that every sophomore would be required to take the trial exam in the spring. In turn, it was announced that any freshman student who was taking one of the core curriculum courses (biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering and technology) would be strongly encouraged to take the test and that the results of this trial test would be used as an official test. Students who passed one of the four offered tests would be designated as meeting the state’s graduation requirements for science. Any student who did not take the test or who did not pass the test would be required to take the 2008 MCAS science exam.

As we looked at our curriculum for the freshman and sophomore years, there were some critical conditions that needed to be considered. All of our sophomore students take courses which have tests that are offered. All of our sophomore students are enrolled in Introductory College Biology, College Prep Biology, Honors Biology, Quantitative Chemistry, or Honors Chemistry. For our freshmen students, only those taking Honors Biology are in a course that is directly designed around one of the tested curricula.

Slightly more than half of our students are enrolled in either Physical Science or College Physical Science. These courses are designed to introduce the students to both chemistry and physics. This introduction is meant to prepare the students for the material and study techniques which will help them to succeed in the remaining three years of high school as they learn biology, chemistry, and physics. Both of these courses were scheduled to be reorganized in order to prepare students to be able to take the Introductory Physics MCAS test in later years.

The hope of this reorganization was two-fold. First and foremost, these physical science classes must present the students with a strong introduction to both chemistry and physics. An introduction to the underlying principles of chemistry is needed for students to get the most from their later biology and chemistry classes. In turn, the understanding of the concepts of physics will benefit the students as they move among biology, chemistry and physics.

The second purpose of this reorganization is to help prepare the students so that they will have a proper background for the Introductory Physics MCAS test. The material in the state framework for this subject overlapped well with the physics portion of the CPS curriculum compendium. With a minor increase in the physics topics included in the course, students should be properly prepared for the Introductory Physics exam.

As the year progressed and the state changed the purpose of the freshman exam, it was apparent that the CPS course would not be properly reset in time for students to do well on the 2007 Introductory Physics exam. The Physical Science course was changed sufficiently so that the students taking this introductory level course would have reasonable preparation for passing the exam. With these students, we hoped to give them two viable chances in the freshman and sophomore years to pass one of the MCAS exams.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 49 II. Report All of our sophomores took one of the MCAS science tests. In turn, all of our freshman Honors Biology and Physical Science students took the appropriate exams. The College Physical Science students were not encouraged to take the Introductory Physics exam, as we had not successfully restructured the course in time to meet both of our reorganization requirements. In the future, we hope to have reorganized the course to the extent that students who would like to take the test will have a strong enough background in physics that they will pass and do well on it.

In analyzing the results of the exams taken in the spring, there are two distinct considerations which need to be made. The sophomores who took this exam knew that their scores did not count to determine their graduation from high school. Because of this, some of our students did not take the test seriously. In fact, at least one of our students decided to attempt to get all of the test questions wrong. This Honors Chemistry student, who is now successfully taking AP Chemistry, very nearly succeeded in getting all of the questions wrong. This attitude makes it hard to make an accurate and generalized analysis of the sophomore data. The second consideration deals with the fact that we only had Honors and Introductory ninth grade students taking tests, so our results were very skewed.

The following is an overview of the results of the 2007 MCAS Biology, Chemistry, and Introductory Physics tests. An effort will be made to analyze the overall test results and to discern information concerning the future development of the courses feeding into these exams.

For our purpose at Wayland High School, it is important to note that the present framework for Introductory Physics is in estimation more aligned with a physical science curriculum (such as that utilized in College Physical Science and Introductory College Physical Science) than with the curricula of Principles of Technology, College Prep Physics, Honors Physics, or A.P. Physics. The Department of Education has stated that the Introductory Physics course is not designed to match these “more advanced” courses. It is only designed for a survey course of a less analytical nature to be offered to freshmen or sophomores.

This year, the biology exam was taken by sophomore students in the Honors, College Preparatory, and Introductory College Preparatory Biology classes and freshman students in Honors Biology. Those taking the chemistry exams were taking either Honors or Quantitative College Preparatory Chemistry. All of these chemistry students took Honors Biology in their freshman year.

Overall, we had 229 freshmen and sophomores take the biology exam. Of these students, 222 passed the exam. The 7 students who failed were Sophomores.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 50 Biology Based on 229 Students

35% s

t 29%

n 30% e

d 25% 21% u t

S 20%

f 14% 13% o

15% t 10% n 7% e 10% c r 2% 3% e 5% 0 0 0% P 0%

.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 < ======1 < < < < < < < < < = < Percent Correct

Forty-two percent of the students taking this test answered 80% or better of the questions correctly. Another 35% of the students received scores between 60% and 80% correct. According to the state categories, Wayland High School had 36% ranked as Advanced, 46% ranked as Proficient, 15% ranked as Needs Improvement, and 3% as Failing.

When we look at the distribution of grades between freshmen and sophomores, we see a marked difference. Again, it is important to consider that the sophomores were students from all three levels – Introductory, College Prep, and Honors – of biology classes. In turn, the fact that the sophomores knew that this exam did not have any bearing on their graduation requirement must also be taken into consideration.

Freshman Biology Based on 94 Students

f 45%

o 50%

s e

t 40%

g 28% n

a 23%

e 30% t d n 20% u e t c 10% 1% 3% S r

e 0% P

.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 < ======1 < < < < < < < < < = < Percent Correct

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 51 Sophomore Biology

Based on 136 Students

f 22%

o 25% 18% 19%18% s e

t 20% g n

a 11%

e 15% t d n 10% 6% u e 4% t c 1% 2%

r S 5% e 0% P

.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 < ======1 < < < < < < < < < = < Percent Correct

From these delineations, it can be seen that 99% of the 94 freshman Honors Biology students easily placed in the Proficient and Advanced categories. The remaining one student placed in the Needs Improvement category. These students are exceptionally well prepared to meet the challenges of this graduation requirement.

Between 10 and 15% of the sophomores also placed in the Advanced category. The majority of the sophomore students fell in the Proficient category. Approximately 25% showed that they Need Improvement and 6% Failed. Of the seven students who failed, three of these students are on IEPs, citing problems with language skills. This is important to note since biology is a language intensive curriculum in both written and oral formats.

The fact that we have students with language processing issues is an important reason that these students be provided with another opportunity for passing their science requirement in an area which is not so language intensive. This is why we are looking to provide freshmen students with the opportunity to take the Introductory Physics test. This curriculum is more concept-based than our junior and senior level courses. It is also more math-oriented in nature with a basic Algebra I level of mathematics than is used in the biology courses. Our hope is that students, with parental approval, will opt for taking this test at the end of their freshman year. In this way, many students will find that they no longer have to take a science MCAS exam in the same year that they are mandated to take a Math and an English exam. Also, those who have a disability in language processing will have the chance to pass an exam relative to a less language-intensive course.

As previously noted, only our Introductory Physical Science students took the 2007 Introductory Physics MCAS test. This course is presented at the introductory level for students who have language and math difficulties. Of the ten students who took the Introductory Physics exam, seven passed the test.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 52 Physics Based on 10 Students

f

o 40% 30% 30% s e t

g 30% n 20%20% a e t

d 20% n u e t

c 10% r S

e 0% P

.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 < ======1 < < < < < < < < < = < Percent Correct

These seven students fell in the Proficient (20%) and Needs Improvement (50%) categories. The three students who failed the test were all on IEPs citing language and math processing disabilities. We hope to use the results of this test to restructure the Physical Science curriculum to better help these students to do better. As in the past, this reorganization will be done in collaboration with members of the Learning Resource Team.

In the future, we expect that members of our CPS course will choose to take this test. This will greatly change the breakdown of the general student performance, as more students will be involved in the distribution of grades. However, it is also important to note that, because these students will be taking a course whose main purpose is to prepare them for both chemistry and physics, they will not have as focused a program as would be present in a Physics First curriculum. As a department, we see the importance of preparing the students properly for their experiences in biology, chemistry, and physics. This preparation exceeds their need for a survey conceptual physics course which utilizes little to no mathematics.

The biology teachers who have these students this year have been informed about their progress. Our hope is that, with more focused attention in their biology class, they can be helped to perform better on the biology MCAS test at the end of this year. As a department, we are looking forward to planning how to help students who do not pass either the biology or introductory physics exams.

The state has stipulated that the possibility of doing re-tests in the science disciplines will be different than what is currently being done for the Math and English students. Whereas each year’s test material is different from the previous year, the tests given at the end of each year will only deal with the last course being taken by the student. However, since there will be more students across the state who take biology than any of the other disciplines, and since many schools now teach a yearlong course in a half-year time period due to the block scheduling methods being employed, the biology exam will be offered twice during the year. It will be given once in the winter and once in the spring. The difference between the Biology and the Math and English exams, however, is that the biology test will not be a “make up” test with a reorganization of the level of the material presented. It will be of the same difficulty as the spring test.

Due to these changes in the processing of science tests, the Wayland High School Science Department will have to consider alternative methods of helping the students who do not pass a test

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 53 in the first two years. Since our College Prep Environmental Chemistry curriculum does not line up well with the survey course mandated by the state’s frameworks, we will most likely have to incorporate a biology tutoring program for students who do not achieve a passing grade on their first attempt on the biology test. They can continue to take chemistry while being tutored in biology in preparation for the winter MCAS exam.

Finally, we have the results from our Chemistry MCAS exam. Of our 86 students who took the chemistry MCAS exam, 54% placed in the Advanced category and 42% placed in the Proficient category. As previously stated, there were serious questions raised concerning the effort employed by the remaining students on this test. Again, all of these students had previously taken Honors Biology as freshmen.

Chemistry Based on 86 Students

33% f 35% o 30% 25% s e t

g 25% 19% n a e t 20% 13% d n 15% u e t

c 10% S r 1% 1% 2%

e 5%

P 0%

.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 < ======1 < < < < < < < < < = < Percent Correct

As we look to the future, if the results already posted for this part of the student body hold up, none of these students will be taking the chemistry MCAS exam. The state has stipulated that once a student has successfully passed an MCAS science test, they will not be permitted to take another test. As we look back at the biology results for freshmen, it is clear that all members of the freshman Honors Biology course passed their exam.

III. Conclusions As a group, the students at Wayland High School did an exceptional job on this first series of MCAS science exams. Our expectation for the future is that we will be able to maintain this level of performance. Between the Biology and Introductory Physics exams, we hope to meet the test needs of all of our students. Although our Honors and Quantitative Chemistry students did well on their tests, we do not see future students taking a chemistry exam since they will already have passed one of the other exams.

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 54 I would like to thank the curriculum leadership teams for their data analysis and help in putting together this report.

Ken Altshuler, High School David Kalagher, High School Tom Longnecker, Middle School Science Department Head Math Department Head Science Curriculum Leader

Maggie Helon, Elementary Math/ Brian Keaney, High School English Tammy Mulligan/Clare Landrigan, Science Director Department Head Elementary Curriculum Directors- English/ Social Studies Ellen Jacobs/Carrie Dirmeikis, MiddleAlison Langsdorf, Middle School School English Co-Leaders Math Curriculum Leader

Analysis of Spring 2007 MCAS Results 55