February 2007

The SnapShot LOVE bulletin

Ah, February, the month when our thoughts are moved by our hearts. We here at SnapShot are a romantic group so this month the bulletin will be full of romantic ideas to thaw even the coldest heart. Think of us as the digital Barry White. As usual we’ll be providing the best advice and information…and we may even talk about SnapShot.

If you love someone set them free

It’s with a heavy heart that we say farewell to Kevin Wilson. Kevin has been with SnapShot from the very beginning. He has had a huge impact on all aspects of the company and the development of SnapShot. His great sense of humor and his willingness to help out his co-workers in any way possible will be truly missed. We wish him all the best in his new adventure.

Check out some Kevin Wilson Fun Facts later in the bulletin!

Valentine’s Day: Tips for the Men

“Steak ‘n’ Shake” is not an appropriate Valentine’s Day restaurant no matter how much you love their burgers. And don’t even think about taking your loved one to any drive-thru.
Valentine’s Day is not a time to try and save some money. Your loved one will not share your excitement when they hear about the “sweet deal” you got on the flowers. Sure they look fine but a funeral wreath is inappropriate.
Jewelry is a great gift but if you don’t have time to get to a jeweler don’t try to make it yourself. Nobody over the age of five wants to wear a paperclip necklace…even if it comes with a matching bracelet.
She won’t feel the love if the box of chocolates has all the caramels missing.

A marriage made in heaven

Not only is February the month of love it’s also FTE month. This is an excellent time to run the low 25% query and export that list to EXCEL to save it in your data files.

Remember that students must be in both the October and February FTE count to be included in the School Grade and AYP calculations for your school.

Identifying your Low 25%

The lowest 25% for the current year is computed on your students who were tested at the same grade levels in the previous year. Thus, only select ONE grade level at a time.

Log on as a School Administrator or Counselor
Click Queries
Select the current year and click Continue
Click Demographics
Click Grade of Enrollment
Click the box next to the grade
Click Add Criterion
Click Tests
Click FCAT SSS Reading
Click Dev Scale and select the previous year
Click Add Criterion
Click Get Results
Multiply the number of students by 0.3 – this is the number of students in your lowest 25 percent for this grade level. ___
Click the school year heading to sort by the DSS score
Beginning with the lowest scale score in the column, count through the students until you have identified the number of students you calculated in step 13. Note the scale score for that student: _____
Click Queries*
Click Edit next to the “Dev Scale between …” step in your query
Change the Max score to that identified in step 15
Click Get Results
You now have the list of the Lowest 30% in the selected grade – some of these were retained at that grade level for the current roster year; others are in the next grade level for the current roster year.
Repeat the above for the each of the other grade level groups at your school level.

*This will give you a list of students that you can save for future use.

Note: Please consider all efforts to identify the lowest 25% as an approximation.

Exporting a Data Display

At the bottom of the list of students on the Data Display page, click the “Select an Export Option” drop-down menu
Select an export option
Click “Export”
A pop-up will appear that reads, File Download, Do you want to open or save this file? Save the file to your hard drive
After the download is complete, open the file in any spreadsheet or text editor program. Note: if using a PC it is recommended that you right click on the file and select the program from the Open with link)

The start of a beautiful relationship

SnapShot teamed up with StudyBUZZ to provide you with extra help for your Science students.

StudyBUZZ gives your students personalized help preparing for their Science 5, 8, and 11 exam. This is one of the only tools that the SnapShot team has seen that gives every student direct feedback, and addresses the student’s individual needs in the form of a study guide. FCAT is almost here, act now!

To learn more about StudyBUZZ, contact Robert Bailey at robert@studybuzz.com or phone at (866) 658-8238 ext 33.

FETC 2007

Jon Chabun and Kevin Wilson made the trip over to Orlando for last month’s FETC Conference. The good news is that they made it back to the office. The even better news is that their luggage decided to join them . . . eventually. Maybe next time they should drive.

Kevin really enjoyed meeting with everyone that dropped by the SnapShot booth. It was great to be able to put faces to the many, many names. Jon really had a great time giving demos on StudyBUZZ. If you need more information on this learning tool, give him an email at jon@studybuzz.com. Michelle Gainer also came by to chat and give a teacher’s perspective on SnapShot. If your school needs training after FCAT, book now at training@studentperformance.com.

We look forward to meeting the rest of you at next year’s FETC conference.

Kevin Wilson Fun Facts:

Kevin has never said the word “dilapidated”.
Kevin has ten toes…on his left foot.
Kevin was the real 5th Beatle
Kevin can bench press a 2 bedroom ranch house
Kevin can sleep with his eyes open; something he perfected in meetings

Online and in-person training is always available if you need help using any of our features, or just want some tips and tricks to get the most out of SnapShot. For online training resources, go to www.studentperformance.com/training.html and check out www.studentperformance.com/using.html for tips on how to enhance your SnapShot experience. As always, individual, school or district training is available and can be booked by calling us at 1.866.479.7627