November 2005

SP SnapShot's November Bulletin discusses how to find those students that might be in danger of not reaching the graduation level...

...and you'll also learn strategies for examining your students' content sub-test scores and individual student's Development Scale Scores.

Students Whose Scores are Less than the Graduation Pass Score

It is important to identify tenth grade students whose scores in Reading and Mathematics indicate that they are in danger of not reaching graduation level.  By informing students that they may have to repeat the FCAT next year, teachers and students are then given the opportunity to work together to find strategies to help the student succeed.

Tenth grade students must have a minimum DSS of 1926 in Reading and 1889 in Math in order to reach the graduation cut point. Any student that enters the tenth grade with less than 30 points above this cutpoint (example: less than or equal to 1956 in Reading) is in danger of not reaching this target. 

School-wide

(This can only be done by users with School Administrator or Counselor level access to their school’s data.)

1. Click “Queries”
2. Select “Roster Year” 2005-2006
3. Click “Demographics”, then “Grade of Enrollment”
4. Select “10 Grade 10.”  Click “Add Criterion.”
5. Click “Tests”
6. Click “FCAT SSS Reading”. Then Select: “Dev Scale”. 
7. Select 2004-2005
8. Change the Maximum Score to 1956 (giving you 30 points above the cut point).Click “Add Criterion.”
9. Click “Get Results”
10. Repeat the previous steps using “Math Dev Scale ” to find the students with less than 1919 (30 points above the cut point).

Teacher/Classroom Analysis

To determine the students in each class who have scores less than the pass score for graduation in Reading and/or Mathematics.

1. Start at the list of students in a class
2. Open the “Test” tab
3. Click “FCAT SSS Reading”
4. Click “FCAT SSS Reading”. Then Select: “Dev Scale”. 
5. Click “Update Data Display”
6. Scroll down
7. Under the Dev Scale columns, click 2004-2005. You have now sorted this class by DSS results.
8. Make note of the students whose scores in reading are less than 1956 (30 points above the cut point).
9. Click the Printable PDF format link.  
10. Repeat the previous steps using “FCAT SSS Math” to find the students with less than 1919 (add 30 points to 1889) in mathematics in this classroom.

Analyzing Individual Students

A. Looking at your students’ content sub-test scores

1. Go to the “Data Display” page.  Click on the “Tests” tab.   
2. Click “FCAT SSS Reading Cont Subscores” or “FCAT SSS Math Cont Subscores”
3. Select the appropriate sub-tests from the list
4. Click “Update Data Display.” You now have a list of your students’ sub-test scores
5. Click on the year heading of a particular column to rank and sort the students from lowest to highest score

Teachers should note students that did not get at least 50% of the points possible.

B. Looking at an individual student’s Development Scale Scores (DSS)

1. Click on a student’s name
2. You will be taken to that student’s individual data page
3. Scroll down until you reach the student’s Assessment Data
4. Next to “Reading Dev Scale ” or “Math Dev Scale ” click on the DSS graph icon

The graph represents the student’s development scale scores for up to five years. Each color on the graph represents a different achievement level and the score, year and achievement level for that student is shown in a small bubble. The grade level is shown along the bottom. If you are using Internet Explorer, right-click on your mouse and select “Print Picture...” to print a copy of the graph, or right-click on your mouse and select “Save Image As...” to save the graph image to your desktop.  Teachers should determine how many DSS points each child needs to make a year’s worth of growth.

About SP SnapShot™

SP SnapShot™ analyzes student data through charts, reports, and graphs. From this information, users are able to identify individual students in need of attention and create individualized professional development plans for teachers based on information gleaned from this data analysis tool.

For more information, visit the SP SnapShot™ website at www.studentperformance.com.

Privacy Policy
Suite 191-1809 E. Broadway St., Oviedo, Fl 32765 | Phone: 1-866-479-7627 | Fax: 1-250-658-5936