May 2004 — Features
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Computerized Adaptive Testing: Effective Measurement for All Students
Improving Education
Meridian's years-long efforts to implement data-driven methods based on the adaptive tests' ability to inform and accelerate learning is just one of the reasons our district has become known as the "Continuous Improvement District." Historically proactive, Meridian has established what we call a "Site Improvement Plan" for each school in the district, which is now in place three or four years ahead of the state's 2005 deadline for such a process. The improvement process, aimed at strong and ongoing student growth, is relatively simple:
- Analyze data from the previous year to determine where improvements need to be made;
- Set goals and develop action plans to implement the goals;
- Analyze the current year's data to see if the changes made have led to improvements;
- Review progress made; and
- Start the cycle over again.
One thing we know for sure is that without the data garnered from our current computerized adaptive testing, Meridian's process for site improvements would not be possible. As we discovered years ago, traditional models of testing like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills may work to rank and sort students, but they do not work well to inform instruction.
Lawrence has seen dramatic changes in Meridian's gifted program due to growth-focused testing and data retrieval. "I can look at any of my kids and tell you where their strengths and weaknesses are based on the test," she says. "It's a powerful tool we're able to use to direct instruction, especially for gifted kids."
Special education students benefit too, according to Thornton: "We've seen ELL students who started out not speaking any English at all, and in just a year's time they score way above grade level."
From the get-go, our success with level testing provided teachers with the power they needed to inform instruction and affect each student's growth. Now we have good, solid data which has led to an effective process that monitors proficiency and achievement, but also is primarily focused on individual growth. In that way, we're now better equipped than ever to meet our ultimate goal: successfully preparing every child for a promising, productive future.
Thornton sums up the changes and improvements in her school and throughout the Meridian district this way: "We started all our work long before NCLB was mandated. What drove us is that we realized we have different students needing different kinds of instruction, which better data has helped us deliver. Our motivation [is the] belief that every student, at every level, needs the right education for where they are right now. In that way, they can all learn and grow."
