2013 Pathways to the Prize - District Winners | Page 24

Pathways to the Prize Lessons from the 2011 SCORE Prize District Winner Pathways to the Prize Lessons from the 2011 SCORE Prize District Winner ACT. The ACT is a standardized assessment for high school AR LOSS Y OF T G ER M College-going rates. The college-going rate is the percent- students frequently required for admission into college. The test has sections in English, mathematics, reading, science reasoning, and an optional written essay. Scored on a scale from one to 36, the test is intended to be an indicator of college readiness. The subjects align with common college introductory courses in English composition, the social sciences, college algebra, and biology. All 11th graders in Tennessee are required to take this exam. age of high school graduates who enroll in college by the fall semester after high school graduation. The rate includes students who attend college in state or out of state at public four-year colleges, public two-year colleges, technical colleges, and private colleges. ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks. The ACT Col- S lege Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum exam scores determined by ACT, Inc. to signal a student’s preparedness to succeed in first-year, credit-bearing courses at a postsecondary institution. These benchmarks—which are based on a nationally representative sample of 98 institutions and more than 90,000 students— are intended to give meaning to the numeric score and help students, parents, teachers, and counselors link high school preparation to college readiness. An English score of 18 and a reading score of 21 indicate a student would have a high probability of success in an English composition or social sciences course. Similarly, a math score of 22 and a science score of 24 illustrate a similarly high potential of success in a college algebra or biology class. ACT has determined additional college readiness benchmarks for the EXPLORE and PLAN tests. Advanced Placement (AP). Advanced Placement courses are courses offered by the College Board that provide students with an opportunity to take college-level courses and earn credit towards college while in high school. There are more than 30 different AP courses across multiple subject areas. Attendance rates. All schools and districts are required to submit student attendance rates to the Tennessee Department of Education. An attendance rate of 93 percent and 90 percent or higher was needed to fulfill the state’s adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirement for elementary/middle and high schools, respectively, under No Child Left Behind. Adequate yearly progress (AYP). Adequate yearly progress is a measure established by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 that holds schools accountable for the performance of their students on standardized tests, including sub-groups such as racial/ethnic minorities and students with disabilities. Every state administers its own examinations in reading/ language arts and mathematics, and student performance on those examinations determines whether schools are successful at making sufficient progress for a given year. Graduation rates are used in calculating high school AYP, while attendance rates are used for middle and elementary schools. Tennessee received a waiver from No Child Left Behind in 2012. Common C ore State Standards. Common Core State Standards are a set of English/language arts and mathematics standards that were developed by state leaders to ensure that every student graduates high school prepared for college or the workforce, regardless of the state in which they live. Common Core standards are internationally benchmarked, and are designed to promote critical thinking and depth of understanding of course content. The initiative is led by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Professional learning communities are groups of educators working collaboratively toward continued personal and school improvement. PLCs bring teachers and administrators together in order to enhance their effectiveness and, therefore, raise student achievement. PLCs often meet regularly and share a learning vision, and members work together to attain new and improved approaches to educating. TCAP. The TCAP assesses students in grades 3 through 8 in Tennessee and determines levels of proficiency in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Districts may also choose to administer TCAP assessments in selected subjects to students in grades K-2. There are four proficiency levels on the TCAP: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. TCAP will be replaced by PARCC assessments, with full implementation scheduled for the 2014-15 school year. TVAAS. TVAAS is a measure of the effect a district or school has on the academic progress or growth rates of individual students and groups of students from year to year. TVAAS is based on the statistical methodology of Dr. William Sanders. TVAAS 3-year growth standard. This measure provides a common comparison of the effect a district or school has on the academic progress or growth rates of individual students and groups of students over a three-year period. Cohort dropout rates. The cohort dropout rate is the percentage of ninth grade students reported as dropouts four years later. These data follow a cohort of students over a period of time. 24 Glossary of Terms Glossary of Terms 25