Anyone familiar with education has likely heard the term "proficient." Schools are viewed based on the number of students who are proficient, not how much growth the students have shown. Proficient is where all students are expected to be - competent with the skills and concepts they are taught. However, no two learners are the exact same. How do you compare the achievement of a student who is already high-performing and shows little growth to the achievement of a student who began as lower-performing and exhibits much more growth, but is still below proficiency? Which student truly achieved more? The answer is growth models.
Once a student is proficient they will likely show less growth. They have already grown to, or beyond, where they are expected to be. This is the case for many AIG learners. Even if these students are proficient they should be allowed to grow as much as they can. For those students who have factors that have prevented their growth, they should be credited for the progress they make; not judged by how far below proficiency they are. Growth models do not always measure whether a child is proficient. They can measure how much academic progress a student has made between two different points in time (from month to month, year to year, etc.). For example, Student A has shown twenty points in growth for reading if they increase their score from 150 on the 4th grade EOG to 170 on the 5th grade EOG. There are numerous types of growth models that vary in purpose. Some look at school achievement, others focus on student growth. Others incorporate area students and schools, students/schools across the state, and students/schools across the country. Some focus on the students as specific individuals. It should be noted that no growth model can ever be perfect. There are too many factors that can alter the data. For instance, a child who moves to a different state with a different form of test that was measured previously, or a child who has some circumstance that affects their performance on a measured assessment. One thing that can be agreed on is that growth models are a much more accurate representation of student achievement than a proficiency score alone. For more information on growth models, the resources below are excellent!
Resources Used:
Hull, J. (2007, November 9). Measuring student growth: A guide to informed decision making. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Policies/Measuring-student-growth-At-a-glance/Measuring-student-growth-A-guide-to-informed-decision-making.html
McBride, Y., McClarty, K.L., Murphy, D., Murphy, S. & O'Malley, K.J. (2011, September). Overview of student growth models: White paper. Retrieved from Pearson web site: http://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/Student_Growth_WP_083111_FINAL.pdf
Once a student is proficient they will likely show less growth. They have already grown to, or beyond, where they are expected to be. This is the case for many AIG learners. Even if these students are proficient they should be allowed to grow as much as they can. For those students who have factors that have prevented their growth, they should be credited for the progress they make; not judged by how far below proficiency they are. Growth models do not always measure whether a child is proficient. They can measure how much academic progress a student has made between two different points in time (from month to month, year to year, etc.). For example, Student A has shown twenty points in growth for reading if they increase their score from 150 on the 4th grade EOG to 170 on the 5th grade EOG. There are numerous types of growth models that vary in purpose. Some look at school achievement, others focus on student growth. Others incorporate area students and schools, students/schools across the state, and students/schools across the country. Some focus on the students as specific individuals. It should be noted that no growth model can ever be perfect. There are too many factors that can alter the data. For instance, a child who moves to a different state with a different form of test that was measured previously, or a child who has some circumstance that affects their performance on a measured assessment. One thing that can be agreed on is that growth models are a much more accurate representation of student achievement than a proficiency score alone. For more information on growth models, the resources below are excellent!
Resources Used:
Hull, J. (2007, November 9). Measuring student growth: A guide to informed decision making. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Policies/Measuring-student-growth-At-a-glance/Measuring-student-growth-A-guide-to-informed-decision-making.html
McBride, Y., McClarty, K.L., Murphy, D., Murphy, S. & O'Malley, K.J. (2011, September). Overview of student growth models: White paper. Retrieved from Pearson web site: http://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/Student_Growth_WP_083111_FINAL.pdf