‘Strange things happen.?
That’s Oxford Schools Curriculum Director Karen Eckert’s assessment of the seventh grade 2004 MEAP results.
The seventh graders in Oxford Schools were the only class to drop in percentage points from the previous year: in writing from 55.5 to 52.4 percent, in reading from 71.1 to 60.6 percent and in English Language Arts from 66.7 to 61.5 percent.
‘I’m not sure why,? said Eckert. ‘That’s something we’re gong to have to look at.?
And when Eckert says the district will be evaluating the results, she means evaluating in a yearlong process that involves teacher surveys, test analysis and strategy formulation – not to mention any new teaching or curriculum changes.
Eckert explained that one of the first steps taken in analyzing the MEAP test is to survey the teachers who administered the exam. District administrators will ask the staff several questions including their thoughts on the types of questions, what the students appeared to struggle with during the test, what changed on the exam from the previous year and how long the students actually worked compared to how long they were given.
Next, the district administrators will share the test and survey results with building principals and teachers. In the fall, the entire district will begin using professional development and staff meeting time to review and evaluate the information, while formulating new teaching strategies for the upcoming exam.
‘We work on this all year long,? said Eckert. ‘We don’t separate it out as much as we use to. We make this a part of the classroom now. This is wrapped into our school improvement techniques and even our accreditation.?
For upcoming seventh graders, one major change will be taking place during the 2004-2005 school year (whether the MEAP scores called for it or not): a new language arts curriculum will be implemented.
‘We hope to see an improvement in a couple of years, but we won’t see anything drastic and nothing for this year,? explained Eckert. ‘We are always trying to better align our curriculum with the state standards.
‘Like I keep saying, we look at the classroom and make the changes there because that’s where it matters.?