1. Smith Middle SchoolStandardized-assessments: WritingPTA Meeting: September 26, 2014

2. Introduction Leadership at Smith Middle School: It is essential, as an administrator at SmithMiddle School, that I connect andcommunicate with parents, students, and thecommunity. Communication is key when itcomes to successfully improving studentsprogress and growth. An important topic we will cover in todays PTAMeeting: Standardized Writing Assessment. 3. Purpose The Florida Writing Assessment will be inFebruary 2012. Students must learn how to not only write aneffective five-paragraph essay, they mustreceive a passing score of 3.5 or above. To better prepare for the new assessment, wewill review data from the previous five years. 4. Data Analysis: FCAT Writing Test(achievement level percentages) As displayed below, there has been an overall increase in achievementover the past five years. There was a major increase in achievementlevels from 2007-2008, and weve stayed in the 60-70 percentile ranks.Smith Middle School Percent Scoring 3.5and aboveGrade Writing (3.5 and above)2007 2008 2009 2010 20116 NA NA NA NA NA7 NA NA NA NA NA8 44 68 64 76 69 5. Data Analysis However, there has been an inconsistency in the past four years. Thepercentile ranks have increased and decreased (each year) for the pastfive years. There was also a seven-point decrease from 2010-2011. Thelargest decrease in the past five years.Smith Middle School Percent Scoring 3.5and aboveGrade Writing (3.5 and above)2007 2008 2009 2010 20116 NA NA NA NA NA7 NA NA NA NA NA8 44 68 64 76 69 6. Data Analysis As a reference point, we will compare the schoolsproficiency level to the districts proficiency level. How does Smith Middle School compare to others?Smith Middle SchoolPercent Scoring 3.5 andaboveGradeWriting (3.5 and above)2007 2008 2009 2010 20116 NA NA NA NA NA7 NA NA NA NA NA8 44 68 64 76 69District Percent Scoring three andaboveGradeWriting (3.5 and above)2007 2008 2009 2010 20116 NA NA NA NA NA7 NA NA NA NA NA8 55 68 67 76 79 7. Data Analysis As a reference point, we will compare the schoolsproficiency level to the districts proficiency level. How does Smith Middle School compare to others?90807060504030201002007 2008 2009 2010 2011Smith MiddleSchoolDistrict 8. Improvement Plan Goals: Increase student improvement, parent involvement, andpassing percentages. Recommendations: Increase professional development ; offer a variety ofprofessional development opportunities. Teachers must understand the assessment and know how to teachthe standards. Provide assessment tools in the classroom andprograms/activities that better prepare the students. using classroom assessments to build students confidence inthemselves as learners and help them take responsibility for their ownlearning, so as to lay a foundation for lifelong learning (Stiggins,2014). Translating classroom assessment results into frequentdescriptive feedback ( versus judgmental feedback) for students,providing them with specific insights as to how to improve(Stiggins, 2014). continuously adjusting instruction based on the results of classroomassessments (Stiggins, 2014). 9. Recognition! We have a lot of work ahead of us toconsistently improve student growth, butwe have also improved tremendously overthe past five years! Teacher recognition: Mrs. Summers (increased assessmentproficiency) by 11 percent from 2010 to 2011.Aided learning by tutoring and beinginnovating in the classroom. 10. References Improving Student Assessment at Comprehensive Intstitutions.(1999).http://web.stanford.edu/group/ncpi/documents/pdfs/compinfosheet.pdf Jones, P. (2014). Saint Leo University Educational Leadership.Module 5. Stiggins, Richard. (2014). Assessment Crisis.http://beta.edtechpolicy.org/CourseInfo/edhd485/AssessmentCrisis.pdf