High School Data Reports
COURSE EXAMS DATA
The graphs below contain information from the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years with regards to the average scale score and percentage of students with an achievement level of proficient or advanced for the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam. Achievement Levels for the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam are Advanced (225-250), Proficient (200-224), Basic (177-199), and Below Basic (100-176).
• Students take the exam at different times of the year and different years depending on their sequence.
• Students in the Honors Sequence take the Algebra 1 EOC in the spring when they are in 8th grade enrolled in Challenge Algebra.
• Students in the Integrated Sequence take the exam in the spring when they are enrolled in Integrated Math 1.
• Students in the Alternate Sequence take the exam in fall when they are enrolled in Algebra 2.
• Students in the Informal Sequence take the exam in the fall of their junior year.
• Currently we have two years of data for the Honors and Integrated Sequences and one year of data for the Traditional and Informal Sequences.
• All groups of students meet or exceed the Proficient mark of 200 except the 2010 Informal Mathematics Junior Level Course.
• There was a slight decrease in the average scale score at Wydown Middle School, which is also reflected in the Total’s group. However, both groups at Wydown Middle School are in the Advanced Range for the average score.
• The WMS group represents our honors track students on track for ending CHS in AP Calculus
• A total of 229 students took the Alg 1 EOC in 2010. 75 8th graders, 78 Integrated I students, 45 Algebra 2 students, and 29 students in the Informal track. (2 collaborative school students also took the test)
• A total of 148 students took the Alg 1 EOC in 2009. 68 8th graders, 80 Integrated I students
• The information for the Algebra 1 End-of-Course is limited in nature due to its new arrival to the testing matrix and the test is going through changes this year which will make
comparisons for the following years difficult.
The graph above displays the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam.
• The expectation from the State was that 54.1% of the students score proficient or advanced for the 2008-2009 school year and 63.3% for the 2009-2010 school year. Clayton has met Adequate Yearly Progress for the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam for both years.
• The expectation for the 2010-2011 school year is 72.5%. Currently CHS as a total group or the subgroups of Integrated Math 1 and Informal (Jr. level ) Sequence Math Course would not meet expectations, though both the Total and Integrated Math 1 showed an increase of approximately 10% points from the 2008-2009 school year to the 2009-2010 school year.
• A total of 229 students took the Alg 1 EOC in 2010. 75 8th graders, 78 Integrated I students, 45 Algebra 2 students, and 29 students in the Informal track. (2 collaborative school students also took the test)
• A total of 148 students took the Alg 1 EOC in 2009. 68 8th graders, 80 Integrated I students
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Math data regarding a comparison of our College-Prep math students to students in other high performing districts
In order to compare College-Prep achievement groups across out of state districts we have to first be able to identify one of Clayton’s norm referenced sources that would provide meaningful data, and secondly identify comparable districts using the same norm referenced assessments, administered to similar percentages of students taking the assessment. In Clayton, the best tool we have for this purpose is the ACT, as 90+% of our students take the test and the ACT Profile Report provides data broken down by quartile scores. (The use of quartile scores for this comparison was mentioned by Mr. Singer in his questions regarding collecting the data for comparison.)
In looking for meaningful district comparisons, it is important to note that only 16% of
Massachusetts students take the ACT. In each district there are only a handful of students who use that test for college admission so it is not possible to use that as a measure for students in any particular track.
To locate this data for you, I turned to two of our Project Blueprint schools, Edina, Minnesota, and Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Both districts are in the Midwest area and both primarily use the ACT for college placement and determining College Readiness. (The other Project Blueprint schools are located on or near the east coast and primarily use the SAT.)
The section of the ACT Profile Report that was used for this comparison is Section II, Academic Achievement, Table 2.3 ACT Score Quartile Values.
Table 2.3 ACT Score Quartile Values (2010) Mathematics
The quartiles shown above break up the district’s total number of ACT scores into four equal parts. Quartiles can be thought of as percentile measure. If 100% of the scores are broken into four equal parts, we have subdivisions at the 25th percentile, 50th percentile, and 75th percentile.
As you see above, Clayton’s ACT score at Quartile 3, or at the 75th percentile, is 30. That means that the top 25% of our students, the group of students that would be in the 75th percentile or above scored a 30 or higher on their ACT. The next 25% (quartile) of the students, those between the 50th and 75th percentile, scored between a 26 and 30 on their ACT test. The next quartile of the students, or those between the 25th and 50th percentile, scored between a 22 and 26 on their ACT, and the last quartile of the students scored below a 22. (22 is considered to be College Ready by ACT.) Clayton’s scores are comparable to Edina and Whitefish Bay.
When looking at quartiles, we can generally consider that the top 25% of students, or the scores above Q3, represent our honors students, and that students between the 25th and 75th percentile represent our College-Prep students. Across all three schools, the top 25% of the students are scoring 30+ on the ACT mathematics assessment. Across all three schools, 75% of the students are considered College Ready in mathematics according the ACT benchmarks. And across all three schools, the College-Prep” students are within 7-8 points of the honors group. Again, Clayton’s scores are comparable to our two high achieving Project Blueprint schools.
Comparison District demographic data (2009)
Total Enrollment Asian African American Hispanic
Clayton 2487 9.4% 22.4%
18% of students attended under the State Voluntary Transfer Program.
2.3%
Edina 7988 7% 6% 3%
Whitefish Bay 2976 6.5% 10.9%
8% of students attended under the State Chapter 220 Integration Program.
3.1%
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Clayton High School’s Honors Algebra/Trigonometry course for semester 1 grades since the 2004-2005 school year
The course changed textbooks and grading scales during the 2007-2008 school year with the intent to add more rigor to the course and better prepare students for Honors Precalculus.
There has been a decrease in the percent of students earning an A in the course over the past two years the percent of students in the A/B range has remained relatively steady. Students scoring in the D/F range has remained relatively steady for the past 7 years, with a percent of 3% or less.
(Provided to BOE 1/7/11)
MAP – Mathematics data – quartiles, median, standard deviation
Attached are box and whisker plot graphs for the MAP-Mathematics assessments from 2006 to 2010. A box and whisker plot graph gives a visual display of quartiles for a given set of data, with the shaded rectangles showing the 50% of the population centered around the median. The goal for a given curriculum is to have at least the top three quartiles above the benchmark for the state assessment. This statement is true for the 2009-2010 school year for grades 5, 6, 8 and Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam.
Grade 8 MAP-Scale Scores
• The top possible score on the grade 8 MAP-Mathematics is an 885 and have only had students in 2006 able to receive the total number of points possible.
• Grade 8 students in the top three quartiles have scored at the proficient benchmark (710) for Spring 2010.
Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam
• The top possible score on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam is a 250 and we have students both in 2009 and 2010 receiving the total number of points possible. The Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam became active in Spring of 2009.
• Spring 2010 students in the top three quartiles scores at or above the proficient benchmark (200).
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GRADE 8 (710) 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
MAXIMUM 833 826 833 847 885
Q3 765 751.75 756.75 758 752
MEDIAN 736 726 732 729 728
Q1 710.5 701 706.25 700.75 704.75
MINIMUM 534 525 591 611 627
MEAN 734 722 731 728 729
STANDARD
DEVIATION 40.94 45.74 40.82 40.64 39.29
N 187 194 218 184 196
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
ALGEBRA 1 (200) 2010 2009
MAXIMUM 250 250
Q3 231 237
MEDIAN 215 216
Q1 200 197
MINIMUM 100 165
MEAN 213.44 216.21
STANDARD
DEVIATION 21.19 23.24
N 229 149
2010 2009
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Spring 2010
Minimum Q1 Median Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number of students
Grade 8 534 710.5 736 765 833 734 40.94 187
Spring 2010
Minimum Q1 Median Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number of students Algebra
1 EOC
100 200 215 231 250 213.44 21.19 229
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ACT data – quartiles, median, standard deviation
Attached are box and whisker plot graphs for the ACT mathematics subtests from 2006 to 2010.
A box and whisker plot graph gives a visual display of quartiles for a given set of data, with the shaded rectangles showing the 50% of the population centered around the median. The
minimum goal for a given curriculum is to have at least the top three quartiles above the College-Readiness benchmark in the area of mathematics.
Findings from the data:
• When looking at the data from 2006 to 2010, only the Class of 2010 students scored proficient or higher in the top three quartiles.
• Significant increase in the quartile scores and mean between the Class of 2009 and the Class of 2010.
• All five years of data has at least one student receiving a perfect score of 36, including eight students in the Class of 2010 data.
• The difference between the mean and the median has been small for the past four years, with the median being slightly higher.
ACT (22) 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
MAXIMUM 36 36 36 36 36
Q3 30 29 29 30 29
MEDIAN 26 25 25 25 25.5
Q1 22 20 20 20 19
MINIMUM 13 13 10 13 13
MEAN 25.8 24.5 24.69 24.8 24.4
STANDARD
DEVIATION 5.9 6 6.1 6.2 6.1
N 187 207 157 224 176
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
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Minimum Q1 Q2 (median)
Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number Class of
2010 13 22 26 30 36 25.8 5.9 187
Minimum Q1 Q2 (median)
Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number Class of
2009 13 20 25 29 36 24.9 6 207
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Minimum Q1 Q2 (median)
Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number Class of
2008 10 20 25 29 36 24.69 6.1 157
Minimum Q1 Q2 (median)
Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number Class of
2007 13 20 25 30 36 24.8 6.2 224
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Minimum Q1 Q2 (median)
Q3 Maximum Average Standard Deviation
Number Class of
2007 13 19 24 29 36 24.4 6.1 176
Comparison between the School District of Clayton and Massachusetts mathematics performance
For most of the school districts in the country, international comparisons are hard to do given the few international assessments available. As you know, Massachusetts is recognized worldwide as globally competitive as a result of their outstanding performance in mathematics on the TIMSS and PISA international assessments. The comparison between Clayton and
Massachusetts was done to give us a picture of how our students collectively “stack up” against some of the highest achieving mathematics students in the world.
The following charts compare Clayton and Massachusetts on the following measures:
• Advanced Placement Performance scores for Calculus – both AB and BC Calc (2009)
• ACT comparisons in mathematics performance (2009); We tested 90+% of our students on the ACT; less than 20% of Massachusetts students took the ACT
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(AP data was not reported for the Massachusetts Math and Science Academy)
On the graph above for each school district you’ll see three bars – the bar on the left represents the total number of students taking AP Calculus, and then you see both AB and BC Calc
measures. You’ll note that Clayton is competitive in the number of students taking AP Calculus, but also note that Clayton has the second highest percentage of students taking BC Calc. On the following graphs you’ll see the percentage of students taking AB and BC Calc and the
percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher in those classes. The Advanced Placement
performance measure is a truly reliable comparison measure across districts. The school districts on the graph are in descending order from the #1 top school district to #10.
% Students Taking
Advanced Placement Courses in Calculus
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Clayton Math Curriculum Review Massachusetts School Districts
Demographic Data (2009) School District Number of
students in
Acton Boxborough High School 1953
Boston Latin High School,
1622 (7-12 only)
12.1 27.8 49.0 NA
Weston School District High School 715
Wellesley School District High School 1220
Total 4868
3.8 7.2 81.8 $13,916
Concord Carlisle High School 1245
Dover Sherborn High School
608
1.7 4.3 91.8 $15,690
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EXPLORE to PLAN and PLAN to ACT growth
This set of data look at the amount of growth between the EXPLORE test and the PLAN test and the PLAN test and the ACT test. Adequate growth for the EXPLORE to PLAN is two or more points and for the PLAN to ACT three or more points. ACT data for the Class of 2011 is not complete, students are still opting to retake the ACT test and final numbers will not be in until the summer of 2011.
Findings:
• The greatest percentage of growth for students in the Honors Mathematics Sequence is between the EXPLORE test and the PLAN test. Students growth between the EXPLORE to PLAN ranged from about 84% to 91%.
• Growth between the PLAN and ACT ranged between the mid 70%’s to 80%. One explanation for this decrease in growth is how high the scores were on the PLAN.
Students in the Honors Sequence have shown continued success in other measures of data, such as the AP test scores for both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC.
Findings:
• For the Class of 2010 and 2011 the greatest growth occurred between the PLAN test and the ACT test. One explanation for the growth could be the alignment of the curriculum to the test. Since the Integrated Math curriculum is not topic specific like many high school curriculums the test would not show the entirety of its topics until later grades.
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Findings:
• There is no consistency in the growth data from one graduating class to another. One explanation for this data is the low number of students taking the Traditional
Mathematics Sequence. The lower the set of the data the less likely one can draw conclusions from the data.
EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT Mathematics Performance by Math Sequences This set of data compares mathematics performance for the EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT tests.
The sets of data are average scores on the different tests and the percent of students who met the College Readiness Benchmark in the area of mathematics for a particular test. The data
compared the total population with students in the different math sequences. College Readiness Benchmarks predict success in the college freshman mathematics course – College Algebra.
[EXPLORE Math Benchmark = 17, PLAN Math Benchmark = 19, ACT Math Benchmark = 22].
Findings:
• The average score for the total population of Clayton and students in Challenge Algebra met or exceeded the EXPLORE mathematics benchmark
• The average score for the Algebra 8 was slightly below the EXPLORE mathematics benchmark of 17. It will be important for the Mathematics Committee and Mathematics Department at Wydown Middle School to determine what skills and concepts need reinforcement in order to improve the overall performance of the students in this math sequence.
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Findings:
• The average score for the total population of Clayton, students in Honors Algebra/Trigonometry and students in Algebra II met or exceeded the PLAN mathematics benchmark
• The average score for the Integrated Math II was slightly below the PLAN mathematics benchmark of 19 for 3 out of 4 of the reported years. It will be important for the
Mathematics Committee and Mathematics Department at Clayton High School to determine what skills and concepts need reinforcement in order to improve the overall performance of the students in this math sequence.
Findings:
• The average score for the total population of Clayton, students in Honors Precalculus, students in Integrated Math III and students in FST (Functions, Statistics and
Trigonometry) met or exceeded the ACT mathematics benchmark of 22.
• Students in the College Prep – Integrated Math Sequence and students in Algebra 8 are able to raise their ACT score to the College Readiness Benchmark, unlike previous performances on the EXPLORE and PLAN.
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Findings:
• Over 90% of the students in Challenge Algebra for each graduating class are meeting the EXPLORE mathematics benchmark, with 100% meeting the benchmark for the Class of 2009, 2012 and 2014.
• Less than half of the Algebra 8 students are meeting the EXPLORE mathematics benchmark. The Mathematics Committee and Mathematics Department at Wydown Middle School will need to look at the alignment between the current curriculum and the skills and concepts measured on the EXPLORE test.
Findings:
• Over 90% of the students in Honors Algebra/Trigonometry for each graduating class are meeting the PLAN mathematics benchmark, with 100% meeting the benchmark for the Class of 2011 and 2012.
• Less than half of the Integrated Math II students for the Class of 2010, 2011 and 2012 met the PLAN mathematics benchmark. Approximately half of the students in Algebra II for the Class of 2009, 2010 and 2012 met the PLAN mathematics benchmark. The Mathematics Committee and Mathematics Department at Clayton High School will need to look at the alignment between the current curriculum and the skills and concepts measured on the PLAN test.
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Findings:
• Over 90% of the students in Honors Precalculus for each graduating class are meeting the ACT mathematics benchmark, with 100% meeting the benchmark for the Class of 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
• Over half of the students in both Integrated Math III and FST (Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry) met the ACT mathematics benchmark. The percentages in Integrated Math III approximately doubled from the percentage met for the PLAN.
The graph above displays the National Percentiles for PLAN scores for mathematics as well as subscores in the areas of algebra and geometry. Data is broken down in HAT (Honors
Algebra/Trigonometry course), IM II (Integrated Mathematics II course) and ALG II (Algebra II course). Students in the Honors Math course score in the 90%ile math composite and algebra and geometry. Integrated Mathematics score around the 60%ile, except in 2006 when scores were in the 70%ile. Students in Algebra II show the greatest variance in their percentile with the geometry percentile being the largest. The geometry percentile being larger is appropriate considering the freshmen course for these students is geometry and the PLAN is taken in the Fall of their sophomore year.
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Percent of Students Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores by Race/Ethnicity: MATHEMATICS (2009)
Caucasian American/White 121 76 10,008 69
Hispanic 7 57 360 45
Asian American/Pacific Islander 14 93 593 80
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent of Students Ready for College-Level Coursework
ACT English
Benchmark Score=18 ACT Math
Benchmark Score=22 ACT Reading
Benchmark Score=21 ACT Science Benchmark Score=24
A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college course.
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