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by Melissa Bailey | Jul 13, 2011 3:01 pm

(17) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Schools, School Reform

Melissa Bailey Photo New Haven thought it found a new way to get little kids to read—and three years later, newly released test scores showed the idea working.

The intervention program was among the reasons given at a press conference Wednesday for citywide gains on the high-stakes Connecticut Mastery Test, which public school students in grades 3 to 8 take every March.

Results released Wednesday show the public school district showed gains in nearly every area of the test, which covers math, reading, writing for all the grades, as well as science in 5th and 8th grades.

School officials called the results “a strong indication that New Haven’s School Change reforms are succeeding.”

“I think it’s time for celebration,” said schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo (at right in photo above). “I’m pleased—not satisfied, but pleased—with our results.”

The good news was told in the numbers—test scores rose, and the gap with the state narrowed. District scores on the CMT rose 1.8 percentage points in math; 3.5 points in reading; 3.9 points in writing; and 3.8 in science. The district now stands 16.8 percentage points behind the state in math; 24.1 points behind in reading; and 18.1 points behind in writing. That’s all based on the percentage of kids scoring “proficient” on the tests.

Pinning down which results came from the one-year-old school reform drive, versus from longstanding efforts to educate kids, is a trickier political question in an election year.

Mayor John DeStefano (pictured) and Mayo invited seven principals to the event at Wilbur Cross High School, representing the schools that posted the highest gains on the CMTs and the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests for sophomores, the results of which were released Tuesday. The seven schools were Fair Haven School, Truman, Wexler-Grant, Celentano, Co-op High, Metropolitan Business Academy, Wilbur Cross and Hyde Leadership Academy.

The schools that have received the most intensive planning under the school reform drive—seven pilot “transformation schools”—were not among that group. Three of the school were picked due to a history of low performance, and have the longest way to go.

Click here to see the school-by-school scores by grade, and here to see those scores divided by “cohort,” in other words, comparing this year’s 4th grade to last year’s 3rd grade. Click here to visit the state website, where you can access the data yourself.

Mayo pointed to the 3rd grade as this year’s M.I.P. The number of 3rd graders scoring “proficient” or better on the reading, math and writing tests combined grew from 41.3 to 49.9 percent. That’s up from 36.7 percent in 2008.

“We’re especially pleased with those 3rd grade scores,” Mayo said. “This year we begin to show some breakthrough in grade 3. That’s monumental, and it’s beginning to set the foundation” for the future..

In a separate interview, Mayo said the district has long had difficulty with 3rd grade performance, which lagged behind other grades in years past. He attributed this year’s improvement to new reading programs introduced in first and second grades, which are “beginning to pay off.”

The Modified Reading Recovery Intervention was rolled out in 2008 as part of a greater focus on early education, said Trisha D’Amore, the district’s reading supervisor. Students who are struggling in reading get small-group instruction from trained tutors, with only three students per teacher, she said. The program was piloted in the 1st and 2nd grades. D’Amore said this year’s 3rd grade was the first to benefit from that instruction.

Fair Haven School led the district in 3rd grade reading gains, rising from 33.8 to 76.3 percent “proficient.” That’s a major improvement over 2008, when 21.3 percent scored “proficient” on the tests. The number of 3rd graders scoring “at goal,” which is meant to be a measure that they can read on grade level, rose from 20.6 to 62.7 percent this year.

Other top gains came from Hill Central Music Academy, where Principal Glen Worthy (at center in photo at the top of this story) has quietly restructured the school this year with a federal “turnaround” grant, showed early signs of progress. Third-graders rose from 14.3 to 23.4 percent “proficient” in reading. The number of 3rd graders reading “at goal” remained at the bottom of the district, rising from 5.7 to 6.4 percent.

Overall, Hill Central showed an average gain of 12.7 percent points in reading proficiency per grade level. Math and writing results rose by a few percentage points, too.

Besides getting rid of half of the staff, Hill Central restructured the school to a “distributed leadership” model, said Imma Cannelli, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. She said one person is now supervising English-language learners at the school, which has many Spanish-speakers, and the school is focusing on differentiated instruction for kids at varying levels of proficiency.

East Rock Global Magnet School also posted major gains in 3rd grade reading, rising from 34.8 to 57.1 percent proficiency.

Wexler/Grant School, which has been tapped for a “turnaround” next year based on years of low performance, boosted 3rd grade reading from 28.2 to 35.1 percent proficient. The number of 3rd graders scoring “at goal,” however, fell from 12.8 to 8.1 percent. The school posted an average of 10-point gains in math proficiency per grade level, and 5 points in reading. Writing proficiency fell from 50.0 to 44.4 percent.

The Transformation Schools

As part of the school reform effort, schools have been graded into three tiers based largely on test scores, and are being managed differently according to how they fare. Based on those tiers, the city is phasing in “transformation plans” at seven to eight schools per year. The tests released this week are used as the most significant measure of success at the first seven schools that piloted transformations this year.

Those seven schools proved a mixed bag of results on the tests.

Davis Street Arts and Academics School, one of the city’s top-performing elementary schools, continued to push the bar higher. Third grade reading rose from 72.3 to 83.3 percent proficiency, and from 48.9 to 53.7 percent “at goal.” Davis Street was tapped as top-ranking “Tier I”. As a result, Principal Lola Nathan was given more autonomy to run her school this year.

Davis posted an average of 5.3 percentage points improvement in proficiency in the four subjects.

Edgewood School, the city’s other pilot Tier I, posted an average 3.7 points proficiency gain across the subjects.

John C. Daniels, a middle-ranking Tier II school, fell four percentage points in “at goal,” and climbed one percentage point in proficiency, taking all grades and subjects combined.

At Domus Academy, the city’s new charter experiment for troubled middle-schoolers, showed some progress in reading with a difficult population. Twenty-two kids took the reading test, with 63.6 scoring “proficient” and 59.1 “at goal.” None of 22 students scored “at goal” in math, but 36.4 percent scored “proficient.” All 36 kids took the writing test. None scored “at goal”; 5.6 percent scored proficient. The test results are difficult to compare with last year, since so few students took the test.

School reform czar Garth Harries said more students took the tests this year compared to last year, when the school was called Urban Youth Middle School. (Urban Youth’s scores aren’t available online because the state considered them a program, not a stand-alone high school.)

“There’s certainly a long, long way to go,” said Harries, but he applauded the school for “substantial gains, particularly in reading.”

Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, a “Tier III improvement school,” showed gains in many areas, but an overall decline in proficiency, from 55.7 to 54.5 percent. The number of kids scoring “at goal” rose from 26.7 to 27.9 percent.

Brennan/Rogers, the city’s first in-house turnaround school, was one of just a few schools to show declines across the board in reading. Third grade reading fell from 21.2 to 13.0 percent proficient. Overall, reading fell from 41.1 to 36.0 percent proficient. Overall, the number of kids scoring proficient fell from 44.3 to 43.3 percent, while the number of kids scoring “at goal” rose from 21.8 to 22.3 percent.

Harries noted that Brennan made large gains this year in school culture, as measured by the school climate surveys.

With a slew of brand new teachers, the school didn’t “hit on all its cylinders” until the spring, he noted. He said he expects to see more academic gains in coming years. “The point for us is long-term change. The overall story remains pretty good.”

Reform “Success”?

Overall, this week’s release of test scores was good news for the system. How much of that news can be attributed to school reform, which just kicked into gear? Some efforts—most notably the reading intervention—began years ago. Some schools, like Davis and Fair Haven, have been showing gains for years; on the other hand, they’re getting new tools under the reform drive. Some of the most intensive work begun under school reform—at the lowest-performing “transformation schools”—did not contribute to the latest wave of positive scores; it will probably take longer for the results of those efforts to show up on standardized tests (although they have already demonstrated progress in the new “climate” surveys.)

DeStefano has made the success of school reform a central plank of his current campaign for a 10th two-year term.

DeStefano argued that while these test scores don’t show the entire picture, they are “one demonstrable result in how New Haven school change is working.” The district met its goal of improving 3.4 percent across all subjects at goal, and fell 0.2 percentage points shy of improving 3.4 points in proficiency. The city aims to close the achievement gap with the state by 2019, in part through a method of “transformation planning” in with a batch of seven to eight schools per year.

DeStefano was asked to compare the success so far of the transformation schools, which included two low-performing “turnarounds,” compared to the rest of the district.

“There’s not necessarily a correlation between the turnaround and the growth,” DeStefano said, but other factors are part of “school reform” that led test scores to rise. For example, the district rolled out a new teacher evaluation program based on student performance.

“We saw a lot of people picking up their game as a result” of the new evaluations, DeStefano said.

While only some schools saw intensive “transformation” planning, all schools were graded into tiers, and used feedback from school climate surveys to guide how they run the school, DeStefano noted.

Truman Principal Roy Araujo, whose school has not yet been tapped for transformation, said his school has benefited from a new sense of “focus” on learning as part of the school change effort.

Part of that focus comes due to more intensive work in drafting School Improvement Plans, argued school reform czar Harries. Some schools also launched BOOST, a program that is supposed to connect students with social services.

While transformation planning is a significant part of the school reform drive, “producing learning gains takes a huge range of efforts,” Harries said. He said it’s difficult to parse out which gains might be due to reforms versus other methods already under way in the schools. “The bottom line is that the school district is improving.”

“This is not an aircraft carrier moment,” Harries said, but “school change is happening. We had a great first year.”

Comments

posted by: Threefifths on July 13, 2011 4:00pm

Like I said Domus is a waste of money.Keep exposing them.

This is what happens when you get rid of Good teachers like Ms Lott did.This school will keep on failing.Just like domus.I wonder what the turn over rate is for the teachers in both these schools.

posted by: LOL on July 13, 2011 5:11pm

For example, the district rolled out a new teacher evaluation program based on student performance.

“We saw a lot of people picking up their game as a result” of the new evaluations, DeStefano said.

————————————————————————

Kinda like you and Reggie stepped up your game AT LONG LAST, and only after feeling heat from the state, right John?!

posted by: Realist on July 13, 2011 8:10pm

Well here we are—-CMT result day. The one school that received all the press from NHI throughout the year scored horribly and it came as no surprise. Now I dont want to hear another word about Brennan and Lott until they make goal across the board however I doubt her stay will last that long. Not being negative just realistic.

posted by: Noteworthy on July 14, 2011 7:31am

If you set the bar low enough, everything improves. They myth of improovement continues because with a myth of celebration. It is political circus. Throw a tent over it and charge admission. Oh, don’t do that. We are already paying via extraordinary taxes.

In the meantime, Wil Cross has a 60% drop out rate in next year’s graduating class and the number of students who took the state exam declined. Of course the rates will rise when the poorly educated drop out or refuse to take the test. Amazing.

posted by: NHPS Parent and Proud on July 14, 2011 8:11am

Thanks to NHI for more of a reporting article than a slanted editorial.

These test score gains are impressive when you take the time to go through the charts and comparisons. A couple of points.

First, if you go to the NHPS website they have posted the power-points, school by school scores and summaries as well as all related stories and releases in one place so you can click back and forth and see for yourself. http://www.nhps.net They also have prior tiering and school information and climate surveys a click away which is great information for parents and members of the public. Very transparent in helpful.

Second, the gains in New Haven outpace the state and have therefore served to accomplish the goal that NHPS set out of closing the achievement gap through a multi-year approach. More gains need to be made to get there but they are on target with their plan for this year’s set of goals which is a good sign.

Third, the gains at the 3rd grade level are really important as it shows that the longer term focus on upgrading preschool and preCMT grade achievement is paying off and students who are entering the test grades are better equipped to score on grade level even though many came to NHPS well behind. Should these trends hold then through matriculation the scores will continue to rise as a new higher baseline is being created at the lower grade levels.

Fourth, you need to look back at the historical data to recognize that there is deeper significance to the gains in that these are gains on top of double digit gains in the prior few years. So, not only has New Haven gained again, ahead of the state and ahead of its peer urban districts, it has managed to sustain the growth of prior years and build off of it. This demonstrates that these scores are not flash in the pan points of light but rather a sustained growth and a methodical march toward higher achievement. While the rest of the state is essentially flat or falling back slightly, New Haven is moving forward. This is important as the gap is therefore closing as opposed to simply moving up if everyone was scoring better. Scoring at a higher pace of achievement is the only way to really close the gap and New Haven continues to do that.

I, for at least one, would like to thank all the students for their hard work and dogged pursuit of excellence regardless of all the negativity that surrounds them. Literally each school has goal and advanced students. Yes, some more than others but the point is that there is achievement and excellence across the board at every school. This and they should be celebrated. It simply needs to become more rooted in all populations and student cohorts. I would also like to thank the teachers and administrators who have pushed my children to reach their potential and to understand that gaining a love of reading and learning is an essential life lesson. Finally, I want to thank the leadership of the City and BOE for making Education a focus. Keep it up.

There are many more of us who support you outside of this negative echo chamber.

posted by: LOL on July 14, 2011 9:34am

Mayo has been the superintendent of New Haven’s schools since 1992, yet just now has started closing the achievement gap? Hmmm. Something’s fishy here. I hope this isn’t another Atlanta. I can say for certain that at my school, teachers teach to the test for fear of losing their job. Test scores went up, proving students can take a test, but whether they can truly think critically and problem solve is uncertain.

posted by: mitchel on July 14, 2011 9:44am

I blame New Haven’s crooked one party system

posted by: Great job! on July 14, 2011 10:14am

Great job to my colleagues at Celentano, especially the third and sixth grade teams. Your hard work, dedication and diligence paid off. Also, congratulations to the instructional leader of the building. Our students are making great progress and it definitely shows. Too bad there are still teachers like LOL and others in our building who don’t do the students or the profession of education any justice.

posted by: teachergal on July 14, 2011 10:50am

While I’m not a big proponent of standardized testing, I have learned that it is the way urban districts judge it’s students (teachers) and so be it. That being said, I checked the results and our school has made strides across the board except for a few grades. In my grade level the scores are up so I guess I can feel good about that.

So, I guess our kids are becoming better test takers. But, are they becoming better learners. Can they read text and master concepts in content areas? Can they write a cohesive summary? Can the effectively respond to text in a variety of ways? Can they write a research paper? Can they complete homework assignments for classes? The CMT is only one indicator of student success and we put so much emphasis on it.

Question: While analyzing the data I always forget if “proficient and above students” are inclusive of “goal” students? In other words, if you are 60% proficient in reading, does that include the 17% that are “goal”? Or, are the 17% completely separated from that group? So, then from this data 40% would be at basic/below basic. That’s still close to half the students. Correct???

posted by: Happy do Celentano on July 14, 2011 11:46am

Keisha Hannans has proved that she is an effective principal.
...
Her leadership style has helped teachers grow and with the high-stakes game, she has done a
great job raising test scores. Just because her expectations and standards of excellence
are high, that doesn’t mean she is bad leader. She is about kids and kids learning. Meet her expectations and stop the BS. Congrats Mrs. Hannnans and keep up the good work.

posted by: Do Not on July 14, 2011 4:12pm

Do not let them try to tell you one thing. Go look for yourself at http://www.ctreports.com for the truth. Yes some schools in some grades made some improvements….but…

posted by: Beth on July 14, 2011 4:29pm

... I know someone who works there and asked how Domus Academy students did on the CMT before they came to the new school. Here’s the data I was given. CMT Reading proficiency for incoming 6th graders=20%, 7th gr=20%, and 8th gr=0% (zero—not a typo!); CMT Math proficiency for incoming 6th gr=33%, 7th gr=0% (zero), and 8th gr=16%. So as a taxpayer, I DON’T think it’s a “waste of money” to take kids from 0% proficient up to 63% proficient! ...

posted by: Rising to the Top on July 14, 2011 6:10pm

Congrats Celentano, on a job well done!

posted by: RichTherrn on July 15, 2011 2:32am

@NHPS Parent, thanks and ditto!

Once again, important to point out, and I echo this, Dr. Mayo made in his remarks sure to FIRST thank all the teachers, parents, staff that have worked for the students. Many teachers deserve credit, including science teachers.. as well as the early grades reading teachers and educators who did such a great job!
There is a lot of data in CMT and CAPT, and the district spends a lot of time at all levels to analyze it and move forward. We also have to keep in mind, especially when looking at individual grades at individual schools, that significance of gains/decreases depends on numbers and other factors. That’s why teachers focus on students and other classroom data.

However, large number wise: NHPS students continue to outperform all towns/cities in our reference group, AND other towns as well, in science grade 5, 8, 10. So thanks again to all the educators AND community partners who work with our students!

@teachergal, yes of course, as it has always been proficiency+ includes goal.
@teachergal, LOL: the CMT and even more so the CAPT, emphasize problem solving and higher order skills, such as persuasive writing, designing experiments, etc.. than nearly any other state’s tests. They have long been considered among the best, and in fact correlate more with college success than SATs (SCSU did a study) . In science, for example, they recognize that “learning content” does NOT come from reading texts, it comes from doing, thinking, discussing,analyzing, evaluating, and the hard questions on the tests focus on that… The is why the increasing pace of success is so relevant to our ultimate goal: as the mayor put it, students having productive lives.

-Richard Therrien
-NHPS Science Supervisor

posted by: teachergal on July 15, 2011 9:41am

Therrien: In science, for example, they recognize that “learning content” does NOT come from reading texts, it comes from doing, thinking, discussing,analyzing, evaluating, and the hard questions on the tests focus on that…

And I would totally agree with you BUT you do need to have reading skills that are appropriate to your grade level in order to be able to read material that has to do with the content areas you are learning about.

Are you saying that students just need to be able to think, discuss, and evaluate without having read? I think you are underestimating the importance of being able to read and comprehend at a higher level. Maybe the SS text was a bad example, but in order to discuss topics you need to be able to read material to discuss. Why does NH waste so much money on books if, as you say, they are not important?

I am not suggesting that students should read chapters and be able to answer the questions at the end, I get that. But I am saying that kids do need to be able to read and respond to written materials on topics they will then discuss in class. I do not see our students becoming independent, successful, confident readers who are capable of doing this. They resist reading at every turn. Maybe that is one reason why our suburban neighbors are doing better than us.

When students go to college they are not going to have their professors reading the materials to them. We need to get them ready now. Students need to read more and text less!!!!

Lastly, kudos to all the teachers that have worked so hard in the classroom helping students. There are many students who do want to succeed but too many students in classrooms that interfere with the learning process making it difficult for everyone. Until NH want to deal with that problem then we will not see the increase that could be possible. All schools should have ISS rooms staffed by qualified staff who can support student learning while they are there.

posted by: LOL on July 15, 2011 9:52am

...
Below are results from the 2011 Celentano school climate survey. The information is from teachers, who for the second straight year overwhelming expressed legitimate concerns—like assaults by students on teachers, the well-documented arson, and the number of times NH police were summoned to the school—that the Hannans cheerleading crew—and downtown—would like brushed under the carpet in light of some improved test scores.

TEACHER SURVEY (35 PARTICIPATED):

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about leadership practices in your school?

The administrative team has confidence in the expertise of the teachers.
8.6% strongly agree
14.3% agree
20.0% neither agree nor disgree
28.6% disagree
28.6% strongly disagree

Administrators let staff know what is expected of them.
17.1% SA
34.3% A
17.1% N
14.3% D
17.1% SD

Administrators invite teachers to play a meaningful role in setting goals and making decisions for this school.
2.9% SA
17.1% A
17.1% N
22.9% D
40.0% SD

The administrative team visits classrooms to observe the quality of teaching at this school.
8.6% SA
57.1% A
22.9% N
8.6% D
2.9% SD

Administrators give me regular and helpful feedback about my teaching.
8.6% SA
20.0% A
2.9% N
31.4% D
37.1% SD

Administrators encourage collaboration among teachers to increase student learning.
5.7% SA
51.4% A
8.6% N
14.3% D
20.0% SD

School administrators conduct supervision and performance evaluations constructively and respectfully.
2.9% SA
25.7% A
17.1% N
20.0% D
34.3% SD

The school administration provides for effective communication and positive relationships.
5.7% SA
14.3% A
17.1% N
20.0% D
42.9% SD

The school administration works cooperatively with the community.
2.9% SA
22.9% A
31.4% N
25.7% D
17.1% SD

The principal makes the school run smoothly.
11.4% SA
17.1% A
14.3% N
20.0% D
37.1% SD

School administrators are open to constructive feedback.
8.6% SA
14.3% A
8.6% N
22.9% D
45.7% SD

I trust the principal.
11.4% SA
25.7% A
14.3% N
8.6% D
40.0% SD

SOME OTHER NOTES:

* Students were asked if they feel safe at school. Only 59 percent said they do.

* Only 44 percent of students said they care for the school, while only 42 percent said they feel good about the school.

* 56 percent of students say students at the school treat tyheir teachers with respect, while 65 percent said teachers treat them with respect—and almost 90 percent said teachers expect them to go on to college and hold them to high standards.

ANOTHER FACT: Many of the teachers who left Celentano (including the one who had her skirt pulled down in class by a student) have since thrived as teachers in other school districts, whose test scores blow away New Haven’s.

The only thing Hannans has accomplished is the art of ruling with an iron fist in accordance with downtown’s directives. Celentano is becoming a school of test takers and not critical thinkers and problem solvers.

Instead of true school community consisting of a staff and administration working together for the best interest of students, Celentano has become focused on doing things one way and getting rid of those teachers with inovative ideas—or just plain more knowledge of the grades they teach—for administration’s benefit, not those of the students.

posted by: Teachergal on July 15, 2011 4:33pm

LOL: Instead of true school community consisting of a staff and administration working together for the best interest of students, Celentano has become focused on doing things one way and getting rid of those teachers with inovative ideas—or just plain more knowledge of the grades they teach—for administration’s benefit, not those of the students

EXACTLY!!! Let’s see what NH does with this information, NOTHING is my guess!

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