|
RLA Home Designing a System Elements of a System District Practices Table Index Local Systems Fed & State Systems Resources |
 |
Contact John Holiday, Principal Evergreen Elementary evgrensc@sisnet.ssku.k12.ca.us 530.842.4912 Demographics Summary Reading, writing, and mathematics assessments are administered at the start of Yreka Union Elementary School District school year in September and at the end of each quarter to all students in grades K-8. Assessment instruments were adopted from well-established assessment projects and curriculum textbook series. Results are used for lesson planning, forming instructional groups, and school program review. Staff review SAT-9 results but focus more attention on their local assessments because they are considered more timely and informative. Full Description Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Assessments Reading: Yreka Union Elementary School District uses assessments from the California Reading and Literature Project (CRLP). Quarterly results are used to regroup students for classroom instruction, and progress results indicate effectiveness of the school's classroom practices and interventions. First quarter results are used for early identification of students at risk of retention. The homeroom teacher and reading teacher both assess the student and compare results. Students not making expected progress are considered for alternative interventions. Groups of students not making progress indicate a need to change program services. Writing: An outside expert provided a series of assessment workshops and also developed the writing assessments. Double scoring became too costly and time consuming, so teachers rate their own students' work. However, rater consistency is a district concern, and there is a plan to explore feasible options to establish a level of agreement. Mathematics: Mathematics assessments are unit tests from the Saxon textbook series. Tests are administered at the end of each unit of study. These are traditional multi-item tests with one correct answer. Teachers score their own students' answer sheets. Reporting and Using Results The district maintains a student database and produces school summary reports. At the end of the year, composite scores are derived from combining SAT-9 and local assessment data. Schools review SAT-9 results each September and content cluster analysis informs priorities for school improvement. However, more importance is given to local assessments in making instructional program decisions because they are considered more informative, given at critical times during the year+ and feedback is swift. Workshops are presented to whole school teams for schoolwide implementation -- not to individuals for possible implementation in some classrooms. Teachers discuss results and implications for instruction at curricular and staff meetings. The principal visits classrooms to observe implementation, but the process is not yet systematic and frequent. |