All Means All
November 2023
NPSD State Report Card
For many, November brings thoughts of football, family, pumpkin pie, and Thanksgiving. Still, for some, it also means facing the daunting complexities of accountability state report cards among the seasonal delights. The recent release of the Northland Pines State Report Card on November 14 indicated a dip in our district score by 1.5 points from the 21-22 school year. While this represents the ultimate outcome, it fails to capture the remarkable achievements made during this timeframe. Even though the dreaded report card is viewed as yet another “gotcha moment” in the educational world, it also provides an opportunity for a comprehensive overview of our District data and valuable insights into the systems we have in place. Like it or not, school report cards empower stakeholders by fostering transparency, accountability, and the drive for continuous improvement in education, ultimately striving for better outcomes and opportunities for all students. So what story does the accountability report card tell about Pines?
To decipher the State Report Card, we must first understand the four categories comprising the overall score. The four priority areas include Achievement, Growth, Target Group Outcomes, and On-Track to Graduation. Each priority area is weighted differently on the district report card and individual school report cards depending on the number of students considered Economically Disadvantaged. This is yet another complexity built into the state reporting system.
Let’s start with the Achievement category. This category summarizes how students perform on the state assessments. A key takeaway is that district-wide achievement and proficiency levels are increasing. It is essential to highlight a significant celebration that Students with Disabilities continue to make gains due to our co-teaching teams. Overall, we have not reached achievement levels from pre-pandemic years, but we are heading in the right direction. This trend is evident across the entire state. What does this mean for us? Our district innovations, Professional Learning Communities, Universal Design for Learning, and Responsive Classroom are working. There are fewer students scoring at the Below Basic levels and more students scoring in Proficient and Advanced levels districtwide.
The next category is growth. Growth measures change in students' performance over statewide tests. A complex “valued added” formula compares our students to similar students across the state. This is based on three years' worth of data, with the latest years weighted more. Even with a slight decrease from last year, significant celebrations from the Growth performance area are noted. Scores indicate our students are making gains at a faster rate in math when compared to other similar students across the state. What does this tell us? Bridges curriculum at the elementary level is working. At the secondary level, the hard work the Math Department has been doing with the Mathematics Institute is yielding results. This also reinforces our work with Leadership in Literacy and training on the Science of Reading to ensure all students are also making growth in ELA. Additionally, our students with Disabilities are demonstrating higher-than-average growth rates. This rate of growth supports our work of ensuring that our programming planning and implementation provide students with Disabilities access, engagement, and progress within grade-level standards through increased collaboration, specially designed instruction, and accommodations.
Target Group Outcomes is a priority area focusing on the students scoring at the bottom 25 percent. This is a mini-report card for this subgroup of students, including categories of Achievement, Growth, Chronic Absenteeism, and Graduation. This area allows us to reflect on how we are supporting students most in need of support. The mini-Achievment category indicated gains. So this target group of students is also increasing proficiency levels. Universal Design for Learning with predictable supports ensures all students have access to instruction. The other three categories had a decrease in scores. This also allows us to reflect on our work with Multi-Level Systems of Support with strong universal instruction, implementation of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, and how we are utilizing Responsive Scheduling for pre-teach, reteach, and intervention. Also, how are we supporting our students and families experiencing challenges with attendance and chronic absenteeism? What can we do differently?
The final priority area is On-Track to Graduation. This includes Chronic Absenteeism and Graduation rates for all students, as well as educational milestones of 3rd-grade ELA and 8th-grade math scores. This category indicates how successfully students are progressing towards completing their education. Our 3rd-grade ELA and 8th-grade math scores increased from the 21-22 school year. Chronic Absenteeism and Graduation rates decreased from last year. An important detail to note is that these two metrics are three-year trends and lag an additional year. So this particular data is coming from the weighted average of 21-22, 20-21, and 18-19 school years (since we didn’t have a report card in 19-20). Even though this is our pandemic data, our 22-23 snapshot data that will be included next year indicates a similar trend. So, just as Target Group Outcomes, Chronic Absenteeism and attendance rates are areas to improve for the District.
So, what are the critical insights in the Northland Pines State Report Card? Our District innovations are working. The work our dedicated staff are doing every day are improving achievement and proficiency rates. This work enhances the universal learning environments and engages students at a higher level. With rigor, relevance, and relationships at the forefront of instructional planning, student achievement is increasing, and students will not only graduate but will be ready with skills, knowledge, and abilities to assist them in their lifelong journey.
Local Report Cards
Showcasing Our Story at Pines
We're thrilled to share the release of our Local Report Cards! Aligned with the nationally recognized Redefining Ready initiative by the AASA, the Local Report Cards represent a fresh perspective on assessing student readiness for college, careers, and the challenges of the 21st century. They include a diverse range of metrics sourced from global research organizations, allowing us to redefine how we measure our students' success.
These reports are not just about numbers; they're about telling the story of our educational journey here at Pines. They stand beside the existing state report cards, providing a more comprehensive picture of our students' growth and achievements. Our Local Report Cards reflect our collective commitment to offering a holistic education that prepares our students for the diverse pathways that lie ahead.
We invite you to explore Local Report Cards found on our district website as they showcase the incredible efforts of our students, staff, and the entire Northland Pines community. Together, let's celebrate our students' accomplishments and the bright futures they are prepared to embrace!
Special Education Department's Indicator 8: Parent Engagement Results
Indicator 8 assesses family engagement using a survey distributed every five years to parents in the district with children aged 3-17 receiving special education services. Below, you will find highlights from the survey and our district's plan to address areas of growth.
Welcoming Environment:
- I am an equal partner with school staff in planning my child's IEP (100%)
- School staff offer me ways to ask questions and get information (100%)
- School staff offer me information in ways I can understand (96.4%)
These strengths indicate a high level of collaboration and partnership between parents and school staff, which is essential for effective IEP development.
Respectful Environment:
- IEP meetings are held at a time and place that meet my needs (100%)
- In IEP meetings, we talk about my concerns and ideas (96.4%)
- In IEP meetings, we discuss different options for my child's special education services (100%)
Overall, these strengths indicate that the special education program places a strong emphasis on respectful and collaborative IEP processes, which can lead to better outcomes for students with Individualized Education Programs.
Supportive Environment:
- In IEP meetings, we discuss how accommodations or modifications will help my child (100%)
- School staff clearly explain when and where my child will receive special education services and supports (93%)
- School staff offer me information about the academic standards AND behavioral expectations for all students in my child’s grade level (90%)
The strengths indicate the special education staff’s dedication to ensuring that parents fully understand their child's special education services, IEP objectives, and the broader educational framework.
Areas of growth lie within the Supportive Environment Section.
- School staff offer me information for my child with an IEP about one or more community services (54.6%)
- School staff offer me activities or strategies which support my child’s learning outside of school (63%)
Both statements emphasize the importance of extending the educational support for students beyond the school environment, whether it be connecting them to community services or providing strategies for continued learning outside of school.
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Plan for Improvement: First, at the Decemenber inservice, the special education department will review the purpose of the family engagement section of the IEP . Many staff identify ways to disseminate information, rather than engage families in their child’s learning. Secondly, the department will place a stronger and earlier emphasis on the Post Secondary Transition Plan (PTP) as the means to connect families and students to necessary community resources and agencies. Lastly, the department will aim to ncrease communication with families outside of social media posts to share information regarding community-events and supportive activities that would be of interest to their family.