Danville South Elementary
Maximizing Student Growth While Creating Positive Memories
August 30, 2019
ILEARN and NWEA MAP Growth Assessment Results
Today at South Elementary, ILEARN (4th gr. only) and NWEA MAP Growth assessment results were sent home with most students. ILEARN is the summative accountability assessment for Indiana students and is taken by all 3rd through 8th-grade students in the spring. Your child will have ILEARN results only if they are in 4th grade this year and they attended Danville Community School Corporation during the testing window last year in the spring. NWEA is an adaptive assessment taken locally three times a year to gauge progress and growth. Due to the differences between these tests, we wanted to provide additional information that may help as you review these reports with your child. Please note that varying performance on these tests is common. Neither of these tests is used solely to make academic decisions such as class placement, retention, etc.. They are simply pieces of an overall picture of your child’s academic strengths and needs. If you have any concerns after reviewing these reports, please reach out to your child’s teacher.
ILEARN
ILEARN is Indiana’s new online computer-adaptive assessment designed to measure your child’s proficiency based on the Indiana Academic Standards. Students will receive a four-digit scale score that corresponds with one of the four proficiency levels: Below Proficiency, Approaching Proficiency, At Proficiency, and Above Proficiency. The graphic below contains helpful information as you review your child’s report and will expand when clicked on.
You may notice that your child’s score is lower than it may have been in the past. Due to lower scores statewide, the Indiana Department of Education has put together the following discussion points to share with our families:
How are proficiency rates for ILEARN and I AM determined?
● Proficiency rates are determined through a very careful process that is similar across
all states. This process involves Indiana educators with content area expertise and
significant teaching experience reviewing the expectations of the Indiana Academic
Standards and establishing thresholds of proficiency for each grade based primarily
on a content judgement using objective criteria.
● Educators then review their proficiency determinations in relationship to the larger
policy perspective including national proficiency benchmarks such as the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
● Finally, educators make cut score recommendations to the ILEARN policy committee
which in turn makes a recommendation to the State Board of Education presented by
IDOE. The educator panel recommendations were brought to the State Board for
approval.
Why are there drops in statewide proficiency rates?
● ILEARN is a new assessment focused on the college and career readiness of
students articulated from elementary to middle school and ultimately to high school.
● Advances in technology are allowing for measurement of standards that were
previously not measured.
● The content blueprints define rigorous standards as priorities for reporting student
scores.
How can we position our local results in light of the state trends?
● It is difficult to compare the proficiency rates from ISTEP+ in 2018 to the ILEARN
proficiencies of 2019 or comparing ISTAR to I AM based on blueprint, test design and
item deployment. For ILEARN, performance level descriptors highlighted the
expectations for college and career readiness as an independent indicator.
● It is understood that Indiana’s students or educators did not decrease their
commitment to instructional delivery or ability even though the cut score is lower.
● Indiana continues to reinforce college and career readiness through multiple
pathways in high school to achieve success.
● Local proficiency rates will be affected by the new cut scores but are also sensitive to
local interventions and efforts.
● Academic progress (or growth) may offer a way for understanding how local results
on ILEARN compare to 2018 growth shown on ISTEP+ based on the student growth
percentile. Progress can be legitimately measured across assessments with different
scales and different proficiency cuts, but comparisons must be thoughtful in light of
the content and policy expectations.
How will the changes in proficiency affect accountability placements?
● With lower proficiency rates the IDOE would expect to see a downward shift in state
accountability grades.
● The federal accountability placements will be new in 2019 and the cuts for these
category placements will be set in September of 2019.
NWEA
NWEA MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive test that students in Danville will take in the fall, winter, and spring. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. This type of assessment challenges top performers without overwhelming students whose skills are below grade level.
MAP Growth uses a RIT scale to accurately measure what students know, regardless of their grade level. It also measures growth over time, allowing you to track your child’s progress throughout the school year and across multiple years. Once your child completes a MAP Growth test, they receive a RIT score.
RIT scores have the same meaning across grade levels. If a fourth-grade student and an eighth-grade student have the same RIT score in reading, then they are testing at the same level in that subject. This stable scale allows teachers to accurately measure each student’s academic growth throughout the school year and over time.
Teachers can use the score to inform instruction, personalize learning, and monitor the growth of individual students. Principals and administrators can use the scores to see the performance and progress of a grade level, school, or the entire district. MAP Growth scores are just one data point that teachers use to determine how a student is performing.
Upcoming Dates
Sept. 2: Labor Day (No School)
Sept. 4: Danville Community Schools Town Hall Mtg. 6:00 pm @ Danville United Methodist Church
Sept. 5: PTO meeting 6:30 pm @ South Elementary Library with Dr. Shafer, Superintendent, as guest speaker.
Sept. 10: Danville Community Schools Town Hall Mtg. 6:00 pm @ Danville High School
Sept. 12: Danville Community Schools Town Hall Mtg. 6:00 pm @ Northview Christian Church
Sept. 26: Danville Community Schools Town Hall Mtg. 6:00 pm @ West Bridge Church
Oct. 4-11: Book Fair
Oct. 7-11: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Oct. 8: Danville Community Schools Town Hall Mtg. 6:00 pm @ South Elementary
Oct. 9: Picture Retakes
Oct. 14-18: Fall Break
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast is available daily. The regular price for breakfast is $1.50. Students will “check in” at their classrooms first, pick up breakfast from the cafeteria, and then take it back to the classroom to eat prior to the start of the day’s activities.
The cost of lunch for students is $2.75. Students are allowed to buy “extras.” Please discuss with your child if they are allowed to purchase these extra items or not. If any guests plan to join your child for lunch throughout the year, please notify the front office.
Lunch 1 (McDugle, Legan, Amor, Russell, Vrabel)- 11:00-1130
Lunch 2 (Anderson, Swartz, Wilson, VanSickle, Dodd)- 11:35-12:05
Lunch 3 (Foltz, Rodgers, Crosley, Doub, Rawley)- 12:10-12:40
Textbook Rental
Third Grade Book Rental- $183
Fourth Grade Book Rental- $190
Payment plans may be arranged with our office if needed. Contact us at southoffice@danville.k12.in.us
Destination Changes
PTO
Please check out the PTO newsletter for information on all the great things that are in the works!
Be sure to add the Danville Elementary PTO on Facebook for all PTO updates https://www.facebook.com/groups/ptodanville/.
Looking to get involved, please e-mail us at PTOdanville@yahoo.com.
From Our Community
DCHS Swim Camp
This camp is designed to provide instruction and drills to swimmers wanting to learn. This camp is intended for children comfortable in the water, but do not have to know their strokes. Please come ready to get in the pool and bring goggles and a towel.
Our School Day
Third grade lunch begins at 11:00 for McDugle, Legan, Amor, Russell, Vrabel
Third and Fourth grade lunch begins at 11:35 for Anderson, Swartz, Wilso, VanSickle, Dodd
Fourth grade lunch begins at 12:10 for Foltz, Rodgers, Crosley, Doub, Rawley
Dismissal each day is at 2:25 p.m.
Follow us on Facebook
We are ready for a successful year. Go Team South!!
Danville South Elementary
Email: southoffice@danville.k12.in.us
Website: www.danville.k12.in.us
Location: 1375 W Lincoln St, Danville, IN, United States
Phone: 317-745-2131
Facebook: facebook.com/dcscsouth
Twitter: @dcscsouth