MR: We are going to give the high-level data, and then ask the committee for feedback on what the full board needs to see. We are looking for feedback. 

MS: My question will be - What does the board want? We come from an academic background, but the board does not. I'm looking forward to trying this out.

MR: We are going to talk through the data, and then the conclusions. We like to look at the ideal state, then the current state, and then what we will do to get the current state to the ideal state. 

MW: Giving more information to the board is the right call. Our job is not to tell the school how to do their job, but instead to ensure the school is being reflective in its practice and is driven by data. We can hold the school accountable. 

A way in which Adelante makes themselves different is how we serve special populations and students with special needs. It makes Adelante stand out. That would be important data to share with the whole Board

MR: Two big buckets of what makes academics different this year. The first is formal science and social studies instruction in K-5. The second is ELA and Math intervention for all students K-8.  

MR: Currently, in the math zeitgeist, there is a lot of discussion around conceptual understanding. But there is considerable research supporting fluency as the key to conceptual understanding. 

When we look at our data, we are looking for gaps - both in what was learned "this week" and in long-term previous skills. 

Our weekly schedule has shifted. On Fridays, students take an assessment on what was learned during the week. And then on Mondays, a special lesson is planned as a response to that assessment. These blocks of time alternate in K-5. In Middle School, these blocks appear in the afternoon along with Integrated Arts classes. Those Intervention blocks are cross-grade level and preference-based on the students' strongest needs. 

MW: When you are building these intervention schedules and blocks, is this teacher-led or admin-led? 

MR: It is mostly leadership-led in middle school. In K-5, teachers are looking at data and planning those blocks. Leadership put together the structure and the vision. Teachers are planning what is happening in those intervention blocks. Teachers are empowered to be responsive to their classes. 

MW: This focus on conceptual understanding - Is that Common Core? 

MR: It is! And what we are learning is that deep conceptual understanding only comes from fluency. They need BOTH. 

MS: Can we have a cheat sheet of acronyms and abbreviations? 

CF: Ideal state for ELA: Reading fluency at grade level - This is the building block for comprehension. We know that as those skills of fluency and work recognition come together, so does comprehension.  DIBLES is the assessment used to measure fluency. It looks at where they are on those grade-level skills. So, this BOY data won't show growth. But by December, we will have MOY data. 

This is a major shift in teacher training - We must explicitly teach children how to decode words. This has to be explicit instruction. Learning to read is complex, and it takes many different skills that must come together.  

BOY DIBELS data - 26% of K-5 students overall are on or above grade level. This measures phonemeic awareness and nonsense word fluency and accuracy. There is a very brief comprehension segment, but is not the focus. For 6-8, 30% of students are at or above grade level. Words per minute is the highest weighted sub-test. We see that reading words per minute accuracy is what stands in their way of fluency.

We notice that their relative strength is their accuracy. They are just not reading with automaticity. So that is where we are going to focus this year. We see the same dip in our older grades as well. 

MS: Why do you think that is? 

CF: We are really good at teaching FUNdations. They can recognize words. But those curricula never really measure if they can read those words in meaningful phrases. And all of that plays into comprehension and phrasing. Now we need to get get at teaching expression. Growth takes time

MW: For the board, it is important to note what we do well and what the area of growth is. It helps us all understand how truly difficult this work is. It also shows that Adelante is doing something different. I appreciate that you are not trying the same things over and over - you are being responsive. 

MS: It really helps to hear about the connection between all the strands of reading fluency. 

MR: mClass is our benchmark assessment. We can see how strong our data is for 4th grade and up because of the structures in place from last year. That's why K-2 will be doing the same processes this year to bring their results up. 

Some of this BOY data has to come from a different assessment because mClass did not offer the same products for all grade levels. We used a norming assessment instead. 

We need to close prior grade level gaps. It can be overwhelming! Teachers need direction and support on what that intervention should look like. So I have pre-selected what the intervention domains should be based on the current content in class. If kids are learning in intervention what is integral to what is happening in class, it is going to close those gaps. 

6-8 mClass data is not released yet. 

What do you think it would be helpful for the whole board to see? Do they need to see the domains for intervention? 

MW: I would make it more granular, then ask if they need that. 

MS: Will those other domains be addressed? 

MR: Yes - We are adjusting it to the checkpoint assessments. So as the in-class and assessment standards shift, the intervention domains will shift. 

"What we elevate gets replicated. What we don't monitor doesn't get done."

This is how we can help our teachers learn. Intervention is how we are, structurally addressing these gaps. 

MW: I think it's great that teachers have the ability to have ownership and accountability for the intervention that is happening in their classroom.