DPI Memos

5/24/12 - 11-12 NDSA Student Growth Projection & Studeng Growth Roster Reports

May 24, 2012

TO:         Superintendents, Principals, Counselors, & School District Testing Coordinators

FROM:   Robert Bauer, Assistant Director of Standards and Achievement

               North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

RE:         2011-12 NDSA Student Growth Projection and Student Growth Roster Reports

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Last year all districts received the first-time publication of two new student achievement reports that are compiled from longitudinal North Dakota State Assessment (NDSA) achievement data in reading and mathematics:

• the student growth projection report, and
• the student growth roster reports.

These two reports track individual student progress on the NDSA in terms of the state’s academic achievement standards and provide educators with a means to map future achievement goals. These reports reference current and historical NDSA scale scores, achievement level rankings, and growth percentile calculations for all students who have participated in the NDSA.

CTB/McGraw-Hill (CTB) recently completed a state-dedicated validation study of the state’s student growth reports. This validation study focused extensively on analyzing and structuring the state’s combined growth methodologies, including student projection estimates and growth percentile determinations. This study reaffirmed the state’s growth calculations and reporting rules and established protocols for expedited future growth report generation, both electronic- and paper-based. This study delayed the production and distribution of this year’s growth reports; however, the protocols developed through this study have further grounded the state’s growth metrics and ensured efficiencies for a more streamlined reporting schedule in the future.

 In the next week CTB will be shipping the growth reports for reading and mathematics to each district.  Enclosed within the shipment will be your school district’s 2011-12 NDSA student growth projection reports and student roster reports. Please check to verify that you have received all packages or boxes included in the shipment.  If you do not receive the complete shipment or there are errors related to shipping, please contact the CTB North Dakota Help Desk at 800-282-9988.

 Please review the contents of each box or package to verify that all reports for your school district are included. This shipment contains the following reports for each of your individual school sites. Note that this shipment contains no dedicated district reports.

 At the school building level, you should receive the following:

•  Individual student growth projection reports in reading for all students who participated in the Fall 2011 NDSA reading assessment;
• Individual student growth projection reports in mathematics for all students who participated in the Fall 2011 NDSA mathematics assessment;
• Summary grade-level student growth roster reports in reading that list individual student growth projection information;
• Summary grade-level student growth roster reports in mathematics that list individual student growth projection information.

 I encourage you to review the following guidance documents and instructional aids regarding the state’s current student growth projection reports and student growth roster reports:

•  A Guide to the Student Growth Projection Report: http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/growth/report.pdf.
• A Guide to the Student Growth Roster Report: http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/growth/roster.pdf.
• Student Growth Training Modules: http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/growth_projection_reports.shtm.

New this year is the equivalent set of growth projection and growth roster reports for language arts.  The language arts growth reports, however, will not be available with this shipment and will be shipped separately at a later date.

 Accessing Growth Reports & Data files Online

All student growth reports will also be available online to schools and districts via the State Automated Reporting System (STARS).  Follow this process for access to growth reports in STARS:

1. Follow the standard security login process
2. Click on Fill Out Reports under Reports in the left navigation screen,
3. Click on plus sign before the Other folder
4. 4.    Click on Assessment
5. Click on Next button
6. 6.    Choose the appropriate Educational Unit
7. Click on Next button
8. Select School Year (2011-2012 is the default)
9. Click on Next button
10. Click on View Report button
11. Click on Generate PDF button in left navigation screen
12. Select either the Student Growth Projection or Student Growth Roster reports
13. The reports will open as pdf documents which can be viewed, printed and saved.
14. To review another school, click on the Quick Change button at the top of the screen and select a new school.

The data file used to generate the growth reports is also available for export from STARS.  To download the growth data file, follow steps 1 through 10 above; then enter the following:

1. Click on Export in left navigation screen under Tools.
2. Under Available Exports choose Growth Results
3. Click on Export button in left navigation screen under Functions
4. An Excel data file will be created.

 The growth reports add another dimension to student performance and help target assistance to those students in need.

 If you have any questions concerning these student growth projection and student growth roster reports, please contact me at 701-328-2224 or rgbauer@nd.gov.

 Thank you.