How to Analyze the AEIS Report

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How to Analyze theAEIS Report

• Prepared by
• Dr. Teresa Cortez
• Spring 2008

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How do I read all that data?

• Being able to analyze data is critical to your
  success as a principal
• and passing the TExES
• There are some basic tools to use that will help
  you get the big picture of what the data are
  saying

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How do I read all that data?

• The TExES is built around knowledge and skills
  that an entry-level principal should have.
• You do not need to know how to disaggregate the
  data to pass the TExES

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Difference between standardized and objective
exams

• Standardized exams (norm referenced)
• Compares student scores with the group of
  students who are also testing at the same time.
• Objective exams
• Determines if a student knows a particular
  objective

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How to read and interpret standardized tests

• Is the TAKS test is a standardized,
  norm-referenced, or objective exam?
• The TAKS test is an objective exam

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How to approach questions on the TExES that
pertain to the AEIS report

• Read the prompt for the decision set
• It will lay the groundwork for what the decision
  set is all about.
• Underline key words
• Look at the charts, tables, or graphs provided
• Think big picture

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Look at the chart, table, or graph

• For what grade or grade level are these data?
• Identify them
• To what subject do the data refer?
• Identify them as well
• If there is a chart, look across the top and down
  the left side to see what your headings are

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• Read the concepts on which the students have been
  tested
• They will likely be grouped in broad categories
• This will provide you the basic structure of what
  was tested
• This helps constitute the big or global picture
  that you want to have before you start reading
  the questions within the decision set

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• Do not try to read any more into the data than
  what is reported
• If they ask you to pinpoint a large or the
  largest need in the school or grade, look for the
  lowest scores or scores on a downward trend.
• Low scores indicate the need for improvement

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Interpreting test scores
Low scores
Areas of concern/ weaknesses
Strengths
High scores
Moving scores
Potential trends
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• Even the best schools have a lowest area in
  something
• If you are at the top of one level, you are at
  the bottom of the next level of achievement

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• Until every school has 100 mastery of every
  concept on every test for every student group,
  there is always room to improve.
• You must continuously ask, How can we do this
  better?

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• If a question asks you where a schools greatest
  strengths are, look for the bigger numbers or the
  areas showing the greatest upward trends.

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• If the numbers are consistently coming up, even
  slowly, it is a positive thing and should be
  noticed.
• You will not be asked any detailed or advanced
  statistical analysis questions.
• This is not the primary role of the principal

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• You will need to prove that you know how to
  determine whether students in your school are
  learning and what their strengths and weaknesses
  are.
• If students from all subgroups are not learning,
  why arent they?

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• What can be done to improve the culture, climate,
  instruction, and curriculum of the school such
  that all students can and do learn?

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The purpose of any student testing

• To determine student growth
• To determine student and campus strengths,
  weaknesses, and trends
• To use this data as a sound basis for determining
  campus, grade, or subject goals for student
  growth and improvement

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• If everyone is not learning, it does not matter
  what your scores are.
• Ideal principals never, never, never give up
  until every child is mastering every concept.

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The AEIS Report

• Every school and district is rated with an
  accountability system based largely on data
  detailed in the AEIS report.
• Two important areas are student passing rates on
  the TAKS test and student attendance.

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The Big Picture

• There are three specific areas to consider
• The cover or title page
• It will tell you the academic year of testing, as
  well as the name, campus number, and state rating
  of the school

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The Big Picture

• There are three specific areas to consider
• Section I
• Testing data
• Attendance
• Section II
• Everything else
• Demographics, student data, faculty data, program
  information and budget information

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Section I

• Testing information
• TAKS begins in 3rd grade and continues through
  11th grade
• Subjects tested include reading/ELA, writing,
  mathematics, science, and social studies
• Some tests are given only at certain grade levels
• Indicators are listed at the top of the chart

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Section I

• Testing information
• Indicators are listed at the top of the chart
  from right to left
• Think of it as from big to little in looking at
  the groupings
• The biggest group is the State
• The next column will be District
• The next column is Campus Group
• Then the Campus column follows

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Campus Group

• The Campus Group is very important
• Each year, detailed demographic data about every
  student in every school as well as data about the
  school and district are entered into the PEIMS
  system
• The campus group includes the campuses in the
  state that are the most similar to yours
  according to all the factors indicated.
• Ethnicity, Socioeconomic status, Mobility

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Campus Column

• The first column you look at
• Focus on this column first
• Highlight it so you can focus on it

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Student Groups

• Remember think big to little
• After the campus column, there are different
  columns for each ethnicity and special program
• African American, Hispanic, White, Native
  American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Male, Female,
  Economically Disadvantaged, and Special Education

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Student Groups

• The goal is for every subgroup to do well
• Look for any large differences in passing rates
  of students on any section of any test
• Create plans and strategies to resolve any
  discrepancies

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Analyzing the Data

• In the ideal school, instruction is
  individualized and curriculum is developmentally
  appropriate such that there will be no
  significant deviations between subgroups

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Analyzing the Data

• In reality, there are deviations, intense study
  and planning is undertaken from many stakeholders
  to resolve the situation so that all students
  learn and perform well.

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Section I (cont.)

• On the left side of each page in Section I will
  be rows labeled with the subjects tested such as
  Reading, math, Writing, or All Tests
• Appropriate scores will be noted on two lines,
  one for the current year and one for the previous
  year.
• You want your scores to go up annually
• If they go down or remain stagnant, you and your
  school community must analyze why and plan for
  improvement

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All TestsWhat does it mean?

• Determines the percentage of students who passed
  every test they took
• It is necessary because if you just looked at the
  individual subjects and compared results,
  sometimes you could get a less-than-complete
  picture.
• Goal is to have 100 of all students pass All
  Tests taken

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All Tests - Example

• 3rd Grade Class
• 50 pass Reading
• 50 pass Math
• Are 50 of the students doing well?
• 50 of the students cannot read or do math
• This could be a wrong conclusion

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All Tests - Example

• 3rd Grade Class
• All Tests row allows us to see an overall
  picture of exactly what percentage of the grade
  or school is passing everything taken.
• The goal is to have 100 of the students passing
  all tests.

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TAKS Passing Sum of 3-8 10

• This is the next portion of Section I
• It is a summary of all the scores in the school
  or district
• This is a quick reference guide to the overall
  performance of how the entire school or district
  did on the specified subject and All tests.
• If you are asked any questions about overall
  campus performance, this is where you would look
  first.

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TAKS Exempted Sum of 3-8 10

• Exempting students from the test is discouraged
• It could appear that you are hiding students from
  your accountability rating making your scores
  higher
• The goal is for everyone to test and score well

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TAKS Exempted Sum of 3-8 10

• This section shows the percentage of students,
  per subgroup, that you have exempted for either
  special education or limited English proficiency
  purposes.
• You want your numbers to be lower than those in
  the State, District, or Campus Group columns
• You do not want high percentages within any of
  your subgroups

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Attendance

• If students are not coming to school, how can
  they learn?
• Note that this number is always one year behind
• This is because the academic year is not over
  yet therefore it is impossible to determine the
  total percent of attendance

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Attendance

• You want your attendance percentages to be higher
  than those in the State, District, or Campus
  Group columns
• If a certain subgroup has low attendance, it is
  critically important to ascertain why these
  students are not coming to school

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Section II

• Includes everything that is not in Section I

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Student Information

• No more student groups
• The basic layout will be
• Campus (including Count and Percent columns)
• Campus Group
• District
• State

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Student Information

• You will be given basic enrollment information
  (not testing)
• How many students are enrolled in each grade
• What is the percentage of enrollment in each grade

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Student Information

• This data will be further disaggregated into
• Ethnic Distribution
• Mobility
• Economically Disadvantaged
• Limited English Proficient
• Number of Students per Teacher
• Retention Rates by Grade

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Student Information

• In the Number of Students per Teacher
• You would like to see a small ratio of students
  to teacher
• In the Retention Rates by Grade (for both regular
  and special education students)
• you would like to see a small percentage of
  retention
• you do not want to see high passing rates due to
  flunking everybody

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Staff Information

• The basic layout will be
• Campus (including Count and Percent columns)
• Campus Group
• District
• State

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Staff Information

• This is where you would look to determine the
  numbers and percentages of
• staff who are professional (teachers,
  professional support, and campus administration),
  
• educational aides,
• total staff,
• total minority staff,
• teachers by ethnicity,
• teachers by gender,
• teachers by years of experience,
• average years of experience of teachers,
• average years of experience of teachers with
  district,
• average teacher salary by years of experience,
• and average actual salaries for teachers,
  professional support, and campus administration

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Staff Information

• You could be asked questions regarding
• Average salaries for anyone
• Planning for future personnel needs
• Look to see the average years experience of your
  staff to begin thinking about future retirements
  and their potential effect on
• Staffing
• Budget
• Instruction
• How well is your campus doing in comparison with
  the other groups on recruiting and retaining
  minority staff?

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Budgeted Operating Expenditure Information

• This is where you find everything about the
  budget in summarized form
• The format will again compare
• Campus (Count and Percent)
• Campus Group
• District
• State

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Budgeted Operating Expenditure Information

• A general rule of thumb is that the
  superintendents, school boards, and especially
  taxpayers like your test scores to be higher than
  anyone elses
• But for you to be doing it with less money.
• You would want your numbers in this section to
  be less than the comparison group.

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Budgeted Operating Expenditure Information

• Boards and taxpayers like to see money targeted
  directly toward students and instruction and as
  little as possible toward administration.
• You will find actual amount and percentage of the
  budget for the Total Campus Budget by Function
  and Per Pupil
• Think Scores Up, Costs Down

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Program Information

• This is where you will find how many students are
  in each category of campus program as well as the
  amount of money spent on them.
• The format includes
• Campus (Count and Percent)
• Campus Group
• District
• State

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Program Information

• The rows provide the categories
• Student Enrollment by program
• Special Education
• Career and Technology
• Bilingual/ESL
• Gifted and Talented
• Teachers by program
• Regular
• Special Education
• Compensatory
• Career and Technology
• Bilingual/ESL
• Gifted and Talented

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Program Information

• Budgeted Instructional Operating Expenditures by
  Program
• For the same categories

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