V.D. VOLUNTARY INTERDISTRICT CHOICE CORPORATION REPORTS 2013 MAP TEST INDEX ANALYSIS – VICC STUDENTS ONLY FEBRUARY 21, 2014 Executive Summary Once again, I am very pleased to report that after requesting this information for several years we recently received MAP testing data limited to VICC students. As you probably recall, in the past the reporting of this data was limited to information publicly available on the DESE website. Because this data was only disaggregated by race, separate results for transfer students were not available until last year. In general, when comparing the separate results for VICC students in County districts with the related scores for all African-American students in the related County districts, the results for VICC students alone are slightly lower. Communication Arts, Mathematics, and Science results are currently available. SLPS data represents overall averages since test results for magnet versus non-magnet schools are not disaggregated. Districts that did not report data or whose number of minority students were below the subgroup reporting size requirement of 30 are not shown. Based on the districts for which data was reported, VICC computed a weighted average MAP index score for all county districts combined. Results of this analysis and possible conclusions are presented herein. As a general overall observation, VST students appear to generally outscore black students remaining in the city in most grade levels and content areas tested. For the past few years, VICC has been analyzing MAP test scores based on information that is publicly available on the DESE website in an effort to get a sense of how transfer students in county schools are performing on state tests as compared to African American students who remain at SLPS. Because DESE previously only disaggregated test results based on race and school/district of attendance, results for transfer students as a separate group were not available until last year. Instead, they were comingled with county resident black students’ scores in each school/district. With this new data, the number of students in a potentially reportable subgroup even more frequently falls below the minimum reporting threshold of 30 students, especially in districts with lower enrollments. As a result, there is no separate (disaggregated) data available on the website for some districts such as Affton, Bayless, Brentwood, Hancock Place, Valley Park, and Webster Groves. (Lindbergh and Pattonville were also excluded from VICC’s analysis since they no longer have any elementary or middle school level transfer students.) For purposes of VICC’s 2013 analysis, the overall MAP Index scores for each content area and grade level tested are used. This is a change that was made a few years ago compared to previous analyses but was necessary since DESE revised the way in which it reports MAP test C:\Users\lgray\Documents\0BoardMeetings\1314\Meeting022114\Rpts_VIf_2013MAPTestAnal022114.doc results beginning in 2006 (changed to a four performance level system compared to the previous five levels) and increased the frequency of testing (proficiency is now tested at more grade levels than in the past). The MAP Index score represents a calculated composite based on the proportion of students at each of the four performance levels based on the following DESE formula: MAP Index = % at Level 1 (Below Basic) * 600 + % at Level 2 (Basic) * 700 + % at Level 3 (Proficient) * 800 + % at Level 4 (Advanced) * 900 Consequently, all students tested are represented in the MAP index. In reviewing the results of VICC’s analysis, please take note of the following limitations: 1) SLPS test scores include both magnet and non-magnet black students; 2) No attempt is being made to assess any black-white achievement gap or do any other analysis across racial lines. Instead the focus is on the single issue of whether or not participating in the transfer program appears to make a difference in student achievement; 3) This is a very general analysis and many variables (such as student turnover, length of time in transfer program/current district, socioeconomic status, education level of parents, etc.) may influence the results. However, because of funding and data availability limitations, no attempt was made to control for such variables. Instead, the MAP index scores were simply taken in total as they were available and used without adjustment or statistical validation. Because of these limitations, caution should be exercised in attempting to read too much into the results. That being said, in spite of these limitations, a few observations can be made based on VICC’s analysis: 1) Average MAP test scores for transfer students are higher than for black students remaining in SLPS. This difference is relatively consistent in grades 3-8 and slightly smaller at the high school grades (especially in science). The high school gap closure may be related to higher drop out rates in the city. 2) MAP test scores of transfer students in each individual district are generally higher than for black students remaining in SLPS in almost all grade levels and most content areas tested. In prior reports for years 2008 and most subsequent years, transfer student MAP scores at the third grade initial testing level are markedly higher than SLPS in both Math and Communication Arts. This could be related to variances in grade level enrollment trends. C:\Users\lgray\Documents\0BoardMeetings\1314\Meeting022114\Rpts_VIf_2013MAPTestAnal022114.doc While selection preference may play a role; however, it may be due to county districts’ increasing tendency to enroll new students at even earlier grade levels than in the past. Recent enrollment numbers show about three out of four spaces for new VST enrollments have been at the K-1 grade levels. This compares to fewer than half of new spaces being at the K-1 level in earlier years. In other words, transfer students are increasingly entering the VST program at earlier grade levels so that a MAP gap is arguably already beginning to form by the initial third grade testing level. Likewise, the apparent narrowing of the gap at the later high school grade levels could be attributable to SLPS’s higher drop-out rate as the relatively low scores of dropouts would therefore be excluded from SLPS MAP test scores. Conclusion This relatively newly available MAP test score data disaggregated by transfer students at least suggests significant academic benefits (as measured by state standardized tests) resulting from being in the transfer program. These benefits are in addition to past studies which have shown both a higher graduation rate and a higher attendance rate for transfer students as well. Attachments Recommended motion . . . . . report only; no action needed. C:\Users\lgray\Documents\0BoardMeetings\1314\Meeting022114\Rpts_VIf_2013MAPTestAnal022114.doc Communication Arts - Grade 3 350 340 330 320 Mehlville 318.2 Parkway 322.1 County Average 327.9 Rockwood 317.7 310 300 290 280 270 260 250 240 St. Louis 266.3 Communication Arts - Grade 4 350.0 340.0 330.0 Parkway 320.6 320.0 Rockwood 303.9 310.0 300.0 County Average 310.9 Mehlville 295.6 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 St. Louis 272.5 Communication Arts - Grade 5 350.0 340.0 330.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 Parkway 289.7 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 County Average 308.6 Rockwood 307.9 Mehlville 276.5 St. Louis 279.9 Communication Arts - Grade 6 340.0 320.0 Clayton 303.0 County Average 301.1 Rockwood 298.0 300.0 Parkway 288.1 280.0 260.0 240.0 St. Louis 273.4 Communication Arts - Grade 7 350.0 340.0 Clayton 334.2 330.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 Parkway 303.1 County Average 308.4 Rockwood 298.1 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 St. Louis 271.2 Communication Arts - Grade 8 370.0 360.0 350.0 Clayton 355.6 Mehlville 347.1 340.0 County Average 323.1 330.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 Parkway 310.0 Rockwood 312.8 St. Louis 289.1 Communication Arts - Grade E2 370.0 360.0 350.0 Parkway 352.0 Clayton 351.4 Mehlville 342.4 County Average 350.2 Rockwood 346.4 340.0 330.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 St. Louis 318.9 Mathematics - Grade 3 340 330 320 310 Parkway 311.7 Mehlville 303.0 County Average 317.9 Rockwood 310.1 300 290 280 270 260 250 240 230 St. Louis 269.6 Mathematics - Grade 4 340.0 330.0 320.0 310.0 Parkway 300.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 230.0 County Average 306.6 Rockwood 301.6 Mehlville 280.0 St. Louis 266.4 Mathematics - Grade 5 340.0 330.0 Parkway 313.2 320.0 Rockwood 318.7 County Average 315.6 310.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 230.0 Mehlville 267.7 St. Louis 273.6 Mathematics - Grade 6 330.0 310.0 Rockwood 297.4 Clayton 293.9 290.0 270.0 250.0 230.0 County Average 302.6 Parkway 279.1 St. Louis 267.8 Mathematics - Grade 7 360.0 350.0 Clayton 342.1 340.0 330.0 320.0 310.0 County Average 293.7 300.0 290.0 Parkway 282.7 Rockwood 283.3 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 230.0 220.0 St. Louis 253.9 Mathematics - Grade 8 340.0 Clayton 325.0 320.0 300.0 Mehlville 291.2 280.0 County Average 262.4 260.0 Parkway 246.8 Rockwood 242.9 240.0 220.0 200.0 St. Louis 220.2 Mathematics - Grade A1 350.0 340.0 330.0 Clayton 325.6 Kirkwood 329.0 Parkway 318.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 270.0 260.0 250.0 240.0 County Average 320.5 Rockwood 313.9 Mehlville 300.0 St. Louis 280.8 Science - Grade 5 350.0 330.0 Rockwood 309.4 310.0 County Average 290.5 290.0 270.0 Mehlville 255.9 Parkway 257.4 250.0 230.0 210.0 190.0 St. Louis 228.8 Science - Grade B1 390.0 380.0 370.0 360.0 350.0 340.0 Clayton 366.7 Mehlville 365.0 Hancock Place 350.0 County Average 345.1 Parkway 335.7 Rockwood 334.0 330.0 320.0 310.0 300.0 290.0 280.0 270.0 St. Louis 314.3 Communication Arts Comparison 2013 380 360 340 320 St. Louis County Average 300 280 260 240 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade E2 Mathematics Comparison 2013 360 340 320 300 St. Louis 280 County Average 260 240 220 200 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade A1 Science Comparison 2013 360 340 320 300 280 St. Louis 260 County Average 240 220 200 180 160 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade B1 Snapshot Difference in Index Between St. Louis and the County Average 100 80 60 Point Differential 40 20 Communication - 2013 0 Grade 3 -20 -40 -60 -80 -100 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade A1/E2/B1 Math -2013 Science - 2013