Assessment Of and For Learning 1.

York High School does not yet have a completed formal process based on the school-wide rubrics to assess whole school and individual student progress in achieving the Schools 21st century learning expectations. The York High School faculty developed, documented and approved the school's 21st century learning expectations in the spring of 2011 and mapped out a strategy for development and implementation of school-wide rubrics. As part of this strategy, a faculty committee created school-wide rubrics in the summer of 2011. As of September of 2011, teachers in most curriculum areas began to pilot these rubrics and some teachers are formally integrating them into their assessment practices. In the spring of 2012 the School will vote on full adoption of these rubrics. With implementation complete, the School will develop and adopt a formal process to assess both whole school and individual student achievement of the schools 21st century learning expectations.

2. York High School does not currently report: (1) individual student progress in achieving the Schools 21st century learning expectations to students and their families and (2) the Schools progress in achieving the Schools 21st century learning expectations to the school community. Currently the school communicates course specific learning expectations to students, parents and the community via course syllabi. Student progress is reported via PowerSchool, report cards and parent teacher conferences. Current course syllabi were written prior to the development of the Schools 21st century learning expectations. As a next step these expectations need to be embedded into course syllabi. After full adoption of the school-wide rubrics, the York High School faculty will develop a formal process to report individual student and the schools progress in meeting the schools 21st century learning expectations.

3. The professional staff collects and disaggregates some specific data and analyzes this information to identify and respond to inequities in student achievement. At this time most data analysis is used for student placement. Although data is available to all teachers, minimal training, formal collaboration and analysis exists due to lack of designated time. Each fall and spring eighth and ninth graders take the NWEA test in mathematics, reading, and language usage. Eighth graders also take a mathematics placement test at the very end of the school year. All 10th and 11th graders take the PSAT (Writing, Critical Reading and Math) each fall. Eleventh graders take the Maine High School Assessment in Critical reading, Writing, Math and Science as well as the Accuplacer (Reading, Comprehension and Sentence Skills, Arithmetic and Basic Algebra) each spring. The results of the MHSA are disaggregated into gender, race, ethnicity, disability, family income, and English language learners categories. Selected staff members have been trained and have access to all data through Pearson Inform. The principal and data team share general information with the faculty and more specific information with the mathematics/science cluster leader to identify specific areas for improvement. Data is also shared with the YHS special educators in an effort to pinpoint individual IEP goals. In addition, the mathematics and English RtI (Response to Intervention) teams are just beginning to use this data to identify the students who are not meeting performance goals. Along with the district RtI Coordinator, the formation of the YHS Core RtI Team in the fall of 2011, is expected to formalize the process for using this data more effectively. Meanwhile, faculty in several areas have made positive changes in their curriculum in an effort to boost student achievement. For example, the science teachers are stressing more data and graphic analysis in their courses; an English 11 Support Class is available to supplement regular instruction for lower achieving juniors; and the Introduction to Algebra class has a 40-minute companion lab on alternate days using ALEKS, a research based math intervention. York High School also offers math and writing labs to all students who would benefit

from additional help. Finally, appropriate accommodations for special education students are written into their IEPs and are utilized on standardized tests such as the PSAT, the SAT, and the AP tests.

4. Prior to each unit of study, some teachers communicate to students the Schools applicable 21st century learning expectations and most teachers communicate related unit-specific learning goals to be assessed. According to a school wide survey completed in November 2011, 23.8% of teachers report that they have already begun to regularly communicate the Schools 21st century learning expectations prior to any form of assessment. This data shows that the 21st century learning expectations are in the early phases of becoming part of the school's culture. For example, English and Social Studies teachers have been utilizing the schoolss writing rubric for assessment of student work. Science teachers report a collaborated effort to produce a common lab rubric that will inform students of the 21st century learning expectations to be assessed. Some math teachers provide a homework rubric at the beginning of the course to communicate to students expectations surrounding homework completion. The faculty utilizes a variety of methods to communicate specific learning expectations and unit specific learning goals upon which they intend to assess.Teachers report that they provide both printed and spoken guidelines or copies of rubrics for specific units or projects to communicate to students unit-specific learning goals. A survey completed November 2011, reports that 90% of teachers currently provide students with unit-specific learning goals prior to some or most units. According to the Endicott survey completed in the Fall of 2010, 68.7% of students agree that teachers explain the learning expectations prior to each unit. Nearly all teachers report providing the corresponding rubrics prior to project based assessments and many have begun integrating portions of the schools learning expectations rubrics as well.

5. Prior to summative assessments, the majority of teachers provide students with corresponding rubrics. Some teachers report using the school's 21st century learning expectation rubrics, and many also utilize individual assignment specific rubrics that assess individual course learning goals. According to a school wide survey completed spring 2011, nearly all teachers report that they provide rubrics prior to summative assessments. For example, more than 85% of teachers report providing students with a rubric prior to projects and written assignments. The regular use of rubrics is infused within the culture of the school. In a Nov 2011 survey more than 50% of teachers report using more rubrics as a result of the self study process. In Honors Finite Math, students produce a school wide survey, analyze their data and make a presentation to the class as well as other pertinent school groups. Prior to the project, students are provided with a rubric, a clear and concise list of project requirements, a planning guide and a check in sheet which gives them a clear understanding for the project and how they will be assessed. Science teachers report providing rubrics prior to various summative assessments including labs, projects and/ or specific homework assignments. In Honors Biology, students collaborate on a human body powerpoint project rubric. They create the rubric using the schools 21st learning expectations along with other guidelines and use it to assess each other. Social Studies teachers also provide rubrics for the Stock Market Simulation project and English teachers regularly provide students with rubrics based on the school-wide 21st Century learning expectations prior to summative assessments. The rubrics are used to assess writing, oral presentations, and listening skills.

6. In each unit of study, all teachers employ a range of assessment strategies, including formative and summative assessments. A strength of the faculty is the large variety of both formative and summative assessments used across disciplines on a daily basis. According to survey results, 90% of

faculty report using a assortment of formative assessments including but not limited to daily checkins, clickers, pre-quizzes, whole class question/answer, entrance/exit tickets, think-pair-share, graphic organizers, and summary reflection writing. All teachers report using summative assessments, such as tests, quizzes, projects, written assignments/papers, and homework to calculate grades. In some science classes, teachers utilize formative pre-assessment strategies to gauge student prior knowledge. Bell-works (ungraded questions pertaining to the previous class's lesson or lab) are utilized to drive changes in instruction and reteaching opportunities. In addition a physical science teacher develops labs for a more hands on formative assessment to solidify student understanding. Math teachers report using the TI Navigator system to check in with students using their graphing calculators. English teachers employ a variety of summative assessments including tests, quizzes, and culminating projects. In addition, English teachers regularly use such formative assessments as thumbs up/down, whole class and individual student question/answer, graphic organizers, reflection writing, journals, visual checks, and teacher/student conferences. World Language teachers use Conjuguemos.com regularly as formative assessment. One world language teacher uses pre-quizzes to sort students by needs and creates stations or differentiated assignments based on individual students' needs. A Spanish teacher uses Wordplay as assessment for vocabulary in Spanish. With the purchase of the new DLL computer software, students practice conversations with other students, and the teacher monitors and can speak directly to the student(s) to give immediate feedback on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. which the student can then put into practice. The teacher also gleans information to change or improve instruction. The teacher can also listen to these conversations later since they are recorded.

7. Some teachers collaborate regularly in formal ways on the creation, analysis, and revision of formative and summative assessments, including common assessments. According to a school wide survey 65.6% of teachers say they meet for at least some time during the week to collaborate with other teachers. Currently we do not have a formal structure for creating, analyzing and revising of assessments; however, collaboration is encouraged in the master schedule of York High School. Most disciplines have common prep time every other school day for 80 minutes that is utilized for curriculum area meetings, RtI development, content specific collaboration and many other school wide initiatives. For example, English teachers spent at least 80 minutes twice a month creating, analyzing, and revising common writing assignments for RtI during the 2010-11 school year. Senior English teachers collaborate on multiple levels to facilitate the creation of common assignments, such as the college essay. Some science teachers use common prep time to align curriculum for classes with more than two instructors. For example, Physical Science and Biology teachers meet two-three times per week as check ins to ensure continuity in the curriculum and share planning ideas. Performing Arts dedicates time to reviewing and revising already established assessments including Smartmusic assignments and performance related rubrics. Algebra and Geometry teachers meet regularly although not always formally, to create, analyze and revise summative assessments. Although collaboration takes place during the math common prep time when possible, many times these meetings take place before school, after school, during lunch and even briefly between blocks. With multiple teachers teaching the same level, this ensures that common student expectations are assessed even when different teaching styles exist. In the past, the district provided 6 early release/delayed start days for teacher collaboration when no students were in the building. Over time, these release days were removed and instead combined into full professional days for other purposes. Teachers report that common prep time within their specific

curriculum area is beneficial for curriculum area work; however, any interdisciplinary collaboration or analysis of school-wide data has only happened because of individual teacher initiative. Since no formal collaboration time is available, special education teachers involvement in common assessments, tier 1 RtI interventions or differentiated instruction is rare. Collaboration is a school goal, but sometimes comes at the expense of time devoted to individual student learning and other teacher responsibilities.

8.Teachers provide specific, timely, and corrective feedback to ensure students revise and improve their work. According to spring 2011 survey results, 94% of teachers state they provide ways for students to revise or improve their work. In classes where written assignments are used as summative assessments, 85% of teachers use writing drafts to give students opportunities to better their work. Additionally 59% of teachers state they require or allow test retakes. Teachers are required to update Powerschool every two weeks and for the most part this occurs. Parents are reminded to check Powerschool regularly and especially at the mid-quarter to check student progress. The Endicott survey in the fall of 2010 stated that 67% of students (with an additional 21% undecided) feel their teachers assess/correct their work in a timely manner. In terms of grading 62.5% (with an additional 21.3% undecided) of students feel their teachers are fair and consistent and additionally, 70% of students (with an additional 21.5% undecided) state that their teachers offer suggestions to help them improve their work. For example, English teachers often meet with students to have one-on-one conferences regarding written work. Often teachers will also require students to access the Schools Writing Center for revision of written assignments. Many teachers regularly employ Turnitin.com, a web-based antiplagiarism site that allows students to pre assess their own work on many expectations. English teachers also use web based programs like vocabulary websites that provide students with instant

feedback. Some teachers require or at least allow students who fall below a certain expectation to retest after meeting with the teacher or doing some sort of additional learning. For instance in Honors Biology C stands for conference meaning if a student's grade falls below a C, an individual intervention is planned between the teacher and student with parent involvement. In Foundations of Music students are required to meet 100% mastery in piano performance. Teacher instruction and guidance is given throughout the learning proccess. A math teacher requires all students to earn an 80 or better on all tests. If a student fails to reach 80% understanding on a summative assessment, the student is required to confer with the teacher and clarify misunderstandings until a retest can be successful. Art teachers provide ongoing daily feedback to students. By circulating around the room it is readily apparent through visual checks who is struggling to understand a concept or master a skill. Individual questioning and dialogue with a student, sometimes accompanied with a sketch or two, a demonstration, or a look at another artists work, can help to point students in a better direction. Students are encouraged to find their own individual solutions to the problems that are posed through the assignments. Students in Animation and Digital Imaging classes are given the opportunity to further refine and improve their projects after receiving a grade on them, taking into consideration comments on their evaluation sheets. Those who choose to do this are then re-graded. In some social studies classes specific retake guidelines are given with any graded final assessment.

9.Teachers regularly use formative assessment to inform and adapt their instruction for the purpose of improving student learning. At least 85% of the faculty report using multiple forms of formative assessment on a daily basis. Many teachers change plans while in motion depending on formative assessments such as fists of 5, clickers, checkins, etc. In Art, as in many other classrooms, teachers individualize and adapt instruction every day as they walk around the room while students are

working on projects. Teachers also provide a visual demo or quick sketch to help guide students toward their goals. PE teachers report using formative assessments over a number of years to gather data of fitness component levels, the results of which drive changes in instruction and individual student goal setting. In Treble Choir the teacher uses a 5 minute "write down" response to a question each month. Based on student responses, the teacher adapts instruction. Health class instruction is often scaffolded and formatively assessed at different levels. For example, in developing the Wellness Model, students start with a blank template and finish with an assignment that correlates a current event to this model. The instructor regularly pulls back and checks for student understanding. In Social Studies when students do not answer a Do Now correctly, the instructor reteaches the concept using new materials and new formats. In French pre-quizzes are given. Students are then sorted by needs and stations are created or different assignments are given. English teachers use formative assessments with writing on a regular basis. For example, students begin the literary analysis essay process by completing a graphic organizer which is examined before students begin rough drafts. The graphic organizer allows the teacher to see where gaps in understanding occur and where reteaching is necessary. Another example involves writing prompts. After writing their essays, students do peer assessment. They must not only score a partner's prompt, but make specific comments about what is done well and what needs work. The comments help students to address issues in their own writing, and allow teachers to see how well students understand writing concepts recently discussed. The Concert Band performs a warm-up piece at the beginning of each rehearsal which dictates which musical elements the teacher will focus on throughout the class. For example, if the band plays a chorale with a lot of articulations and the band does not play it as written, the teacher will stress articulation throughout the remainder of the rehearsal.

10 Teachers and administrators, individually and collaboratively, examine a range of evidence of student learning for the purpose of revising curriculum and improving instructional practice. Revising curriculum and improving instructional practices is ongoing and a district goal. On a schoolwide survey, 45.9% of teachers report taking three or more professional development courses that focus on instructional practices in the last five years. Nearly all teachers have completed the Skillful Teacher course. Teachers often use student work when revising curriculum and improving instructional practice. As previously stated, teachers regularly employ formative and summative assessments to make changes in curriculum and instructional strategies.Teachers in some curriculum areas use common course and common grade level assessments to revise curriculum and improve instructional practices and others are in beginning stages. Some algebra and geometry teachers use common unit tests and meet when possible to revise curriculum and instructional practices. In some disciplines one teacher teaches all sections of a particular course, thus making all assessments common assessments by design but leaving teachers like islands without a collaborative partner. Progress is being made on an individual and school wide basis in achieving the school's 21st century learning expectations though at this time this data is not being collected nor used to revise curriculum or improve instructional practice. Although the greatest use of data is for course placement standardized assessments are used in many areas for the purpose of revising curriculum and improving instructional practices. PSAT, SAT, and Accuplacer scores were use to drive the curriculum in College Prep Senior Math. Because of the continuing use of these scores by colleges for math placement, the math curriculum area in conjunction with the UMaine College Math Readiness Grant designed a course specifically to meet the needs of seniors who after completing Algebra II had not yet met college math readiness standards. English teachers using SAT scores recognized a deficit in student ability to read and understand non fiction texts. As a result more non fiction reading selections were added to the 9-12

English curriculum. Data from York Middle School (the main sending school) is used by math and English teachers to revise curriculum and improve instruction as well as to determine 9th grade course placement. NWEA scores from the fall and spring of 8th grade along with class grades and teacher recommendations have been used to completely change the curriculum of some freshmen math courses. This year the transition of PreAlgebra to Intro to Algebra was developed in order to provide a curriculum that would help to ready students, with certain learning gaps, for high school algebra. The course provides a full 80 minutes of direct instruction and an additional 40 minute lab where students participate in a research based intervention for basic math remediation. Students with severe reading and writing weaknesses are usually placed in General English for freshman and sophomore year. Special educators, in consultation with administrators and counselors, review the entire special education file including nationally-normed individually administered tests, nationally-normed group administered tests, course grades, and IEPs to determine appropriate placement into high school classes and essential instructional practices. The counselors routinely communicate with receiving schools and post secondary institutions, to assure that students will complete the proper coursework to meet specific admission requirements. York High School has a working relationship with the nearby community colleges. Our math department has implemented a Senior Mathematics course that focuses on assisting students with their math understanding in order to attain individual college readiness scores on the SAT and the ACCUPLACER college placement exam. As part of Yorks supervision and evaluation, teachers are required to collect survey data from current students at the end of the school year. Data gathered from these surveys may be included in the teacher's portfolio if he/she chooses. Teachers are expected to summarize and use the data for self-reflection and future goal setting with their supervisor.

11.Grading and reporting practices are informally reviewed and revised to ensure alignment with the school's core values and beliefs about learning. York High School uses a 100 point system with a 7 point A-F scale, issuing report cards on a quarterly basis. The School district began using PowerSchool in the 2003-2004 school year which gives students and parents web-based access to current grades and teachers comments at any time. The use of PowerSchool has facilitated regular communication among teachers, students, parents, special education case managers, counselors, and administrators and has promoted more timely interventions to help students succeed. With the adoption of the Schools 21st century learning expectations, grading practices will have to be aligned. Many teachers use standards-based assessments for some expectations, but only a few are beginning to actually report standards-based grades. Currently our PowerSchool online gradebook does not accommodate standards-based grading and teachers have had to convert rubric scores into percentage grades. There is no school-wide system for converting standards-based grades into percentage grades for reporting purposes. A music teacher uses standards-based grading exclusively in Chorus, Treble Choir and Music Theory. Every standard is assessed for completeness on the nal day of the semester and multiple opportunities are given for students to achieve a 4 (exceeds the standards) in each. Translation into a quarter and semester grade is subjective and may include a one-on-one student conference. The standards for the choirs are taken verbatim from the Maine Learning Results and the YHS Social, Civic and Academic expectations. The standards for Music Theory are taken directly from the Learning Outcomes in the syllabi. A letter goes home at the beginning of each term to describe the standards-based reporting process and to understand that a "3" (meets the standard) does NOT equal a 75%. Other teachers report using individual conversion systems to enter grades from a standards-based rubric into a percentage based gradebook. The school-wide rubrics that have been developed are standards-based and will require this accommodation be made to PowerSchool in order to report

student progress in achieving the Schools 21st century learning expectations as well as ensure alignment with the Schools core values and beliefs. The School understands the importance of this needed alignment and revision is in progress.

Assessment of and for Learning Executive Summary As of spring 2011, York High School has developed a formal process for the adoption and implementation of the Schools 21st Century Learning Expectations. Analysis of survey data shows considerable evidence that teachers regularly utilize a variety of both formative and summative assessments, inform students of course-grading criteria when assigning a task, and have begun to pilot the school-wide rubrics drafted in the summer of 2011. The School will vote to formally adopt these school-wide rubrics in the spring of 2012. A future step will be to formally incorporate the schools learning expectations into all course syllabi. The School can then create a formal process of assessing and reporting both individual students and the Schools progress in achieving the 21st century learning expectations. Teachers utilize a variety of formative and summative assessments, assignment specific rubrics, and unit learning expectations to assess student progress. Teachers collaborate on formative and summative assessments as well as on common assessments on an informal and irregular basis. Currently, assessment data is used primarily for student placement and is used in some curriculum areas during teacher collaboration to drive instruction, curriculum, and assessment of student progress. Though collaboration time is embedded within the master schedule at York High School, much of that time in the last two school years has been dedicated to NEASC work or other school specific or district wide initiatives like RtI. The School is transitioning to full adoption and implementation of schoolwide rubrics as well as further movement towards a more standards-based assessment system. As of November 2011, the School does NOT have a completed formal process based on the school-wide analytical rubrics to assess whole school and individual student progress in achieving the 21st century learning expectations; therefore, the committee must rate YHS as DEFICIENT. Full implementation of the 21st century learning expectations and the school-wide analytical rubrics will begin in the Spring of 2012 and a formal process will then be developed to assess whole school and

individual student progress of achieving the 21st century learning expectations based upon school wide rubrics. Strengths: * Rubrics for all Academic, Social and Civic Learning Expectations have been created and are currently being piloted. * Data is available from both formative and summative assessments to use for assessment of individual student progress. * Many content areas have common prep time embedded within the school day for collaboration * Course syllabi are already established * Rubrics are routinely provided to students prior to summative assessments * Multiple assessment strategies are used by teachers on both formative and summative assessments * Teachers provide specific,timely, and corrective feedback to students * Teachers use multiple forms of formative assessments to adapt instruction

Needs: * Improve the communication of the schools 21st Century Learning Expectations to students and parents * Develop a formal process to assess whole school and individual student progress in achieving the Schools 21st Century Learning Expectations. * Create a process for reporting individual student progress and the Schools progress in meeting the Schools 21st Century Learning Expectations * Additional whole school common work time provided more often throughout the school year to further Assessment work. * Incorporate the schools learning expectations into all course syllabi * Create time to disaggregate and analyze data to respond to weaknesses in student achievement * Collaborate on creation, analysis and revision of assessments including common assessments * Assess collaboratively the effectiveness of the school-wide rubrics and revise where necessary