PSAT Results
No, of course I don't have them. But finally attacking some backlogged e-mail, I wanted to update you on the PSAT results from last year.
As you may recall, Boeing generously funded the district so that all the 9th, 10th and 11th graders could take the PSAT. This was about rigor we were told and to show the kids what they would need to do to get to college. The parents received their individual child's score but oddly, no data came out for the district, each school, grade level, etc.
I first got the answer that there was no time or staff available for this work. Then I received this reply:
"In response to your request below, as I mentioned before, the data is not in a format that can be incorporated into our database, so at this time I am unable to provide you with the statistical results you have requested without compromising student confidentiality."
So I called the College Board (who gives the PSAT) and the woman there said she couldn't understand that answer because they give the data out just so districts can do statistical analysis. So I have to surmise that the "database" (could it be the VAX is the culprit?) is the problem. Otherwise, why is this a state secret?
Oh well, because the guy I spoke to at Boeing says Boeing is to receive a report by December 31st with the results.
As you may recall, Boeing generously funded the district so that all the 9th, 10th and 11th graders could take the PSAT. This was about rigor we were told and to show the kids what they would need to do to get to college. The parents received their individual child's score but oddly, no data came out for the district, each school, grade level, etc.
I first got the answer that there was no time or staff available for this work. Then I received this reply:
"In response to your request below, as I mentioned before, the data is not in a format that can be incorporated into our database, so at this time I am unable to provide you with the statistical results you have requested without compromising student confidentiality."
So I called the College Board (who gives the PSAT) and the woman there said she couldn't understand that answer because they give the data out just so districts can do statistical analysis. So I have to surmise that the "database" (could it be the VAX is the culprit?) is the problem. Otherwise, why is this a state secret?
Oh well, because the guy I spoke to at Boeing says Boeing is to receive a report by December 31st with the results.
Comments
You would then have your standard Excel spreadsheet where you can very easily eliminate columns that contain personal data.
This cannot be blamed on the VAX.
Phyllis Fletcher just had a fabulous piece on KUOW about the funding and achievement issues at Indian Heritage High School, one of the re-entry District programs. It's a "must listen/read".
http://kuow.org/
program.php?id=18958
Birddog these dudes.
The Student Assignment Plan is based on the idea that every school can be a quality school. Given the widening achievement gaps produced by Everyday Math and the failure of the SE Initiative to improve much of anything, where is the data to believe that every school can become a quality school under the current administration?
The PSAT results if they ever surface will likely confirm how far away some high schools are from being quality schools.
When does this district plan on providing the "effective interventions" specified in the promotion/ non-promotion policies?
I agree with StepJ ...
The district is just hiding the results. Perhaps they will release them Christmas day and hope no one is looking.
I do wonder what Boeing was told it would be used for and what sort of data they will get. Why would they provide the grant? I don't see a grantor really wanting to see the scores, I would think they would want assurance that scores would be used for some educational benefit.
"Thirty students at Seattle's Garfield High are among this year's semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition, the first and most important stage of a process that will end next spring with scholarships for many of the students honored.
"Garfield's number was best in the state. The private Lakeside High School in Seattle closely followed with 28. The two schools regularly trade position: Last year, Lakeside had 28 semifinalists to Garfield's 15; the year before, Garfield had 25 and Lakeside 15."
So the numbers at Garfield regularly fluctuate, and regularly go below 20. I haven't looked up all the figures, but there was at least one year, class of 2002 I think, not long after this where Garfield had 18 semifinalists.
Similarly, at schools that average a couple of NM semifinalists a year (as I believe Ingraham does), the actual number each year may be zero or four or whatever. There's really nothing to conclude from a particular year being zero (or if there is, the Bush School is one of those in trouble).
Helen Schinske
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/research/RDGuideforReleaseData.pdf
From the doc:
"In order to protect the
confidentiality of institutions and districts, institution-/district-level data (information that would allow the user to identify a particular institution/district, which could be used to construct a particular school district) are never released, with the sole
exception of direct requests from the institutions/districts to which these data pertain (i.e.,
State Departments of Education). See Section 3: Guidelines for Institution-/District-Level Data
for further information on the release of institution-/district-level data."
"The College Board will not release such data to anyone other than the institution or district to which the data pertain except on the basis of a license agreement with an applicant the College Board determines to be qualified"
"The decision of whether to release such data will be made based strictly upon these guidelines, and any data that are released by the College Board to any qualified applicant remain the property of the College Board, and may not be used for any purpose other than that specified in the license agreement between those who request data and the College Board."
While I do beleive you have gotten the run around, I think it may be due to the fact that the district cannot release the data not because of the format of the data.
Helen Schinske
Helen Schinske
So either it's the VAX (or some other technical issues) or it's that the district doesn't want to release the info.
I'm still going to call up my Boeing contact and ask him for the report the district is sending him.