Quality School Line

‘Exemplary School’ straddles two states

Barbara A. Cleary, Ph.D.

Serving students from two states may seem challenging enough for any school district. In College Corner Union Elementary School, the state line runs directly through the building, separating the Indiana side from the Ohio side. This fragmentation has not kept the school from high achievement in reading and math, however, nor from being selected as a Title I exemplary school by the state of Indiana. Using data collection and analysis, teachers have been able to track performance throughout the school.

The school was recently recognized by the Indiana Department of Education with a Title I Distinguished School Award. College Corner Union Elementary School placed in the top two “highly performing” schools. Principal Maureen McDonough attributes this success in large measure to the school’s use of short-cycle assessment and data folders, which she says have been “a huge factor” in the rating.

With data folders and standards-based report cards used to monitor student progress, teachers and students in the K-5 school track data in reading and math. The benefits of this approach have accrued not only to performance indicators, but also to what third-grade teacher Michelle Russell says is students’ taking responsibility for their own learning.

“They set goals, record their progress, and reflect on their improvement,” by means of keeping the classroom data folders, Russell says. Moreover, students have taken leadership roles in parent conferences, according to McDonough. Parents have been “wowed” by the data that reflects their children’s progress, she says, adding that when students see a record of their progress, “they take ownership of their learning.”

Yvonne Swafford, parent of a second grader, says that her son, who has been known for shyness and reticence, “took charge” in his student-led parent-teacher conference. “He talked about his work, and was proud of what he had done,” his mother says. Data folders can provide a focus for parent-child-teacher conferences or progress reports.

All five grades at the College Corner school use data folders to record progress in reading and math. Individual performance indicators, such as test scores or other assessments, are part of the student’s own data folder, but teachers also use data to reflect classroom progress. A third grade student, pointing to a bar graph with first-term performance results, proudly announced that the class mastery was at 68 percent.

Schools throughout Ohio and elsewhere are benefiting from data folder and short-cycle assessment training offered by PQ Systems. Consultant Sally Duncan walks participants through essential questions related to the use of data folders, including what are key components, how to create effective data folders, how they are used in classrooms throughout the nation, how to use software to save time in creating data folders, and how to establish goals for students based on data folders.

For more information, call PQ Systems, Inc. at 800 777-3020 or visit the K-12 portion of the PQ Systems website, www.pqsystems.com. To view videos documenting College Corner Union Elementary School’s use of data folders and short-cycle assessments, click here.

To comment on this article, email k12@pqsystems.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Got stories?

Many of you have used the Process and Tools to improve classroom processes and support learning. We’re opening Quality School Line to a series of these stories, and invite you to send details of your experiences with the improvement tools. If we use your story, we will send you a copy of Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, a stimulating discussion of the role of external and internal motivation in student learning. All you need to do is describe how you’ve used a particular tool, tell us a little about your school (its location, number of students, and a little about its quality journey), and indicate your position in the school. We can identify you and your school or not, as you prefer. Your colleagues who are looking for concrete ways to apply these tools will thank you! If you have applications of your own that you’d be willing to share with other teachers e-mail them to K12@pqsystems.com

Here's this month's issue of Quality SchoolLine, a newsletter from PQ Systems, Inc. that provides quarterly tips, examples, and suggestions to classroom teachers and administrators. Watch for classroom projects, downloadable templates, and discounted software for your classroom.
Newsletter Spotlight
Grades and scores. Percentages of improvement. Skill acquisition rates. Classroom attendance figures. Disciplinary statistics. As classroom data increases in complexity, tools for analysis have become more accessible, easier to use, and more cost-efficient. If you’re using Excel or Access to keep track of your classroom or school-wide data, CHARTrunner will create clear, colorful charts directly from those programs (and others), without the need to re-enter your data. Use your classroom projector to share CHARTrunner charts with the class or at a faculty meeting, or print them to insert into student data folders. For a free, no-obligation chance to use this software for 30 days, go to www.chartrunner.com, download the software, and make charts to your heart’s content for a month—then order your own copy at half price with your educator’s discount. It’s so easy that you and your students can enter data together and watch it transform instantly into useful information!
Tip of the Month
‘Exemplary School’ straddles two states Barbara A. Cleary, Ph.D. Serving students from two states may seem challenging enough for any school district. In College Corner Union Elementary School, the state line runs directly through the building, separating the Indiana side from the Ohio side. This fragmentation has not kept the school from high achievement in reading and math, however, nor from being selected as a Title I exemplary school by the state of Indiana. Using data collection and analysis, teachers have been able to track performance throughout the school. The school was recently recognized by the Indiana Department of Education with a Title I Distinguished School Award. College Corner Union Elementary School placed in the top two “highly performing” schools. Principal Maureen McDonough attributes this success in large measure to the school’s use of short-cycle assessment and data folders, which she says have been “a huge factor” in the rating. With data folders and standards-based report cards used to monitor student progress, teachers and students in the K-5 school track data in reading and math. The benefits of this approach have accrued not only to performance indicators, but also to what third-grade teacher Michelle Russell says is students’ taking responsibility for their own learning. “They set goals, record their progress, and reflect on their improvement,” by means of keeping the classroom data folders, Russell says. Moreover, students have taken leadership roles in parent conferences, according to McDonough. Parents have been “wowed” by the data that reflects their children’s progress, she says, adding that when students see a record of their progress, “they take ownership of their learning.” Yvonne Swafford, parent of a second grader, says that her son, who has been known for shyness and reticence, “took charge” in his student-led parent-teacher conference. “He talked about his work, and was proud of what he had done,” his mother says. Data folders can provide a focus for parent-child-teacher conferences or progress reports. All five grades at the College Corner school use data folders to record progress in reading and math. Individual performance indicators, such as test scores or other assessments, are part of the student’s own data folder, but teachers also use data to reflect classroom progress. A third grade student, pointing to a bar graph with first-term performance results, proudly announced that the class mastery was at 68 percent. Schools throughout Ohio and elsewhere are benefiting from data folder and short-cycle assessment training offered by PQ Systems. Consultant Sally Duncan walks participants through essential questions related to the use of data folders, including what are key components, how to create effective data folders, how they are used in classrooms throughout the nation, how to use software to save time in creating data folders, and how to establish goals for students based on data folders. For more information, call PQ Systems, Inc. at 800 777-3020 or visit the K-12 portion of the PQ Systems website, www.pqsystems.com. To view videos documenting College Corner Union Elementary School’s use of data folders and short-cycle assessments, click here. To comment on this article, email k12@pqsystems.com. We'd love to hear from you. Got stories? Many of you have used the Process and Tools to improve classroom processes and support learning. We’re opening Quality School Line to a series of these stories, and invite you to send details of your experiences with the improvement tools. If we use your story, we will send you a copy of Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, a stimulating discussion of the role of external and internal motivation in student learning. All you need to do is describe how you’ve used a particular tool, tell us a little about your school (its location, number of students, and a little about its quality journey), and indicate your position in the school. We can identify you and your school or not, as you prefer. Your colleagues who are looking for concrete ways to apply these tools will thank you! If you have applications of your own that you’d be willing to share with other teachers e-mail them to K12@pqsystems.com Copyright 2007 by PQ Systems, Inc., 10468 Miamisburg-Springboro Rd., Miamisburg, OH 45342 All rights reserved.