An 'ISTEP' In The Right Direction: GCSC Reads Into Better Scores

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July 26, 2010

Joe Hornaday Greensburg Daily News The Greensburg Daily News Mon Jul 26, 2010, 08:19 AM EDT

Greensburg — The students at Greensburg Community Schools significantly increased their ISTEP test scores this year, largely a result of new implementations and programs at the schools.

"It boils down to three things: programs, procedures and people," Tammy Williams, GCS Director of Curriculum and Instruction, explained.

The biggest improvements were in the scores that came from Greensburg Elementary School students. Those students scored an 85.06 percent passing in English and language arts, compared to the Indiana average of about 74 percent passing. The elementary students scored an 89.98 percent passing in math versus the approximately 76 percent statewide. Overall, the students scored a 79.96 percent passing rate. Those numbers eclipsed the 2009 scores for the school by nearly 10 percent. The Greensburg Junior High School also saw increases in scores across the board.

According to Williams, the district-wide focus on literacy was instrumental in boosting the scores. The schools received an early literacy grant that allowed cash for the hiring of interventionists who could provide small group instruction in the areas of reading and mathematics to the most at-risk and challenged kids. With the grant, the corporation was also able to purchase computer software like Pearson's Waterford Literacy Program and provide ongoing training in Reading Recovery to some of the literacy teachers. The schools implemented Read Naturally, EdMark and My Sidewalks as some of the other intervention resources.

Simultaneously, the school was chosen to use Acuity 'predictive testing' from third to eighth grade.

"Acuity was another thing that beefed up our instruction," Williams explained.

Acuity is used to determine how well students will perform on future ISTEP tests. Both administrators and teachers met after the test results were received for review last year and to ultimately plan ways to "enrich and remediate" based on the data.

In other subjects, like math, Greensburg Schools pulled resources including Do the Math intervention program, lessons from NCTM's illuminations website and used more hands-on lessons utilizing manipulatives to assist students in moving from the concrete to abstract levels.

"The more kids can see those kinds of connections, the more 'real life' it makes it," Williams said.

Integrating the focus on literacy into other subjects was an important part of the new program. In science, the school integrated science standards into other core subject areas like reading and math. According to Williams, teachers collaborated with Linda Kramer who facilitates the hands-on science labs every week, which was helped by a visit from Purdue's Physics Outreach program in the spring. At the same time, grades kindergarten through ninth created pacing guides, or curriculum maps. Those maps allowed each teacher to stay focused and to follow the timeline set to make sure Indiana's Core Standards were well taught and learned prior to the testing windows.

School-wide and grade level data team meetings were also held, where individualized educational plans for all students that did not demonstrate mastery in one or more areas were established to help.

Above all else, Williams credits the people and school staff with helping boost the scores and provide a quality education to the kids of Greensburg.

"I can honestly say that the teachers here try to reach out to their students. They give tirelessly of themselves, whatever it takes," Williams said.

To keep the scores climbing and above the state average, Greensburg Community Schools will develop short cycle assessments in all core curricular areas from kindergarten through 12th grade. A continued focus on literacy and implementation of differentiated instruction at all levels as appropriate will persist.

"As long as (the scores) keep going up, we're happy," Williams said.

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