Elementary and Middle Schools

Item Analysis Activity

Elementary and Middle Schools

Use the instructions and pictures as a road map to answer questions about your school. Answer the questions based on the findings for your school in MiSchoolData.org.

Looking at the Big Picture
/ 1) Log into MiSchooldata.org
2) From the left menu click on Student Testing
3) Select MEAP or MME
4) Use Keyword Search
5) Select:
School Year,
All Grades,
a subject,
All students
6) Click on View Results
Repeat as necessary for tested areas.
Look at the Snapshot data. Use the graph to answer the following questions and shape your next step:
·  Is there a grade that when compared to others in the building that stands out?
·  A group performing higher?
·  A group performing lower?
·  A large amount of not proficient students?
·  A small amount of advanced students?
·  A small amount of proficient students?
Use the Trend graph to answer the following questions and shape your next step:
·  Is there a grade level that has experienced inconsistent growth?
·  Is there a grade level that experienced a dramatic drop in the recent past?
·  Is there a grade level that is consistently scoring below the other grades?
Narrowing Down the Need
Using what you saw in the Snapshot and Trend graphs choose one content area and grade level to investigate further in Data for Student Success (Data 4SS) first at the Strand Level followed by the item level.
/ Click on Comparative Item Analysis.
Enter the Report Settings determined by your examination of Snapshot and Trend data in Student Testing.
Select:
1.  School Year
2.  Grade
3.  Subject
4.  Report Category
Under Report Category select All Students.
Click on View Results.
/ Although all content areas are import there is not equal weight to each category. There may be a different distribution of questions dependent on the content area and grade.
Check the Max Items at the top of each column to see which areas are more prevalent in the test you are examining.
The first number in the bar is the value needed for minimum proficiency. The second number found in the circle is the average achieved for the specific content by the students in the school.
Compare all bars and determine which of the focus areas to investigate further.
Click anywhere in the blue bar to see a breakdown of the Strand Level by question and exam the test items.
Item Examination
/ Hovering the mouse over the beige bar gives the GLCE topic and the state average for that question.

Hovering the mouse over the red bar gives information on the number of students testing and the number answering the specific question correctly.

The table below the display indicates additional information about the standard tested and the content of the standard.
Use the graph and table to answer the questions:
·  Is there a question that students exceeded the state average greatly?
·  Is there a question that students scored much lower than the state average?
·  Did the students score similarly for multiple questions on the same standard?
Click on a red bar to navigate to a list of which students answered the question correctly.
/
The tested students will be listed with their UIC indicating whether they answered the specific question correctly. Additional columns to the right of the Item Correct yes/no status indicate how the students scored on the remainder of the test.
The Total Points earned and the Scale Score are indicated.
Students With Disabilities Inquiry
/ Click on Inquire Settings to create a second investigation to determine the levels that Students With Disabilities are performing when compared to All students and Students without Disabilities.
/ From the Report Category drop down select Students With Disabilities.
Click on View Results.
Compare the graph of Students With Disabilities (SWD) to the graphs earlier that examined All Students.
·  Are the SWD achieving in the same areas as the rest of the population?
·  Are SWD struggling with the same topics as the rest of the students?
·  In areas where SWD are performing higher consider:
o  Are they participating in a specialty program?
o  What is the role of parent support?
In areas where SWD are under performing compared to All students:
·  Is the curriculum for students aligned?
·  Are SWD receiving the same rigor of instruction as Students without Disabilities?
/ Hovering your mouse over the beige bar will display a summary of the standard tested and the percent of Students Without a Disability whom answered correctly.
Hovering your mouse over the red bar displays the number of SWD students tested and the percent of those students whom answered the question correctly.
Use your earlier work to consider the following:
·  Are all students receiving the same instruction?
·  Are students completing the appropriate test for their needs?
·  Are accommodations for SWD utilized and appropriate?
·  Who are the SWD that answered correctly? Incorrectly?
/ Download the item descriptors from the state website.
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-22709_31168---,00.html
Looking at the item descriptors and the data displays:
What kind of information can you see about the distractors and how students were expected to answer?
Are students answering a group of questions consistently through grades?
Next Steps
Do the same standards have similar results over multiple years?
Are students carrying gaps throughout years?
Are teachers seeing similar results when utilizing different instructional practices?
Is there a building need based on a Strand that is evident?

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Created by Deane Spencer for Macomb FSI