November 2017 Newsletter
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45-Day School Performance & Equity Profile
The 45-day School Performance and Equity Profile is now available. This view compares data points from 45 days into the 2017-18 school year with the same data points 45 days into the 2016-17 school year, allowing for a more accurate view of progress. We will be adding a 90-day view of the data at semester.
Fall Assessment Data Reports
With the closing of the fall testing window, new data reports are available for FAST and MAP. Contact Kim Martorano or Cindy Slinger with any questions about these assessment reports. 
MAP Growth Cut Points Clarification
The MAP Growth college and career readiness cut points are aligned with the proficiency cut points on the Smarter Balanced Assessment. These cut points measure if a student is on-track for college and career readiness—if they are on a trajectory to graduate from high school with the ability to pass a credit-bearing college course without remediation. These cut points DO NOT represent the average or typical RIT score for a student at that grade level. DMPS adopted the Smarter Balanced aligned cut points in the summer of 2016 when the Iowa Department of Education intended to adopt Smarter Balanced. That all changed with the 2017 legislative session. When the state does adopt a new state assessment, our MAP cut points will probably change to align with that assessment (see WAIT. WHAT? below for more on that topic). |
Closing Nov. 7: Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey
The Gallup Q12 employee engagement survey will close on November 7. Staff can access the survey via the link in reminder emails from Gallup or by visiting https://gx.gallup.com/desmoinesq12.gx and entering their employee ID number as their access code. We are aiming for 100% participation. Logistics and FAQs are located here. 
Tableau Advisory Committees
We want your feedback about Tableau! Please join a Tableau advisory committee to provide input on Tableau reports and usage. The advisory committee is split into two groups:
Building Principal Ethical Testing Assurance Form
The Iowa Department of Education requires a signed copy of the Proper and Ethical Test Administration form for every PK-12 building principal each fall. So far, we have received signed forms from about 50% of principals. All forms need to be emailed to Mary Grinstead by November 10. FERPA Reminder
DMPS cannot share potentially personally identifiable information with non-staff--that includes the school board, media, and community partners that we do not have an MOU in place with. We cannot share educational or health records about individual students. When sharing information about groups of students, we cannot share information about groups that contain less than 10 students. Continuous Improvement Update
Des Moines Public Schools is become leaner every day. Find the October continuous improvement newsletter at http://ci.dmschools.org/october-newsletter.html. |
UPCOMING DATES
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October 2: - November 30: Grade 2: CoGAT
October 16 - November 10: Certified Staff: LSI School Culture Survey October 23 - November 7: All Staff: Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Poll |
November 2: Infinite Campus teacher advisory committee meeting
November 6: Tableau administrator advisory committee meeting November 9: Tableau teacher advisory committee meeting December 13: Gallup on site to review Q12 results |
WAIT. WHAT?
Dear Data Diva, What is going on with the state accountability test? --School Leader in Limbo
Dear Leader in Limbo,
Here's what we know: We will administer the Iowa Assessments this spring (2018).
Here's what we don't know: We don't know what test we will administer in the spring of 2019. On September 28, the Iowa Department of Education announced their intent to award the state assessment bid to American Institutes for Research (AIR). AIR also manages assessments for Florida, Utah, and Indiana. However, a vendor has filed an appeal of the award, halting progress in awarding the bid. No information is publicly available about the appeal, as litigation is involved. We will continue wait for more information.
As Always,
Data Diva
Dear Leader in Limbo,
Here's what we know: We will administer the Iowa Assessments this spring (2018).
Here's what we don't know: We don't know what test we will administer in the spring of 2019. On September 28, the Iowa Department of Education announced their intent to award the state assessment bid to American Institutes for Research (AIR). AIR also manages assessments for Florida, Utah, and Indiana. However, a vendor has filed an appeal of the award, halting progress in awarding the bid. No information is publicly available about the appeal, as litigation is involved. We will continue wait for more information.
As Always,
Data Diva
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