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Computer Science education involves reciprocity. Foundational academic skills are needed to solve problems and create projects; the solutions and creations will allow students to practice and strengthen the application of foundational skills.
Student achievement data is used daily to measure acquisition of standards and drive instruction. An indicator of “healthy instruction” occurs when at least 80% of the students attain benchmarks, proficiency, or growth goals in a given school-wide assessment. All teachers strive to ensure that this healthy indicator goal is attained, and data is tracked within and across school years to analyze the effectiveness of instruction and resources. FAST and I-Ready are two assessments used to measure achievement in reading and mathematics three times each year.
The Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) measures reading fluency and math foundational skills. Students who do not attain benchmarks during the fall, mid-year, and spring testing windows must be progress-monitored weekly to gauge growth. I-Ready is an online diagnostic assessment that measures mastery of Core standards in all domains of reading and math. Growth is also assessed, and the goal is for students to score within grade level ranges and meet expected growth gains by spring testing window. Students’ progress through individual learning paths of online tutorials is another growth indicator. Coupled with effective Core instruction, the integration of literacy and mathematics skills with a Computer Science curriculum would allow students to strengthen those skills with relevant, engaging activities. The impact on student achievement could be considerable!
East Union Elementary data typically reflects the attainment of the 80% goal, or very nearly so. However, the five month COVID closure in the spring and summer of 2020 and subsequent student and teacher absences due to quarantines during the 2020-2021 school year have made it difficult to determine the impact of CS instruction using FAST and I-Ready results as indicators. The impact of COVID, indeed, took a toll on student achievement results. However, as the 2021-2022 school year progresses, there are indications that learning is being accelerated and, particularly with mathematics, gains are being made.
Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) Screening Data
When one compares Fall 2020 data to Fall 2021 FAST screening data, the improvement is significant, particularly with Math! Fourth and fifth grade students take the FAST Math "Concepts and Applications" screener. Knowing that , in the fall of 2021, the fifth grade students had experienced a year of effective Mathematics instruction coupled with engaging daily Computer Science lessons, one might hypothesize that CS did, indeed, impact their achievement in dynamic ways! Note that 47% of these students attained the FAST Math benchmark in the fall of 2020, compared to 85% in the fall of 2021. As the school year progressed, we can also note that the percentage of students who met both Reading and Math benchmarks increased significantly from the spring of 2021 to the spring of 2022. More students also met annual growth goals in Math , again comparing Spring 2021 and Spring 2022 data.
I-Ready Diagnostic Data
I-Ready measures students' mastery of their current grade level's Reading and Mathematics standards. In the fall of each year, we would expect very few students to meet grade level benchmarks because they are being assessed over standards they need to master by the END of the school year. The goal is for at least 80% of the population to attain grade level mastery by the spring of each year. In 2019-2020, the momentum of both achievement and growth was proceeding at a typical pace from fall to mid-year, with increasing numbers of students scoring in grade level ranges.
As with FAST, the COVID closure's impact is evidenced when we analyze the 2020-2021 fall to mid-year comparisons. By the spring of 2021, the 80% goal had not yet been met, which is atypical for East Union Elementary. Whether CS instruction has influenced student achievement as measured by I-Ready is inconclusive as of January 2022; however, the trend toward mastery of grade level standards is approaching the pre-COVID percentages from mid-year 2019-2020.
As the 2021-2022 school year drew to a close, the Spring I-Ready data shows that significantly more students attained grade level benchmarks in the Spring of 2022 than in the Spring of 2021. The percentage of students meeting growth goals met the 80% goal for Reading, but not for Math. Many factors influence students' growth and achievement; the positive trends may be attributed to a combination of effective Core instruction in all subject areas, including Computer Science.
Iowa Statewide Assessments of Student Progress (ISASP)
The Iowa Statewide Assessments of Student Progress (formerly the Iowa Assessments) produce another set of data for consideration. This assessment has evolved over the years, from paper-pencil to electronic formats; from content having little alignment to the Iowa Core to improved standards alignment with the advent of the ISASP.
There is one area of significant improvement of note, and that is evidenced by growth in Mathematics proficiency rates represented by individuals' standard scores in fifth grade Mathematics. As with FAST Math screeners, this could be attributed to a combination of effective Mathematics instruction integrated with daily Computer Science lessons.
Student Engagement
Measuring student engagement can be somewhat subjective; however, there are methods that East Union Elementary is or will be using to measure engagement during Computer Science instruction. The first set of data can be gleaned from analyzing Teacher Leadership (TLC) observation data. East Union's TLC model involves a structured system of observation, feedback, and embedded professional development associated with the Iowa Instructional Framework Indicators and Descriptors. The second set of data is being collected from students by students! Fourth and fifth grade students are developing surveys for their TK-3 mentees; these surveys gauge interest and provide feedback that may help the Computer Science teacher plan for future units and lessons.
Teacher Observation Data
East Union Elementary's Teacher Leadership Model is based on the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) Model. A systemic and systematic process of observation, feedback, and embedded professional development includes data collection, which drives further planning of quality PD. Teacher leaders collect weekly data using the Walk-Through Checklist (left) and quarterly data using the Teacher Observation Report (embedded below). Computer Science classes are included in scheduled observations.
Copy of 2021-2022 Teacher Observation Report Template- Master ALL 12 Indicators - Google Docs.pdf
Completed Walk Through Checklists show evidence of engagement,
as does photo documentation.
Second Grade Computer Science Feedback Form
Student Surveys
What better way to gauge student engagement than to ask the students! And, to further encourage higher order thinking, why not have students create surveys for other students?! That's exactly what our fifth grade students did. Second and third grade students completed these feedback surveys, and their fifth grade mentors then entered the data into spreadsheets and produced graphic representations of the results. Here are some authentic examples.
Data: What Next?
Grading Practices Using the Iowa Core and CSTA Standards
East Union Elementary has a long-established practice of using standards referenced grading to measure students' achievement and progress. The next step in the project involves determining which standards at each grade level will be graded using an assessment process similar to that which is currently used for other Core subject areas. The Computer Science Teachers Association Standards has been and will continue to drive instruction in both stand alone and integrated Computer Science instruction.
East Union Elementary's Grading Practices Team has made procedures for assessing and grading identified CSTA standards a priority for the second semester of the 2021-2022 school year, with the goal of including Computer Science as a graded subject area on fourth and fifth grade students' grade reports by mid-year of 2022-2023. Computer Science integration will be noted on corresponding Literacy, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies standards, as well. For the TK-3 grade levels, Employability Skills scores may be assigned to identified CSTA standards.
A PDF of the Grading Practices Team Meeting Agendas and Minutes is provided; due to confidentiality considerations the links included are not live as they include access to individual students' data. Also shown are templates of the current fourth and fifth grade Progress Reports; the viewer can see how student progress is reported to families four times each year.
The identification of CSTA standards that students are expected to master will contribute to the accountability and sustainability of this project. For more information, please visit the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan page.
Grading Practices Team Agenda and Minutes 2021-2022 - Google Docs.pdfGrade 4 Progress Report Template 2021-2022.pdfGrade 5 Progress Report Template 2021-2022.pdf
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