Data Team Reviews Literacy Data

PHOENIX October 15, 2018

The first phase of the LAUNCH Flagstaff Literacy Acceleration Project began today with a Data Analysis Institute hosted by Read On Arizona in Phoenix.  The Flagstaff project is looking at a cohort of schools participating in the multi-LEA implementation of the Kindergarten Developmental Inventory (KDI).  Those schools include: Killip, Kinsey, Marshall, Mountain, PEAK and Sechrist Elementary schools. The team looked at a variety of data ranging from population demographics to reading proficiency.  The team discovered several patterns of interest related to 3rd grade reading scores:

• Killip Elementary School saw an increase from 12% proficiency in 2016 to 30% in 2018 with significant gains across hispanic and free/reduced lunch demographics
• Marshall Elementary School saw an increase from 24% proficiency in 2016 to 45% in 2018 while their English Language Learner (ELL) population increased
• Mountain School saw an increase from 55% proficiency in 2016 to 82% in 2018 with no ELL or free/reduced lunch populations

Joe Gutierrez, Principal at Killip Elementary School told the Data Team that his staff began introducing 2nd graders to the testing technology in 2016 to help them gain comfort for the 2017 3rd grade test.  The team is seeking information on the strategies used at Marshall that may have contributed to their improvements.

From this data, the team is interested in testing some of the following assumptions within the target schools:

• The data improvements are related to instructional changes at those schools
• The positive trend at Mountain School is related to that schools demographics
• Experience in high quality preschool is a factor in reading performance

A root cause analysis, conducted as part of the days activities, brought the team to conclude that access to high-quality pre-Kindergarten for 3 and 4 years old children would be an important strategy for the LAUNCH Flagstaff partnership to consider.

The team will reconvene to look at additional data on November 1st in preparation for phase II of the Data Analysis Institute on December 5th.

(Photo) LAUNCH Flagstaff Data Team review data at the Data Analysis Institute.  Team members from left: Jade Heffern, Sara Abercrombie, Ramona Mellott, Joe Gutierrez, Robert Hagstrom, Willis Jensen