Using Classworks for MTSS: Winter
January 10, 2024
Closing the chapter on winter break means one thing in your classroom– testing! Wherever you are with your winter tests, we're here for you!
Read on to learn about using Classworks to dig into winter test results and evaluate student growth.
Winter Screening Results
Having updated screener results is exciting! There are many opportunities to use this information to make tier support decisions, evaluate how much growth students made and how much is needed, and communicate growth with parents and support staff.
This second round of testing will also give you insight into how students will perform on end-of-grade tests. Give students a greater chance of success with a clear picture of progress and where they need added support to achieve grade-level proficiency.
In Classworks, once students complete their winter screeners, you can easily view how they performed compared to their fall assessments. Additionally, you can see if your students are showing growth across their assessments and adjust tiered placement if necessary.
For students receiving tier two or tier three level supports, it provides insight into the effectiveness of current interventions and highlights necessary adjustments ensuring that students engage with instructional level activities. Examining class or grade-level screener results pinpoints strengths and weaknesses within the core curriculum and identifies areas of deficiency for each student.
Try this: View this checklist for success to take action on winter testing data.
Reports
With winter testing done, you now have access to detailed reports!
Some useful Classworks reports include:
This report is a parent report for teachers to share information on how students are doing in each testing window.
The Universal Screener Annual Growth report allows you to track and compare growth for individual students, classes, teachers, and schools over a single school year.
This granular report can reveal underlying issues with specific skills in math or ELA.
Try this: You can pin your most used reports and schedule them.
Progress Monitoring Results
Progress Monitoring allows you to see how a student is responding to their intervention promptly and prioritize the students who need the most support. Classworks makes it easy for you to analyze now that you know who has and has not made growth. The Rate of Improvement (ROI) is automatically calculated and filters allow you to quickly see which students are below target.
What is your PM data telling you?
At this point in the year, you likely have 12 weeks' worth of Progress Monitoring data (PM), or very close to that. If students aren’t responding to their interventions, start with the basics, for example, are they spending the suggested amount of time in the program? Students with tier 2 supports are recommended to spend 60 minutes while tier 3 is 65 to 70 minutes. See this blog post on how to give students the time they need to work on closing gaps. If a student didn’t make the growth you anticipated, it’s important to look at various impactors. We review them in this session on effective Progress Monitoring.
Looking to take your Classworks knowledge to the next level? Email hello@classworks.com to schedule a Progress Monitoring training session.
Use Data to Find Trends
To make your winter data actionable, use the results during staff or PLC meetings to create an environment of growth. Share what is working in classrooms and offer support to each other.
With the right tools in place, you can have many of your students ready for success by end-of-grade tests.
Now is the most valuable time to analyze your data! Digging into the data will help you identify the students who did not perform well on the winter screener and know what skills to reassign.
Grouping Students
With the beefed-up data, you can put your students into appropriate groups based on their needs. In the past, teachers determined groups manually by analyzing the data themselves. Luckily, with Classworks groups, teachers save time with the automatic analysis of the data and recommendation of suggested student groups. Classworks automatically groups students based on domain-specific data from their Universal Screener assessment results or the specific domain selected in the program. We take it a step further with the ability to dig into each group and see where deficits remain. Talk about a game-changer for easily supporting students with similar instructional needs!
Try this: Dig a little deeper into using groups in Classworks!
Predict Performance on End of Grades Tests
The winter test results and other information you know about your students can give you an idea of how students will perform on their spring assessments. Predictive validity studies like these from Classworks give you confidence that performance on winter tests can predict which students are more likely to score in the proficient range and which are likely to fall into the not proficient range on summative or high-stakes tests.
Celebrate Success
From December 4th, 2023 until March 31st, 2024, Classworks will be tracking your student’s progress in Classworks with our annual All-Star Contest. At the end of the contest, the top 500 students with the most time in Classworks and 80%+ mastery will earn an awesome prize!
Why 80%? Our data tells us that mastery of 80% and above has the highest impact on student growth according to assessment data. Teachers can easily view students' total mastery and time on task scores in the Individualized Learning tab within Classworks.
Real-World Example - MTSS
Mrs. Martin is a second-grade teacher who aims to screen all students and address their diverse academic and behavioral needs through MTSS. Let’s follow along as she tackles winter in her classroom.
Now that we are in the winter months, I know my students are comfortable with Classworks and have taken their winter screener. However, some of my students did not show growth and Classworks has adjusted their suggested level of tier support. Let me dig into their instructional data to see what I can do to help them maximize their learning and make the necessary adjustments.
My district uses the Data-based Individualization (DBI) process to determine which students need adjustments.
First, I need to hypothesize why some of my students aren't growing. I take a look at their PM data to see the overall picture. If a large percentage of my students are not meeting their ROI targets, I want to ensure my students use Classworks with fidelity, by:
I am excited to use the winter screening results during staff meetings to create an environment of growth. I want to hear from teachers about recommendations they have for maximizing student achievement. Plus, I want to share what is working in my classroom! Next, I aim to get input from key players like the school counselor, caretakers, and school psychologists. From this team, the data I am looking for is diagnostic scores from Classworks, student behaviors, and attendance issues.
I am also excited to use the results during staff or PLC meetings to create an environment of growth, share what is working in my classroom, and offer support to each other.
Now, I am ready to make the necessary tier modifications and use the data to place students into groups.
I feel confident that these steps will ensure many of my students are ready for success by end-of-grade tests. To reward and engage my students, I will build a plan for those participating in interventions - like hosting a variety show for students or a classroom scavenger hunt.
District Leaders
With Classworks Insights, tracking district-wide growth is easy. You can see how many students completed the Universal screener during each testing window and a breakdown by school and average scores. These visual representations of data are beneficial to compare yearly implementation easily, document growth in overall performance for the reading and math screener among whole schools and/or grade levels, and identify instructional areas of needed focus for future months.
Insights also allow you to view a side-by-side breakdown of placement levels by grade level, race, gender, and other demographic options.
Try this: See all of the features you have available to you in insights here.
Thanks for reading as we span the different seasons for using Classworks in your classroom.
Need Help?
Chat with us using the button below or from within Classworks, or email us at hello@classworks.com. Let us help ensure you see the success we know is possible with Classworks.
