At the three schools in our cohort (Sussex Elementary, Deep Creek Middle, and

Chesapeake High) we are experiencing an increase in the number of FARMS students

throughout our community. Conventional wisdom may associate FARMS and lower
socio-economic status with school performance and a corresponding decrease in overall
MSA/HSA scores.

Based on our reading, The Hidden Traps in Decision Making by Hammond, Keeney, and
Raiffa, there are many traps that school-house decision makers and community
stakeholders can fall into when analyzing data such as MSA/HSA.
http://bcps.mdk12online.org/content/Castellani/Fall09/session
%207%20hiddentraps/Hidden_Traps_in_Decision-Making.pdf

Several of the traps described in the article are:

• The Status Quo Trap biases us toward maintaining the current situation even
when better alternatives exist.
• The Sunk-Cost Trap inclines us to perpetuate the mistakes of the past.
• The Confirming-Evidence Trap leads us to seek out information supporting an
existing predilection and to discount opposing information.
• The Framing Trap occurs when we misstate a problem, undermining the entire
decision-making process.

The article states that the best way to avoid all traps is always awareness – forewarned is
forearmed! The book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell also discusses decision-making traps,
and how we often rely on our initial instincts (the thinking that occurs in the blink of an
eye). Is that process effective or are our best decisions made when we have the
opportunity to carefully evaluate all available and relevant data?

Consider the FARMS data provided:

• When evaluating the FARMS data, which of the above traps could impact
decision-makers as they review school-wide data?
• What are steps the school leadership needs to take to avoid these traps?
Baltimore County : Sussex Elementary (ID:1513)
AYP Assessments Demographics
ELEMENTARY
Special Education • Limited English Proficient • FREE/REDUCED MEALS • Title I • 504

Baltimore County : Deep Creek Middle (ID:1557)

AYP Assessments Demographics
MIDDLE
Special Education • Limited English Proficient • FREE/REDUCED MEALS • Title I • 504
Baltimore County : Chesapeake High (ID:1574)
AYP Assessments Graduation Demographics
HIGH
Special Education • Limited English Proficient • FREE/REDUCED MEALS • Title I • 504