Running head: UNIT 2 REPORT ANALYSIS 1

Unit 2 Report Analysis

Bridget Sandoval

EDU515 Measurement and Metrics

UNIT 2 REPORT ANALYSIS 2

Unit 2 Report Analysis

The report is about Lakeview Elementary School, grades K-3. The school district is

located within a 25 square mile portion of the city of Waterbury in northwest Connecticut. There

are 1173 students enrolled at Lakeview Elementary, all of whom qualify for free or reduced

meals, and 10.9 percent with IEPs (Section 504 plans were not listed). The school has been given

the CHALLENGED rating by the Connecticut Department of Education. The school met 3 of 15

performance indicators; then only scored 42.7 in the Schools Performance Index (SPI) for the

Connecticut Mastery Test out of a needed 88; and has an 83.3 attendance rate.

The Profile page has a few errors in it, while talking about the elementary school it

references it as a high school in a couple of places. The Mission Statement page seems like a

standard feel-good, we are here to help, with its Beliefs, Objectives, Parameters, and Tactics. Yet

the school does not match what is mentioned.

The staff seemed qualified as 79.4 percent have a master’s degree and 90 percent of the

courses are taught by certified teachers of each subject area. It is difficult to determine how many

teachers are employed at the school. They use a full-time equivalent count: this is where pare

time teachers are counted differently, a teacher who works half-time is only counted as half a

teacher or 0.50. With over 1k students the school does seem understaffed with only 61.1 (FTE)

teachers, 4.1 counselors/social workers/ school psychologists, and only 1 nurse. In my district,

we have 271 students and about 70 educators and staff (all full-time employment as the school

does not have part-time staff): this school has 1173 students and 125.1 educators and staff. The

educator’s race/ethnicity does not match the school’s student body in some areas.

The school has 50 percent of the educators white with only 4.4 percent of the students

being white. While finding qualified teachers can be difficult for a challenged school, more
UNIT 2 REPORT ANALYSIS 3

should be done to attract black or African American teachers, as those numbers have the most

missed matches. The school has 9 Black or African American teachers and 272 students. The

student body of the school is mostly Hispanic or Latino (69.9 percent) with males just being

most of the students. The school has 436 English Language Learners and 129 students with IEPs.

It is hard to tell if the school has 13 paraprofessionals or 26, as the staffing page is not done very

well. The school only has 8(FTE) special educators. Fifty of the IEP students spend nearly half

their day with nondisabled peers.

The School Performance Index page gives 4 years’ worth of data, yet it does not include

data for the White, Asian, and other Race Ethnicity groups. The school itself has had a nearly 2

percent growth in test scores for the overall school. The groups that are struggling are the EELs

and the Students with disabilities. They both together have a 5 percent drop in scores over the

last 4 years. The Hispanic Latino group has shown no real growth in those years.

Chronic absenteeism and suspensions/expulsions are also an issue with the school. The

school has 190 students with chronic absenteeism and 87 who are suspended or expelled. With

young students in the k-3rd grade, this issue could be more about the parents than the students. A

25 square mile area is a long way for anyone to travel. Then add to this that 100 percent of the

students all qualify for free or reduced lunch. Proper transportation or funding could be some

issues facing those families. The report says there is a transportation garage but it does not talk

about the school transportation system.

The school itself seems understaffed, with all the students being at or near the poverty

line and 37.2 percent of the children being English Language Learners. The ELLs and Students

with IEPs seem to be falling behind each year. The largest race/ethnicity group in the school

shows little to no growth. The school needs to double its SPI scores. The educators they do have
UNIT 2 REPORT ANALYSIS 4

are more than qualified to do the job, as most have mastered. The focus should start on bringing

servers to the ELLs and students with IEPs and Section 504 plans even if they were not

mentioned, chances are they need attention also. This covers a large group of students and could

help bring up scores in all areas. This is also the group that is falling behind over the last 4 years.

It could be speculated that many of the ELLs are struggling with the language more than the

content. 48.2 percent of the student body is made up of ELLs and students with IEPs. Adding

Educators to meet the school’s numbers will also take the burden off the current staff and make

everyone more effective in teaching. Students will be able to work in smaller groups and or get

one-on-one instruction as needed.

UNIT 2 REPORT ANALYSIS 5

References

 Ikemoto, G. S., & Marsh, J. A. (2007). Cutting through the “data-driven” mantra: Different
conceptions of data-driven decision making. RAND Corporation. 

 Sagebrush Corporation. (2004). Data-driven decision-making: A powerful tool for school

improvement. [White paper]. Sagebrush Corporation, 1, 1-15.

 Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader’s framework for decision-making. Harvard

Business Review

 Stiggins, R. (2008). A call for the development of balanced assessment systems. Assessment
Manifesto. Portland, OR: ETS Assessment Training Institute.

 Stiggins, R. J. (2006). Balanced assessment systems: Redefining excellence in

assessment. Educational Testing Service, 1-10.