The Delaware Department of Education on Thursday released the 2019 statewide student assessment results.

 

Statewide, 53 percent of students in grades 3 to 8 scored at the proficient level or higher this year in the Smarter English language arts (ELA) assessment, compared to 54 percent in 2018. For mathematics, 44 percent of students in grades 3 to 8 scored at the proficient level or higher, no change from the 2018 results. At the high school level, students took the SAT with the results relatively unchanged.

 

Because Delaware transitioned this year to new science and social studies assessments, state officials will spend the fall setting cut scores to determine which scores are proficient on the new tests. Results will be released this winter. Results for the state’s alternate assessment, administered to those students with significant cognitive disabilities, were released today as well. Those results also were relatively unchanged.

 

Educators already received their students’ scores — Smarter results, for example, are available to teachers three weeks after their students complete the test. Families will receive score reports with their children’s results via U.S. mail beginning next week. Family guides and other resources also are available online.

 

For more information on state assessment results, visit the Delaware Report Card site and see the 2019 assessment presentation.

 

Smarter Assessment (ELA/mathematics)

 

Nationwide, states administering the Smarter assessment have seen similar trends to Delaware – slow growth at the state level with larger gains at some school levels.

Delaware did see slight gains in some subgroups statewide between 2018 and 2019, with English learners and students with disabilities averages increasing by one percentage point each in ELA and one percentage point in math for both students with disabilities and Hispanic students.

Secretary of Education Susan Bunting thanked students and educators for their hard work. She also committed to continue to provide supports from the state.

“We must focus our time and resources on promoting early diagnosis and intervention, using a range of assessments throughout the year and training educators on how to use the data available to them to effect change in curriculum and instruction,” she said. “We also must provide technical assistance and other support to our schools and districts  as they select local curricula so all children have access to high quality materials and assessments.”

Bunting also pointed to bright spots across the state, such as in Seaford School District, which has seen steady growth in both ELA and mathematics scores since 2015, the first year the state administered the Smarter assessment. For ELA, 56 percent of students scored at the proficient level or higher, above the state average and up 2 percentage points from last year. In 2015, only 38 percent of Seaford students were proficient. Math scores also are continuing to climb: This year 48 percent of students scored at proficient or higher, above the state average and 2 percentage points higher than in 2018. It is a 20-point gain from 2015.

 

Seaford’s Frederick Douglass Elementary particularly has shown strong growth. For ELA, 42 percent of students were proficient in 2015. The number has consistently improved since then, reaching 67 percent of students this year. In 2015, only 7 percent of the school’s English learners were proficient in ELA; 60 percent were this year. Other subgroups also showed strong ELA growth: the percent proficient went from 39 percent to 64 percent for low-income students, and 7 percent to 47 percent for students with disabilities.

 

Douglass’ math scores also have increased steadily, moving from 35 percent to 69 percent for all students between 2015 and 2019. English learner scores went from 7 percent to 70 percent proficient, students with disabilities went from 14 percent to 41 percent, low-income went from 30 percent to 66 percent, and Hispanic students went from 37 to 76 percent.

 

“When asked to explain our success we are able to point to simple addition,” Seaford Superintendent David Perrington said. “The district has worked hard at bringing together a number of dynamics that are essential for student achievement.  These include a supportive school board, a vision-driven district office staff, a strong building leadership, a committed teaching staff, an engaged student body, and a caring school community.

“At the beginning of the school year we discussed the concept ‘Push Don’t Pity.’  This model is grounded in the belief of high expectations for all students,” he said. “It requires us as educators to accept the responsibility of each student’s learning experience and each student to believe they have the capacity to succeed.  When added successfully together we have a sum of increasing student achievement.”

Lake Forest also saw some strong gains, particularly among subgroups in mathematics in several of its elementary schools. Lake Forest East, for example, saw gains between 2018 and 2019 of 39 percentage points for Hispanic students, 39 percentage points for English learners, 20 percentage points for low-income students and 14 percentage points for African American students. The gain was 12 percentage points for all students.

 

At Lake Forest North, the 2018 to 2019 scores show gains of 23 percentage points for low-income students, 17 percentage points for English learners, 8 percentage points for African American students, 7 percentage points for Hispanic students and 4 percentage points for all students.

 

“The Lake Forest School District attributes our success to using the standards to refine curriculum and lesson plans, analyzing formative and summative data during professional learning communities and staff development days and providing time for teacher collaboration throughout the year,” Superintendent Brenda Wynder said. “We are proud of our teachers’ willingness to strive for student achievement and continuous improvement in our data. It has taken our entire ‘village’ to achieve this success.”

Bunting also spotlighted several other schools that have shown strong growth for subgroups and students overall.

• Caesar Rodney School District’s Allen Frear Elementary saw ELA proficiency for all students go from 69 percent to 83 percent between 2015 and 2019 with African American student proficiency improving from 46 percent to 72 percent. Math proficiency for all students moved from 60 percent to 72 percent with African American proficiency up from 34 percent to 57 percent in the same time period.
• Christina School District’s Etta Wilson Elementary also has seen consistent growth for multiple subgroups and students overall in both ELA and math. For ELA, all student proficiency this year is 72 percent, up from 49 percent in 2015. English learner proficiency improved from 13 percent to 66 percent, low-income from 35 percent to 61 percent, students with disabilities from 17 percent to 39 percent and Hispanic students from 34 percent to 67 in the same period. In math, 73 percent of students scored at the proficient level or higher this year, compared to 52 percent in 2015. These subgroups also saw growth throughout the years: African American (40 percent to 59 percent), English learner (19 percent to 63 percent), low-income (35 percent to 63 percent), students with disabilities (19 percent to 43 percent) and Hispanic (40 percent to 69 percent).
• Indian River School District’s Georgetown Middle School also has seen consistent success improving the scores of its students in ELA and math. For ELA, 64 percent of students overall passed the test in 2019, compared to 49 percent in 2015. Improvement among African American (40 percent to 60 percent), low-income (41 percent to 59 percent) and Hispanic students (44 percent to 62 percent) were included in the gains. For math, the growth from 2015 to 2019 overall was 34 percent to 55 percent with increases almost every year overall and among subgroups with an 11-percentage point gain just this year for English learner students. The overall growth for EL was 6 percent proficient in 2015 to 19 percent in 2019. Low-income students grew from 28 percent in 2015 to 50 percent this year with Hispanic student proficiency up to 52 percent in 2019, compared to 33 percent in 2015.

 

SAT

 

Delaware’s high school federal accountability test is the SAT, typically taken in 11^th grade. Statewide 48 percent of students scored at the proficient level or higher in 2019 on the evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) portion, down 2 percentage points from 2018. In math, 28 percent of students did so, the same percentage as in 2018. For the essay portion of the exam, 42 percent of students scored at proficient or higher, down from 44 percent in 2018.

 

For math, Indian River School District saw gains. Indian River High School had 35 percent of students scoring at the proficient level or higher in 2019, up from 29 percent in 2018 and 32 percent in 2017. Sussex Central High School had 22 percent in 2019, up from 19 percent in 2018 and 21 percent in 2017.  Colonial School District’s William Penn High School also has seen steady growth: 15 percent in 2019, up from 13 percent in 2018 and 10 percent in 2017.

 

Alternate assessment

 

This is the second year of administration for Delaware’s alternate assessment. The percentage of students scoring proficient is down in all three subject areas (ELA, math and science) from last year’s initial administration. The 2019 state average for ELA was 28 percent proficient, down from 32 percent in 2018; math was 15 percent in 2019, down from 17 percent in 2018; and science was 17 percent in 2019, down from 19 percent in 2018.

 

Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

FELTON – Governor John Carney, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, and Delaware Department of Education Secretary Susan Bunting joined a group of third-graders and their families from South Dover, W. Reily Brown, and Star Hill elementary schools, for the 4th annual Delaware Outdoor Family – Governor’s Campout at Killens Pond State Park over the weekend.

The Governor’s Campout, part of Great Outdoors Month, offers the opportunity for families to become more familiar with camping, and helps to strengthen the relationship between family members, the environment, parks, and the community. This year, DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation partnered with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), to focus on the importance of reading and science. The event was linked to the state Department of Education’s Next Generation Science Standards implementation, and the Governor’s and DDOE’s literacy initiative.

“Third grade literacy is critical to the future success of our students,” said Governor Carney. “This is the time when students shift from the fundamentals of learning how to read, to reading to learn. I’m proud we can launch our literacy plan while inspiring the next generation of park enthusiasts. Improving literacy and science education will better prepare Delaware students for success.”

“Getting young people outdoors is critical for their health and well-being,” said Secretary Garvin. “At the same time, science education and reading prepare Delaware’s youth for science careers, emphasizes their role in keeping our environment healthy, and helps our young people continue to be good environmental stewards.”

“Students need to develop strong literacy skills in order to successfully absorb information in math, science, social studies, the arts and every other subject,” said Secretary Bunting. “Outside the classroom, students can use the literacy and scientific skills they’ve acquired in outdoor explorations to better engage with their families, their environment, and their communities.”

Students and their families, teachers, staff, and others, participated in night hikes, stargazing, history and other programs over the weekend. They also took time out to enjoy the traditional camping treat, s’mores over a campfire.

Great Outdoors Month is a national celebration of state and national parks across the country. It includes events such as Capital Campouts, Governor’s Campouts, National Trails Day, National Get Outdoors Day, and the Great American Campout.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 167

Leona Williams, teacher at Brandywine School District’s Forwood Elementary School, has made significant changes to how she teaches science as a result of her years as a NextGen teacher leader. Now she says she is looking forward to transforming her instruction even further with the information she and others will gain on Delaware’s new science assessment, set to be operational in the 2018-19 school year.

“The data we’ll be able to gather as a state will help shape science instruction and future assessments,” she said. “For teachers, we’ll be able to better identify our students’ strengths and needs to guide our next steps in the classroom. The assessments will help us understand if we’ve been successful in facilitating broader student learning rather than having [students] narrowly focus on a specific topic.”

For more than a year, Delaware educators have been working collaboratively across districts and charter schools to create a system of assessments that measures students’ true science mastery. Phase I of the assessment planning began in Fall 2016 when students and educators participated in a research and development process to create test items. Final drafts of these items are now available online for all educators to use in classrooms.

Phase II of the plan began this fall with Delaware educators helping to design an assessment system that aligns to existing technology. Phase II also includes a Spring 2018 field test in grades 5 and 8 and in high school biology.

Williams, a 2016 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) finalist and a 2018 Delaware Teacher of the Year nominee, is on the state’s test item review committee to develop the types of tasks and questions included on the field test and final assessment.

The test items she and others have created go beyond multiple choice and short answer questions to include innovative items that ask students to apply their science knowledge and skills to real-world situations. These types of assessments help students, families and educators gain valuable information on students’ mastery of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), replacing the state’s current Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) science exam for grades 5, 8 and 10.

“NGSS requires students to become more active learners,” said Williams. “Instruction engages students with a phenomenon then students ask questions, plan and carry out investigations, analyze data to build understanding. Because we are preparing students to understand the world around them and to have a positive impact on the world, they need to understand information presented to them in various forms.”

At the building level, much of the work around transitioning to NGSS is being led by NextGen Teacher Leaders. For four years, the department has provided an ongoing professional learning opportunity for 200 NextGen teacher leaders and 21 team leads from schools throughout the state. These teachers meet monthly to learn about NGSS and how to use a system of classroom assessments to support student learning. NextGen teachers also receive leadership training on adult learning and coaching skills to support the work of leading the NGSS transition back in their schools.

“Having Delaware teachers design and develop tests that they know will have real impact in the classroom is key to creating our state’s strong science assessment system,” said Secretary of Education Susan Bunting. “Teachers have been leading this process from the beginning by developing test items and providing feedback on what students truly need to thrive in science, and they are thus continuing to elevate science education across the state.”

Also key to the adoption of NGSS and the development of the state’s enhanced science assessment is the Delaware Science Coalition, a group of educators, district and charter leaders, and representatives from the state’s higher education and business communities focused on providing all students with high-quality science instruction. The Delaware Science Coalition requires all curriculum and materials be vetted through a year-long process that includes use of the EQUiP rubric, development of gap lessons and embedded assessments, as well as field testing and a larger, in-class pilot. The coalition then reviews the materials and pilot results to determine if districts and charters will use the materials before students engage in the lessons on a larger scale.

 

For more information on the great things happening in schools across Delaware, sign up to receive Take Note: Education in the First State at http://www.doe.k12.de.us/takenote. Take Note is published the final Wednesday of each month.

Seven Delaware teachers have been named finalists for the highest recognition that K-12 mathematics and science teachers can receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. These finalists will be honored at a banquet in Dover on November 9, alongside the state’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners, who will be named at the event.

The 2017 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) finalists include three math and four science teachers from Appoquinimink, Caesar Rodney, POLYTECH and Indian River school districts, MOT Charter School, and the private Tatnall School. PAEMST finalists earn a chance to be named a 2017 math or science awardee by the U.S. Department of Education.

Awarded each year by the White House, PAEMST is given to mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four U.S. jurisdictions. In addition to honoring individual achievement, the goal of the PAEMST award program is to exemplify the highest standards of mathematics and science teaching. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.

Every year each state selects up to five mathematics teachers and five science teachers as state finalists. The award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades.

A national selection committee reviews state finalist applications and selects one awardee in each content area for every state. Teachers are recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make progress in mathematics and science. As part of the recognition process, awardees take part in a weeklong series of networking and professional development activities in Washington, D.C., and receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

“Delaware’s state winners are educators whose deep content knowledge and high quality instruction support strong student learning in math and science,” Delaware Secretary of Education Susan Bunting said. “PAEMST educators are role models in math and science; thus we applaud the impact they are having on students across our state.”

The PAEMST award was established by Congress in 1983. It is administered through the National Science Foundation.  For more information about PAEMST and to see nomination forms and applications instructions, visit www.paemst.org.

On November 9, Delaware also will announce two Delaware mathematics and science education Lifetime Achievement awardees. Delaware’s Mathematics and Science Education Lifetime Achievement Awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to furthering mathematics and science education over the course of their careers. Nominations are reviewed by the PAEMST state selection committee. Previous awardees include: Denise Griffiths from the Delaware Council of Teachers of Mathematics; retired Department of Education employees Jack Cairns, William Geppert and Sally Caldwell; and DuPont education liaison Peggy Vavalla.

Media is welcome to cover the Nov. 9 event. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served shortly after 6:00 p.m., at Delaware State University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center in Dover.

2017 Finalists

Mathematics
Thomas Becker, MOT Charter School, Grades 9-11
Kathleen Olenderski, Appoquinimink School District’s Alfred G. Waters Middle School, Grade 8
Vickie Pendleton, Indian River School District’s Georgetown Middle School, Grade 8

Science
Jennifer Bradshaw, POLYTECH School District’s POLYTECH High School, Grade 10 Biology
Robert Ferrell, Appoquinimink School District’s Louis L. Redding Middle School, Grade 8
Joshua Gates, private Tatnall School, Grades 11-12 Physics
Todd Klawinski, Caesar Rodney School District’s F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School, Grades 7-8

Photos of the educators are available here.

 

Media Contact: Alison May, (302) 735-4006, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us

“Science at Your Door” is part of Governor’s “Children in Nature” initiative

LAUREL – DNREC’s new state-of-the-art mobile science laboratory, “Science at Your Door,” was unveiled today at North Laurel Elementary School in a ribbon cutting ceremony led by Governor Jack Markell, DNREC Secretary David Small and Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky. They were joined by Laurel School District Superintendent Shawn Larrimore, EPA Region 3 Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, North Laurel Elementary School Principal David Hudson, local officials, teachers and scores of 3rd graders, eager to explore the lab’s interactive science programs that feature watershed and ecosystem education.

The mobile science laboratory is part of Gov. Markell’s Children in Nature initiative that’s increasing opportunities for youth to take part in outdoor and environmental science activities both in school and out of school.

“Young people throughout Delaware have benefited from opportunities to experience nature and science – up close and personal through the Children in Nature initiative,” said Gov. Jack Markell. “I am delighted to announce this mobile science laboratory that supports the goals of the initiative: to connect kids with nature, provide meaningful outdoor experiences and increase environmental literacy, all while nurturing an environmental ethic in our youth that can last a lifetime.”

“Science at Your Door” provides learning opportunities where students can experience first-hand, through observation and exploration, important scientific relationships and how personal decisions impact the health of the environment. The laboratory improves environmental literacy and increases student diversity and access to science and nature experiences – two goals shared by the Delaware Children in Nature initiative and the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the document signed by Gov. Markell and five other governors in 2014 that sets goals that protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

“DNREC’s mobile science laboratory is an exciting way to teach environmental science to elementary, middle and high school students,” said DNREC Secretary Small. “The programs engage students through observing and interacting with the natural world – by providing authentic student experiences related to the everyday challenges we face in our environment, like finding solutions to improving water quality and reducing stormwater pollution. We appreciate the partnerships and funding with the Department of Education and EPA.”

The curriculum was developed by DNREC and the Delaware Department of Education to meet the Next Generation Science Standards and supports the Delaware Environmental Literacy Plan. The laboratory also supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education in Delaware by familiarizing students with environmental professionals and subjects that will help prepare them for college and potential careers in STEM fields.

“This trailer allows Delaware educators and students an opportunity to embrace the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS),” said Education Secretary Godowsky. “By encouraging a hands-on and analytical approach to science, NGSS is promoting the type of deep learning in students that extends well beyond the classroom, leading to significant learning gains and positive changes for our students.”

The mobile science laboratory will travel to schools in Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including Laurel, Woodbridge, Seaford, and Delmar School Districts and other individual schools located in the watershed. More than 2,000 students in kindergarten through high school and their science teachers will be enrolled in the “Science at Your Door” program during the 2016 -17 school year. Future plans are to expand the program to serve other schools located in the Delaware Bay, Piedmont and Inland Bays Watersheds.

“EPA is pleased to provide $225,000 in funding to Delaware for these kinds of programs – both inside and outside the classroom,” said EPA Regional Administrator Garvin. “On Halloween – it is scary to think that we would not give our students every opportunity to appreciate science, nature, and the outdoors – because we need them to become our next generation of engineers, researchers and scientists.”

“As our world evolves, environmental problems evolve as well, unfortunately,” said Laurel School District Superintendent Larrimore. “DNREC’s mobile science laboratory enables Delaware students with opportunities to increase their environmental literacy, opportunities to increase their hands-on interaction with our natural world, and, in turn, opportunities to increase their environmental problem-solving abilities.”

“Science at Your Door” programs include:

• The Power of Water – Students discover how mass and velocity affects the energy of moving water. Erosion and water pollution are used to illustrate the concepts.
• Watershed and Nonpoint Source Model “EnviroScape” – This interactive demonstration reveals the sources and effects of water pollution and allows students to find ways to prevent
  pollution. Students learn how stormwater runoff caries pollutants through the watershed and the best management practices to prevent runoff pollution.
• Waters of the Chesapeake – Students follow an imaginary water drop from Trap Pond to the Chesapeake Bay. The program includes exercises in outlining watersheds and a brief introduction to water quality testing, including pH, nitrate, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity to show the important of water management and pollution control.

In his remarks, Gov. Markell spoke about the thousands of public school children who have benefited from the Children in Nature initiative and highlighted some of its significant accomplishments over the past 2 ½ years. These included programs such as DNREC’s Youth Conservation Corps that’s providing environmental opportunities and summer jobs for teenagers, and Healthy Kids Days, a partnership among DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation, Nemours Health and Prevention Services, and the Department of Health and Social Services to encourage kids to make healthy lifestyle choices. Other notable successes are the creation of schoolyard habitats at Seaford and Caesar Rodney School Districts that serve as outdoor classrooms, 23 vegetable gardens at schools, providing education and healthy food, and numerous environmental-based programs and field trips to nature areas and parks.

The laboratory is collaboration among DNREC’s Divisions of Parks & Recreation and Watershed Stewardship and the Department of Education to provide scholarship-funded science education to students in Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Funding for the mobile science laboratory, supplies, and student/teacher scholarships was provided by DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship through EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program.

For more information on DNREC’s mobile science trailer, contact Dr. Jonathan Wickert, Chief of Interpretation, DNREC Division of Parks & Recreation at 302-739-9184 or William Koth, Interpretive Programs Manager, Trap Pond State Park, DNREC Division of Parks & Recreation at William.Koth@delaware.gov or 302-875-5163.

Media Contact: Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902; Melanie.Rapp@delaware.gov

Vol. 46, No. 365