Look at Current Data on Former Students
Look at Current Data on Former Students
If your district determines there is a need to look at current
data on former students, VCAT allows you to do this very easily.
Looking at current performance data on former students is an
important strategy that teachers use to reflect on teaching
practices and guide teaching decisions. Because the NECAP tests
given in October test students on grade expectations from the
previous year, it is important for teachers to examine this data on
former students. Such information can prove valuable when making
decisions about future teaching initiatives. VCAT allows you to
examine data collected on groups of students from several years
ago, however you district will determine the “look
back” window depending on the intent behind accessing this
data on past students.
To examine current data on former students using VCAT, just follow these simple steps:
- After logging onto VCAT, you are provided with 3 tabs –
Curriculum, Assessments, and Reports. Select the Reports
Tab.
- Because you are interested in viewing information on a group of
students, next to Student you will select Group
Achievement.
- You will be asked to Select Year. The year you select
represents the year that these students were in your class. If the
current year is 2010-2011 and you want last year’s students,
you will select 2009-2010.
- Select your School
- Select Course: At this point you should be provided with the
grade level these students were in when they were in your class. If
you are given a list of choices, select the grade level these
students were in when they were in your class.
- Select the class name you are provided.
- Select the students you want to look at or Check All to look at
the performance of all of your former students on the same
report.
- Select Data Years: At this point you will select the years of
data you wish to examine. Again, this will depend on the intent
behind accessing the data and what your district has determined as
an appropriate “look back” window.
- Select the Curriculum Courses you wish to look at and ask for
More Detail. The courses listed should be courses of the data years
you selected for these former students.
- Under Unit Summary Report, select More Detail.
- Check All or Select the specific sub-categories you wish to
examine. Once you have selected the sub-categories, click on
Criterion Summary Report.
- Uncheck RAW and click View Scales to just view the student Proficiency Scores. This makes your report easier to interpret and understand.
When viewing the data provided within the report it is important to examine patterns you notice over time. Are students maintaining similar scores from grade to grade? Are the scores of certain students declining over time? You can delve deeper into the report to select more specific information by going back and asking for more detail. Closely examining the data of former students can be valuable for teachers and administrators as they make decisions around curriculum and instruction.