National, State, and Local Math & Science Achievement (North Carolina)

Write a short (3-5 pages, double-spaced) paper. In writing your paper, consider the following questions:
1. How are the various measures of performance similar and different in terms of what they assess and how they assess math and science performance?
2. Identify any “disconnects” or inconsistencies you see in the various measures of performance. What might explain them?
3. How well do you believe U.S. students are doing in math and science? Explain/justify your answer.
4. What differences do you find in performance between groups? What do you make of these differences?
5. How well do the students in your school do compared to students in other schools in your system? What conclusions did you draw from these comparisons?
6. What do these measures say about math and science instruction in NC, your district, and your school?
7. What can/should you do as a teacher leader with these data?

Step 1: Investigate International Performance and Trends in Math and Science TIMSS (Trends in Mathem atics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) are international measures of student performance. Use the information in the text, links, attachments, and your own research to answer the following questions for EACH assessment. ● Who is tested? ● How often? ● What is tested? (Which subjects? What content?) ● How is it tested? (How many questions? What types of questions?) ● What are the levels of proficiency for this exam? ● What other information is collected? ● What are some results/key findings from the last administration? ● What are some results/key findings over time? ●What are the implications for instruction?
Step 2: Investigate National Performance and Trends in Math and Science NAEP (The National Assessment of Educational Progress) is also known as “The Nation’s Report Card”. Use the information in the text, links, attachments, and your own research to locate information about this exam? ● Who is tested? ● How often? ● What is tested? (Which subjects? What content?) ● How is it tested? (How many questions? What types of questions?) ● What are the levels of proficiency for this exam? ● What other information is collected? ● What are some results/key findings from the last administration? ● What are some results/key findings over time? ●What are the implications for instruction?
Step 3: Investigate State Performance and Trends in Math and Science TIMSS: Use the information in the text, links, attachments, and your own research to locate information about NC’s performance: ● How did the students in NC perform on the last administration? ● How does NC’s performance compare to the performance of other U.S. students? ● How does NC’s performance compare to other nations? ● How have the students in NC performed over time? ● How does NC’s performance over time compare to the performance of other U.S. students? ●How does NC’s performance over time compare to the performance of other nations?

Step 4: Investigate NC EOG’s: Use the information in the text, links, attachments, and your own research to locate information about NC’s performance: ● Who is tested? ● How often? ● What is tested? (Which subjects? What content?) ● How is it tested? (How many questions? What types of questions?) ● What are the levels of proficiency for this exam? ● What other information is collected? ● What are some results/key findings from the last administration? ● What are some results/key findings over time? ● Are any achievement gaps present? Between which populations? ●What are the implications for instruction? Additional sites: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states DPI NAEP site https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/testing-and-school-accountability/statetests/national-assessment-educational-progress-naep Step 5: Investigate Local Performance and Trends in Math and Science Use the DPI accountability resources to locate NC EOG information about your school district: ● How did your school district perform on the last administration of the NC EOGs in Math and Science? ● How do the district’s results compare to the overall state’s results? ● Are any major achievement gaps present? Between which populations? ● How do the achievement gaps relate to achievement gaps in the state’s results? ● How did your school perform? ● How does your school’s performance relate to other schools in your district? To the state? ● What are the implications for instruction? Disaggregated Test Results https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/testing-and-schoolaccountability/school-accountability-and-reporting/testing-results-green-book Main DPI Website: https://www.dpi.nc.gov
Step 6: Discussion Board 1: Math and Science Achievement • Discuss your research about math and science achievement so far: Summarize U.S. and N.C. student performance. • What did you find that surprised you? • What are some questions that you have about what you have, or have not, found?