FAQs
Student Achievement
Q: What is the difference between a student that is absent and a student that withdraws and reenrolls as it pertains to the VAM variables?
A: If the student was absent, the VAM variables would account for the absences. If the student is withdrawn and returns to the same school, you will not get mobility or absence accounted for within the VAM variables.
Q: 3rd grade retentions have a prior FCAT score. Will these 3rd grade teachers receive a VAM score?
A: 3rd Grade retained scores are not included.
Q: Are 1st year ESOL students’ scores included within a teacher’s VAM score?
A: Yes, the student will be included as long as he/she had a prior year’s score. However, remember that ELL is one of the variables accounted for within the VAM model.
Q: What if you are a high school math teacher and your students no longer take the Math FCAT?
A: Depending on the grade levels you teach, you will use the either FCAT Reading scores of your students or the FCAT Reading scores of the school as a whole.
Q: If you teacher Language Arts, do you use reading or math FCAT?
A: At the elementary and middle school levels, you will use an aggregate of both FCAT Reading and Math scores. If you teach high school, it would be the FCAT Reading scores.
Q: What happens to a teacher’s VAM scores when he/she takes a leave?
A: If a teacher is actively working one day more than half of the school year, he/she will use his/her students’ scores. Teachers who work half or less will use school scores.
Q: Do grades follow students or teachers on Terms?
A: Course grades are not part of the model.
Q: Teachers have been coded as homeroom teachers. Departmentalizing took place and coding was changed. Results were not impacting student achievement positively so the students were sent back to the homeroom teacher. Should the coding be changed back?
A: The data for Student Achievement will be pulled based on how students are coded within Survey 2 and 3.
Q: How will the scores work for teachers with mulit-levels?
A: We are working on examining the data to determine what percentage will be assigned for a teacher’s Student Achievement data.
Q: Will we be able to see what each student’s expected score was? Will we be able to ever receive this information in the ahead of time in order to set learning goals with students?
A: Once FCAT scores are made available, a teacher will be able to see the actual and expected scores for his/her students. However, the expected score will never be available ahead of time, as the calculation of the expected score uses the current year score in its calculation.
Q: Is the student growth model the same as the expected score?
A: The student growth model (or VAM) produces the expected score.
Q: Will tardies ever be a variable within the VAM model?
A: The state’s Student Growth committee discussed this issue. Since various districts noted that they do not track tardies in a reliable fashion, the state did not include it in the model.
Q: If the teacher only had the student for half of the year, would the student still count for that teacher?
A: At this point, the answer is yes. If the teacher had the student during Survey 2 or 3, the student would count for that teacher’s VAM score. The state notes that the mobility variable would help to account for this issue. However, the state is currently examining whether to change this rule to include only students that were with the teacher during both Survey 2 and 3.
Q: Is socio-economic status part of the VAM variables?
A: No. Socio-economic status, along with race and gender, were not allowed to be
included by state statute. The state noted that other factors in the model, such as mobility and retention, would address this.
Q: Is the model based on FCAT learning gains?
A: No, it is based on FCAT scores, but not on Learning Gains as defined for the school accountability system. The VAM model uses Developmental Scale Scores (DSS) to determine each student’s expected score. It’s a different way of analyzing the same data.
Q: Will the number of referrals/behavior be taken into account when calculating the VAM score?
A: No, at this time the state is not including this variable as part of the VAM model.
Q: Does the VAM score take into account teachers’ class sizes?
A: Yes. The class size variable is measured as the count of students in the Reading class with the same teacher during the same period for the Reading VAM score, and the size of the Math class for the Math VAM score.
Q: What about the end-of-course assessments and the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA) test?
A: The state is in the process of finalizing VAM models in February-March 2012 for the Algebra I EOC and the FAA. However, districts are not required to use these models since they were prepared late in the school year.
Q: Can we set some type of deadline to class changes? It would be difficult for a student to enter a classroom the day before one of the surveys and the students counted in that new placement.
A: District decision.
Q: Will there be any penalty from the state if a student purposely fails the test?
A: No.
Q: When will the data be pulled to determine the VAM scores?
A: The state will run the VAM model when FCAT scores are available, and they have stated they will send results to the districts in mid to late July 2012.
Q: What are we doing for K-8 schools?
A: The 4th and 5th grade scores will fall within the Elementary scores and 6th -8th grade scores will fall within Middle school scores.
Q: How are the teachers going to be trained in the Value Added Model?
A: A detailed PowerPoint is going to be released within the next two weeks.
Q: Will 5th grade teachers who are departmentalized be held accountable for all students they see or just in the subject that they teach? (For example, will the science teacher be assessed on Reading and math?)
A: Teachers will be linked to students who are assigned to them on terms.
If you are a science special teacher (non-direct FCAT), you will receive VAM scores (reading/math) for the 4th and 5th graders you see.
Q: How will teachers who are teaching 9th or 10th FCAT specific grade and/or 11th or 12th grade class receive a VAM score?
A: We are working on this.
Q: How is student achievement going to be measured for teachers at the College Academy? These teachers are school-based, not district-based, but they give ACT and/or SAT tests.
A: At this point, we haven't made any determinations for centers and for schools like College Academy. There is no model for SAT/ACT yet, as the only model the state has developed is FCAT. District FCAT scores is one option for this school; our committee needs to decide if we want to apply for some sort of exemption for schools like this or if to use District scores.
Q: In the VAM, if a teacher has two FCAT students (let's say two 11th graders who need to retake the FCAT test in a Marine science class of 30), are they going to prorate that teacher's student growth on being an FCAT teacher using the two scores and being a non-FCAT teacher for the other 28 students using the school score? Or, only on the FCAT students?
A: This is the big issue we have spent awhile on during our meetings. This has yet to be decided, as we don't know if splitting the student achievement part between a teacher's FCAT and non-FCAT students is allowed. If we cannot split the scores, the teacher would have to use school scores (for this year).
Q: Is the school score being interpreted as the school scores for the FCAT indicators only such as proficiency rates for Level 3 in reading ? or is it being interpreted as the overall school score/grade which does not come out for high schools as late as January?
A: The school score will be interpreted using FCAT scores and not using the non-FCAT outcomes that are used in the school grade. However, the methodology is not as limited as the proficiency or learning gains percentage; rather, it is a statistical model that takes into account other student-level factors that may impact scores (such as attendance, mobility, ELL/ESE status, class size, retention, etc.) This is how the model "levels the playing field". We will be providing more info on this very soon.
Instructional Practices
Q: How many informal and formal observations should we be doing?
A: Begin with 1 formal for every classroom teacher.
Q: Are we pre-conferencing?
A: Not required at this time.
Q: Will this align with the PAARC Assessment with the Common Core?
A: We are discussing this with the union/district.
Q: Is there a particular "order" we are to follow with observations; ie: by grade level, bargaining unit, subject for departmentalized classes?
A: No
Q: How does the scale work when observing and evaluating?
A: Right now, we are working on determining how the 5 categories (Innovating, Applying, Developing, Beginning and Not Using) will fit into the 4 evaluation ratings (HE, E, NI, U) Money will not be a part of this system until 2014.
Q: What goes in the comment box on the iObservation form?
A: Marzano recommended copying/pasting the questions within the rubric in order to bring the teacher to the next level. You are able to write your own comments; however, remember it’s a legal document that cannot be revised.
Q: Good teachers often differentiate instruction during the planning stages and through their lesson design. As a result it may not be "observable" during the observation, but may be revealed during the pre or post conference. How do we evaluate it, if we do not observe it during the observation?
A: At this time, you can only code what you observe.
Q: How can it be equitable for teachers in K-3 to be held accountable for students who they may not have taught and/or have not had contact with in several years?
A: Every teacher must have a SA score. In the future, the state will have a measure for all teachers/all classes.
Q: As a result of no daily planning day at the Elem. level, it is impossible to meet time sensitive deadlines for post conferencing.
A: Per contract, you need to post-conference with a formal observation.
Q: Is there a particular "order" we are to follow with observations, ie: by grade level, bargaining unit, subject for departmentalized classes?
A: No, it is recommended to start with one formal observation for every classroom teacher.
Q: What’s the status of peer observations?
A: As of right now, they are still optional.
Q: If a teacher has observations from 3 different administrators, do all count?
A: Yes, as long as each administrator checked the “counts towards the evaluation”
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Q: If I scripted for all teachers who were in recertification prior to Jan. 1st and did a post conference, does that count as their one formal evaluation or do I now need to do another formal using iObservation?
A: No, because it was conducted during the hold harmless period.
Q: Can what I scripted be translated into the formal Marzano observation?
A: No, because it was conducted during the hold harmless period.