Royal Oak Analyzes MEAP Results to Ensure Student Progress

With the 2012 MEAP results released last month, the School District of the City of Royal Oak is pleased with test results that show overall improvement, but knows the district's work is not done.

"I am often asked whether test results are 'good.'  My answer is that any data on student learning is good to the degree we use it to improve learning for students," said Supt. Shawn Lewis-Lakin.

“In Royal Oak, we use MEAP data to ensure that our instructional practices are reaching all learners,” said Sarah Olson, director of instructional services & staff development. “We look at the results of cohort groups of students as they are move from one grade to the next to verify that they are making adequate progress.”

In addition, MEAP data is used to analyze how different populations are achieving compared to one another. 

“Reducing any evidence of a gap is critical to our instructional planning,” Olson said.

Building stamina  

Examples of instructional initiatives can be found throughout the district.   

At Upton Elementary, readers' and writers' workshops begin in kindergarten with students learning to zoom in on facts, according to teacher Janine Loveday.

“Think about what you write and picture it in your head using itsy-bitsy details,” Loveday told her class. At 5 years old, students are learning to sit and write and zoom in on one piece, she said, building stamina to sustain learning.

In Keeley Carson’s second-grade classroom, students are finding success with the workshop method, which encourages students to write eight- to 10-page stories.

“It may seem unrealistic, but the kids are rising to the occasion, and excitement is rising, too,” Carson said. “They are writing page after page.”

“The workshop model in reading, writing, and math is a perfect example of an instructional approach that reaches all students,” Olson said.  “Workshop increases student engagement by encouraging students to bring their own ideas and solutions to the table while working towards district-defined learning objectives.”

When I’m done I’ve just begun  

Third-graders at Upton continue to build writing stamina by editing essays on topics they are experts in, with titles such as, “It can be sad when your pet dies” or “Why winter is the best season.” They are learning writing isn’t perfect and requires multiple edits—that when your done, you’ve just begun.

“We teach them to cross-out rather than erase,” said teacher Andrea Doody. “They do lots of drafts and they do peer editing, too.”

Upton Principal John Grzywack said low scores in previous years made writing and grammar a building priority.

“We are focused on meeting the needs of our students and it is paying off,” Grzywack  said.

I see. I think. I wonder.  

Over at Royal Oak Middle School, Kerry Derminer’s math students are learning to be visual learners playing the “integer product game” using Connected Mathematics, which is a problem-centered curriculum.

“The traditional fill-in-the-blanks way of teaching mathematics is to give examples and then give homework,” Derminer said. “Now we have more discussion and dialog—more experience. The students play different games against each other.”

In Connected Math, students must invest themselves in real-world problems using math concepts and computation to find a solution, according to Olson.

“Students can see how mathematics can solve problems and help make sense of the world around them,” said Olson.

Derminer said she likes the new curriculum “a lot better than plug and chug.”

The students seem to be embracing the new instruction, too. Even though there are more expectations, they enjoy putting their math knowledge to the test playing different games.  

After all, “math really isn’t that hard,” according one of the middle-schoolers. “It’s fun.”