Charter schools get help keeping track

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CMU-authorized charter schools are getting a new piece of equipment to help
them keep track of how they are doing.

The Scantron Performance Series is an assessment tool being used by some of
the schools to show how their students perform in comparison to themselves,
the rest of the school and other schools in the CMU system.

“We are really pleased to be able to offer this to our schools,”
said Angela Irwin, director of administration at CMU Charter Schools.

The Internet-based system gives teachers the ability to administer tests in
reading and math to their students which store the data for comparison by those
with access.

“The teachers can look at results for one area, for their school or for
the other charter schools using the system,” Irwin said.

The data from the tests is posted immediately, and can be used by the district
in decision making and by teachers to give emphasis to areas that need improvement.

The reading test focuses on areas including vocabulary, reading rate, fiction
and non fiction as well as understanding of long and short passages.

The math test focuses on decimals, fractions, measurement, real and whole
numbers, geometry and the coordinate plane, data analysis and probability and
algebra, patterns and functions.

Reports can be made by district, grade level, course, groups or to show gains
in the areas tested.

“The schools that have tested this are very happy with it, because a
teacher can see that their students need help with decimals and can then focus
some course work on just that area,” Irwin said. “This can improve
the quality of education that students can get at the schools.”

The results of a test also can be further broken down by subject, so teachers
can see individual areas of one subject, like fractions.

“If a student is having trouble with fractions, they can go to a screen
that can tell them that the student is doing fine when it comes to adding fractions
with the same denominator, but needs help to deal with fractions that have
different denominators,” Irwin said.

Irwin said she is pleased that the charter schools have the opportunity to
use a system to assist them in their needs.

“Scantron is a wonderful company with a good reputation, and this system
has an accuracy rate of 90 percent,” she said. “We always strive
to offer the best education possible, and this is one way we can help our schools
serve our students better.”