District Determined Measures
aka: DDMs
What is a DDM?
• Think of a DDM as an assessment tool similar to MCAS.
• It is a measure of student learning, growth, and
achievement related to MA curriculum frameworks or
other relevant set of standards for a particular discipline.
• But, a DDM can also be unlike MCAS:
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A portfolio
A capstone project
A commercial assessment (e.g., DRA2, Lexia Core5)
ACCESS for ELLs
Indirect measures: Attendance/discipline/graduation rates,
course taking patterns, social/emotional/behavioral learning
over time. Useful for Specialized Instructional Support Personnel
(SISP).
What Qualities Must a DDM Have,
especially since it is tied to teacher evaluation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Must be aligned to and target most the important learning standards, or
objectives/student outcomes, for grade level & content area (content
validity).
Must be informative: informs educators about where students fall short or
excel; measures students’ progress/growth effectively. Tells us something
useful.
Must be free of any bias (e.g., quiet students, vocabulary backgrounds).
All groups of students (honors and disabled) should have an equal chance
to demonstrate growth.
Has common administration protocols. Note: Testing accommodations on
a student’s IEP must also be implemented for DDMs. [Update on
accommodations #26 & #30]
Has a common scoring process.
Will yield a range of performance & growth: high, moderate, low.
Moderate = 1 year’s progress. Needs to discriminate between strong and
weak performers.
Are equally rigorous across schools, grades, and content areas.
Four Basic Types of DDMs
1.
Pretest and Posttest
2.
Repeated Measures (done in short, regular
intervals: e.g., DRA2 or running records,
Lexia Core5 or Strategies for Older Students)
3.
Holistic Evaluation (e.g., portfolio)
4.
Posttest only (e.g., end of unit, term, or
course assessments; capstone project)
Note: A DDM should show growth over a year.
One can use a series of units to do so.
What is Required of All Educators?
• At least 2 DDMs per educator used over a 2 year period to
measure Impact on Student Learning (typically for not the
same students).
• 2013-14: Pilot as many DDMs as possible.
• 2014-15: 1st year implementation of joint committee
approved DDMs.
• 2015-16 (2016-17 with extension): As part of new Educator
Evaluation System, educators receive first round of Impact
ratings (high, moderate, low) based on two years of data
and collaborative (educator/evaluator) professional
judgment.
Note: “Moderate” growth is defined as 1 year’s
progress/growth over 1 year’s time and relative to one’s
academic peers; the amount of growth we would
reasonably expect for a student over one school year
relative to his/her academic peers.
Based on Professional Practice and
Goals Ratings
Summative Rating:
Two Ratings for All Educators
Exemplary
1-yr Self-Directed
Growth Plan
2-yr Self-Directed Growth Plan
Proficient
Needs
Improvement
Directed Growth Plan
Unsatisfactory
Improvement Plan
Low
Impact Rating
on
Student
Performance
Moderate
High
Rating of Impact on Student Learning
(Using two or more DDMs over two years: multiple measures
of performance, including MCAS Student Growth Percentiles
and ACCESS where available)
6
2 DDMs over 2 Years: Some Scenarios
If you teach or do…
You need or can use…
• Multiple subjects (e.g.,
K/elementary level).
• 1 DDM for ELA; 1 DDM for math
(must use 1 MCAS SGP; can use
both ELA & Math SGP).
• One subject or grade level
course only (e.g. middle
school).
• 2 DDMs for that subject or course
for all sections (1 must be MCAS
SGP for ELA & math teachers).
• Multiple courses and/or
grades (e.g., high school).
• You and your supervisor will need
to identify which two courses’
DDMs to use that best capture
the core of your work.
• Specialized Instructional
Support (for SISP).
• “Co-teachers” (e.g. Title 1, ELL,
SpEd): use same DDMs/SGPs.
• Portfolio; Indirect Measures (e.g.,
attendance, discipline, or
behavioral data, etc.).
What Needs to be Done by When?
• By June 1, 2014, all districts need to submit to DESE a DDM
implementation plan for 2014-15 onward.
• District DDM Plan needs to indicate the two-three DDMs to
be developed and used for each grade level, course, or role.
• Recommendation: Use what assessments you
currently have and modify them to meet DESE
standards for DDMs.
• A joint committee (elementary & secondary) has been
formed to review and approve all DDMs before they are
used as part of the Educator Evaluation System. This group
will also determine how to use DDM results to determine
Impact Ratings.
Note: All DDM work will be eligible for PDP credit.
The Challenge:
The Essential Questions:
1. How can I show, in a reliable and valid way,
my impact on students’ learning something
important over the course of the year?
2. What data do I already collect, or do I need
to collect, that will show student growth that
is fair to all groups of students?
3. Does this data fairly and accurately represent
my impact on the students I teach or work
with?
The End
Q&A