LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MEMORANDUM TITLE: NEW TRAINING COURSE FOR ADMINISTRATORS TO USE ESIS AND DSS DATA SOURCES TO MONITOR AND INFORM INSTRUCTION ROUTING Local District Administration Elementary Principals Elem. Asst. Principals Coaches Coordinators NUMBER: MEMO- XXXX ISSUER: Esther Wong, Assistant Superintendent Planning, Assessment and Research DATE: January 16, 2006 PURPOSE: To notify schools regarding a new course using the Elementary Student Information System (ESIS) and the Decision Support System (DSS) to monitor and inform instruction. MAJOR CHANGES: A new course has been developed for administrators and aspiring administrators to gain an understanding and facility with SIS and DSS data systems to monitor and inform their instructional program. Classes will be scheduled beginning in February, 2006 in the Learning Zone. This course will be taught by Elementary SIS staff from Planning, Assessment and Research in concert with DSS trainers so that the expertise of both groups can be used to assist administrators. INSTRUCTIONS: Using ESIS and DSS Data Sources to Monitor and Inform Instruction: “Elementary Administrators’ Training” (3 ½ hours) This course is designed to help administrators understand and use tools available to them through the Elementary Student Information System (ESIS) and the Decision Support System (DSS) to monitor and inform the instructional program. Users will receive hands-on practice with Elementary SIS (Web-SIS) and DSS and will evaluate how to best use each data source to assist them with each specific need. Group discussion with peers will review how each report could be used. Strategies and helpful reports will be made available for use to answer such questions as: What are the differences between DSS and SIS? How do I monitor my English Learners to know when they are ready to move on to the next English Language Development (ELD) level? How many students are at each ELD level within each grade and how long have they been there? Which students at my school fall within a certain performance band and might be close to moving up to the next band? Which students are eligible for Emergency Immigrant Education Program (EIEP) intervention programs / on-track or Extended Learning Program (ELP) intervention / summer or intersession intervention? How can I identify a specific group of students for a local intervention (e.g., third graders who are performing at the “Basic” level on the California Standards Test (CST) in English language arts)? How can I keep track over time of student performance on standardized tests for groups of students / teachers’ classes? Memorandum MEM- XXXX Planning, Assessment and Research 1 of 2 January 16, 2006 LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MEMORANDUM How can I monitor whether or not teachers have sent warning notices for below standard work or whether students in my school “may be retained”? Do the marking practices of certain grade levels relate to the students’ scores on California Standards Tests and or the periodic writing assessment? How can I verify that my RFEP students are making adequate progress? I will be attending a Student Study Team. What information can I gather to help document student progress and various interventions he/she has been offered? Who are my potentially gifted students? This training can be scheduled by using the LEARNING ZONE. RELATED RESOURCES: Elementary SIS Newsletters, please see http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/sis/ESIS-Main.htm ASSISTANCE: Planning, Assessment and Research, Elementary SIS Support at (213) 241-4617. Memorandum MEM- XXXX Planning, Assessment and Research 2 of 2 January 16, 2006