New Data-Driven Culture Helps Garfield Elementary Schools Raise Test Scores
Garfield, NJ - Since implementing a comprehensive professional development program for teachers, Garfield Public Schools' (GPS) six elementary schools have achieved dramatic improvement in instructional quality, student achievement, and state test scores. All six elementary schools in GPS have demonstrated significant gains on the New Jersey Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA), and in 2006, Garfield was ranked the number one Abbott district (one of New Jersey's 31 low-income urban districts receiving state aid) in recognition of its academic achievement gains. For example, in the first three years of the program, the percentage of fourth grade students scoring Proficient and Advanced Proficient in Language Arts Literacy on the state assessment jumped from 62 percent to nearly 90 percent.
The successes at Garfield's elementary schools is the result of a multi-year professional development program designed to teach educators how, among other things, to analyze data, identify instructional gaps, align instructional resources, and apply research-based strategies to drive results in language arts, math, science, and social studies.
Garfield Schools' Assistant Superintendent, Raymond Hryczyk, said that the result has been nothing less than a complete transformation. "Before we began working with the Professional Development people at Pearson, many teachers kept their doors closed. When Pearson came in, we opened our classroom doors with walkthroughs, project fairs, and design team meetings. Everyone started to buzz about curriculum and where we wanted to move the district." He added, "Today, if you walk into any classroom, you'll see the teacher has created a rich, stimulating environment focused on thoughtful learning. You'll see students working on problems and projects that are meaningful and relevant to their lives. The impact has been very positive."
Garfield Public Schools began working with Pearson's Curriculum Professional Development group in 2000 to create language arts, math, science, and social studies curricula that included standards-based performance tasks and trimester tests aligned to the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge and Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment.
Next, Garfield joined K-12 education's fledgling data-driven decision making movement by implementing DataFlow, a process that helps educators use data to improve instruction and student learning. "Data analysis helps us find the strengths and weaknesses of our students, and it also gives us a much clearer picture of teachers' needs," said Margarita Pennisi, principal of School 7. "This makes it easier to share our needs with the central office or the board of education. We can also demonstrate how we've used data in our professional development and in rewriting our curriculum, and show the differences this has made from year to year."
Subsequent training was given on the use of diagnostic tools to gather additional school-wide data. This allowed schools to identify areas of strength and need, to develop action plans, and to conduct reviews to monitor progress toward their goals.
The results? "Garfield has been the number one Abbott district for a few years in terms of test scores, so we've really turned the district around. Now other districts are calling us for information about how we're doing that," said Hryczyk. "There's been dramatic improvement over the years. We're very proud of the work that's been done."
"Information sharing and collaboration has become routine at Garfield's elementary schools," said Bob Roliardi, Executive Vice President, Pearson Curriculum Group. "Teachers and specialists meet regularly with the principal and school facilitator to review assessment data, determine critical issues, and discuss strategies for effective instruction. And the district instructional leadership team meets regularly reflect on instructional practices, analyze data, set district-wide goals, and monitor progress based on district goals. They are truly a model for any district striving for instructional excellence."
SOURCE: Pearson