Hi Dan,
Great work on the Palos Patch site. You have a nice mix of stories, and your crime coverage seems particularly strong. Nice job in getting things up and running.
I'm writing today about a story written by Jesse Marx on Oct. 1 headlined, District 218 Looks to Boost Test Scores With Technology. It's a good story that hits several key points of interest to local parents and students, but I think you missed an opportunity to do more with a great local topic. Here's what I saw as the heart of the story:
This year freshmen are required to take 2 to 3 hours worth of web-based English and mathematic tests in the classroom each week. The results are stored electronically to keep teachers updated on individual student's strengths and weaknesses.
The heads of the school district's math, English, science and social science departments say the data will be used specifically to highlight concepts that students have failed to learn.
This leads me to all sorts of questions. Is this year's class of freshmen the first to use the software? If so, what prompted the change? How much does the program cost? Is it used anywhere else? Will they continue the tests through high school? Are there plans to extend the tests younger? Can parents monitor the test scores? How many other local schools are using the technology? Does anyone object to turning class time over to a computer?
Also, what does the test look like? What do the students think of them? I think these are all compelling questions that give a glimpse of the future of education in Palos.
More importantly, they'll get parents, students, teachers, and community members talking about local education (and hopefully reading Patch to learn more about their schools). The more we can drive the discussion on local issues in Palos, the more people will turn to Patch for news.
Here's my review of the story:
Headline
Your headline was: District 218 Looks to Boost Test Scores With Technology / School administrators say District 218 is focusing its energy on improving student performance and test scores.
Both the head and subhed are too general to really grab readers. I would have liked to see something like, Online tests gauge Palos students' progress / Teachers, administrators use data to shape curriculum
Remember, you're trying to entice readers to click through the story with the headline. Try to put the most interesting aspect of the story in the headline.
Story
(Edits noted in blue)
Community High School District 218 administrators believe the best way to improve test scores in high school is to begin tracking student progress before high school.
You generally want to avoid reporting what people "believe" (because you don't know what people really believe). Better here would be something like:
The best way to improve test scores at Community High School is to track student scores before high school, say District 218 administrators.
But this lead doesn't get at the heart of the story. What does this mean to parents and students? How about something like:
Based testing and data analysis, students and teachers at District 218's Community High School are relying on web-based software to gauge progress and tailor classes to improve student performance.
Freshmen at Community High School spend two to three hours per week taking online math and English exams designed to test their understanding of class material. Teachers evaluate the results and adjust their lessons accordingly.
Assistant Superintendent Kevin McCaffrey and other staff described the system to the Education Committee on Thursday. The online tests start in eighth grade and continue throughout high school. They're expected to have a direct, and immediate, impact on students' education.
(The superintendent's quote is the strongest in the story. It also raises another interesting issue: Are English and math more important than electives like music or art?)
"That means you might not have an elective, but we figure to move on and be successful you better know how to read and do math," he said. "It's back to core skills."
Byrne said the online tests will help the district improve test scores.
"We could always do better," he said. "We've got good kids, good schools, good teachers. Let's figure out what the kids know and don't know, and teach it to them."
Delete excess words and tighten where possible. Instead of ...
The heads of the school district's math, English, science and social science departments say the data will be used specifically to highlight concepts that students have failed to learn. Other teaching methods will then be tried and those struggling students will be allowed to retake the test.
This ...
Test data will flag concepts students didn't grasp and give teachers a second chance to present information, said the school district's math, English, science and social science department heads. Students can retake the test until they pass the material.
"Part of this whole process is to get more confidence and knowledge in skills," Byrne said. "You're not hooked ball 'n' chain to the text book."
It shouldn't matter how many times it takes a student to pass a test, he added, so long as they pass it.
Mike Jacobson, curriculum director of English and LRC, said his teachers meet daily during their common plan time or before or after school to share assessment results and plan differentiated lessons. Their goal, he said, is to create a living lesson plan rather than a synthetic curriculum and move the conversation away from, "Well, he's not very good at reading."
"All of this information becomes responsive in the classroom. We're not just reacting," Jacobson said.
(Note on above: Again, this is a fascinating statement that seems very progressive. You could unpack this into another story. It seems like District 218 is doing some innovative work that's worth writing about.)
(Above: I'm not sure what this means. What's "the big picture"? Is the hope to use data to improve teaching? Again, don't let officials get away with jargon and buzz words.)
The goal is to open dialogue among academic departments so that the big picture may be seen while addressing daily teaching styles, Byrne said.
Students won't be the only ones who benefit from the software; it was also purchased with parents and taxpayers in mind, McCaffrey said. Stakeholders can visit the District 218 website and view how particular schools stack up against one another in the district.
To learn more about the web-based software used by District 218, click on the following links: Lexia's ReadingPlus ACT's, EXPLORE Assessment and ALEKS
Do you think web-based assessments can help improve student performance? Tell us in the comments
End Notes
There's a few things missing from the story:
- I'd love to hear from a student about the tests. Hard to do on deadline, but did the reporter witness anyone taking the tests? That would have made for better art, too.
- An interview with a regular teacher about how they use data, if they do at all. This all sounds great, but is it really working? The story could use a dose of skepticism until the district demonstrates how this works. You could actually ask the question: Is this really being used? What's a concrete example of a teacher changing their style based on data? Or of a student who improved performance?
- The art for the story is lacking. I'd love to see how the students take the test, or how teachers analyze data.
- Where do parents fit into this? Can they review data? What do they think of students taking regular online tests? Is the data protected? Does it affect grades?
- I'm not education expert, but this seems to be fairly cutting edge. It'd be interesting to put these tests in some sort of context. Do other districts use them? Is this common around the country? An interview with the testing company or an education expert could answer these questions.
Social Media
Here's some suggestions on adding social media and additional technology:
- Twitter: Not your parents' education: Community High freshmen take online tests to gauge progress
- Facebook: Discuss: Community High is using online tests to gauge student progress. If students fall behind, they may have to give up an elective class to catch up in math or English. Are core subjects more important than electives?
- Facebook: Computers are an everyday part of today's schools. What was high-tech in your high school?
- Tumblog: Things that make Palos great: Innovative use of technology at Community High School to test students and adjust teaching methods to improve performance
- Video: What does a test look like? Can we take one? Can we see if readers would pass a freshman English exam?
Links
The reporter did a good job of linking to related materials. I would just add the Community High School District 218 website: http://www.chsd218.org/
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