Notes for the Student Progress Dashboard

DIBELS  | HMH-GM |  Reading Inventory (RI) | Math Inventory 3.1 (MI)

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)

Description: The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment is Arlington’s literacy screener to determine student progress on early literacy skills in grades K-5.

Grades

• • For the 2020-21 Fall, Winter and Spring administrations, only students in grades 3-5 participated.
  • For the 2021-22 Fall and Winter administrations, students in grades K-5 participated.

Test Proficiency Levels*

• • Intensive Support: At Risk/Well Below Goal
  • Strategic Support: Some Risk/Below Goal
  • Core Support: Minimal Risk/On Goal
  • Core ^ Support: Negligible Risk/Above Goal

Other Notes

• • The conditions for test administration during the 2020-21 school year were different than normal school years due to virtual instruction and COVID-19
  • For the 2020-21 Fall, Winter and Spring administrations, only students in grades 3-5 participated.
  • For the 2021-22 Fall and Winter administrations, students in grades K-5 participated.

HMH-Growth Measure Assessment (Grades 6-12)

Description: HMH is an assessment used to make decisions that support both core and intervention instruction for students. It is used to evaluate students’ performance using questions aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning, with domains in reading and language. It is administered three times per school year (Fall/Winter/Spring) for students in grades 6-12. Student growth and progress on each assessment is monitored at the classroom, grade, school, and division levels.

Test Proficiency Levels for HMH-GM categorize students’ scores into five performance levels in terms of readiness to learn on-grade level content:

• • Far below level – more than two grade levels below
  • Below level – within two grade levels below
  • Approaching – within one grade level below
  • On level – on grade level
  • Above level – above grade level

When a student’s HMH Growth-Measure score is on level or below level, the ELA Office recommends additional diagnostic assessments be administered to students to determine specific areas of need.

Reading Inventory (Grades 6-9) – Discontinued

Description: This classroom-based, adaptive assessment was administered three times per school year (Fall/Winter/Spring) to evaluate students’ reading performance. The RI, previously used in APS, has been discontinued and replaced with the HMH-Growth Measure, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. Both RI and the HMH-Growth Measure are owned by the same parent company. The HMH-Growth Measure provides information about more targeted instructional approaches for students based upon their performance.

Test Proficiency Levels*

• • Advanced: Students scoring in this range exhibit superior performance on grade-level-appropriate skills and concepts.
  • Proficient: students scoring in this range exhibit competent performance when reading text that is grade-level appropriate. They may be considered as reading “on grade level.”
  • Basic: Students scoring in this range exhibit minimally competent performance when reading grade-level appropriate text. They may be considered as reading “below grade level.”
  • Below Basic: Students scoring in this range do not exhibit minimally competent performance when reading grade-level appropriate text. They may be considered as reading “significantly below grade level.”

Other Notes

• • Typically, all students in grades 6-9 participated in the Reading Inventory three times per school year; however, some schools elected not to reassess students who score Proficient or Advanced in the Fall administration in subsequent administrations, resulting in fewer students taking the Winter and Spring assessments.

Math Inventory 3.1 (Grades 2-8)

Description: The MI 3.1 is a computer-adaptive screener for students in grades 2-8 that measures students’ readiness for math instruction. The MI assesses students three times per school year in five strands of mathematics: Number and Operations, Geometry, Measurement, Algebra, and Data Analysis and Probability.

Grades: Grades 2-8

Test Proficiency Levels*

• • Advanced: Students scoring in this range exhibit superior performance on grade-level-appropriate skills and concepts.
  • Proficient: students scoring in this range exhibit competent performance when reading text that is grade-level appropriate. They may be considered as reading “on grade level.”
  • Basic: Students scoring in this range exhibit minimally competent performance when reading grade-level appropriate text. They may be considered as reading “below grade level.”
  • Below Basic: Students scoring in this range do not exhibit minimally competent performance when reading grade-level appropriate text. They may be considered as reading “significantly below grade level.”

Other Notes

• • Midyear or Winter administrations were not required until the 2020-21 school year, so the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years only show two test administrations – Fall and Spring
  • Students in grades 5-8 have been required to take MI in the Fall and Spring in each of the past two school years (2020-21 and 2021-22) with one exception; Spring administration has not been required for middle school students enrolled in specific high school credit courses: Geometry Intensified, Algebra II, and Algebra II Intensified.

*English Learner Proficiency (ELP) Test Proficiency Levels for all assessments:

• • Level 1: Entering
  • Level 2: Emerging
  • Level 3: Developing
  • Level 4: Expanding
  • Level 5: This level was eliminated by the Virginia Department of Education after it recalibrated ACCESS for ELs scores
  • Level 6: Proficient in English but are still monitored for two years and are able to receive accommodations, if necessary

Data by Proficiency

Proficiency for all students is provided in aggregate. However, to protect student privacy, numbers of students are not displayed on the race/ethnicity tables accompanying the Overview by Test Administration and Overview by School Year pages when the populations are less than 10. Note: School staff have information about all students and, when needed, students who require additional support/interventions receive them. Information for these subgroups is provided in the District-level data

Data for Year-to-Year Comparisons

The current dashboard includes Fall (Beginning of the Year – “BOY”) and Winter (Middle of the Year – “MOY”) data. Students often demonstrate their highest level of proficiency on the Spring (End of Year – “EOY”) assessments. This is often the result of targeted interventions that have been provided for students who are identified as needing additional support.  The reported results are calculated based on the student’s highest level of performance throughout the year. The 2021-2022 performance bars do not yet reflect Spring (End of Year) assessment data. Expect an update in July 2022.

Assessment Time Frames

• Fall: Beginning of Year (BOY)
• Winter: Middle of Year (MOY)
• Spring: End of Year (EOY)

Notes:

• The 2019-20 Spring assessments did not take place due to COVID-19.
• The conditions for test administration during the 2020-21 school year were different than normal school years due to virtual instruction and COVID-19

Viewing the Dashboards

There are six ways to view the data for each assessment:

• Trend by Test Admin: Displays student progress for each of the three assessment dates throughout the selected school year – Beginning of Year (Fall), Midyear (Winter) and End of Year (Spring).
• Division/School Comparison: Compares a school’s results with the division during each of the three assessments during in the selected school year.
• SY Comparison: Compares student progress for each school year by division or school. The best score for each student on the three assessment dates is used.
• Division Overview: Provides a snapshot of the school division performance for the selected school year.
• Overview by Test Admin: Displays the school division’s performance for a specific test date and compares the selected school with the division.
• Overview by School Year: Displays the school division’s performance for a selected school year and compares an individual school’s results with the division.

Toolbars at the top of each dashboard make it possible to sort results by academic year (2019-20, 2020-21, or 2021-22), school, grade(s), and subgroups, including race and ethnicity, students with disabilities, English Learners (ELs), and ELs by proficiency. It is also possible to review and compare an individual school’s results to the division. The dashboard does not provide a screen for comparing one school to another school.

Abbreviations:

• EL: English Learners
• Non-EL: Native English Speakers
• ELP: English Language Proficiency
• SWD: Students with Disabilities