Research Brief
Revised January 2006
Department of Shared Accountability
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
Daniel Curry-Corcoran, Ph.D. and Marjorie A. Innocent, Ph.D.
Background
The Early Success Performance Plan (ESPP) was
developed and implemented in fall 2000 by the
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to
address gaps in achievement and opportunity for the
district’s youngest learners. The plan includes a
series of interwoven initiatives at the elementary
school level. One component, full-day kindergarten,
was initially phased in over a 3-year period across 56
schools with high levels of poverty—17 schools in
2000, an additional 17 the following year, and 22
more in 2002. The full-day kindergarten instructional
program incorporates a 90-minute literacy block,
which includes reading, writing, listening, and
speaking, a 60-minute mathematics block, and a
reduced class size of 15:1. As full-day kindergarten
has been implemented in other schools, the average
class size has risen to 22:1. During the 2004–2005
school year, full-day kindergarten was implemented
in a total of 93 elementary schools. All elementary
schools will provide full-day kindergarten by August
2007.
The ESPP is built around a number of guiding
principles of comprehensive school reform,
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Standards-based curriculum focusing on reading,
writing, and mathematics
Diagnostic assessments three times a year,
supported by a technology-based monitoring
system
Ongoing professional development for teachers
Smaller class size
Extended-day and extended-year programs
Family involvement and increased family/school
communication (Alban, Curry-Corcoran, and
Nielsen , 2003).
The MCPS Assessment Program in Primary Reading
(MCPSAP-PR) is a locally developed assessment that
provides formative information to help teachers,
schools, and the district monitor students’ reading
progress from Pre-K through Grade 2. Kindergarten
students are expected to read a level 3 text with 90%
or higher accuracy. Grade 1 students must read a
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level 16 text with 90% or higher accuracy and score
at least 80% on oral comprehension. The reading
benchmark for Grade 2 is a level M text with 90% or
higher accuracy, with 80% or higher on oral
comprehension, and with a score of 2 or 3 on written
comprehension.
Methodology
The first group of students, identified as Cohort 1,
consists of students who were in kindergarten during
2000–2001, Grade 1 in 2001–2002, Grade 2 during
2002–2003, Grade 3 in 2003–2004, and Grade 4 in
2004–2005. Cohort 2 includes those students entering
kindergarten in 2001–2002. Cohort 3 includes
students in kindergarten in 2002–2003.
During the 2004–2005 school year, implementation
of an updated reading assessment for kindergarten
through Grade 2 began in 19 elementary schools.
This updated assessment, known as mCLASS
Reading 3D, infuses the MCPSAP-PR with new and
revised foundational assessments, as well as literary
and informational reading texts. With the help of
handheld wireless technology, teachers have the
ability to assess students more quickly and with
greater accuracy to maximize instructional time.
Teachers have quick access to the assessment scores
of students to monitor and improve their instructional
delivery. The mCLASS Reading 3D benchmarks for
students in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 are
consistent with those of the original MCPSAP-PR.
Results
The 19 elementary schools piloting the updated
reading assessment participated in the MCPSAP-PR
during fall 2004 and mCLASS Reading 3D in
winter–spring 2005. The charts below reflect the
spring 2005 performance of students enrolled in
kindergarten through Grade 2 who participated in
both the MCPSAP-PR and mCLASS Reading 3D.
During the 2005–2006 school year, all students in
kindergarten through Grade 2 will participate in the
new mCLASS Reading 3D assessment, except those
enrolled at Reading First schools.
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
students meeting benchmark performance improved
as they progressed to Grade 1 in 2002, Grade 2 in
2003, Grade 3 in 2004, and Grade 4 in 2005. Similar
trends are evident for each class that has followed the
first cohort of kindergarten students.
Percentage of Students
Since 2002, students have shown continual
improvement in reaching reading benchmarks in
kindergarten through Grade 1. In 2005, 81% of
kindergarten and 76% of Grade 1 students met or
exceeded the appropriate grade-level benchmarks.
Grade 2 students continued to excel and maintained
their performance from the 2003–2004 school year
(Figure 1).
100
80
60
68 71
*81
*
74
76
64
60 62
59
72
Table 1
Percentage of Students at or Above the Benchmark
Proficiency in Reading for Elementary Reform Years
Progress of Cohort 1 Highlighted
Percentage of Students at or
Above Standard
72*
Grade
53
40
Kindergarten
Grade 1
2003
2004
Grade 2
Grade 2 (CTBS)
2005
Kindergarten
78
79
62
64
68
69
60
62
74
76
59
68
71
81
Improved performance and increased diversity are
particularly marked in the experience of Cohort 1
students over the past 5 years. The group has grown
more diverse over time and produced higher levels of
achievement every year. In 2000–2001, for example,
White students comprised 47% of the kindergarten
class. In Grade 4, the percentage of White students
declined to 43%. During the same period, overall
levels of proficiency in reading have improved each
year, from 39% in kindergarten to 86% in Grade 4
(Table 1).
Focus on a revised Pre-K reading and
mathematics curriculum and instructional
program and diagnostic assessments.
Pre-K reading standards aligned with the
Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum.
Continued professional development for
teachers.
An additional 17 schools implementing full-day
kindergarten programs, for a total of 93 schools
participating in full-day kindergarten.
Also worth noting is the decline in the reading
proficiency gap between the highest and lowest
performing racial/ethnic subgroups. At the
kindergarten level, this gap declined from 29
percentage points in 2002 to 18 points in 2005; for
Grade 1, from 33 points in 2002 to 25 points in 2005;
and for Grade 2, from 39 points in 2002 to 29 points
in 2005 (attachment).
Given these refinements and the academic progress
of kindergarten students, the kindergarten reading
benchmark will be revisited during the current school
year to ensure that assessment standards continue to
challenge our students and raise our instructional
programs to new levels of excellence.
While not vertically equated, Table 1 highlights the
progress of the first cohort of students in the ESPP.
It reflects the continued gains in student proficiency
over time on different assessment measures. The
current Grade 4 students were in kindergarten in
2001, with a baseline reading proficiency level of
39%. In each subsequent year, the number of
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39
67
Improved performance in elementary schools
coincides with increasing diversity among our
student population at all grade levels. Overall, in
2004–2005, elementary enrollment was over 62,000,
with 23% African American, 15% Asian American,
21% Hispanic, and 41% White—the lowest White
enrollment among elementary, middle, and high
schools on record.
The impact of the ESPP continues to be most striking
at the kindergarten level, with 81% of students
meeting the end-of-year reading benchmark in 2005.
This improvement from past years is due to both
continued implementation of the ESPP and a number
of important programmatic changes influencing the
progress of our youngest learners. These initiatives
include the following:
•
59
Grade 1
Figure 1. Students at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS
assessment programs from 2001–2002 through 2004–
2005.
•
2003 2004 2005
86
Grade 3 (MSA)
0
* 2005 data combine MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
•
2002
Grade 4 (MSA)
20
2002
•
2001
As noted earlier, the success of Cohort 1 is mirrored
in the performance of Cohort 2 (Table 2). This
cohort just completed Grade 3 and has slightly
outperformed Cohort 1 on the Maryland School
Assessment (MSA).
2
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
Table 2
Percentage of Students at or Above the Benchmark
Proficiency in Reading for Elementary Reform Years —
The growth in reading levels is evident not only for
cohorts of students, but also within grades (Table 4).
The percentage of kindergarten students scoring at
benchmark has increased from 39% to 81% over the
five years. The percentage of Grade 1 students at or
above the reading benchmark has increased from
60% to 76%. The percentage of Grade 2 students
scoring above the national norm on the CTBS has
increased from 59% to 69%.
Progress of Cohort 2 Highlighted
Percentage of Students at or
Above Standard
2001
2002
2003 2004 2005
Grade 4 (MSA)
86
Grade 3 (MSA)
Grade 2 (CTBS)
59
Grade 1
Kindergarten
39
67
78
79
62
64
68
69
60
62
74
76
59
68
71
81
Table 4
Percentage of Students at or Above the
Benchmark/National Median or Proficient in Reading for
Elementary Reform Years —Progress Within Grades
Highlighted
Percentage of Students at or
Above Standard
With
additional
schools
offering
full-day
kindergarten and smaller class sizes, 59% of Cohort 2
students met the reading benchmark in kindergarten
(surpassing the baseline performance of Cohort 1).
In Grade 1, 62% of these students met the Grade 1
benchmark. On the Grade 2 Comprehensive Test of
Basic Skills (CTBS), 68% were above the 50th
national percentile. In Grade 3, 79% met or exceeded
the proficiency standard for the MSA.
2001
Grade 2 (CTBS)
Kindergarten
Grade 2 (CTBS)
59
Grade 1
Kindergarten
39
67
78
79
62
64
68
69
60
62
74
76
59
68
71
81
78
79
62
64
68
69
60
62
74
76
59
68
71
81
MCPS continues to see students performing well in
reading assessments after the initiation of the ESPP.
An increasing number of students enroll in
kindergarten after having been exposed to the revised
Pre-K curriculum, MCPS instructional program, and
diagnostic assessments. The expectations of students
and teachers have changed and more professional
development opportunities for teachers are being
offered.
In 2004–2005, a total of 93 schools participated in
full-day kindergarten. Given how much these
students continue to outperform their earlier cohorts,
the benchmark for kindergarten students will be
revised this year to better capture student
achievement.
Cohort 3 began kindergarten in 2002–2003. A total
of 68% of students were at or above the benchmark at
the end of the school year (Table 3). At the end of
Grade 1, 74% of students were at or above the
reading benchmark. On the Grade 2 CTBS, 69% of
students were at or above the 50th national percentile.
While the percentage of students achieving the CTBS
standard was lower than the number of students
meeting the Grade 1 standard in the previous year,
this may be due to a possible ceiling effect on the
CTBS test. MCPS will be moving to a new
assessment, TerraNova 2, in Grade 2 to better
document the academic progress of students.
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39
67
Conclusion
86
Grade 3 (MSA)
59
Grade 1
2003 2004 2005
Grade 4 (MSA)
86
Grade 3 (MSA)
Percentage of Students at or
Above Standard
2002
2003 2004 2005
Grade 4 (MSA)
Table 3
Percentage of Students at or Above the
Benchmark/National Median or Proficient in Reading for
Elementary Reform Years —Progress of Cohort 3 Highlighted
2001
2002
References
Alban, Theresa; Curry-Corcoran, Daniel; Nielsen,
Jennifer. (2003). Longitudinal Impact of Early
Success Performance Plan Initiatives on Student
Academic Achievement: Technical Report on
Three Years of Implementation. Rockville, MD:
Montgomery County Public Schools.
3
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
Attachment
While gaps in achievement among various subgroups remained fairly consistent given student performance in 2004–
2005, the percentage of students at or above benchmark continues to improve for all subgroups since the 2002
baseline year (see Figures 2 and 3). For the first time since the inception of these local assessments, the percentage
of all kindergarten students at or above the kindergarten reading benchmark exceeded 80%. Substantial increases
occurred from 2004 to 2005, as 87% of White and Asian American students and 78% of African American students
met or exceeded the kindergarten reading benchmark. At the same time, there was a striking decline over time in the
gap between the highest and lowest performing subgroups, from 29 percentage points in 2002 (71% vs. 42%) to 18
points in 2005 (87% vs. 69%).
Percent of Students
100
87*
81*
80
74 *
70
68 71
59
60
57
71
87*
78*
76 78
65
61
69
67
69 *
73 75
55
52
2002
61
2003
2004
42
2005
40
20
0
All
Am Ind
As Am
Af Am
White
Hisp
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
Figure 2. Percentage of kindergarten students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Programs, 2002 through 2005,
by race/ethnicity.
The performance of students receiving limited English proficiency (LEP) services demonstrated a substantial
increase in meeting the end-of-year kindergarten benchmark, increasing from 58% in 2004 to 70% in 2005, a 12
percentage point increase. The performance of students receiving special education and Free and Reduced-price
Meals System (FARMS) services also improved with a 6 and 8 percentage point increase, respectively.
100
Percent of Students
81
80
60
*
79
68 71
59
*
66 68
56
71 74
84 *
62
45
50 52
40
70
58*
*
*
58
48
58
62
70
44
28
2002
2003
2004
2005
20
0
All
Male
Female
Sp Ed
LEP
FARMS
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
Figure 3. Percentage of kindergarten students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Program, 2002 through 2005,
by gender and service receipt.
Office of Information and Organizational Systems
4
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
An examination of reading performance in Grade 1 reveals that the percentage of students at or above the reading
benchmark remained consistent from 2004 to 2005 for all racial/ethnic subgroups. Despite an increase in
performance among Hispanic students, the percentage of Hispanics achieving the end-of-year benchmark remained
below that of all Grade 1 students and other racial/ethnic subgroups. Results of other Grade 1 subgroups reveal that
students receiving LEP services had the largest percentage increase between 2004 and 2005—from 44% to 54%
(Figures 4 and 5). Smaller growth was evidenced among students receiving FARMS—from 57% to 61%.
Racial/ethnic subgroup comparisons also reveal a dramatic decline over time in the performance gap between the
highest and lowest subgroups, from 33 percentage points in 2002 (71% vs. 38%) to 25 points in 2005 (86% vs.
61%).
100
*
84
Percentage of Students
80
60
74
76*
*
86
83 83
71 69
68
70 *
70 72
60 62
56
54
61 *
2002
2003
49
38
40
43
2004
2005
20
0
All
AsAm
AfAm
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
White
Hisp
Figure 4. Percentage of Grade 1 students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Program, 2002 through 2005, by
race/ethnicity.
Percentage of Students
100
74 76
80
60 62
60
*
77 78*
*
71
55
59
74
63 65
54 *
37
40
41 41
34
*
44
34
57
61*
2002
2003
39
42
2004
2005
28
20
0
All
Male
Female
SpEd
LEP
FARMS
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
Figure 5. Percentage of Grade 1 students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Program, 2002 through 2005, by
gender and service receipt.
Office of Information and Organizational Systems
5
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
The performance of Grade 2 students remained unchanged for all subgroups from 2004 to 2005. The percentages of
Asian American and White students continued to surpass those of other racial/ethnic subgroups, as more than 80%
of these students met the end-of-year reading benchmark. The performance of African American, Hispanic, and
students receiving special education services remained much lower than that of Asian American, White, and Grade 2
students overall. Students receiving LEP services had the largest percentage gain of any subgroup—from 33% to
40%. Fewer than 50% of students receiving special education or LEP services were at or above the benchmark level
by the end of the 2004–2005 school year (Figures 6 and 7). Once again, the declining gap between the highest and
lowest performing racial/ethnic subgroups is made evident, from 39 percentage points in 2002 (67% vs. 28%) to 29
points in 2005 (83% vs. 54%).
100
Percent of Students
80
72
80 81
*
72
83 83
*
74
73
64
60
*
63
61 60
54
53
67
*
54 54
2002
2003
2004
2005
43
39
40
*
28
20
0
All
AsAm
AfAm
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
White
Hisp
Figure 6. Percentage of Grade 2 students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Program, 2002 through 2005,
by race/ethnicity.
100
Percent of Students
80
72 72
*
*
68 68
64
60
53
75 76
58
*
69
58
49
41 38*
40
24
51 52
40*
29
29
33
*
42
27
16
20
0
All
Male
Female
SpEd
LEP
FARMS
* 2005 data combine the MCPSAP-PR with mCLASS Reading 3D.
Figure 7. Percentage of Grade 2 students achieving at or above benchmark in reading on MCPS Assessment Program, 2002 through 2005,
by gender and service receipt.
Office of Information and Organizational Systems
6
Early Success Performance Plan in MCPS
2002
2003
2004
2005