Academics were front and center for members of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board during a Tuesday morning work session.
Leading the discussion was Matt Kegley, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, joined by Executive Director of Secondary Education Michelle Brittain-Watts and Stephanie Loane, Executive Director of Elementary Education. Superintendent Yvonne Stokes also contributed to the presentation.
Much time was spent sifting through reams of numbers, but Dr. Kegley cautioned about the limits of this approach.
“Data just tells once piece of the story,” Kegley told board members. “To simply reduce the work that goes on in our classrooms, teaching every day in our schools, just to data points, is not really giving justice to the experiences that our students receive.”
Comparing I-LEARN data becomes complicated due to the changes in the test implemented by the state. Also, there was no testing last school year due to COVID. ISTEP became I-LEARN in 2019.
Kegley reminded the board that ISTEP had a time limit but I-LEARN has no time limit, which may complicate comparing scores in both systems.
One point of discussion centered on the SAT test. In the past, this was generally only taken by students intending to enroll in college. The state is now having all students take the SAT, even those not expecting to enter a university after graduation. It is expected that SAT scores will go down state-wide as a result, according to Kegley. In recent years, HSE District students scored higher on the SAT score average, compared to both national and state data.
The board viewed data for specific groups and their test scores. According to Kegley, building principals are charged with coming up with plans for groups performing lower on testing. For example, African-American and Hispanic students may score lower on certain subjects on a given test. The school district has data down to the school building level.
When specific subgroups of students appear to be under-performing, Kegley told the board Nataki Pettigrew, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, is involved with the building principal.
“That’s certainly something that we see as an important piece of (Nataki Pettigrew’s) role and why you might think…her presence fits-in with teaching and learning,” Kegley said.
Dr. Stokes told the board she has received many favorable comments about the addition of information about school curriculum on the district’s Web site (hseschools.org), but Kegley added that that information is mainly about materials used and publisher information, and might not include everything teachers may by using in the classroom.
Dr, Loane talked about how spelling is taught at the elementary level. Phonics and sight learning are utilized, but students must use the word in a writing assignment to show a student’s understanding of the word in every context.
Dr. Stokes summed it up this way. “Teaching and learning are complex.”