southeast service cooperative request for · pdf fileeducator observation and evaluation...

Southeast Service Cooperative REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) by the Minnesota Service Cooperatives Educator Observation and Evaluation Software Professional Development Components

Attachment #1 Signature Page

SIGNATURE PAGE

This form must be returned, properly executed.

Please use this page as a cover sheet for your proposal.

In compliance with your request for proposals, the undersigned proposes to furnish and deliver

all labor, services, merchandise or materials in accordance with the accompanying descriptions,

proposal form, and instructions to vendors.

This proposal is made without any previous understanding, agreement or connection with any

other person, firm or corporation making a proposal for the same purchase, and is in all respects fair and

without collusion or fraud. No member of the Board of Directors of Southeast Service Cooperative, nor

any officer, employee or person whose salary is payable in whole or in part from the treasury of said

Board of Directors is directly or indirectly interested in this proposal or in the supplies, materials, work

or services to which it relates, or in any portion of the profits thereof. All prices herein are net and

exclusive of any applicable federal, state and municipal sales and excise taxes. The undersigned

proposer clearly understands that the Minnesota Service Cooperatives will be the sole judge in

determining the quality of merchandise as being equal to or in compliance with the descriptions.

Company: Performance Matters, LLC

Name: Woody Dillaha

Signature of above

Title: Co-Founder & CEO

Address: 1600 Lee Road

_Winter Park, FL 32789____________________________

Telephone: (407) 645-1800

Fax Number: (800) 373-8578

Date: 12-28-12

Are you a small business? yes _X____ no ____

Are you a minority business? yes _____ no __X__

If yes, list minority:

12/27/2012


Attachment #2 Proposal Responses

EDUCATOR OBSERVATION AND EVALUATION SOFTWARE

AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMPONENTS

PROPOSAL RESPONSES

Please complete this form in the provided MS Word file in entering your responses regarding product features, requirements, and financing. The boxes will expand as you enter your response. In addition to entering each response on the form, you may provide attachments for additional detail and reference the attachments in your responses.

Vendor: Performance Matters Contact: Matt Muller

Address: 1600 Lee Road Phone Number: (407) 645-1800

Winter Park, FL 32789 Fax Number: (800) 373-8578

Vendor website: www.performancematters.com Email: [email protected]

SSC will conduct a demonstration session on Thursday, February 14 at the Southeast Service Cooperative, 210 Wood Lake Drive SE, Rochester, MN 55904. Selected vendors will be invited to provide a 30-minute demonstration of the product/service, including time for questions and answers. Vendors may choose to present in person or via videoconferencing or live webinar. Internet and equipment will be available to project the demonstration on a large screen. Attendees will include administrators, teachers, board members, and other interested parties. __ AM _x_ PM Please indicate your preference for a time to present during the

demonstration on Thursday, February 14 at SSC if you are invited. SSC does not guarantee the time but will make every effort to accommodate participating Vendors.

Indicate your preference for method of presentation ___ In Person at Southeast Service Cooperative ___ Videoconference _x_ Live Webinar

PRODUCT FEATURES and REQUIREMENTS RESPONSE

System Capacity for the Software Products and Services


1. Describe the observation tool.

The Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness (FASTe) is a complete program that streamlines the evaluation process, aligns professional development resources and ensures accurate summative calculations that blend teacher practice and student growth. The observation tool, called FASTe Observer, is the most flexible on the market. Any form can be loaded for completion by an observee (self-evaluation), peer or observer. The observation tool is so flexible that districts not only use it for teacher and principal observations, but even other job categories like custodian, guidance counselor and school nurse. The web-based observation tool uses rights and permissions (which can be linked to Active Directory) to determine which functions to display for the user. To conduct an observation, the observer selects a form, schedules the observation and then while observing, completes the form by filling out rubrics and adding notes. Not only can the observer choose multiple views while competing the form, but the observer can even download forms for offline completion and then sync those forms once an internet connection is reestablished. The form can be edited before submission. Once submitted, reports are available immediately. The reports will be described in requirement 18 below. The entire observation process is intuitive and offers districts a high degree of flexibility.

2. Describe the evaluation tool.

Districts use FASTe for multi-measure effectiveness calculations in many states, including several Race to the Top states that have implemented teacher tenure laws that use the evaluations for high-stakes personnel decisions. As such, the FASTe calculations must be accurate. Evaluations are highly customizable in FASTe. The district can not only weight teacher practice (observation data) and student growth (MCA or local measures), but even sub-categories. Thus, a fine arts teacher may be evaluated with a combination of observation data and a rubric-based measure whereas a third grade teacher may be evaluated using observational data, MCA math growth, MCA language arts growth and a school score. The types of measures and weighting options are virtually limitless. The FASTe evaluation tool has two primary functions: compliance and formative support. For compliance, the platform offers charts that show how the summative evaluation was calculated. These reports are shared with the observee and become part of the permanent record. However, formative support that links teacher practice to targeted professional development opportunities is also provided. The professional development content can be anything the district chooses – videos, on-site resources, internal district PD. Performance Matters can link the resources to specific domains and indicators of the framework used by the district.


3. Describe how the observation and evaluation tools interface with one another.

Districts have two options when using the FASTe platform. Should the district use FASTe Observer for observations, the data collected is automatically available for evaluations, as the observational data is stored in the FASTe database. However, a district can also import data from another observation system, provided that the observation system can export data electronically. In that case, a nightly batch process is created to load data into the FASTe application for the evaluation calculations.

4. Describe how the tool addresses the differences in the process for teachers versus administrators.

The role of the person accessing the system determines what they can view/edit. Therefore, while teachers could perform a self or peer observation, they would not be able to access observational data for other teachers. An official observer (principal, assistant principal, district administrator) would be able to select among more types of observational forms, schedule the observations and make edits after the observation takes place. Throughout the observation and evaluation process, reports are available for teachers and administrators. Again, these reports populate with data that is appropriate to the user type. So while a teacher would see their own observations, a principal could see observations for all of the teachers in the school, all of the teachers in a particular grade level, etc.

5. Rubrics/Frameworks. Describe the alignment between the teacher and administrator evaluation rubrics.

Because the district can load any rubric, there may or may not be alignment. For example, some FASTe clients will use a teacher rubric from one author and a principal rubric from another. If the district so chooses, Kim Marshall offers a free, open-source framework for teachers and administrators that has received positive reviews and has a strong research base. http://www.marshallmemo.com

6. On which evaluation framework or set of rubrics is the software designed? If the software can support multiple frameworks, skip to the next question.

The tool supports multiple frameworks.

7. Which frameworks or set of rubrics does the software support - e.g. Charlotte Danielson, Marzano, others. Describe how this is accommodated.

The tool supports any framework. The district loads whatever framework it has licensed. For the frugal district, Kim Marshall offers free teacher and principal rubrics that have a strong research base and have been approved by several Race to the Top states (NY, NJ) as research-based observations. Districts also can also use district-developed rubrics, rubrics the districts already own and state provided rubrics.

8. Can the customer modify the rubrics that are provided?

Yes.

9. Does this tool/service offer samples and options for rubrics (explain)?

Yes. Performance Matters will share rubrics that are open-source (Kim Marshall) or district-developed (where the firm has permission from the district to share the rubric).

10. Can the customer develop its own rubrics to import into the software?

Yes.

11. Describe how titles, field labels, and weighting might be accommodated.

SSC would communicate with the assigned customer relationship manager (CRM) to create forms, titles, field labels and weighting. Although Performance Matters does not guarantee that we can accommodate every request, we will do our best to customize the program to meet your needs.


12. Multi-Raters: How does the tool/service accommodate multi-rater requirements?

FASTe logs the events recorded by the raters of teacher practice based upon their unique ID. This provides unmatched ability for individual and comparative analysis of multiple raters. As a result, our customers are able to ensure that raters are working from consistent and common rubrics that result in consistent and supportable rating outcomes.

13. Student Data: How does the software accommodate inclusion of student growth data and student achievement data (teacher evaluation)?

FASTe is built on a relational database and can accept data from virtually any electronic source. Client districts upload data from data warehouses (TIES, Performance Matters’ ADMS, etc.), student information systems (Skyward, Infinite Campus, TIES, etc.), local assessment platforms (DIBELS, Read 180, etc.) or state-provided files (MCA results, for example). For the purposes of teacher evaluation, most states provide the growth measure for state tests and allow the districts to set the growth measure for courses in which there is no state assessment. Many districts use Student Learning Objectives (SLO), which are supported in the Performance Matters Assessment and Data Management System (ADMS) data warehouse. SSC member district would calculate the growth using their data warehouse program, whether that is ADMS, TIES or something else. FASTe accepts the growth score, weights it and uses it for the final evaluation calculation. One of the best things about FASTe is that it integrates with the student information system and HR system. Thus, the teacher is connected to the appropriate students in the appropriate courses for evaluation purposes.

14. Student Data: How does the software accommodate inclusion of student growth data per building (principal evaluation)?

Student growth data can be accepted from the state or calculated using district-defined methodology. For example, the New Jersey Department of Education calculates student growth on the high stakes test (called NJ ASK) using a technique called the Colorado method. The state then sends a file to the school districts that use this student growth as 50% of the overall evaluation for teachers (the other 50% comes from teacher practice measures like observations). Performance Matters accepts the electronic file the state sends and uses that in our multi-measure evaluation calculations. However, only 18% of all teachers are in courses that have a high stakes measure. Therefore, for the other 82% of teachers our client districts will use pre-test/post-test measurements, student learning objectives, rubric-based measures and other local assessments to determine student growth. Again, Performance Matters supports all of these measurements. How student growth impacts the principal effectiveness calculations is determined by the district. The software can support many different kinds of approaches. Although not specifically called for in this requirement, the observation software easily supports principal/administrator evaluation forms as well.

15. Student Data: For a district with multiple buildings, is the software for principal evaluation able to disaggregate the data?

Yes. Whether the student growth data comes from the state or a local assessment, the assessment results files contain information that allows Performance Matters to assign that students growth to the appropriate teacher and principal.

16. Survey Tools. How does the software/tool support surveys by internal and external respondents (teachers, other administrators, students, parents, etc.)

Performance Matters FASTe can load the results of 3rd

party surveys for reporting and analytics purposes. We are also in conversations with survey experts such as Tripod for native integration with the PM FASTe platform.


17. Does this tool/service offer samples and options for surveys?

The FASTe program is an aggregator of many different kinds of measures, including surveys, but FASTe does not provide surveys for the educator. FASTe can accept data generated from surveys that are in electronic format.

18. Report Generation: Reports must include both detail and summarized data including summary reports using graphs. Please provide an outline of included reports and attach sample reports.

The strength of the FASTe program is the reports. There are three categories of reports, all of which use consistent color-coding and graphs for easy interpretation:

1. Baseline – Reports that connect teacher characteristics and actions to student growth. These unique reports can answer questions such as whether a particular quality of a teacher (i.e, year of experience, participation is a specific PD program, certification in subject being taught) impacts the rate of student growth. Baseline reports seek to answer the following questions while applying numerous teacher and student variables: Are student achievement levels improving? Are students across the school system making learning gains? What are the professional characteristics of our staff? What is our staff distribution by Professional Characteristic? What is the distribution of professional development amongst our staff?

2. Formative Instructional Cycles – Reports that relate specifically to educator practice, as measured through observations. The reports present individual and group information about educator performance, both for a single observation as well as over a range of time. The reports can embed Professional Development resources at the domain and indicator levels to allow a teacher and/or principal to see links to any PD the district chooses. Formative Instructional Cycle reports answer the following questions: What are the results for classroom observation? What is the distribution of classroom observation results among our teachers? How are the observation results changing over time? What are the gridded results for classroom observations?

3. Summative – Reports that aggregate and weight the appropriate measures for educators and display the results in a clear and graphical format. Summative reports answer the following: What is my summative rating? Which Students contribute to my ratings? Which locations contribute to my ratings? Which Districts contribute to my ratings?

Sample reports are provided in Appendix A: Sample Reports.

19. Customization. If other features of the software are customizable at a consortium level and/or at the district level, please describe. What customization must be done by the Vendor, and what can be done at the consortium and/or district levels?

The customizations involved in setting up multiple measures and applying the appropriate weighting and formulas are part of the standard implementation for FASTe. The assigned customer relationship manager for Performance Matters works with the appropriate person or people at the consortium or district-level to define the rules. The customizations related to multi-measure reporting are performed by Performance Matters for no additional charge.

PRODUCT FEATURES and REQUIREMENTS RESPONSE 20. Software/Tool Training. Describe training

available for the tool, how it will be delivered (in person, webinar, on-line course), and what training is available for sustainability.

Performance Matters offers very flexible training options including in person, webinar and on-line courses. Ongoing training is available through webinars, state-level user groups and the national users group.

21. Who provides training in using the observation and evaluation software for:

Local system administrator?

District leadership

Local staff?

If a train-the-trainer approach is applicable, describe how MSC employees would be trained and supported during implementation.

How are new staff trained subsequent to initial training?

Performance Matters assigns a customer relationship manager (CRM) to lead the implementation project from both a technical and training perspective. The CRM leads a team of technical and training resources, and depending on the expertise of the CRM, may serve in other roles on the project (like training local system administrators, district leadership and local staff). Train-the-train is supported, but not strongly recommended in year one, as the multi-measure requirements can be complex and Performance Matters trainers have already delivered multi-measure educator evaluation training in multiple states. New staff are typically trained via onsite or online courses.

Professional Development to Support Educator Growth

22. Describe how professional development related to various frameworks is delivered - e.g. Charlotte Danielson, Marzano.

Performance Matters offers a robust software package that can link professional development resources to the domains and indicators of many different kinds of frameworks. Performance Matters is not a professional development provider. Rather, the firm partners with private firms (Student Improvement Network), universities (Johns Hopkins) and consortia (Heartland Educational Consortium in Florida) to provide professional development access through the FASTe platform.

23. Describe professional development components.

The professional development components are not offered by Performance Matters.

24. Describe professional development formats, e.g. webinar, on-line courses, in person.

Districts that use FASTe have linked all of these types of resources to domains and indicators in FASTe.

25. Describe how this service addresses the differences in professional development for teachers versus principals or administrators and other employees, if applicable.

Forms in FASTe can link to different PD resources. So a teacher form will link to resources related to teaching practice while a principal’s evaluation will link to resources for school administration practice.

26. Describe how on-line professional development ensures learning mastery aligned with the program objectives and rubrics.

Performance Matters links to PD resources, but tracking completion of the course and content mastery is provided by the PD provider.

Support

27. Describe the availability of technical assistance between the hours of 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Central time) and support options available to troubleshoot any minor/major issues that may arise during or after business hours

Performance Matters offers a toll-free support line from 8 am until 4 pm M-F. After hours, a client may submit a ticket online that will be received the next morning. Performance Matters has an escalation system that goes right up to the CTO for major issues.

28. Describe your response to troubleshooting issues that may occur with the system. Include your ability to meet 2-4 hour initial response and 24-48 hour resolution requirements and prioritization of issues.

The Performance Matters helpdesk can meet the 2-4 hour initial response during normal business hours and within twelve hours for after hour requests. Prioritization responses are always provided within 24-48 hours.


29. Describe the helpdesk and/or project software that will be used to handle the implementation of new districts, and troubleshooting issues within the system. If applicable, describe how MSC employees would access to helpdesk software to facilitate communication with MSC clients.

Project management is handled through internal documents, the most important of which is the FASTe critical path document. This document lays out prerequisites, dependencies, due dates, role and assignments. Performance Matters uses Zendesk for troubleshooting issues. MSC employees will be given logins for Zendesk and can submit tickets, follow-up on bugs and feature requests progress and view closed tickets.

30. Describe the process and timeframe for notifying clients during outages of the system. Describe the redundancies that are in place to ensure the system will be operational at all times unless otherwise scheduled as a maintenance window.

The customer relationship manager will notify the primary technical point of contact for the client two weeks prior to any outages. Outages are scheduled for nights, weekend and holidays to minimize inconvenience for customers. Automatic failover and load balancing ensure that the system will be operational except for scheduled maintenance.

31. Describe the backup system. As a SaaS product, FASTe runs at a tier 4 data center. Backups are performed by the data hosting center.

System Management and Database Integration

32. Describe how updates and enhancements are implemented, including Minnesota mandated requirements.

The Performance Matters customer relationship manager monitors all pending and current legislation and submits product feature requests to the FASTe product manager. The Manager works with clients in that state to develop functionality to address the new laws.

33. Software must be web delivered. Describe any restrictions.

FASTe is completely web delivered.

34. Describe the Web environment, including communication speeds, backup and recovery procedures, and disaster recovery procedures.

The web environment, which includes all collocated servers, is a tier IV hosting facility with automatic backups, failover and recovery. As a lightweight program, FASTe can be run on dial-up networks, although broadband is preferred.

35. Software must operate on multiple platforms including OS and Windows operating systems, iPads, iPhones, and Androids. Please describe the platform environments on which the product will run.

PC Requirements: Windows XP or above, 128+ MB RAM, 1+GHz Processor Web Browser: IE* 7+, FireFox 9+, Google Chrome, Safari 4+ Mac Requirements: OS X (10.3.4+), 128+ MB RAM, 450+ MHz G4 Processor Web Browser: FireFox 9+, Google Chrome, Safari 4+ FASTe runs on iPads and iPhones with Safari or Puffin and on Androids with Firefox.

36. Describe the process for testing new versions/upgrades prior to them being rolled out.

Performance Matters uses the Agile software development methodology to develop the functionality. Internal regression testing ensures that the software is free of errors and will not impact other area of the application when implemented. The upgrade process takes place during a down period, usually late at night during a time when school is out of session. Ample notice is given before outage.

37. Describe the process of involving MSC employee(s) in the testing, training and implementation of new versions/upgrades prior to them being rolled out.

The most important role MSC employees can play is in creating product specifications based on the new requirements. MSC knows the needs of the districts as well as MN state law. Therefore, as the needs and laws change, MSC can be a valuable liaison to Performance Matters. Then, when the functionality is created, MSC should play a significant role in training the end-users on the new functionality.


38. Describe the process of implementing a new MSC client into the system (e.g. approximate timelines, customer service that will be provided during implementation, how long the setup time will be until the customer will be fully operational).

Performance Matters has a fast-track implementation whereby the client is up and running in 90 days, which includes all technical services and training. However, most districts have their technical environment ready to run in 90 days, but want the training closer to the start of school. Therefore, the implementation times varies based on when in the year the client signs the contract. The actual timeline will be created during the project kickoff meeting, when the Performance Matters CRM meets with SSC to look at the project goals and factor in dates like already-scheduled PD days. During implementation, MSC would have weekly calls with the customer relationship manager. MSC would also have access to the ticketing system to monitor bug tracking and feature requests. And MSC would have full access to the support line.

39. Describe the ability to manage user permissions, especially the ability to set up accounts for district administrators to configure, monitor, and administer the system for the entire district from one login ID. Also describe the ability for creating, editing, and deleting unlimited number of user accounts and user security profiles.

Super users have access to any district site. District administrators can access any data within their district. Depending on the level of access MSC chooses, configuration will take place at one of these two levels. FASTe is highly scalable so an unlimited number of user accounts can be added. An unlimited number of security profiles would make profile management incredibly difficult and is therefore not supported.

40. Describe how users, passwords, and roles are managed within the system. If applicable, describe the system support for the use of LDAP or Active Directory for authentication.

Users, passwords and roles are set by the district with support from Performance Matters. The firm support LDAP/Active Directory integration and the overwhelming majority of customers authenticate through these mechanisms.

41. List those Student Information Systems (SIS) (e.g. PowerSchool, Skyward, TIES Student Information System, etc.) with which the Vendor has integration experience. Describe the level of integration available.

PowerSchool, Skyward, Infinite Campus, Genesis, Realtime, TERMS, Focus. Performance Matters can receive almost any information from a student information system, but the most important pieces of data are student demographics and course files. The integration consists of a nightly bath upload.

42. List other databases/systems with which the Vendor has integration experience (e.g. Payroll/HR).

FASTe requires integration with the HR system for the district. This ensures that the staff data is up to date and accurate. Performance Matters integrates with many different kinds of HR programs. Although it may be outside the scope of this requirement, the firm also has integration experience with many different kinds of local assessment systems.

Financing and Marketing Options - Pricing Structure


43. Describe pricing structure. Describe whether each cost is one-time, annually renewable, or other structure. Specify charges, such as

product costs,

startup costs,

training costs,

database integration costs,

professional development modules,

customer support costs, etc.

FASTe software is licensed annually. The per student license fee is based on the total number of students covered by the contract. For a total number of student less than 3,000, the per student charge is $8 (there is a minimum license fee of $10,000). 3,001-10,000 students is $7 per student. 10,001-25,000 students is $6 per student. 25,001-50,000 students is $5 per student. More than 50,000 students is $4 per student. Professional services include startup (observation set-up, multi-measure weighting and calculations), training, database integration and professional development linking. The amount of professional services is determined by the total student count of the project. The per day fee is $1,500. For a total number of student less than 3,000, four days are required. 3,001-10,000 students requires six days. 10,001-25,000 students requires ten days. 25,001-50,000 students requires twelve days. More than 50,000 students requires fifteen days.

44. Specify separate pricing options for various system modules, e.g. Observation, Evaluation and Professional Development components.

FASTe offers observation, evaluation and links to professional development embedded within the framework for a single fee. The firm does not separate modules.

45. Include pricing for one, two, and three years of a contract.

In year one, the total price will be determined by the total number of students covered by the contract. The consortium would simply find the appropriate student count range in the response to requirement 43 above and add the license fee to the professional service fee. The professional services are a one-time charge. Therefore, the annual fee in years two and three would be the product license fee only.

46. Describe the volume discount being quoted for this regional proposal. Provide examples of difference between independent district retail pricing and consortium pricing.

From the lowest student count tier to the highest, there is a $4 per student difference. In addition, there is a $10,000 minimum for product licensing. So a district with 1,000 students would pay $10,000 since using per student pricing produces an amount less than the minimum. For this proposal, if enough districts joined such that the student count was more than 50,000, that same district would pay $4,000 rather than $10,000.

47. Marketing Plan. Describe your marketing strategy.

Multi-measure educator evaluation is the law in a handful of Race to the Top states. It is no coincidence that FASTe is the market leader in those states. FASTe is the only solution presently available on the market that supports multi-measure educator evaluations with all of the data sourcing, weighting and calculations required of such a complex undertaking. Therefore, the marketing will focus on educating users on the product, MN law and the national trends in educator effectiveness. The firm has extensive best practices experience and that is a valuable asset for reaching educational leaders in the cooperative.

48. Marketing Arrangements. Describe options for marketing and distribution arrangements – that is, outline the potential roles of the Service Cooperative and outline details about remuneration to the contracting Service Cooperative.

Performance Matters understands the vital role the Service Cooperative plays as a liaison, educator, administrator, project manager and trainer on the project. The firm would seek to learn more about the specific strengths of the Service Cooperative before proposing specific roles.

PRODUCT FEATURES and REQUIREMENTS RESPONSE 49. Administrative Fee. Outline the

administrative fee payable to the contracting Service Cooperative for consortium management, invoicing, marketing, training, and any other roles expected of the Service Cooperative.

Performance Matters has contracted with consortiums in other states, but is not familiar with an administrative fee. The firm is amenable to discussing services with the Service Cooperative.

Signature: Date: January 15, 2013

Print Name: Woody Dillaha__________ Title: CEO

12/27/2012


Attachment #3 Vendor Statement of Qualifications

VENDOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS

Company Name: Performance Matters Phone Number: (407) 645-1800

Company Address: 1600 Lee Road Fax Number: (800) 373-8578

Winter Park, FL 32789 Contact Name: Matt Muller

Contact Title: Dir. Education Solutions

Company website: www.performancematters.com Email: [email protected]

Number of years in business: 10

Company’s financial rating: DUNS or Bank reference (or the name and address of bank where company’s

commercial account is located):

Commerce National Bank and Trust 1201 South Orlando Ave. Winter Park, FL 32789 List three (3) current or recent EDUCATIONAL clients for reference purposes.

Minnesota school references are preferred.

Client Data Description and Date of Service

Name: Flagler County Public Schools The district uses the full suite of Performance

Address: 1769 E. Moody Blvd. Matters solutions, including the Formative

Bunnell, FL 32110 Action System for Teacher Effectiveness (FASTe).

Phone Number: (386) 586-2351 FASTe has been used in the district for two years.

Contact Name: Shawn Schmidli

Name: Wayzata Public Schools Wayzata uses one program (ADMS) within the

Address: 210 County Road 101 N Performance Matters suite of products. FASTe is a

Wayzata, MN 55391 different product. However, Wayzata can attest

Phone Number: (763) 745-5000 to the firm’s customer service. Wayzata has

Contact Name: Shelly Nelson partnered with the firm since October 2009.

Name: Heartland Educational Consortium A consortium of six county-level districts in central

Address: 1097 US Highway 27 North Florida that use several products within the

Lake Placid, FL 33852 Performance Matters solution suite, including

Phone Number: 863.494.4222 x112 FASTe. Each districts has their own SIS and HR

Contact Name: Deborah Halvorson Integration.

Signature: Title: CEO Date: January 15, 2013

12/27/2012

Executive Summary

Established in 2003, Performance Matters provides a suite of solutions that empower educators to make informed decisions and improve student achievement. Performance Matters offers a teacher evaluation platform that is not only easy to use but exceedingly flexible. This flexibility ensures that SSC members will not only be able to meet the educator evaluation needs of today, but be prepared to address future challenges that are as of yet undefined. The Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness (FASTe) is revolutionary program that seamlessly connects teacher characteristics and actions to student outcomes. As teachers have the largest school-level effect size on student growth, this connection provides education leaders with information that allows them to allocate resources in a way that has the greatest impact on student achievement. In addition, as Minnesota moves towards a comprehensive multi-measure teacher effectiveness program, the amount of data processing will expand considerably for school districts. FASTe is already used throughout the United States to perform complex, multi-measure educator evaluations. As the calculations impact personnel decisions, the logic and mathematics must be exact. Performance Matters has extensive experience working with our clients to set up FASTe according to state and/or local rules. An excerpt from a District Administration article titled “Determining Teacher Effectiveness” (February 22, 2012) offers a real-world example of the power of FASTe: Calvert County (MD) Public Schools is among those districts using FASTe to determine teacher effectiveness. By state law, says Superintendent Jack Smith, every one of Maryland’s 24 districts must have a pilot teacher evaluation program in place by next August, and student growth must constitute 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation. It is not tied to teacher pay just yet, he says, but that’s coming. Smith says that the FASTe tool has the potential to show him what state assessments can’t, such as if a student advanced from having low basic skills to high basic skills. State assessments, in part, only reveal if a student moved from basic to proficient to advanced. FASTe provides the foundation for differentiated staff development, which is based on student data. For example, Smith says he can review that data for a class, look at the teacher’s characteristics and determine

Administrators and supervisors in the Calvert County (MD) Public Schools are in the media center learning how to use Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness to provide differentiated staff development.

if there are any noteworthy changes in achievement based on if the teacher has tenure or is male or female. Smith may ask himself in this situation if there is a significant academic difference among boys taught by male teachers as compared to those taught by female teachers. “I can look at a school with an all-female administrative team and see if that seems to have any effect on student achievement,” Smith says. “Like a Rubik’s Cube, I can twist and turn it until I get a picture I want to see. It gives an indication of what the next question or place I want to go should be.” The district is also training teachers to use FASTe to check benchmarks and to see how each student performed on a particular test. Administrators are evaluating staff development tools, and soon teachers will be able to go online whenever they want to improve their teaching skills. Teachers who use these tools, says Smith, “can teach a child about elapsed time or how to add fractions, and they don’t have to go through an entire PD session. … This is directly related to the data that their own students have produced over the past year.” Smith says the end goal is to ensure that all students who graduate go as far as possible in their learning. “We want to make sure they are not just barely making it,” he says. Performance Matters is more than a software company. We are an organization made up of high quality people, who all share a passion for education and providing unmatched customer service levels. We believe we are uniquely positioned to serve the administrators, teachers, parents and students of SSC member districts. While we have answered the requirements of the RFP in full, we hope that the consortium will take the time to speak with our customers. Performance Matters is big enough to serve the needs of consortia, but small enough to offer a personal approach. Our customers are raving fans of both the software and company, as evidenced by the longevity and renewal rates of current customers. Performance Matters looks forward to the opportunity to work with SSC. Based on our experience with multi-measure teacher effectiveness in other states, we expect a partnership with SSC to improve student and educator proficiency and efficiently allocate resources for maximum student achievement.

“Performance Matters has been a great partner throughout the process, from the training through the implementation of the system. They have been very willing to work with us to customize things in a way that meets our needs. It’s that partnership with our district that really makes us successful.” Wade Phillips Director of Technology Wayzata Public Schools, MN

Performance Matters Confidential Information Page 1

Appendix A: Sample Reports

Baseline Reports

Reports that connect teacher characteristics and actions to student growth. These unique reports can answer questions such as whether a particular quality of a teacher (i.e, year of experience, participation is a specific PD program, certification in subject being taught) impacts the rate of student growth.

Are student achievement levels improving?

Student achievement levels are represented by bubbles. Bubbles moving downwards represent student regression, while bubbles that move up represent progress. The bubbles can be created with any number of variables, including student and teacher information. For example, in the example above the blue bubbles indicate that teachers with tenure (left chart) left chart are better than non-tenured teachers (right chart) working with level 4 students.


Are students across the school system making learning gains?

A bubble chart shows changes in student achievement levels from one year to the next, while stacked bar chart further illustrates the trend in student achievement.

What are the professional characteristics of our staff?

Staff degree at four schools is displayed on the left in a tabular format, while the chart on the right presents the same information via stacked bar chart.


What is our staff distribution by Professional Characteristic? On the x axis, HS1-HS10 represent ten high schools in a district. The stacked bar chart shows years of experience of the teachers at each location.


Formative Instructional Cycles Reports Reports that relate specifically to educator practice, as measured through observations. The reports present individual and group information about educator performance, both for a single observation as well as over a range of time. The reports can embed Professional Development resources at the domain and indicator levels to allow a teacher and/or principal to see links to any PD the district chooses.

What are the results for classroom observation?

Any and all observations can be viewed at a later date. Data from multiple observations can be aggregated and disaggregated for easier interpretation.

What is the distribution of classroom observation results among our teachers?

A sortable report that shows domain and indicator ratings for a group of teachers. The district can create a link from any domain or indicator to targeted professional development (not shown).


How are the observation results changing over time?

Called “RtI for teachers” the report shows teacher progress as well as peer progress over time.


Summative Reports

Reports that aggregate and weight the appropriate measures for educators and display the results in a clear and graphical format

What is my summative rating?

The summary rating report weights multiple measures and displays a total rating as well as information about the data that contributed to the total.

Appendix B: FASTe in the News

In 2012, FASTE articles appeared in numerous publications. A sample is provided below: (December 13, 2012). New Jersey District Adopts Web-Based Tool for Teacher Evaluations. THE Journal. http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/12/13/new-jersey-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-evaluations.aspx?m=1 (October 12, 2012). Florida Consortia Select Data Management System. District Administration. http://www.districtadministration.com/news/fla-consortia-selects-data-management-system (September 18, 2012). 50% of Maryland School Systems Embrace Performance Matters Assessment, Data Management and Teacher Effectiveness Solutions. Market Watch: The Wall Street Journal. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/50-percent-of-maryland-school-systems-embrace-performance-matters-assessment-data-management-and-teacher-effectiveness-solutions-2012-09-18 (July 30, 2012). Re-Thinking Teacher Evaluations. School CIO. http://www.schoolcio.com/article/re-thinking-teacher-evaluations/52793

(May 10, 2012). New Brunswick Becomes the First New Jersey School District to Adopt the FASTe Platform to Support Educator Effectiveness. eSchool News. http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/05/09/new-brunswick-becomes-the-first-new-jersey-school-district-to-adopt-the-faste-platform-to-support-educator-effectiveness/

(May 10, 2012). New Jersey Implements Platform for Year-Round Teacher Evaluations. THE Journal. http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/05/09/new-jersey-district-implements-platform-for-year-round-teacher-evaluations.aspx

(March 23, 2012). Technology Helps Manage Teacher Quality Initiatives. eSchool News. http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/04/01/technology-helps-manage-teacher-quality-initiatives/

(February 22, 2012). Determining Teacher Effectiveness. District Administration. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/determining-teacher-effectiveness

(January 23, 2012). Florida District Adopts Web-Based Tool for Teacher Effectiveness Evaluations. THE Journal. http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/25/florida-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-effectiveness-evaluations.aspx

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/12/13/new-jersey-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-evaluations.aspx?m=1

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/12/13/new-jersey-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-evaluations.aspx?m=1

http://www.districtadministration.com/news/fla-consortia-selects-data-management-system

http://www.districtadministration.com/news/fla-consortia-selects-data-management-system

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/50-percent-of-maryland-school-systems-embrace-performance-matters-assessment-data-management-and-teacher-effectiveness-solutions-2012-09-18



http://www.schoolcio.com/article/re-thinking-teacher-evaluations/52793

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/05/09/new-brunswick-becomes-the-first-new-jersey-school-district-to-adopt-the-faste-platform-to-support-educator-effectiveness/

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/05/09/new-brunswick-becomes-the-first-new-jersey-school-district-to-adopt-the-faste-platform-to-support-educator-effectiveness/

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/05/09/new-jersey-district-implements-platform-for-year-round-teacher-evaluations.aspx

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/05/09/new-jersey-district-implements-platform-for-year-round-teacher-evaluations.aspx

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/04/01/technology-helps-manage-teacher-quality-initiatives/

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/04/01/technology-helps-manage-teacher-quality-initiatives/

http://www.districtadministration.com/article/determining-teacher-effectiveness

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/25/florida-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-effectiveness-evaluations.aspx

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/25/florida-district-adopts-web-based-tool-for-teacher-effectiveness-evaluations.aspx

www.PerformanceMatters.com

District statistics: Schools: 25 Students: 16,202 Grades: PreK-12 Setting: Rural/Suburban

Student population: 17% African-American <1% American-Indian 2% Asian/Pacific Islander 81% Caucasian 25% Free/reduced lunch

10% Special education

Website: www.calvertnet.k12.md.us

Summary

Calvert County Public Schools began using Performance Matters’ integrated solutions for assessment and data management in 2004. The district’s goals were to provide quick and easy access to student data to support informed decision making system-wide. With the ability to access students’ historical performance on state tests and current progress on district assessments, Calvert County educators have the actionable information they need to improve teaching and learning. As a result, students have achieved gains on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) and High School Assessments (HSA). In 2012, the district also added the FASTe online platform to formatively support educator effectiveness by continuously connecting achievement outcomes with educator activities.

Challenges Rising Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) Lack of student data to drive instruction

Centrally located in the mid-Atlantic corridor, Calvert County Public Schools is less than a one-hour drive from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis. In 2004, the district set out to find a system that would provide an integrated solution for assessment and data management, and support decision making from the district level to the individual student level. “We were in the same boat with other Maryland counties. Because our AMOs were rising each year, it became increasingly difficult to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in every school and every subgroup,” said Matt Poteet, supervisor of the department of instructional and informational technology. “We knew that private industry had been using data to drive decision making for a long time, but school systems lagged behind. We wanted to use data to drive instruction, without having to wait until we received our state test results at the end of the year.”

Calvert County Public Schools Improves Performance on MSA and HSA with Performance

Matters

Calvert County Public Schools

Prince Frederick, MD

http://www.nbps.k12.nj.us/


After conducting extensive research, Calvert County Public Schools invited select vendors to present their systems. “We were looking for a system that could report on students’ progress in all subject areas and allow us to drill down into the data. We liked that Performance Matters was intuitive and that you could view the data in many different ways. The customizable color-coding in the reports, which made it easy to see which thresholds students hit, impressed us as well. We also liked how fast the reports could be generated,” said Poteet. “Performance Matters won us over, not just with their data system and reports but with their flexibility and commitment to customer service.”

Solutions

Performance Matters Assessment and Data Management System Performance Matters Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness

(FASTe)

Data Management Calvert County Public Schools began using the web-based Performance Matters assessment and data management system in 2004 in every school, across all grade levels. The system is now used in half of Maryland’s school districts. Performance Matters correlates and analyzes performance data from multiple sources, and turns that data into actionable information to improve instruction and student learning. With the web-based system, Calvert County Public Schools can easily combine historical data such as MSA and HSA scores, with current data from more than 330 district benchmarks administered from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The district also includes students’ grades, attendance, SAT scores, DIBELS scores, and other data in the system.

Using interactive dashboards and color-coded reports in the Performance Matters system, educators can easily slice and dice data to analyze student performance. With the click of a mouse, they can drill down and access more detailed information related to the data on the screen. In addition, this data can be instantly disaggregated for any student or group.

“Whenever a new benchmark is administered, teachers usually run a minimum of two or three reports, and many will drill down into the data quite a bit more,” said Poteet. According to Poteet, teachers look at students’ overall scores because many of the benchmark assessments count toward students’ grades. In addition, teachers often review the Ranking by Objective Report to see how students performed on each


objective. “If teachers see that a few students missed a certain objective, they can differentiate their instruction to provide those students with a detailed review while giving the rest of the class an extension activity to push them further on the concept,” he said. Teachers also frequently review the Item Analysis Report to see which questions their class struggled with and which distractors they chose, and then determine if they need to re-teach that concept. “Teachers also share that data when they meet in grade-level or department teams to discuss best practices and other ways of teaching a concept,” said Poteet. Poteet also noted that even if students perform well on a test, teachers don’t automatically move on to the next objective. “They still dive into the data to ensure students mastered the concepts. It all comes down to individual objectives and indicators — not just performance on a test,” he said. “So, if a majority of students received an ‘A’ on an assessment, but most missed a particular question, teachers know there are misconceptions they need to address. Teachers want to make sure students are proficient or advanced in each skill, so if it comes around again on another assessment or on the MSA or HSA, they’ll know their students are prepared.” Teachers also like to run the Student Detail report, which shows students’ scores on all the tests they’ve taken throughout the school year. “Teachers share this with students and with parents in conferences,” said Poteet. “It gives them a clear picture of each student’s performance.” Customization As one of the first Maryland counties to implement Performance Matters, Calvert County Public Schools also provided input on several of the system’s reports. “Performance Matters made many customizations for us, which not only benefited us but many other districts in the State of Maryland,” said Poteet. “Performance Matters wants to give school districts exactly what they need, so when a teacher runs a report, it’s fast, it’s user friendly, and it’s easy to understand.” For example, the district worked closely with Performance Matters to develop a Graduation Status Report, which is now used throughout Maryland. “This is the report that’s used the most by our high schools,” said Poteet. “With the HSA and all the graduation requirements, it seemed to get more and more complex each year to figure out who needed what in order to graduate. Now, with just a few clicks, we can quickly


“FASTe will enable us to connect student outcomes to teacher actions.” -Matt Poteet, Supervisor Department of Instructional and Informational

Technology

find out who’s met the requirements and who hasn’t. And, for those students who haven’t, we can see exactly what they need.” Teacher Effectiveness In addition, Maryland schools are moving toward changing the way they evaluate teachers; placing more emphasis on student performance and test scores. Under a new evaluation system, half of a teacher’s evaluation score will depend on student performance and the other half on professional development. “This new evaluation system is forcing counties to think about how to tie teacher effectiveness with student achievement,” said Poteet. “To do this, we need to look at student data and teacher data as well, so we can make sure teachers get the support they need in the areas they need it.” To meet the new teacher evaluation requirements, Calvert County Public Schools is implementing Performance Matters’ FASTe. FASTe provides a turnkey system for evaluating educator effectiveness, with an easy-to-implement framework that can be customized for each school system. Accessible year-round, the FASTe online platform enables educators to “progress monitor” their own performance against the multiple measures that make up their annual evaluations and link to relevant, timely professional development and instructional resources. At the end of the year, educators can then produce summative rating reports, based on their school system’s criteria. “We want to give all our teachers the resources they need to be highly effective, but we can’t do that if we don’t know what shortcomings or issues they might have,” said Poteet. “FASTe will enable us to connect student outcomes to teacher actions. This way, we can identify the areas in which teachers are effective and those in which they aren’t, so we can get them the support they need to increase their skills.”

Results Improved data-driven decision making Improved MSA and HAS performance

Since implementing Performance Matters, Calvert County elementary and middle schools have achieved steady gains on the MSA. “Performance Matters has played a large role in the improved performance of our students,” said Poteet. “We know our benchmark tests are excellent predictors of MSA and HSA success. So, our teachers know if their students are proficient on our benchmarks — in the green zone on the Performance Matters color-coded reports —there’s a 99 percent chance they’ll be proficient on our state tests. That’s powerful. It shows teachers that our tests work and these reports work. Before we began using Performance Matters, teachers didn’t have data that showed exactly which objectives


their students were struggling with or what their misperceptions were, but it’s the individual objectives and items that make a big difference in student performance.”

Calvert County high school students have achieved growth as well. In 2011, more than 95 percent of seniors met the HSA graduation requirement. “We haven’t had a single student fail to graduate because they missed a state requirement. We’re confident the Graduation Status Report has helped us meet that goal,” said Poteet. “Overall, the ease of use, the quickness of the reporting, and the ability to customize Performance Matters have all been important to our success. Performance Matters also provides fantastic customer support. As state tests and requirements change, they continue to customize the system, so we have everything we need. It’s played a huge role in our success in terms of our improvement,” said Poteet. “In private industry and in education, organizations that use data to improve themselves will always perform better than those that don’t,” he continued. “With Performance Matters, we can monitor student progress and use that data to guide instruction. Our teachers understand what students’ strengths and weaknesses are, so they can use the assessments in a formative way. That’s key. We still have to get to a certain point by the end of the school year, but we’re not just going to move on. If there’s something students didn’t get for whatever reason, we need to make sure we can identify those areas and go back and re-teach or differentiate our instruction, so all students understand all the concepts they’re expected to master. Using data to drive instruction has been critical to our success. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved and student learning has improved — and that’s the business we’re in.”

###

Learn more about Performance Matters at www.PerformanceMatters.com

or call 407.645.1800

http://www.performancematters.com/


District statistics: Schools: 50 Students: 41,872 Grades: K-12 Setting: Rural/Suburban

Student population: 20% African-American 15% Hispanic 58% Caucasian 5% Multiracial 2% Asian/Pacific Islander 67% Free/reduced lunch

Website: www.marion.k12.fl.us

Summary

Marion County Public Schools began using Performance Matters’ integrated solutions for assessment and data management in 2010. The goal was to provide easy access to data and support informed decision making at all levels. Since launching Performance Matters, Marion County educators have improved their use of data and sharpened their instructional focus to better meet students’ needs. In 2011, the district added FASTe, the latest online platform from Performance Matters. FASTe connects student outcomes to teacher actions to support educator effectiveness.

Challenges

Complicated, difficult-to-use data systems Shifting product lines

Marion County Public Schools is located in a mostly rural yet growing county that ranks among the 20 most populous counties in Florida. With approximately 42,000 students across 50 schools, having easy access to data is critical to impact student performance — from the individual level to the district level. To manage student achievement data, the district had been using a web-based data analysis tool and an online assessment system from a large education technology company. “But we were facing some challenges,” said Dr. Diana Greene, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Marion County Public Schools. “We’ve been a data-driven district for a long time, but we were using a system that was difficult to manage. It was also about to be end-of-lifed and the company wanted to bring in a new system. We felt it was time to search for a system that would be user-friendly and give our end users the information they needed to make decisions. Ease of use — particularly for our school-based administrators and teachers — was our number one priority.”

Marion County Educators Gain Actionable Information to Improve Student Performance and

Educator Effectiveness

Marion County Public Schools

Ocala, FL

http://www.marion.k12.fl.us/


Solutions


(FASTe)

To address these needs, Marion County Public Schools purchased the Performance Matters assessment and data management system in May 2010. In 2011, to meet Florida’s new requirements for teacher evaluations, it added the Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness (FASTe). For ease of use, all Performance Matters products operate on a single, intuitive web-based platform that supports the information needs of all stakeholders in the educational process. The integrated product line correlates and analyzes performance data from multiple sources, and turns that data into actionable information to improve instruction and student learning. Using interactive dashboards and color-coded reports, educators can easily slice and dice data to enhance performance district-wide.

Data Management In Marion County Public Schools, the Performance Matters assessment and data management system is used in every school, across all grade levels. “With Performance Matters, we now have a system that’s easy to use,” said Greene. “It’s very user-friendly, so it’s easy to get whatever information you need.” With the web-based assessment and data management system, educators can easily combine historical data such as state test scores with current data such as district benchmark assessments, Focus Calendar Assessments (FCAs), and classroom assessments. “Performance Matters gives our teachers timely information about student performance on our formative assessments, and then matches that with data from the FCAT and Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR),” said Greene.

“This helps teachers make decisions about what they should do differently to meet the needs of different students.” Teachers frequently use data from the FCAs in planning meetings with their colleagues and with their principals. “Teachers like that they can compare the performance of this year’s class to last year’s class to see how students are doing on each assessment. Principals can also look at trends across the school to gauge student performance and growth,” said Greene. “The color-coded system makes the data very easy to understand. You instantly know what the red, yellow and green colors mean, so you can immediately act on the data.” With the click of a mouse, educators can drill down and access more detailed information related to the data on the screen. In addition, this data can be disaggregated and analyzed in a number of ways, without leaving the report. For example, Marion County teachers and principals use Performance Matters to identify


students who scored in the bottom quartile on the FCAT. They then monitor their performance on the FCAs. “Using this data, they can identify the areas where students are experiencing problems and where they’re excelling,” said Greene. “They can also compare that with their FAIR data to see if students are making progress and adjust their instruction accordingly.” According to Greene, Marion County educators appreciate having a comprehensive view of all factors relevant to student academic achievement. “We particularly like the Student Detail report that allows you to drill down to the individual student level,” she said. “You can look at information such as the student’s attendance and grades, and see how that matches up with their formative and summative assessments to get a complete picture of that student’s performance. You can also look at data by classroom teacher or by school, and use that information to make decisions about curriculum or resources.” District administrators also use this data to make decisions system-wide. “When our fifth grade students took their first science FCA this year, we saw that the entire district struggled,” said Greene. “It quickly became apparent that we put this assessment on the calendar too early in the school year. We needed to give students more instruction and more time to fully understand the concepts we were testing. As a result, we’ve made adjustments to our calendar for next year and provided our schools with the support to make that change.” In addition to evaluating student progress toward state standards and analyzing growth over time, educators can compare students’ performance to their peers across the state. “Performance Matters’ ability to focus at the state level is another benefit,” said Greene. “Our previous system couldn’t do that.” Student Assessment The district also uses the Performance Matters system for the development, administration and scoring of benchmark assessments. “We administer benchmark assessments twice a year and that information is used extensively,” said Greene. “Teachers can compare the data with our Instructional Focus Calendars to see the areas they covered prior to first benchmark, how students performed in those areas, and how students performed in areas they didn’t teach yet. It helps teachers see how well prepared students are for the upcoming curriculum and the next phase of their education.” Teacher Effectiveness Marion County Public Schools is also working with Performance Matters to revamp its teacher evaluation system to meet the requirements of Florida’s new teacher merit-pay law, the Student Success Act. Like districts across the state, Marion County is transitioning to a new two-part teacher evaluation system that includes detailed observations and test results. Under the new law, 50 percent of teachers’ evaluations will be based on student test scores. “We’ve always done teacher evaluations but the state now requires us to conduct the evaluations in a different way,” said Greene. “We needed a system that would be able take our student data and work with this new formula from the state.” To meet the new requirements, Marion County Public Schools is implementing Performance Matters FASTe. FASTe provides a turnkey system


for evaluating educator effectiveness, with an easy-to-implement framework that can be customized for each school system. Accessible year-round, the FASTe online platform enables educators to “progress monitor” their performance against the multiple measures that make up their annual evaluations and link to relevant, timely professional development resources. At the end of the year, educators can then produce summative rating reports, based on the school system’s criteria. “There’s no way we could have created a system like this ourselves,” said Greene. Previously, the district used rubrics and paper-and-pencil forms for teacher evaluations. The forms were submitted and filed at the school level, according to a specific timeline. “Since the information wasn’t electronic, we didn’t have a database of information we could access — which made it difficult to get a district perspective,” said Dr. Marilyn Underwood, executive director of staff development for Marion County Public Schools. “We couldn’t look at trend data unless it was collected by hand and, with 3,000 employees, that simply wasn’t feasible. Further, our evaluation system was not formally linked to student achievement in the way the state law requires now.” Marion County educators look forward to accessing the FASTe platform to support teachers and leaders on a continuous basis with actionable information. “Anytime you can electronically access data to look at trends specific to teachers, students, grade levels or schools, you can better tailor and individualize programs to meet the needs of that learning community,” said Underwood. “Like the Performance Matters assessment and data management system, FASTe will allow us to pull together sophisticated performance data to help us measure the impact we’re having on student learning. It will allow us to connect student outcomes to teacher activities, which we haven’t been able to do in the past. We’re excited to implement FASTe.”

Results Improved use of data at all levels Improved data-driven decision making

Since implementing Performance Matters in 2010, Marion County Public Schools has seen positive changes system-wide. “I don’t think many teachers used our old data system,” said Greene. “But, since launching Performance Matters, we now see teachers frequently accessing the system to analyze information about their students and to gather information for parent-teacher conferences. If a system is easy to use, teachers will use it. If it’s difficult, they won’t.” Thanks to Performance Matters’ ease of use, teachers have become more skilled at using data to inform their instruction and enhance student learning. “We’ve definitely seen an improvement in teachers’ knowledge about student data and how to use that data,” said Greene. “Performance Matters is a conduit that links teachers to critical information about their students, so they can make decisions about what to do differently to improve student learning. It gives teachers the information they need to ask questions about their practice in the classroom, and to collaborate with their colleagues about how to make any needed adjustments.” Having easy access to data brings benefits to district-level decision makers as well. “Another feature we love is the Proficiency Predictor,” said Greene. “We’re a very data-driven district so


it’s something we rely on. The information makes it much easier to work with schools to improve their performance.” “For us, everything leads back to ease of use. It’s all about the availability of information and how quickly we can get the information we need to make decisions,” she added. “Performance Matters is very easy to use and the company has incredible customer service. They have been very helpful in working with us throughout our entire implementation.”

###


or call 407.645.1800



District statistics: Schools: 11 Students: 9,000 Grades: PreK-12 Setting: Urban Website: www.nbps.k12.nj.us

Student population: 28% African-American 70% Hispanic 2% Other 95% Free/reduced lunch

13% Special education

Summary

In 2006, New Brunswick Public Schools became the first district in New Jersey to implement Performance Matters’ integrated solutions for assessment and data management. Thanks to its focus on data-driven decision making, the district has improved student performance on district benchmarks and state tests, and enhanced teachers’ daily practice through targeted professional development. In 2012, New Brunswick also became the first in New Jersey to purchase the FASTe online platform. FASTe formatively supports educator effectiveness by continuously connecting achievement outcomes with educator activities.

Challenges

Difficult-to-use student information system Lack of student data to drive instruction

New Brunswick Public Schools serves approximately 9,000 students in two high schools, a middle school, and eight elementary neighborhood schools, which include four K-5 schools and four K-8 schools. To manage student data, the urban Title I district had been using a student information system from a large education technology company. However, educators found it difficult to access the data they needed to improve student achievement. “When I arrived in 2004, I quickly became frustrated with the district’s student management system. I’d ask for different types of data only to be told, ‘Our system can’t do that.’ I wanted a seamless system that could provide real-time data,” said Richard M. Kaplan, superintendent of New Brunswick Public Schools. “Another challenge was that, other than our state assessment, there was no way to quantify how students were doing. Our state testing program provided raw scores and scale scores but there was no item analysis, so we had no understanding of what specific topics our students had mastered.”

New Brunswick Public Schools Improves Student Performance and Teacher Effectiveness with

Performance Matters

New Brunswick Public Schools

New Brunswick, N.J.

http://www.nbps.k12.nj.us/


Solutions


(FASTe) Data Management To address these needs, in 2006, New Brunswick Public Schools became the first district in New Jersey to purchase the web-based Performance Matters assessment and data management system. “I visited another district, Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland, to see how they implemented Performance Matters. We’ve been using the system ever since,” said Kaplan. “A key benefit of Performance Matters is that it provides the opportunity for item analysis — school by school, grade by grade, class by class, and student by student. It allows us to easily see what students have or haven’t mastered. This gives us the data we need to start conversations about how to enhance student achievement.” Today, New Brunswick Public Schools uses Performance Matters in kindergarten through eighth grade. Performance Matters correlates and analyzes performance data from multiple sources, and turns that data into actionable information to improve instruction and student learning. It offers a unique capability to combine historical data such as state test scores with current data such as benchmark assessments. “Performance Matters makes it easy to access student data daily. This makes the conversations in staff meetings between teachers and principals more meaningful and productive,” said Kaplan. Using interactive dashboards and color-coded reports in the Performance Matters system, educators can easily slice and dice data to analyze student performance. With the click of a mouse, they can drill down and access more detailed information related to the data on the screen. In addition, this data can be instantly disaggregated for any student or group. “When you see the red, yellow or green on the reports, it makes it easy to group students and differentiate instruction to address their needs,” said Kaplan. “As a result, we’ve seen student performance improve on our benchmark tests.”


The district also uses the data to differentiate professional development for teachers. “Nobody wants to have a weakness, but everybody has at least one area they’d like to improve. We use the Performance Matters data to turn weaknesses into strengths by grouping teachers into grade level clusters to provide peer modeling. We also use the data to provide targeted professional development to address areas of need in specific content areas,” said Kaplan. “Teachers know they’re not alone in the classroom anymore.” In addition, during the 2011-12 school year, the district began using Performance Matters to more effectively schedule student rosters. “We looked at students’ strengths and weaknesses, and at teachers’ strengths. Then, when we developed our class lists, we matched teachers’ strengths with students’ needs to bring students up in those areas.”

Student Assessment The district also uses the Performance Matters system for the development, administration and scoring of benchmark assessments. “At first, we used Performance Matters to develop our own benchmark testing aligned with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards,” said Kaplan. “This year, we started using benchmarks that Performance Matters developed. So, instead of spending $40 an hour to develop our own tests, we now have a cost-effective way to get a bigger library of benchmarks tied to our state standards and national standards. We even compared the Performance Matters benchmarks to those from a large educational testing company and found that they had much more depth and were more relevant to our needs.” Data-driven Decision Making After each benchmark, educators across the district use Performance Matters to analyze the data, evaluate student progress toward state standards, and identify issues needing attention. “With Performance Matters, you push the button and boom, boom, boom — the data is there. The beauty of the system is that it’s so visual. It makes the data easy to understand and act upon,” said Kaplan. “The data has a direct impact on how teachers plan their lessons. Across the district, it helps us identify gaps, so we can fill those gaps as early as possible.” “For example, based on the data we saw in Performance Matters, we did a little fine-tuning of our science instruction and were able to raise our state test scores 5 to 15 points. The great thing about the data is that it’s led us to new instructional approaches and programs that have really turned our kids on to learning.”

“The beauty of the system is that it’s so visual. It makes the data easy to understand and act upon.” Richard Kaplan, Superintendent


The district also uses Performance Matters data to improve its programs and services. “Thanks to the data, we were able to see that a greater number of students were meeting the requirements for the talented and gifted program, so we expanded our program,” said Kaplan. “The data helps us think about what we can do to enhance instruction for our students. It also helps us determine which programs are making a difference so we can maximize our resources. I've even used the data to make a case for my budget with our state department of education.” Teacher Effectiveness In addition, as New Jersey considers moving toward a merit-pay program for teachers — which would tie teacher evaluations to student achievement — New Brunswick Public Schools is already ahead of the curve. In 2012, New Brunswick became the first New Jersey district to purchase Performance Matters’ FASTe system. FASTe provides a turnkey system for evaluating educator effectiveness, with an easy-to-implement framework that can be customized for each school system. Accessible year-round, the FASTe online platform enables educators to “progress monitor” their own performance against the multiple measures that make up their annual evaluations and link to relevant, timely professional development and instructional resources. At the end of the year, educators can then produce summative rating reports, based on their school system’s criteria. “After doing teacher evaluations the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, I firmly believe that incorporating technology into the process will help us work smarter and

faster,” said Kaplan. In New Brunswick Public Schools, Kaplan requires that 80 percent of a principal’s day is spent inside classrooms. “Principals don’t have to spend all this time doing formal evaluations, but an important part of their job is to be in the classroom observing instruction. FASTe will help streamline that process and help us become even more accountable for what goes on in the classroom,” he said.

“A key benefit of FASTe is that it will raise the bar in terms of the level of data we can collect to improve teacher effectiveness. It will provide us with a practical way to make a greater impact in each of our curricular areas, particularly as we move toward the Common Core State Standards,” said Kaplan. “It all comes back to what the system is about, which is enhancing educator effectiveness. With FASTe, we can better connect student outcomes to teacher actions, and connect teachers with the resources they need to improve their practice.

“It all comes back to what the (FASTe) system is about, which is enhancing educator effectiveness...” -Richard Kaplan,

Superintendent


Results Improved data-driven decision making Improved state test scores Increased parental involvement

Since implementing Performance Matters in 2006, New Brunswick Public Schools has realized several benefits.

“Without a doubt, our test scores have gone up because we know exactly what students’ strengths and weaknesses are. Our teachers are proud of their work, they’re proud of their students, and they’re more energized. We’ve increased parental involvement because we can show parents, in real-time, how their kids are doing on our benchmarks. Performance Matters has also enhanced the relationship between the district and each of our schools because we now all speak a common language,” said Kaplan. “We’re continually working to raise the bar in our schools,” he continued. “We like to be ahead of the curve in education, so we’ve always got an eye toward the future. Performance Matters is at the cutting edge in what they do. We’ve had several districts visit to see how Performance Matters works and what we’re doing with the system. Performance Matters and FASTe are the wave of New Jersey’s future.”

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or call 407.645.1800



District statistics: Schools: 11 Students: 10,200 Grades: PreK-12 Setting: Suburban Website: www.wayzata.k12.mn.us

Student population: 8% African-American 12% Asian/Pacific Islander 77% Caucasian 3% Hispanic 15% Free/reduced lunch 8% Special education

Summary: Wayzata Public Schools began using Performance Matters’ integrated solutions for assessment and data management in 2010. The district’s goals were to make it easy for educators to access and analyze student data, and to use this data to inform their instruction. With the ability to access students’ historical performance on state tests and current progress on local assessments, Wayzata educators have the actionable information they need to improve teaching and learning from the individual student level to the district level.

Challenges Complicated, difficult-to-use data warehouse Data in disparate locations

Wayzata Public Schools serves the cities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata in Minnesota. The suburban district includes seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. To manage student achievement data, the district had been using a data warehouse but faced many challenges with the system. “One of the challenges with our previous data warehouse was the ease of use,” said Shelly Nelson, director of curriculum and instruction. “It was clunky,” added Jill Johnson, executive director of teaching and learning. “It was not user friendly. It did not disaggregate data in a way that was helpful. The frustration level was very high, so people didn’t use it.”

Wayzata Public Schools Supports Continuous

Improvement with Performance Matters

Wayzata Public Schools

Wayzata, MN


The district set out to find a system that would provide an integrated solution for assessment and data management, and support the information needs of teachers and administrators district-wide. “Our goal was to get our data all in one place to make it easy to view, understand and act upon,” said Nelson. “We also wanted to make it easy for teachers to look at different types of student data — from national and state assessments to district benchmarks and formative assessments — and see how they tie together, and then use this data to inform their instruction,” said Johnson.

Solution

Performance Matters Assessment and Data Management System

To address these needs, Wayzata Public Schools purchased the web-based Performance Matters assessment and data management system in 2010. “When considering any new system or resource, we take a look at it from many perspectives, including a cost-benefit perspective,” said Wade Phillips, director of technology. “Performance Matters was an easy choice.” Wayzata Public Schools uses Performance Matters in every school, across all grade levels. Performance Matters correlates and analyzes performance data from multiple sources, and turns that data into actionable information to improve instruction and student learning. On one screen, educators can easily compare “lagging indicators,” which include historical data such as state test scores, to “leading indicators,” which include current data such as local assessments. With this information, educators can evaluate student progress toward state standards and analyze student growth over time. “We have a whole continuum of information in the Performance Matters system, from our locally developed common assessments to the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments to our state assessments to national assessments like the ACT and SAT,” said Johnson. “With Performance Matters, we can look at how students’ performance on our common assessments and benchmarks correlates with their performance on our state tests. We can then use this data to make sure we’re providing intervention to those students who need it, so they are better prepared to take our state tests and to graduate on time.”

“We wanted to make it easy for teachers to look at different types of student data — from national and state assessments to district benchmarks and formative assessments — and see how they tie together, and then use this data to inform their instruction.” - Jill Johnson, executive director of

teaching and learning


Using interactive dashboards and color-coded reports in the Performance Matters system, educators can easily slice and dice data to analyze student performance. With the click of a mouse, they can drill down and access more detailed information related to the data on the screen. In addition, this data can be instantly disaggregated for any student or group. “Performance Matters is user-friendly,” said Phillips. “We slice and dice the data in every way possible. The color coding makes it easy to

determine where you need to take action to improve student learning.” “That was an important point for us when we first looked into Performance Matters. You don’t have to be a statistician or even be great with numbers to use the system. The color-coding makes it easy for anyone to understand the data,” said Nelson. “Plus, having the ability to look at several data points in one place makes it easier to make decisions about interventions and extensions to help each student excel.”

Results

Increased use of data at all levels Improved data-driven decision making Improved assessment and instruction

Since implementing Performance Matters in 2010, Wayzata Public Schools has realized several benefits. “Performance Matters helps us immediately with our common assessments. For instance, if we see students struggled with a particular question, we can tell pretty quickly whether it was a good challenging question or a bad question that needs to be rewritten. Performance Matters informs all our work,” said Nelson. For example, during the 2010-11 school year, Johnson visited a middle school and sat in on a few classes where the teachers were teaching students about inferences. “The teachers did a great job,” she said. “Based on the lagging data they had on their students, the teachers were pretty confident that, after the first lesson, probably 80 or 90 percent of students would understand the concept. Then they assessed students with student response systems and saw that only about a third of students got it. The teachers regrouped and tackled the concept again the next day. They tested students again and the proficiency level jumped to around 90 percent. That experience was really powerful. It demonstrated that you can look at lagging data to get a sense of how your class will perform, but you also have to look at current data to help drive your instruction.”

“You don’t have to be a statistician or even be great with numbers to use the system. The color-coding makes it easy for anyone to understand the data,” said Nelson. “Plus, having the ability to look at several data points in one place makes it easier to make decisions about interventions and extensions to help each student excel.” - Shelly Nelson, director of curriculum and instruction


“This is true at the school building level as well,” continued Johnson. “Even schools that are high-performing use Performance Matters to look at data for the entire building to identify which areas they need to focus on and which strands they can improve.” “Performance Matters is an important part of our continuous improvement model,” said Phillips. “It’s about making sure people have the information they need to make informed decisions and that this becomes part of their process. Performance Matters is not a standalone system; it’s something we integrate into our daily practice. It is part of our Professional Learning Communities. It allows groups to get together and talk about where students are and how to move them forward. And, having the ability to compare lagging and leading indicators, makes it easier to analyze the data and see what patterns emerge.” “Performance Matters has been a great partner throughout the process, from the training through the implementation of the system,” he added. “They have been very willing to work with us to customize things in a way that meets our needs. It’s that partnership with our district that really makes us successful.”

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or call 407.645.1800

“Performance Matters is not a standalone system; it’s something we integrate into our daily practice.” - Wade Phillips, director of technology


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