JFY helps schools adapt with proven methodology
by Gary Kaplan
Navigating Uncertainty
Even before the assault on the US Department of Education, the field was in turmoil. Test scores have been declining for several years on international, national and state tests, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. In Massachusetts, MCAS scores have not recovered their pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Beneath the statistical surface there have been signs of discord around standards, governance, curriculum, pedagogy, contracts, enrollment and ideology.
The MCAS referendum of November 2024 has caused widespread confusion. DESE has made it clear that the only change is the graduation requirement and that all other MCAS functions including school accountability remain in force. But many school administrators, teachers, students and parents are uncertain whether MCAS will continue or how it will be used. High school staff are concerned that the removal of the graduation requirement may cause some 10th graders not to take the test seriously, leading to further decline in scores.
Despite the uncertainties, the state’s curriculum standards remain in place and govern the content taught in our classrooms. Teachers still need to know whether students are learning the grade-level material they assign. Parents and other stakeholders need to know whether students are acquiring the skills they will need to function effectively in the economy and in civil society. It isn’t just a question of abstract academic benchmarks: It’s the foundation of lifelong success.
JFY can help schools ensure that their students are on track to that goal. Our standards-based blended learning program, JFYNet, helps schools buck the downward trends with our AIMS methodology. JFY’s instructional software contains embedded formative assessments that show teachers whether students are mastering their assignments, standard by standard. Our regular reports give teachers the information they need to make timely individualized instructional adjustments. With this assessment capacity, even if MCAS is de-emphasized, teachers can keep students on track to grade-level proficiency and lifelong success.
AIMS: Assess, Instruct, Measure, Support.
Our AIMS methodology has evolved over a quarter-century of working with schools in the standards-based environment. Our focus is on deploying online resources to expand teachers’ ability to provide appropriate and effective individualized and group instruction. The goal is grade-level skills for all students.
Assessment of each student’s skills uses embedded measurement tools or existing school data to diagnose learning needs.
Instruction with high-quality software offers teachers flexibility in choice and utilization of online materials. Instruction can be aligned to course curricula, district pacing guides or benchmark tests. Online learning is by nature individualized and self-paced. It can be tailored to the particular needs of students with disabilities, English learners, and others with individual learning needs.
Measurement is conducted by monitoring student activity online, tracking individual progress through the curriculum as recorded in the embedded data system. JFY’s real-time student data enable timely instructional adjustments that keep students on track.
Support for teachers and students is provided by dedicated JFY staff via videoconference, text, email, phone and onsite consultation. Continuous professional development and support for teachers builds proficiency and confidence.
JFYNet has helped Massachusetts schools improve student performance for decades. We worked with 5,979 students and 255 teachers during the 2023–24 academic year, and more than 125,000 since 2000. Currently, 7,197 students are enrolled. Despite the overall downward trends, JFYNet schools continue to see steady growth thanks to our AIMS methodology.
Our flagship East Boston High School, a JFYNet partner since 2015, has outperformed all its open-enrollment peers since before the pandemic. The aggregate math performance of JFY’s statewide partner schools exceeds the state average. Statewide, academically and demographically comparable schools that are not served by JFYNet perform below the state average and below the JFYNet partner schools.
Scores, Skills and Success
The Math MCAS is scheduled for May 20. There is adequate time for a focused preparation effort to improve student mastery of the core grade-level standards. Every MCAS question is derived directly from a state curriculum standard and is so identified. JFY has tabulated the standards tested on MCAS since 2.0 was introduced in grades 3-8 in 2017 and 10 in 2019. There are 25 standards that have appeared 4 or 5 times. Our MCAS curriculum covers them all and adds more that have appeared three and two times. The benefit of this focus can be substantial. One additional correct answer can move a student from 499 to 500 scaled score and Partially Meeting to Meeting Expectations in achievement level.
We know that no single test score presents a complete profile of a student’s competence, much less total achievement. But as a subset of the state curriculum standards, MCAS scores identify strengths and weaknesses in basic skills. By focusing on those skills, we can ensure that students are laying the foundation for all the other building blocks of lifelong success.
For more information about JFYNet and AIMS, send an inquiry to info@jfynet.org or go to our website at JFYNet.org.
Gary Kaplan is the executive director of JFYNetWorks
Other posts authored by Gary can be found here.
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