Due to a little more teasing apart of the data, it always takes me a bit longer to post the Algebra I rankings. As usual, I have listed the results for the state in Algebra I by district/school and ranked them by percent scoring in the top two levels. Using the percent in the top two levels seems to be the preferred method of determining the percent scoring a “Proficient or above” type score, which is the goal score range. This is certainly preferable than the average scale score or other “average” scores used by SchoolDigger and other sites to rank performance, due to being more telling in regards to instructional effectiveness and being the same goal as the Mississippi state accountability model has for our students, classes, schools, and school districts to reach. If you are still curious about why average “scale score” or average “standardized scale score,” are not a legitimate means to examine MAAP performance by a group of students according to our accountability model, feel free to read a post on the subject from a couple of years ago, (Why Average Scale Scores Should Not Be Used for MAAP Performance Comparisons).
The following links will take you to the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) Algebra I results from the 2022-2023 school year for districts as a whole, high schools & attendance centers with a 9th grade, and junior high & middle schools without a 9th grade (if curious about the reasoning behind this splitting of school rankings see the “Caveats” below):
2022-23 Algebra MAAP Rankings by District
2022-23 Algebra MAAP Rankings of Schools with a 9th Grade (Attendance Centers or High Schools)
2022-23 Algebra MAAP Rankings of Schools WITHOUT a 9th Grade (Middle or Junior High Schools)
As discussed in previous years, more caution should be used in examining these Algebra I results than with any others listed. District results and rankings are the same, but schools require a little more thoughtful examination to make sure the comparisons are valid. There are several extremely important differences in how the Algebra I assessment is given and reported that make it quite unique.
Caveats of the 2022-2023 MAAP Algebra I results:
Algebra I is unique in that students may take it during the middle school years (typically the 7th or 8th grade). These middle school students, who took Algebra I in 2022-2023, all took the end-of-course MAAP Algebra I assessment just as their high school counterparts did. In many school districts across the state, the decision is made to allow students who have demonstrated advanced achievement in 6th/7th grade mathematics to take Algebra I in the 7th/8th grade in order to “get a jump” on the accumulation of high school credits. This “jump” might pay off by freeing up the student to take more advanced electives, dual-credit/enrollment, or AP courses later in high school. Why is this important when analyzing results reported by school?
- –In a situation where a district has a separate elementary, junior high, or middle school which includes an 7th or 8th grade and has Algebra I testers, those results will show up under the elem/jr. high/middle school where they took it when the end of year results summaries are made public. This has a two-fold effect. First, the school with the junior high test takers will typically have extremely high test scores as the more advanced students are typically enrolled in the course (with some extremely exceptional cases at schools where the total opposite might be taking place for strategic reasons with polar opposite results). Second, the school where those students typically move on to the 9th grade (the “high school”) will typically now have extremely lower Algebra I scores on average, due to the fact that the upper achieving students have already taken the course in the 7th/8th grade at the elem/jr. high/middle school where they were the year before. Thus, middle schools will typically have extremely higher scores in comparison to all other school types. This is in reference to the results in data releases such as the one my rankings are based upon only and not in reference to where the student’s results will apply in terms of the school’s accountability model grade.
- –In some school districts these extremes do not take place at all and results are not skewed due to the “split” between taking Algebra I in the middle school grades. This occurs for three typical reasons. First, some districts have a blanket policy that no student, regardless of achievement, will be able to take Algebra I before 9th grade. Thus, in those schools all students’ scores will fall under the high school in which they enter the 9th grade. The only exception to this is a few schools across the state that include the 9th grade in their middle school or have a middle school made only of 9th graders. This 9th grade middle school scenario is extremely rare in Mississippi, but it does exist causing further skewing of results when attempting to compare schools head to head. Second, there are a fair number of high schools which include 7th – 12th grades. In these combined 7th – 12th high schools, no skewing takes place as all Algebra I test takers are reported under the one school name regardless of the grade they take the course. Third, there are a minority of K-12 schools, often called “attendance centers,” still left across the state, especially in my home area of northeast Mississippi. These schools have the same situation as the 7th – 12th grade high schools listed previously, in that they will not have skewing of results as takes place in the “caveat #1” schools listed above.
- –Thus, in an ideal situation, one might compare three categories of schools’ Algebra I results. The first category being elem/jr. high/middle schools with students taking Algebra I in the 7th/8th grade. The second category being high schools which receive students from those type of elem/jr. high/middle schools which allow Algebra I to be taken. The third category being made up of K-12 attendance centers and 7th – 12th high schools whose scores reflect all of their Algebra I students regardless of grade level.
- –In the real world, these categories must be taken into consideration when comparing schools (district comparisons are not affected because all students regardless of grade level taking Algebra I end up under the umbrella of the particular district’s results). However, attempting to show these distinctions when examining statewide results is impossible without the state supplying information about each schools grade levels (and perhaps even their philosophy or rules regarding students taking Algebra I). Since my rankings rely on publicly available data, I have to use my own judgement as to what category a school might fall under.
Due to these very important caveats, I have made my best attempt to show this distinction of results by making two categories for ranking schools. The first category includes K-12 attendance centers and all high schools that have a 9th grade (including both 7th-12th & 9th-12th high schools). The second category includes elementary, junior high, and even some “high schools” which do not have a 9th grade, but which did have Algebra I test results. These categories are not perfect as some schools (such as those very rare 9th grade only schools) have to be lumped into one category or the other even though they are unique situations. Also, some schools names may not reflect their actual grade levels (such as an imaginary “Nowhereville High School,” which despite its name is actually a K-12 attendance center) resulting in the possibility of me accidentally placing them in an inappropriate category. However, I feel the attempt must be made to show at least these two category distinctions or else the results would make little sense (with middle schools virtually dominating the top half of the rankings for the reasons listed above, if no distinction is made in the rankings of schools).
Despite the above long-winded dissertation, I hope these results provide information which you find beneficial. I feel pretty confident in the data at this point, but please let me know if you spot any errors. My goal for making this information available in this particular format is to aid in improved instruction for all of our students. I simply ask, if you make use of the data in this format, please pass along the word of where you obtained it, as all too often people do not. To paraphrase Crash Davis from Bull Durham, I hope when you speak of me, you speak well.
I do hope each of you have a wonderful school year and that it has gotten off to a good start. I commend you for what you do each and every day to make a difference in the lives of our young people to help build better communities and ultimately a better state, nation, and world! This should be the final category of rankings I publish for this school year. Again, I do this with the ultimate goal of improving instruction. However, I am also heartened by the many schools, districts, parents, and teachers themselves who are genuinely surprised to learn that their students performed as well as they did, unaware until they see it in these rankings. When I imagine the work and performance of students and teachers who might otherwise never really realize how very well they performed being in the dark on how they performed and being without recognition in some cases without the disaggregation and compilation of the data and ranking the results in this format it makes the hours put into creating these reports and publishing them seem an incredibly small price to pay. If one single teacher or student is encouraged or better informed due to this information being put out for viewing, then it was all well worth it to me.
Please do not forget to exercise your responsibility as citizens this year by voting as well. We have an excellent opportunity this year to choose leadership with a positive vision for the future of our state, which includes supporting our public schools. I hope you thoughtfully consider who you believe will be the best person for the positions on the ballot and exercise your right to have your voice heard through your actions at the voting polls.
Thanks and may God bless your work educating our young people!
Clint Stroupe
The Thinking Conservative Blog 