Reports and test results from teachers using the Socratic Method
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Test Results from St. Andrew’s County Day School
One of the basic tenets of Modern Socratic teaching is that learning can be accelerated because the process of learning is enhanced and strengthened through the utilization of their techniques.
It appears that in the second year of implementation the claim seems to be valid. Through the utilization of various Modern Socratic techniques in the classroom, students seem to have a better and deeper understanding of material that is being taught. The chart below illustrates the growth rate of particular cohorts at each grade level.
Although not perfect, the trends indicated demonstrate an acceleration of academic growth from one year to the next. If one can anticipate a normal growth rate of 1.0 per academic year, the results illustrate a growth rate that is double, triple, quadruple and more. The trend shows that the growth increases dramatically the longer the student participates in the program (8th graders testing out at a 12th grade level).
There are several indices that support this statement. The first is the high proportion of scholarships granted for graduates. Scholarship awards amounted to over $250,000 the last two years for approximately 45 students. That’s about $5,600 for each student. The second is the increased scoring in NY State assessments. This year the school boasted a 94% rate of students earning threes and fours. That was about a 12% increase from the previous year and almost a 20% increase over the last two years.
If one examines the numbers for each cohort, one can see the arithmetic progression from one grade level to the next. If allowed to extrapolate results into the future, it would be safe to say that students educated by means of Modern Socratic Techniques will experience accelerated academic growth to the point that graduates will be testing out at a high school or collegiate level.
There are several testing areas that will be addressed this year to resolve certain inconsistencies, i.e., Grade 4 Reading and Grade 6 Math. Nevertheless, even these inconsistencies do not affect the final outcome.
Another comparison offering validity to the conclusion of accelerated academic growth is the examination of scores by grade level. Once again, one could expect that after one year of instruction, a student’s grade level equivalent should increase by one year. Needless to say, that growth was doubled in Grades 3-5 and took off exponentially in Grades 6-8. As a whole, there was a 3.4 Grade Level increase per grade. Those are remarkable numbers!
So once again we return to the essential questions. Can Modern Socratic Techniques increase and accelerate learning? The answer is a resounding yes! As we enter our third year of implementation, I have every confidence that results cannot only be replicated but can be surpassed. These are techniques that address needs of all children; bright, average and special needs children!
These are techniques that cross all socio-economic and gender lines. These techniques are designed to elicit responses, brain-engaged responses, from all children. They draw the student out and encourage children to problem-solve and discover their own intelligence. Subsequently, they develop a self-confidence that only the satisfaction of success and accomplishment can confer.
Dennis J. Welka, Principal
St. Andrews Country Day School
Cohorts Growth
- This table shows the advancement in academic years experienced by the entire student body at St. Andrew’s Country Day School, Buffalo, NY .
- The advancement was measured using the “value added” TerraNova standardized test as published by McGraw-Hill.
- The students were taught using the Project Renaissance Maieutic Socratic Methods, mainly in the 2008-2009 school year and in following years.
- In 2007-2008, some of the teachers were taught and were already using some of those methods, which accounts for some of the gains you see for that year; but note how these gains accelerated once all teachers were using these methods.
- In 2007-2008, with some teachers using and some not yet using these methods, day-by-day usage was logged, and the gains—student by student—correlated nearly perfectly with the proportion of classroom time in these methods experienced by each student.
- Starting in 2008-2009, notice how—once students are more verbal, from 5th grade on up—gains also accelerate there. Judging by reports from individual teachers, including at college and graduate levels (though as yet not subjected to standardized and systematic testing), that acceleration continues, or certainly at least that higher level of performance gain continues, throughout all higher ranges.
- Approximately 200 students each year were tested in the study.
Win Wenger comments:
Your school can, easily and immediately, obtain similar gains, whatever educational level it is. For simple, clear step-by-specific-step immediate
directions how, see this quick, easy-read, concise, straight-forward, simple
book for teachers. Starting right now you can more than double the rate at
which your students are gaining, even without the investment expense of the professional training which can carry your school even much further.
Feedback from FusiK MusIQ, Inc.
Dear Dr. Wenger,
I have some more recent data as well as an explanation and some new developments of which to inform you. First, I’ll talk about the newest data results from my class and how the growth is calculated.
Our high stakes test is called the ISTEP+ and this assessment is administered in April with expected results the latter part of July/early August. This is our state accountability test. In addition to this test we also assess the scholars quarterly with Predictive tests, which are designed to predict their performance on the ISTEP+.
Since our school uses an accelerated model, we also assess scholars quarterly through Interims exams which cover grade level and above grade level standards. When comparing the results of these assessments, we are able to see significant growth trends. After our most recent and final round of testing before the ISTEP+ and drilling down the data and tracking the growth on the Predictive and Interim assessments, my students are on track to grow an average of 44 points in reading (more than 4 times the average), where the expected and desired growth from the state is only around 10 points.
The math assessed different math skills than those taught, hence the drop. This was consistent across nearly all grade levels and classes statewide. The -3 is one of the lowest drops among an average of nearly -9. The (math) data has evened out a little since then, with both growth projections around 4 times the state average.
Additionally, based on performance on the aforementioned assessments in math, my students are on track to grow district leading 99 points where expected growth is only around 24 points. Again these are based on predictive tests and I fully expect these numbers to be confirmed after we conclude the high stakes testing at the end of the month. Let me know if this explanation will suffice. I have a fantastic data team and they will happily answer any questions that have to do with data or how things are calculated.
Our team at FusiK MusIQ continues to grow and we have just made some new additions that will without question help us advance our academic mission. It looks like we are headed to Atlanta! We have some new partners in Georgia and we are in the process of writing a proposal for the Gwinett County School District, the largest district in Georgia. We have spoken with officials on the board level and we have good reason to believe that our proposal will be looked upon favorably once complete.
We will be taking the next 6 months to customize the programs for the Gwinett Cty District and our intent is to roll out programming in the summer of 2014. Your research is at the forefront of our programs and it is our intent to bring more positive attention to Project Renaissance and your work while of course saving dozens of thousands of young lives in the process. I will certainly keep you abreast as new developments come to light.
I am interested in bringing a small team where you are to get more direct training. Please advise. I know that my results are decent but they can be much better. More classrooms besides mine will be implementing the techniques next year as well in both Indianapolis and Atlanta and I have already begun implementing the techniques with much more fidelity now that I am more familiar with the system at the network in which I teach. Next year will be a breeze and I’m sure our results will be even more impressive.
The handful of classrooms that will be implementing the strategies here and in Georgia are doing so as a result of my encouragement. They are also tied to FusiK MusIQ in some way as well. It is our intent that next year we will have some hard data from at least one cohort per grade and gender level (in Indy the network of schools is based on gender up through middle school) and we will submit another proposal to the board to adopt the tactics across the network.
As far as the demographic at the network where I teach, it is 99% African American in inner city Indy and we have the highest scores in the state for that particular demographic. It is a Blue Ribbon school also, and please feel free to visit The Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School for more in depth information.
As far as media, I have begun video recording the 3 Easy Tactics in action with my boys as we work through lessons. I will continue to collect media, edit and send to you for your approval to upload to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Finally, as my team gets familiar with The Einstein Factor, 3 Easy Tactics, and Beyond Teaching and Learning, some questions have arisen regarding how years of growth were calculated for St. Andrews Country Day School. I understand that it was measured using “value added” Terra Nova standardized test. Is there any additional information that you can provide as far as how the years of growth were assessed and calculated?
Sincerely,
Shy Quon Ely II, MBA
Principal and founder
of the school of FusiK MusIQ, Inc.
Win Wenger comments:
You will more than double the value of any lesson you teach, with any of the three simple, easy tactics self-taught in this quick easy book, 3 Easy Tactics to use in your classroom.
These three very easy tactics, immediately self-taught in specifics from this book, are only part of the very comfortable modern form of Socratic Method which has been getting such nice results at St. Andrew’s. Even so, their easy incorporation into your routines should easily and immediately more than double your students’ rate of gain in academic proficiencies, though still short of the whole five-fold-plus gain. We can then provide you other elements for the rest of that greater gain.