MVP Eradicates WCPSS's Performance Lead over NC in "Economically Disadvantaged" and "Limited English Proficiency" Subgroups

"MVP is low entry high ceiling," they tell us.  But how are subgroups of Economically Disadvantaged Students (EDS) and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) faring in Wake County?  Let's take a look.

Source

All data quoted here is available to the public at the Department of Public Instruction's (DPI's) testing results webpage.  We encourage you to check the results yourself.

Background

In Wake County Public School System (NC), Math 1 courses adopted MVP last school year 2017-18.  NC captures 2 metrics for the Math 1 EOC, Grade Level Proficiency (GLP) and College and Career Readiness (CCR).  There was a change to the way the EOC was reported in 17-18, making comparisons to prior years difficult without math acrobatics that are the exclusive intellectual property of WCPSS.  Therefore, I will call the raw data for 15-16 and 16-17 "Apples" and the raw data for 17-18 "Orange".

However, there is meaning in comparing Wake to the state of NC, and then trending that number.  Wake County has been one of the top performing school systems in the state for many years, consistently outperforming the state in all subgroups.  But, as you will see here, that gap is closing for the "all students" data set, and even more so for the EDS and LEP groups, especially in 17-18, after one year of using supposed "free" OER resource MVP.

"What's the Cliff Notes Version?" you ask.  

The pictures speak for themselves.

For Group 1, Economically Disadvantaged, Wake once led NC by 1.9% and 4.5% for GLP and CCR, respectively.  Now, we trail the state by 9.3% and 11.8%!  Thanks MVP!

For Group 2, Limited English Proficiency, Wake once led NC by 27.8% and 43.2% for GLP and CCR, respectively.  Now, the gap has crashed and we are about dead even at 0.4% and 5.0%!  Thanks MVP!

For Group 3, All Students, Wake once led NC by 19.2% and 26.9% for GLP and CCR, respectively.  Now, that gap has continued to decline to 13.4% and 18.9%!  Thanks MVP!

Conclusion

I continue to be skeptical of all WCPSS's Year 1 (2017-18) MVP data claims due to the secret mystery algorithm used to calculate the performance numbers, which were reported without the context of the state numbers.  But mainly, due to the widely irregular adoption we have seen of MVP in Wake County, how can anyone make cause-and-effect claims, including me?  That said, it's the only data we have, and this report shows that EDS and LEP students are getting the shaft.

Author: Blain Dillard