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Testimonials
Deborah Wells, Assistant Supt., Kerrville
ISD
Thanks to Margaret
Kilgo's "Data-Driven Decisions" training, Kerrville ISD has been a
Recognized District for six consecutive years with campuses that
consistently receive Exemplary or Recognized status. KISD's
administrators and teachers have studied with Margaret Kilgo for
over eight years.... We are excited about utilizing Margaret's
recommended Scope and Sequences, which we will use as models in our
updating process, and about her more in-depth research model.
Margaret's workshops have always been the absolute best.
However, the time she took to write her model Scope and Sequences
and to tweak her TAKS data research model has been the most valuable
gift to our district.
Karleen Noake,
Deputy Supt., Huffman ISD
Your work is invaluable to all of us who attended (the scope and
sequence workshops). We would never have the time to do all of this
research and analysis. The training was wonderful and will certainly
pay off in terms of better instruction, improved classroom
assessments, and increased student achievement.
Mary Gail Stinnett, Principal, Reagan
El., San Angelo ISD
Margaret Kilgo’s strategies have helped us become better aligned
both vertically and horizontally. We have shown tremendous growth,
especially in math. The Assessment History takes the guesswork out
of TAKS and offers a clear picture of student and campus strengths
and weaknesses.
Pat Crawford,
English Teacher, Timpson ISD
I
learned how to prepare the students for TAKS after hearing Mrs.
Kilgo in January 2005. She made the text-based reading so clear to
me!! I also use the state-prepared study guide.
Last
year my sophomores had 95% after the first time I heard Mrs. Kilgo.
This year's sophomores improved from 79% as freshmen to 90% as
sophomores. This year's freshmen came up from 72% as eighth graders
to 94% as freshmen. The juniors scored 93%.
Carrie Kesler, Special
Education Teacher, New Deal, Texas
I was the high school special education teacher in New Deal,
TX (near Lubbock). I was fortunate enough to attend the Special Education,
Data-Driven Decisions, Margaret Kilgo workshop in Austin this past September.
This workshop changed my professional philosophy when it came to teaching
special ed students! I used data to drive all of my decisions in the classroom
and believed that I
could teach on grade level with these kids.
I had a Resource Math class that I decided to focus on and
use the Kilgo methods. The results were astounding! Below are my SDAA
II results for these students. As you can see, these
students made tremendous jumps from last year's SDAA
II scores to
this year's. Some as much as five grade levels!!!
|
Student |
2005 SDAA
II
Achievement Level |
%
Mastery |
2006 SDAA
II
Achievement Level |
%
Mastery |
|
A (10th grader) |
5th
grade level
-II |
76% |
10th
grade level-II |
33% |
|
B (10th grader) |
9-II |
54% |
10-II |
57% |
|
C (11th grader) |
n/a (out of state) |
n/a |
LDAA (2005 SDAA
II)
9-III |
68% |
|
D (10th grader) |
6-II |
57% |
10-II |
43% |
|
E
(9th grader) |
7-I |
33% |
9-II |
44% |
|
F (10th grader) |
5-II |
33% |
10-II |
41% |
|
G (11th grader) |
6-I |
34% |
LDAA (2005 SDAA
II)
9-I |
38% |
|
H (10th grader) |
6-III |
73% |
10-II |
44% |
Anita Absher, Reagan Magnet
School, Ector County ISD
In 2004, Reagan Magnet School in Odessa, Texas, had
the second highest scores in the state increasing its
percentage of commended performance significantly. What created this change in
scores from 100% passing to the highest possible performance on individual scale
scores? It was a reliance on Margaret Kilgo’s questioning practices.
Using her data analysis format, we studied
our TEKS to determine where to spend our time, then had teachers—along with
the children—study the past questions journaling the content and process
skills necessary to answer the question. Quick surveys of the children’s
journals exposed exactly the areas a child failed to grasp. Children developed
their own question and answer choices with written explanations for why each
answer choice should or should not be chosen. This created synergy among the
children and teachers as they produced sample questions more challenging than
the released tests, plus they loved working on questions by one another because
they belonged to them.
Reagan is now a nominee for the national
Blue Ribbon School Award and a finalist in the Schools of Distinction Award
presented by Intel and Scholastic Corporation. Both awards will be officially
announced in September 2005. We owe it to Margaret Kilgo!
Thank you for the outstanding research
and practical, high level offerings! It is exactly what is needed!
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