MADISON — With another school year coming to a close, educators in the Diocese of Madison are taking a look at the results of their teaching this year, and looking ahead to build on and improve their students’ learning.
This school year was the first time the Diocese of Madison used the National Catholic Educational Association’s Assessment for Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) to assess how curriculum is aligned with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and how to improve programs year-by-year. The ACRE is used in 133 dioceses across the country.
Last year, Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison requested all parish catechetical programs join Catholic schools in administering the ACRE.
What the ACRE does
The main tool of the ACRE is a test of around 100 questions given to students at three levels: fifth grade, eighth grade, and Confirmation classes. The questions cover topics in knowledge of the faith with multiple-choice questions. Examples of these questions include asking students to define Trinity, sacraments, and Transubstantiation.
Another set of questions dealt with personal beliefs and attitudes. The students answer these questions based on a range between “Strongly Agree” and “Strongly Disagree” to a particular statement about their faith. Examples of these include: “Being Catholic is important to me,” “It is okay for people my age to drink alcohol at a party,” and “Gathering together for the family meal, whenever possible, is important to my family.”
There are also optional additional questions schools and parishes have the option of including on the test. Students took these test in February and March of this year.
Administrators and directors of religious education have received the results for the first year of ACRE testing. The results break down the scores of students compared with an overall nationwide average, a nationwide average of Catholic schools, and a nationwide average of religious education programs.
The numbers show which areas of learning, such as: Church History, Liturgy and Sacraments, and Prayer/Religious Practices the students are advanced, proficient, or need improvement in.
The data also breaks down the results question-by-question for a more advanced look on what teachings need to be modified.
Looking at the numbers
Recently, about 30 educators met at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison to learn options of what to do with the more than 20 page packet of data and statistics.
Leading a presentation was Deacon Tony Abts from the Diocese of Green Bay. Deacon Abts has several years of experience with ACRE through his own work in Appleton.
Deacon Abts encouraged the educators to strive for high scores, but not to base their lessons on the ACRE test. It’s “good to see the test . . . not teach the test,” he said.
Deacon Abts also noted the importance of teaching the faith in today’s modern world. He warned that “faith is getting shoved to the sidelines,” and teachers and catechists have to do all they can to make sure students can learn as much about their faith as possible.
The deacon also pointed out the assessments should not be used as a staff evaluation or a way to compare results in Catholic schools versus those from religious education programs. The ACRE is meant to be a tool for growth.
Breaking down the data
While the results are confidential, some educators mentioned mixed results in the category of Liturgy and Sacraments. A few teachers hoped the positive results were from efforts to get their students more involved in the Mass by planning and participating. Others speculating lower scores were from inconsistent Sunday Mass attendance by parents and the students themselves.
Other educators also mentioned a need to raise scores in the Prayer category by introducing more active prayer into their lessons.
Deacon Abts encouraged the educators to make manageable goals going ahead. He advised each school or R.E. program to organize a team and analyze areas for improvement. Deacon Abts recommended one-year and longer goals such as 10 percent increases in scores.
While a new version of the ACRE is set to be released in July, educators in the diocese will use the current version for at least one more year for scoring comparisons. The current version was released in 2001.
Schools can compare year-to-year results in the same grade level, for example, by seeing how different years of fifth-graders do on the test year after year. They can also, after a few years, check the progress of a class, seeing how they perform in fifth grade, eighth grade, and during Confirmation-level classes. Educators can see if the students have learned more, in between test years, and what they have retained from prior years.
For more information on the ACRE Assessment, go to www.madisondiocese.org under the Ministry/Evangelization and Catechesis tab.