California Educational Research Association Conference

1. Learning Wins: The Evolution of Assessment in California December 2, 2015 Michelle Center, Director, Assessment Development and Administration Division Deborah Baumgartner, Consultant, Assessment Development and Administration Division Keith Smith, Consultant, Interim Assessments & Digital Library Office Lily Roberts, Administrator, English Language Proficiency Assessments Office California Educational Research Association Conference

2. STAR to SBAC: From Accountability Focus to Learning FocusMichelle Center, DirectorAssessment Development and Administration Division

3. 1998: A STAR was born • Valid and reliable measurement across a large and diverse state. • Central role in state and federal accountability systems. • Steady increases in proficiency. • Results spoke for students who otherwise could have been overlooked.

4. Some thought we called it STAR for another reason…

5. Rethinking the Role of Assessment • Accountability alone was no longer enough. • Policymakers wanted more than alignment with new standards and use of technology. • “It is the intent of the Legislature…to provide a system of assessment that has the primary purpose of assisting teachers, administrators, and pupils and their parents to improve teaching and learning.” – AB 484

6. Beyond Once-a-Year Measurement • Focusing on growth over time • Providing check ins throughout the year • Building assessment literacy • Ongoing formative assessment process as a teaching tool.

7. A New System with a New Purpose TO FROM • Assessment for Teaching and Learning • Multi-faceted system • Embedded in the instructional cycle • Focus on continuous improvement • Tools for teachers • Testing for Accountability • Once a year

8. A Year-Round System

9. Benefits of Baseline Scores A valid, reliable measure of student performance in all tested grades. For incoming seniors, a valuable reading of readiness for college-level coursework.

10. The Big Secret: It’s not all about summative scores New assessments signal educational goals. New assessments model high-quality instruction.

11. Signaling Educational Goals Aligning assessments to Common Core State Standards encouraged: • Professional development • Technology acquisition • Changes in classroom instruction

12. Modeling High-Quality Instruction Performance tasks provide opportunities for students to demonstrate analytical and problem-solving skills. Analytical writing provides opportunities to demonstrate communication and analytical skills.

13. CAASPP Year One: Online and Opting In • More than 3.2 million students assessed • Less than 2,000 paper-based administrations

14. Committed to ongoing improvements • Operational improvements planned for 2016. • Re-examination of reporting systems and timelines. • Ongoing analysis by CDE, ETS and UCLA CRESST. • Independent evaluation by HumRRO.

15. Still a long way to go… • Making sure results are ready to serve schools, teachers and students. • Improving online reporting, formative tools and interim assessments. • Improving understanding of long-term goals for assessments.

16. CDE: Providing New Resources CAASPP Institutes: Opportunity to set goals for instructional improvement. Digital Library/Interim Assessment Clinics. Technical assistance in use, administration and scoring. Online Parent and Teacher Guides resources for parents and educators.