Taylor Road MS CRCT Parent Breakfast

1. Taylor Road MSCRCT Parent Breakfast Danita A. Pettiford Program Specialist - Assessment Assessment Department

2. Presentation Handouts

3. Common Core Georgia Performance Standards • The Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) provide a consistent framework to prepare students for success in college and/or the 21st century workplace.These standards represent a common sense next step from the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS).

4. What do Common Core Georgia Performance Standards mean for Georgia? • In school year 2012-2013, the CCGPS English Language Arts will be implemented in kindergarten through grade 12, the CCGPS Literacy in science, history/social studies, and technical subjects will be implemented in grades 6 - 12, and the CCGPS Mathematics will be implemented in kindergarten through grade 9. • Ensure that all Georgia students have an equal access and opportunity to master the skills and knowledge needed for success beyond high school. • The standards create a foundation to work collaboratively across states and districts, pooling resources and expertise, to create curricular tools, professional development, common assessments, and other instructional materials.

5. Assessment in Fulton County • Assessment is a vital component of the instructional process. • Fulton County supports a sound system of assessment that is aligned to expectations and incorporated into instruction. • A good assessment program has a balanced approach that utilizes different types of assessments to address instructional, accountability, and learning needs.

6. Different Types of Assessments Assessments fall on a continuum of formality and standardization. Least Standard & Least Formal Most Standard & Most Formal • Standardized summative assessments • Informal classroom assessments to provide information to adjust instruction to improve learning while it is occurring

7. Year at a Glance – State Mandated Assessmentsfor Middle Schools • ITBS October 22 – October 26 • Grade 8 Writing January 23 • ACCESS for ELLs January 22 – March 4 • English Language Learners only • GAA September 4 – March 22 • Students with Disabilities only • CRCT April 10 – April 17 • CRCT-M • Students with Disabilities only April 10 - April 15 • CRCT/CRCT-M Retest May 21 - 22

8. Norm Referenced Tests (ITBS) Criterion Referenced Tests (CRCT) Two different types of Standardized Assessments Fulton administers:

9. Norm Referenced Tests - NRT Compares student performance to a representative sample of the population in the same grade and at the same time of the year. Ranks student performance. The purpose of administering the NRT is to obtain information about how the performance of Fulton’s students compare with that of students in a national sample.

10. Fulton’s NRT – the ITBS Achievement battery – a collection of tests from several content areas standardized with the same group of students. Scores from the different content areas can be compared to determine relative areas of strengths and weaknesses. The tests are developed on a vertical scale – you can compare results from grade 7 to grade 8.

11. Fulton’s NRT – the ITBS • Some ways scores are reported: • Grade Equivalents (GE) • Standard Score (SS) • National Percentile Rank (NPR) • Percent Correct (%C) • National Stanine (NS) • Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE)

12. What is on grade-level? (fall)

13. What is on grade-level? (spring)

14. Common Misunderstandings about NRT test scores • Grade equivalent scores tell which grade the student should be in. • Students who have exceptionally high or low grade equivalents scores relative to their current grade placement should not necessarily be promoted or retained accordingly.

15. Common Misunderstandings about NRT test scores • Average is the standard to beat. • Too many parents seem to regard the “average”, or the fiftieth percentile as the magic number. Over 50 is good and under 50 is bad. This is not true! • Average performance on the ITBS and other tests like it is considered to be the range from 25th to the 75th percentile.

16. Common Misunderstandings about NRT test scores • Constant percentiles over the years show no growth. • Students who maintain nearly the same percentile rank in their peer group from year to year are progressing at a rate that is typical for that grade.

17. Appropriate Use of ITBS Scores: • When diagnosing strengths and weaknesses, a status score such as percentile ranks should be used. • When growth is the focus, grade equivalents or other developmental score should be used.

18. CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test A criterion referenced test measures a student’s knowledge about a specific subject matter – state curriculum (CCGPS). Students are assessed on how well they have learned the content standards for their grades. Goals are set for students based on a set standard.

19. CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test Cut scores are developed to distinguish different performance levels. Performance level descriptors are verbal statements that define expectations for each level. Georgia educators work together to set the performance levels and expectations.

20. CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test The scale score values for obtaining each performance level are the same across all grades and subjects. Example: Level 1 = <800 Level 2 = 800-849 Level 3 = >849 BUT………

21. Each subject and grade were developed independent of each other. The amount of effort required to perform in level 1 on the Grade 6 math test is not the same as the Grade 7 math test. The scale scores from different grades and subjects cannot be compared. CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test

22. Types of Scores Reported: Scale Score Performance Level Number Correct at the Domain Level Lexile Score (Reading only) CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test

23. Review of Individual Student Report

24. What is a Lexile Score? • A Lexile is a standard score that matches a student’s reading ability with the difficulty of textual material. • Lexile scores are calculated from the CRCT – Reading subtest. • A Lexile can be interpreted as the level of text that a student can read with 75 percent comprehension (the level at which students can read with a certain amount of comfort and yet still be challenged).

25. What is the purpose of aLexile Score? • Lexile scores match text and readers. • Libraries have many books that have been tagged with Lexile scores so that you can guide your child to the appropriate books.

26. Lexile Scores • Scores ranges = Reader (BR) to 1700L. • Students obtained Lexile measure displays two ranges— “Leisure” and “Challenging”. • Books are suggested in each range.

27. Lexile Scores • The Leisure range represents the easiest kind of reading material that is appropriate for the student. • The Challenging range represents the most difficult level of material the student can read successfully. • Some students may receive “BR” as their Lexile measure, which denotes a Beginning Reader and indicates that the student can read the simplest of books.

28. Lexile Bands These “stretch” Lexile bands are the basis for determining at what text complexity level students should be reading—and at which grades—to make sure they are ultimately prepared for the reading demands of college and careers.

29. Different uses of scale scores Determine acquisition of knowledge, concepts and skills of the state curriculum Identify areas of strengths and weaknesses Promotion at grades 3, 5, and 8 8th grade students must score in level 2 or 3 in Reading and Math to be promoted to grade 9 CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test

30. Different uses of scale scores Curriculum improvement School and state accountability CRCT:Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test

31. Criterion-Referenced Tests Vs. Norm-Referenced Tests • Criterion Referenced Tests - are designed to determine whether a student has mastered a skill or demonstrated minimum acceptable performance on the tested items. • Norm Referenced Tests - are designed to compare a student’s score with the scores of other students obtained from the same test. Scores from norm-referenced tests do not tell what students know and what they do not know. They tell only how a given student’s knowledge or skills compares with that of others in the norm group.

32. Best uses of test scores • To help teachers determine the extent to which individual students in their classes have the knowledge and skills needed to deal successfully with the academic aspects of the instructional program. • To identify each student’s areas of greatest and least development for use in planning instructional goals.

33. Best uses of test scores • To identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in performances groups. • To provide a basis for reports to parents that will enable home and school to work together in the student’s best interest. • Test scores should always be combined with other measures of learning to obtain a complete achievement picture of your child.

34. Suggestions for Parents • Help your child become a problem solver. Stress the importance of trying to solve problems even if you are unsure of yourself. • Be involved in your child’s education. Check homework assignments and pay attention to class papers and information sent home from the school.

35. Suggestions for Parents • Don’t be overly anxious about test scores. Do stress the importance of testing and encourage your child to do their best. • Get plenty of rest, exercise and practice good nutrition. • Talk to your child about school.

36. Test Prep • CRCT Diagnostic Checkpoints • Blueprinted to the CRCT • Online Assessment System (OAS) • CRCT Study Guides • Located on the GaDOE under “Parents” • Practice Tests

37. The Online Assessment System • The Online Assessment System (formerly known as the CRCT Online System) enables students in Georgia's public schools to access tests that consist of the same kinds of questions as appear on two of Georgia's end-of-year assessments, the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), the End of Course Tests (EOCT), the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT), and the Georgia Writing tests. The Online Assessment System (OAS) is available throughout the school year so that teachers can integrate testing on CRCT, EOCT and GHSGT subjects with their teaching of those subjects.

38. How does the OAS work? • The OAS provides immediate feedback regarding individual student and group performance on two types of tests, called Student Tests (which are created by the OAS) and Teacher-Created Tests. Students and parents have complete access to Student Tests. Teachers are able to use the OAS to create and assign Teacher-Created Tests. A teacher must assign a Teacher-Created Test to a student in order for the student to access that test.

39. How can the OASbe used? • The OAS can be used for a variety of purposes. Students can gain valuable experience in becoming self-assessors, learning to evaluate their own work and educational progress. • Parents can see the kinds of questions their children will be asked to answer on the end-of-year CRCT, EOCT, Georgia Writing, or GHSGT assessments and monitor their children’s progress. • Teachers can create customized tests as they complete instructional units or sequences of instruction. These tests can then be administered to individual students and/or groups of students to diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and to provide opportunities for enrichment and remediation. • The OAS contains a large number of test items in reading for students in grades one through eight and high school, in English/language arts and mathematics for students in grades one through eight and high school, and in science and social studies for students in grades three through eight and high school.

40. OAS for Parentswww.georgiaoas.org • Parents can access reports from tests their children have taken by logging in as the student and viewing reports. • Also, parents are informed when teachers share reports on their child's success on assessments. • Reports are all aligned to the state standards so success on these assessments shows ability on the state curriculum.

41. What is next for Georgia Assessment? • The spring 2013 CRCT will be aligned to the CCGPS • A CRCT and EOCT will be replaced by a national assessment in 2014-15 • PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College & Careers)

42. Be a Test-taker! • Take a few minutes to experience sample test items your son or daughter may have. • Choose 2 math test items & 2 ELA test items to complete