Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments: Part I 1–2 p.m. January 15, 2015

1. California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments: Part I 1–2 p.m. January 15, 2015

2. Agenda • Welcome • Purpose • Overview • Interim Assessment Block Availability in 2014–15 • Reports • Uses for the Interim Assessments • Considerations • Questions

3. Purpose To provide local educational agency (LEA) CAASPP Coordinators with information about the interim assessments to: • Use the interim assessments in 2014–15 • Plan for use in 2015–16

4. Interim Comprehensive Assessments: Overview

5. A Balanced Assessment System Summative: Tests used for end-of-year accountability and evaluation Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness Teachers and schools have information and tools they need to improve teaching and learning All students leave high school college and career ready Formative resources: Educator resources that support measuring student learning in real-time during instruction Interim: Tests used for timely and periodic information based on local needs/goals

6. Overview Q: What are the Smarter Balanced Interim assessments? A: The interim assessments are one component of the Smarter Balanced assessment system and are designed to support teaching and student learning throughout the year. The items are developed under the same conditions, protocols, and review procedures as those used in the summative assessments.

7. Overview Q: Are students required to take interim assessments? A: The interim assessments are optional, and are recommended. They enable teachers to check student progress throughout the year, providing actionable information to inform instruction and help students meet the challenge of college- and career-ready standards.

8. Overview Q: At which grade levels are the interim assessments available? A: The content of the tests have been aligned to the Common Core State Standards in grades 3–8 and high school. The grade level to assess should be based on the purpose of the testing event. Each test can be administered to students in the grade above and the grade below (e.g., a grade 7 interim test is not limited to grade 7 students, but can be administered to students in grades 6 or 8).

9. Overview • Two types of interim assessments: • Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs) • English language arts/literacy (ELA) test and performance task • Mathematics test and performance task • Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs) • There are between 5 and 17 IABs per grade and content area

10. Overview Interim Comprehensive Assessments: • Fixed form • Use the same blueprints and assess the same standards as the summative assessments • Include the same item types and formats, including performance tasks, as the summative assessments • Yield overall scale scores, overall achievement level designations, and claim score information • Report against the same scale as the summative test

11. Overview • Examples of the use of ICAs include: • A new student from another state is given the previous year’s ICA. • Mid-year a teacher gives an ICA to gauge how students might perform on the summative assessment.

12. Overview Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs) • Fixed form • Focus on fewer sets of skills (e.g., Geometry) • Flexible; supports instruction and curriculum • Include the same item types and formats, including classroom activities and performance tasks, as the summative assessments • Yield overall information for each block • Results are reported as Below Standard, At/Near Standard, and Above Standard

13. Overview • Examples of the use of IABs include: • A teacher uses the argument performance task to determine the degree of a student’s understanding before or after instruction. • A team of teachers uses a block to become informed about how a group of students are performing in geometry.

14. Overview Q: How can I administer an interim assessment? A: Interim tests are administered in the same way as summative tests. The test administrator (TA) must use the TA Interface and the student must log onto the test through the secure browser.

15. Administering and Handscoring the Interims Requires TOMS logon credentials TOMS Verify student demographic data 1 Test Administrator Interface Administer assessments 2 Interim Handscoring System Handscore students’ constructed responses 3

16. Overview Q: Are interim assessments secure? A: Interim assessment items are NOT secure; however, they are not intended for public use. Teachers or TAs may review the items and their students’ responses to the interim items.

17. Overview Q: How long are the interim assessments? A: The number of items on each interim assessment vary by grade and content area. The tests are untimed, so the amount of time it will take for students to complete the interim assessments will also vary.

18. Overview Q: How will interims be scored? A: Most responses are machine scored. All open-ended responses are handscored by a TA through the interim handscoring module. The machine-scored results are held until the open-ended portions of the test have been handscored and submitted. The results are then combined to generate a student report.

19. Overview • Handscoring process: • Online • Rubrics and exemplars provided • Training Webcast scheduled for January 28

20. Interim Assessment Block Availability for 2014–15

21. English Language Arts/Literacy Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

22. English Language Arts/Literacy Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

23. English Language Arts/Literacy Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

24. Mathematics Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

25. Mathematics Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

26. Mathematics Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16 (available as a single Expressions & Equations Block in 2014–15)

27. Mathematics Interim Assessment Blocks *Will be available in 2015–16

28. Student Reports

29. Individual Student Report Home Example State Bay View School District Bay View Central High Grade 11 Patrick Bowman’s Results http://www.smarterbalanced.org/higher-education

30. Obtaining Student Reports Requires TOMS logon credentials Data Warehouse Receive and view student reports TOMS Verify student demographic data 1 Requires same logon credentials used for the Digital Library Test Administrator Interface Administer assessments 2 4 Interim Handscoring System Handscore students’ constructed responses 3

31. Systems Used for the Interims • Before you use the Interims: • Teachers will need Test Administrator access to TOMS to administer and handscore the interim assessments. • All TOMS users must sign and submit a security affidavit. • Teachers will use their Digital Library logon credentials to access the Data Warehouse to view student reports.

32. Suggested Uses of the Interim Assessments for 2014–15

33. Inform Teaching and Learning • Administer IAB(s) that align with current curriculum and pacing • Use IAB results with other sources of evidence to identify student strengths and weaknesses • Evaluate instructional progress and plan adjustments to increase student learning

34. Authentic Experience • Create test sessions, pause the test, experience the same interface, etc. • Respond to different types of questions • Use authentic technology • Keyboard • Mouse • Graphing • Experience content reflective of summative • Gauge time needed to complete the summative test

35. Accessibility Supports • Universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations are modifiable on the TA Interface for the interim tests. • Provides an excellent opportunity to try out accessibility supports with students and actual test items • Note: Only universal tools will be modifiable on the TA Interface for the summative tests.

36. Handscoring • Helps build content knowledge and supports collaboration within the school • Provides a clear sense of where the student’s strengths and weaknesses are • Builds teacher comfort with technology and the process of online scoring • Gives a sense of the time required to hand score • Through anchor papers, exemplifies the criteria present in the rubric

37. Implementation Plan for 2015–16 • Become familiar with the interim assessments • Evaluate the district’s available technology • Plan on how to roll out the interims next year: • Who will be on the interim assessment implementation team? • Who will determine the use of the IABs and ICAs? • How frequently will you review and correct student demographics? How do you handle students without SSIDs? • What is the process for entering, reviewing, and keeping accessibility supports current in TOMS? • When and how will TAs (i.e., teachers) be given access? What is the process for handling security agreements? • What is the plan for scoring (e.g., training, time to score)? • What is the schedule for the interim assessments? How does this align with curricular pacing plans? How is this communicated? • How will interim assessment troubleshooting be handled?

38. Immediate Considerations

39. Immediate Considerations • Ensure all teachers have access to the appropriate systems to administer the interims (e.g., grades 2, 9, 10 and 12 teachers) • Obtain security agreements from teachers • Ensure student demographic data is correct in California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) • Especially students’ Statewide Student Identifiers (SSIDs) and grade level • Provide test administration training for new teachers • Provide interim handscoring training for teachers

40. Questions?

41. Updates and Announcements

42. Updates and Announcements • Target release date for Interim Comprehensive Assessment, Interim Assessment Blocks, and the interim handscoring module is January 28. • Student reports will be available late February. • Next Webcast: Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments: Part II • Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 • Time: 1 – 2 p.m.

43. Resources and Support

44. Help Desk Support The California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) is here to support all LEA CAASPP coordinators! Monday–Friday from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. PT E-mail:caltac@ets.org Phone: 800-955-2954 Web site:http://caaspp.org