NeSA—Math Transition Professional Development Nebraska Department of Education October 2016

1. NeSA—Math Transition Professional DevelopmentNebraska Department of EducationOctober 2016 WELCOME! Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

2. TrainingObjectives To gain understanding of • The College & Career Ready Math Standards and how they will be assessed on NeSA • Characteristics of a quality test • Characteristics of a quality items • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) • Bias and sensitivity issues • The electronic item template Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

3. Training Objective #1 To gain understanding of the new Math Standards and how they will be assessed on NESA Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

4. Standards Activity Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

5. Unpacking the New Standards Things to consider. . . • What differences do you notice about the information in the crosswalk? • What kinds of work have you done or will you need to do to prepare for the change? • How does the language of the indicators impact the items we write? Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

6. Guidelines • Tested Indicator • DOK Level Tested Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

7. Training Objective #2 to gain understanding of the characteristics of a quality Test Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

8. A Quality Test . . . • accurately and appropriately measures what is relevant. • is consistent and precise. • does not put any group at a disadvantage. Validity Reliability Fairness Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

9. Training Objective #2 to gain understanding of the characteristics of quality Items Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

10. Item Writing Terminology Sample MC Item Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

11. Item Writing Guidelines • Content • Style • Item Stems • Response Options Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

12. Item Writing Guidelines: CONTENT • Be clearly aligned to the identified indicator • Do not reference material or information presented in another item • Focus on one idea or concept • Test meaningful content (ask questions worth asking) Nebraska Department of Education, June 2016

13. Item Writing Guidelines: STYLE • Spell out acronyms • Avoid the use of “NOT” and “EXCEPT” • Avoid absolutes (e.g., always, never) and vague modifiers (e.g., best, worst) • Use appropriate vocabulary • Ensure correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling • Use active voice and present tense Nebraska Department of Education, June 2016

14. Item Writing Guidelines: ITEM STEMS • State clearly and concisely • Use complete sentences with end punctuation in context • Question appears at the end of the stem • Use “which” before a noun and “what” before a verb • Do NOT use “Which of the following . . .” Nebraska Department of Education, June 2016

15. Item Writing Guidelines: ITEM RESPONSES • Answer options should be grammatically consistent with the stem and parallel in form. • Mutually exclusive (independent) • Phrase choices positively (avoid NOT) • Do NOT use “All (or None) of the above” • All answer options should be free of clues to the correct answer. • Ordered purposefully (by length, alphabetically, sequence, etc.) • Are all options plausible? Nebraska Department of Education, June 2016

16. Training Objective #3 TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING OF WEBB’S DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

17. DOK Levels DOK 1-Recall Basic mathematical calculations, recall facts, perform routine procedures, answer literal questions DOK 2-Skill/Concept Solve routine multiple-step problems, describe cause/effect of particular event, organize, represent, and interpret data, identify and summarize the major events in a narrative DOK 3-Strategic Thinking Identify research questions, apply concept in other context, support ideas with details Nebraska Department of Education, June 2014

18. Verbs—Three Different DOK Levels • DOK Chart guides • Verbs are not guaranteed to make an item a certain DOK • Describe • Explain • Interpret Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

19. Item Difficulty Difficulty is a reference to how many students answer a question correctly. “What is the value of 10*10?” DOK 1 – basic mathematical calculation Most students can answer the question easily and most will get it right. “What is the value of 68*42?” DOK 1 – basic mathematical calculation Will the same number of students get the answer correct? Nebraska Department of Education, June 2014

20. Training Objective #5 To revisit bias and sensitivity issues Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

21. Bias and Sensitivity Topics • Avoid topics that could be offensive or controversial • Carefully consider what context is needed to meet the standard • Think about all of our students when composing items Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

22. Questions to ask yourself as you write and review • Do the items (questions and responses), passages, and graphics • demean any religious, ethnic, cultural, or social group? • unnecessarily portray any person or group in a stereotypical manner? • contain any other form of bias: gender bias, regionalism, ageism, or bias against persons with disabilities? • Are there any topics that are not described clearly enough that might disadvantage a group of students for any reason? • Are there any terms, difficult words, culturally specific concepts or ideas, figures of speech, jargon, or slang that might disadvantage a group of students? Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

23. Training Objective #6 To gain understanding of THE ITEM TEMPLATE Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

24. The Morning Task • Write one multiple choice item per applicable indicator • If you complete each applicable indicator, go back and write additional items Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015

25. THANK YOU! Questions? Nebraska Department of Education, October 2015