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Aab-sad-nov08item09 Attachment 1 Page 1 of 20. Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearing on High School Assessments November 13, 2009 Boston, MA Presenter: Lauress L. Wise, HumRRO. Options and Issues. Intended Uses: High school accountability (or K-12 system accountability)
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Aab-sad-nov08item09Attachment 1Page 1 of 20 Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearing on High School Assessments November 13, 2009 Boston, MA Presenter: Lauress L. Wise, HumRRO
Options and Issues • Intended Uses: • High school accountability (or K-12 system accountability) • Teacher or principal performance indicator • High school graduation requirement • Providing diagnostic information about student deficiencies • Test Content: • A single test covering all of the reading or math readiness standards • A number of end-of-course assessments aligned to course content • Test Administration: • Once at (toward) the end high school • At the end of several school years to chart progress over time • More than once during a school year to chart within-year progress • Test Format: • Large group administered paper-and-pencil test • Individually scheduled computer-based assessments • Portfolio approaches, scored by (independent) teachers • Validity Evidence Required to Support Interpretations of Results Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Intended Uses • An overall readiness test will not meet most goals announced for the common assessment • Measures very little of what high schools teach • Does not measure what most teachers are teaching • Inconsistent with the idea that students might excel at different things • End-of-course tests do support most goals • Covers more of what high schools teach • Provides feedback on different courses and teachers • A better assessment of goals for student readiness • Prepared through 10th Grade English and Algebra 1 • Advanced in 3-5 other courses of interest to the student Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Test Administration • Consider mid-term assessments • Provides more comprehensive information on student work than a single end-of-year test • Can be used diagnostically to identify students needing additional help to complete the course • Summative assessment • Include measures of student progress during the course • Combined with end-of-year test results to give a summative measure of individual student success Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Test Format • At high school, student work is increasingly evaluated by extended projects and papers • Consider multiple measures of student success in mastering different courses • A short, challenging, machine-scored test or tests • A portfolio of student work: papers and projects • Might be collected and evaluated during the course and used diagnostically • Evaluated by independent panels of teachers • Used to confirm or modify performance levels estimated from the end-of-year, machine-scored test Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Validity Evidence • Alignment Studies • Align course content to overall readiness goals • Mapping to assure coverage of all course objectives at appropriate depths of knowledge • Convergent Validity Studies • Agreement with AP test results • Agreement with NAEP preparedness measures • Predictive Validity Studies • Prediction of college entrance and placement • Prediction of early career outcomes • Consequential Validity Studies • Impact on curriculum and instruction Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Recommendations • Fund multiple approaches to see what works best. • At least one approach should focus on end-of-course (and possibly within-course) tests • Consider Achieve/Pearson Algebra II end-of-course test as a starting point • Common end-of-course tests will also help to standardize content of courses across classrooms, schools, districts, and states Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Recommendations (Continued) • Consider multiple ways that students might demonstrate readiness for college and work. • Every student should be good at something • Need to cover the breadth of high school courses • E.g., foreign language and world history, what about P.E.? • Consider assessing writing through course-specific essay questions Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Recommendations (Continued) • Consider possibilities for tests that are diagnostic and formative (interim) as well as providing summative information. • Include funding for initial content analyses • Study sequencing of objectives within each course • Also map course objectives to overall readiness • Measure student progress in terms of the number of end-of-course tests passed • Also count courses passed “with distinction” • Include retest options for courses not passed Panel on Commen Assessments - High School
Recommendations (Continued) • Fund collection of validity evidence • To support readiness interpretations of individual test results and summative measures • To identify improvements in content and format of assessments Panel on Commen Assessments - High School