Testing Information 2013-2014 PTA Presentation January 7, 2014

1. Testing Information2013-2014PTA PresentationJanuary 7, 2014

2. Primary Reading Assessment – Grades Pre-K – 2 • An assessment tool designed to help teachers determine a student’s reading performance in terms of meeting benchmarks. • Fall September 16 – October 17 • Winter January 6 – February 7 • Spring May 5 – June 6

3. MAP-P Measurement of Academic Progress for Primary Grades Gr. K-2 • A computer-adaptive achievement test which assesses to student’s skill level on different math concepts. • Measures academic growth over time. • Administered to grades K-2 in the fall, winter, and spring. • MAP-P results identify the skills and concepts students have learned and diagnose instructional needs. • MAP-P is the newest MCPS assessment tool under Curriculum 2.0. • Fall Window September 9 – October 17 • Winter Window January 6 – February 13 • Spring Window April 22 – May 30

4. MAP-R Measures of Academic Progress Assessment in Reading Gr. 3-5 • A computer-adaptive achievement test which assesses to student’s skill level in the different reading achievement areas. • Measures academic growth over time. • Administered to grades 3-5 in the fall, winter, and spring. • MAP-R results identify the skills and concepts students have learned and diagnose instructional needs. • Schools can use this info to implement interventions to increase the likelihood of students’ scoring proficient or advanced on MSA. • Fall Window September 9 – October 17 • Winter Window January 6 – February 13 • Spring Window April 22 – May 30

5. Gifted & talentedGrade 2 Global ScreeningNew Student Screening Gr. 3-5 • The purpose of Global Screening is to: • Recognize those students whose performance, motivation, or potential ability indicates the needs for accelerated and enriched instruction. • Match student strengths with instruction and programs that will support and extend these strengths. • 5 subtests administered: Sequencing, Analogies, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning (Words & Context) In View December 4 - 18

6. Gifted & talentedRescreening (GR 3-5) • Take another look at a student who has already been screened. • Recognize those students whose performance, motivation, or potential ability indicates the needs for accelerated and enriched instruction. • Match student strengths with instruction and programs that will support and extend these strengths. • 5 subtests administered: Sequencing, Analogies, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning (Words & Context) In View December 4 – December 18

7. MSA Maryland School Assessment MSA provides national norm-referenced and Maryland criterion-referenced data. The norm-referenced items provide national percentile ranks to describe how well a student performed in reading and mathematics compared to his/her peers nationally. The criterion-referenced items provide proficiency scores (expressed as Basic, Proficient, or Advanced proficiency level) to describe how well a student has mastered the reading and mathematics content specified in the Maryland Content Standards.

8. Understanding MSA (Maryland School Assessment) • Meets the state testing requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. • Assesses the Maryland Content Standards, which is the basis for the MCPS curriculum. • Measures Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) – measure that is used to track academic progress for schools and school systems. Schools must achieve all school targets (reading, math, science, attendance). • Describes student performance in reading and math in grades 3-8. • Describes student performance in science Grades 5 and 8. • Selected response (multiple choice) and Brief Constructed Response (BCR) • Reading questions focus on word study, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. • Performance levels: Basic (not passing grade level academic standards); Proficient (passing grade level academic standards); Advanced (performing above standards)

9. MSA Testing Schedule MSA Reading • Grades 3 & 4 March 3 - 4 • Grade 5 March 5 - 6 MSA Mathematics • Grades 3 & 4 March 7 & 10 • Grade 5 March 11 – 12 MSA Make-Up Tests March 13 - 18 MSA Science • Grade 5 March 24 – April 11 (Online)

10. PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS (PARCC) • PARCC is an alliance of states working together to develop common assessments serving approximately 23 million students. PARCC’s work is funded through a four-year, $185 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Partners include about 200 higher education institutions and systems representing hundreds of campuses across the country that will help develop the high school component of the new assessment – and then put it to good use as an indicator of student readiness. PARCC is led by its member states and managed by Achieve Inc., a nonprofit group with a 15-year track record of working with states to improve student achievement by aligning K-12 education policies with the expectations of employers and the postsecondary community. PARCC’s ultimate goal is to ensure all students graduate from high school college- and career-ready.

11. PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS (PARCC) • PARCC is an alliance of states working together to develop common assessments serving approximately 23 million students. PARCC’s work is funded through a four-year, $185 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Partners include about 200 higher education institutions and systems representing hundreds of campuses across the country that will help develop the high school component of the new assessment – and then put it to good use as an indicator of student readiness. PARCC is led by its member states and managed by Achieve Inc., a nonprofit group with a 15-year track record of working with states to improve student achievement by aligning K-12 education policies with the expectations of employers and the postsecondary community. PARCC’s ultimate goal is to ensure all students graduate from high school college- and career-ready.

12. The PARCC summative assessments in English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy and Mathematics will include a rich set of performance-based tasks which will enable teachers, schools, students and their parents to gain important insights into how well critical knowledge, skills and abilities essential for young people to thrive in college and careers are being mastered.

13. PARCC assessments in ELA/Literacy and Mathematics 11 Updated July 25, 2013 will be administered in grades 3-11 beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. The assessments at each grade level will assess the CCSS for that grade. However, in mathematics, a small portion of the assessments will assess securely-held content from the previous grade.

14. In order to promote improvements in curriculum and instruction and support various forms of accountability, the PARCC assessments are designed to measure the full range of the CCSS and full continuum of student abilities, including the performance of high and underperforming students. To effectively carry out the PARCC design, assessments in both content areas will be administered in two components: •  A performance-based assessment (PBA) component, administered after approximately 75% of the school year, and • An end of year assessment (EOY) component, administered after approximately 90% of the school year.

15. PARCC ELA/Literacy Assessments • The ELA/Literacy PBAs at each grade level will include three tasks: a research simulation, a literary analysis, and a narrative task. For each task, students will be asked to read one or more texts, answer several short comprehension and vocabulary questions, and write an essay that requires them to draw evidence from the text(s). The ELA/Literacy EOYs at each grade level will include 4-5 texts, both literary and informational (including social science/historical, scientific, and technical texts at grades 6-11). A number of short-answer comprehension and vocabulary questions will also be associated with each text.

16. PARCC Mathematics Assessments The mathematics PBAs at each grade level will include both short- and extended-response questions focused on applying skills and concepts to solve problems that require demonstration of the mathematical practices with a focus on modeling, reasoning, and precision. The mathematics EOY assessments will be comprised primarily of short-answer questions focused on conceptual understanding, procedural skills, and application.

17. WIDA (Worldclass Instructional Design & AssessmentACCESS for ELL Under the No Child Left Behind legislation, states must measure the development of the English language proficiency skills of their English language learners (ELL) in grades K-12 on an annual basis within the domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Members of the WIDA Consortium use ACCESS of ELLs to fulfill the requirement. Therefore, the primary purpose of ACCESS for ELLs is to measure English proficiency growth tied to the criteria of the WIDA Consortium’s English language Proficiency Standards, which are aligned to the academic content area standards of every WIDA state. January 13 – February 14 Make – up dates: February 17 - 25

18. Gifted & Talented2013-2014 Testing and Programming

19. Fall 2013The GT Screening Process Magnet and Choice ProgramsGrade 5 • Applications mailed to all 5th grade students in September 2013. • Parent Meetings held October 2013. • Deadline for applications was November 8, 2013. • Magnet testing was in December 2013. • Recommendations due to MCPS office by December 12, 2013

20. Highly Gifted Center Grade 4 & 5 • MCPS sent applications to all Grade 3 homes in September 2013. • Parents return applications directly to DCCAPS – NO applications accepted after November 8, 2013. • GT Committee & Grade 3 met to complete school recommendation and teacher surveys December 2013. • Student Folders due in DCCAPS by December 12, 2013. • Testing for HGC was January 6, 2014 @ SMES. • Decisions made March 14, 2014. • HGC Open Houses – March 26 – April 2, 2014. • Deadline for accepting decisions – April 4, 2014.

21. Gifted & talentedGrade 2 Global ScreeningNew Student Screening Gr. 3-5 • InView Test: December 4 - 18, 2013 • Parent, Teacher and Staff Surveys • GT Committee decisions in May 2014 • Parents notified about decisions by May 30, 2014.

22. Gifted & talentedRescreening (GR 3-5) • Take another look at a student who has already been screened. • Recognize those students whose performance, motivation, or potential ability indicates the needs for accelerated and enriched instruction. • Match student strengths with instruction and programs that will support and extend these strengths. • 5 subtests administered: Sequencing, Analogies, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning (Words & Context) InView December 4 - 18, 2013

23. Why do we screen the students? Screen students to : • Recognize students whose performance, motivation, or potential ability indicates the need for accelerated and enriched instruction. • Match student strengths with instruction and programs that will support and extend these strengths.

24. Multiple Criteria for GT Identification Parent Survey Teacher Survey Staff Advocacy Reading and Math Levels • InView―5 subtests administered: Sequencing, Analogies, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning (Words & Context) Additional information

25. GT Committee • Includes school administrator, classroom teachers, and other staff in the building, such as ESOL teacher, resource teacher, reading teacher, counselor • Collects and analyzes student data • Makes recommendations about instruction based on data • Makes decisions about identification based on data

26. Rigorous Programming at Every SchoolInstructional Service Options • Reading/Language Arts • Jacob’s Ladder • William and Mary • Junior Great Books • Above level texts • Mathematics • Curriculum 2.0 with enrichment and acceleration

27. It is not about a label. It is about… • Access to opportunity ― no gatekeeping, no barriers • Equity in high expectations for all students • Quality of a challenging instructional program Access + Equity + Quality = Success

28. POTENTIAL What educators and psychologists recognize as giftedness in children is really potential giftedness, which denotes promise rather than fulfillment, and probabilities rather than certainties, about future accomplishments. How high the probabilities are in any given case depends on the match between a child’s budding talents and the kinds of nurturance provided.

29. Tips for Easing Test Anxiety

30. 1. Reassure your child Tell your child that the test will be used to evaluate how well a school or school district is educating its students. It's important for kids to have a sense of the broader context.

31. 2. Put the test in perspective Explain that test scores are looked at along with many other pieces of information in determining your child's achievement level. Her grades and progress over time, for example, are also very important. This may be a big test, but it is still just one test!

32. 3. Take a deep breath If your child is a very nervous test taker, have her do deep breathing exercises before the test. She can take a deep breath and count to ten. Then have her take shorter deep breaths in between passages or sections of the test -- counting to three only. This exercise is fast and simple, but it really works!

33. Finally… remind your child to relax and do his/her best!