Assessment and Data

1. Assessment and Data Region 14’s Comprehensive assessment plan

2. The big picture of student performance How can I answer the question, “How is my child doing?” Information in the student portal/gradebook Progress reports and report cards Parent-teacher conferences Parent-teacher communication: notes, emails Student work samples compared to grade level models Multiple, corroborating scores/performance levels that serve as pieces of evidence from classroom, grade, district, state assessments

3. Why so much testing? Standards define what students should know and be able to do at each grade and in each content area so that students master the same learning objectives regardless of their teacher or school assignment Teachers need to assure that all students are making progress towards the learning objectives Different types of assessment give teachers different pieces of information for short and long term planning for what students already know, areas of strength and student needs so that teachers can focus instruction where needed Assessments provide data to match students to resources, materials and strategies in order to maximize their learning Assessments provide data on readiness for learning and grouping of students

4. Using scores to improve instruction View this video clip that explains how assessment scores can be used to match students with appropriate learning experiences that will maximize learning (just right choices) http://www.schooltube.com/video/4a04233b3e294806ab71/The%20Lexile%20Framework%20for%20Reading:%20Linking%20Assessment%20With%20Reading%20Instruction

5. Difference between testing and assessment Previous generation of students were exposed to mostly testing Testing tends to be summative-an end point- and little is done with the information other than to report results or performance level Assessment provides data that helps check instructional effectiveness, adequacy of curriculum, fine-grained information about students know and are able to do and where they struggle Assessment is a dynamic part of the instructional process: teach-check-adjust

6. Goals for assessment Minimize loss of instructional time: it takes a team effort to move students as seamlessly as possible through the process, especially if there are technology bottlenecks Collect data that is important for planning instruction and tracking student learning Collect data that is actionable: teachers have the time to review, analyze and use in planning Share out information about student performance levels so that it can be used in any content area that uses reading, writing, and problem-solving to deliver instruction Reduce redundancy wherever possible

7. Levels of assessment Classroom teacher Grade level/school District State Diagnostic Independent

8. Classroom-teacher • Formative • In the moment • Checks for understanding, inform instruction and monitor if strategies are effective • Usually informal and not graded • May be questioning, observation, quick writes, exit tickets, quizzes, Running Records • Summative • Typically at the end of a chapter, unit or learning objective • Determine level of mastery of content, performance level • Graded • May be paper and pencil test, performance task, project, portfolio • May be part of instructional program or series

9. Grade level-school Common across classrooms-helps with consistency of curriculum and learning expectations May be developed by teacher team or independently/commercially developed Often have grade level targets, norms Baseline: pre-test Benchmark/Interim: Fall-Winter-Spring, mid-terms Summative: Check of mastery, finals Examples: Fountas & Pinnell MSV, on-demand writing, math and science benchmarks

10. District Connects across grades and schools Creates a longitudinal picture of student performance and growth Typically a standardized or independently/commercially produced product May be predictive of student performance on state assessment targets Typically has grade level goals, targets or norms, but may be grade independent (helps pinpoint what the student is ready to learn, regardless of grade or age) Examples: Degrees of Reading Power (DRP), Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)

11. State Complies with federal requirements to report all students’ performance in Math, Language Arts and Science Content assessed and performance levels aligned with standards for each grade Independently/commercially developed and scored No cost to the district May be connected to teacher, school or district accountability (high-stakes) Examples: CMT/CAPT in past years, Smarter Balanced beginning Spring 2015

12. Diagnostic Limited to students who may have specific learning needs or disabilities Generally associated with a specific protocol for administering and scoring the assessments Drill-down deeply to identify specific areas where student needs intervention and support May be given more frequently to monitor student progress and response to intervention Examples: DRA2, Gates-McGinnity, Woodcock-Johnson, DIBELS

13. Independent Participation is voluntary Includes only a sub-set of students May be associated with a course or program of study or may be completely outside the school Examples: SAT, ACT, PSAT, NOCTI, Advanced Placement (AP) tests

14. Uses of assessment data • Classroom assessments typically count as evidence on progress reports and report cards, whereas school, district, and state level assessments are not part of grades • Uses for these assessments include • Determining a starting point for instruction • Creating instructional groups • Selecting appropriate materials to help students access content • Tracking students’ growth • Accountability for mastering grade level standards • Determining if the curriculum is focused on the right content to align with standards

15. Making sense of scores • Context of scores is important • What is the scale for the scores? What does the number mean? • Are there grade level goals or targets? • How does the student’s performance compare to peers in the same grade or nationally (grade level norms)? • How do the scores document the amount of student growth or progress? • Are the scores a valid and reliable representation of what the students knows and is able to do?

16. Sharing assessments with parents Parents have a right to access their child’s educational records Not all pieces of assessment data are created equal Each school level (elementary, middle, high) will determine the most critical data to communicate about student performance The menu of assessments may change as the district adds and deletes assessments from the assessment plan

17. Items typically shared • Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) • Measures level of reading comprehension • Grade level goals • Scale of 0-100 • Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) • Measures understanding of math concepts, reading comprehension, language use • Grade independent, but has grade and national norms • Scores fall between 140 (K)-300 (post-secondary) • Elementary Progress Reports/Middle and High Report Cards • State Assessment (Smarter Balanced) performance levels

18. Be aware of moving targets • DRP • Grade level goals/targets revised to reflect higher expectations in standards needed for students to be college and career ready • Students will need to fill gaps in knowledge and experience and teachers will need to learn and implement new strategies to change the learning trajectory • MAP • Students (and staff) gaining experience in testing in the online platform • Computer adaptive testing often takes a few administrations to zero in on the correct instructional level of questions (50% correct) • Smarter Balanced • In development since 2012, field tested in 2014 • Performance levels now being established as well as rating of item difficulty • Grade level expectations higher than CMT/CAPT • Filling background gaps as well as addressing grade level content

19. Data collection and privacy issues • FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act • Rights for parents/guardians and eligible students • Limits access to identifiable student records to only those school officials, legal or other authorized parties with a legitimate educational interest • Does allow sharing of directory information or non-identifiable, aggregated student data School date systems (Power School) limit access to student scores to authorized users only Information reported to the state through state reporting collections and state assessments is done through a secure online reporting system. No additional data is being collected for SB: same as CMT/CAPT. Data are aggregated for analysis.

20. Making sense of student scores Work with the teacher to understand what the assessment is designed to measure, the scoring scale and if there are any relevant reference points, norms or targets to give the score a context Take advantage of available Parent Toolkits and assessment websites to learn more about the assessment Look at a variety of evidence to create a more complete picture of the student’s performance