District Assessment Report

1. District Assessment Report Patricia Eckel– District Testing Coordinator Westwood Regional School District October 29, 2013

2. NJ ASK Update • The Office of Assessments had been working on transitioning the NJ ASK for the past two years (NJCCCS to CCSS) • The 2013 NJ ASK measured the CCSS within the current NJ ASK blueprint. These assessments are called “transitional” because they are not be able to measure the full range of the CCSS until the next generation assessments are developed. (PARCC-Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers- is currently developing the next generation to be administered in 2015).

3. CCSS Key Instructional Shifts • In ELA – historically included text dependent constructed-response items in reading and multiple writing prompts in every grade level. • The CCSS shifts in ELA are: increasing text complexity and emphasis on academic vocabulary; building knowledge through content-rich informational text; text-dependent reading questions to elicit responses grounded in specific evidence from the text.

4. Instructional Shifts – cont’d • In Mathematics, the CCSS shifts are significant because new content was added per grade level. • NOTE: the NJ ASK math grades 6 through 8 will transition to the CCSS in 2013-2014. • During the transitional years, math instruction is beginning to connect the content standards with the mathematical practices.

5. Science Assessment • The Science Assessment in grades 4 and 8 will continue to measure the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS). • The score categories and the content on the assessment will remain the same. • NOTE: Next Generation Science Standards may change this assessment down the road!

6. Language Arts Literacy (10-11) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

7. Language Arts Literacy (11-12) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

8. Language Arts Literacy (12-13) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

9. Mathematics (10-11) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

10. Mathematics (11-12) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

11. Mathematics (12-13) *Yellow indicates areas where the WRSD outperformed the DFG

12. Science 4 & 8 (10-11) Biology Competency Test (10-11) *Yellow indicates areas where the WWRSD outperformed the DFG

13. Science 4 & 8 (11-12) Biology Competency Test (11-12) *Yellow indicates areas where the WWRSD outperformed the DFG

14. Science 4 & 8 (12-13) Biology Competency Test (12-13) *Yellow indicates areas where the WWRSD outperformed the DFG

15. HSPA

16. % of Total AP Students with Scores of 3+

17. A Few Highlights • Jr./Sr. H.S: AP tests – 80.6% scoring 3 or higher, 55.9% scoring 4 or higher (up 8% over last year) • +16.8% increase in advanced proficiency for 3rd graders at Berkeley School in Mathematics(68.8%) • +18.5% increase in passing rate in ELA for 5th graders from when they were in 4th grade in Berkeley. 15.4% increase at Washington School, and 8.2% increase overall for the district • 11.6% increase in passing rate in ELA for 8th graders from when they were in 7th grade.

18. Next Steps • Cycle II and Students’ scores in teachers hands for analysis. • Action plans to improve in key areas in math and ELA • Cross Content Literacy • New Evaluation System for teachers and administrators based on student growth. • Curriculum aligned to the CCSS. • PARCC readiness – Field testing in the Spring

19. What is a True Measure of Authentic Student Achievement? Standardized tests (NJASK, HSPA, SATs, AP tests, etc.) = limitations Reading assessments Internal benchmark assessments Authentic real-world assessments/projects Student performances Student portfolios

20. Questions If you have questions, please contact Pat Eckel at patricia.eckel@wwrsd.org or please contact your building principal.