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Georgia’s Changing Assessment Landscape Melissa Fincher, Ph.D. Associate Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability Georgia Department for Education Winter GAEL February 2014. Federal Requirements for High Quality Assessments. College & Career Ready standards and expectations
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Georgia’s Changing Assessment Landscape Melissa Fincher, Ph.D. Associate Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability Georgia Department for Education Winter GAEL February 2014
Federal Requirements for High Quality Assessments • College & Career Ready standards and expectations • Assessments in grades 3 – 8 and high school • capable of measuring student growth over the course of the academic year • accessible for all students, including SWD and EL • ELP standards that correspond to CCR standards • Administer no later than 2014 – 2015 • Annually report college-going and college-credit accumulation rates for all students and student subgroups at district and high school levels
A New Assessment System Comprehensive • single program, not series of tests (e.g., CRCT; EOCT; WA) Coherent • consistent expectations and rigor to position Georgia students to compete with peers nationally and internationally • consistent signal about student preparedness for the next level, be it the next grade, course, or college/career • consistent signal about student achievement both within system (across grades and courses) and with external measures (NAEP; PSAT; SAT; ACT) Consolidate • combine reading, language arts, and writing into a single measure to align to the standards
Coherency – Consistency Achievement of Georgia Students in Mathematics 2013 • NAEP – Grade 8: 29% at/above proficient • CRCT – Grade 8: 83% met/exceeded • Coordinate Algebra EOCT: 37% met/exceeded • SAT – Class of 2013: 42% college ready benchmark* • ACT – Class of 2013: 38% college ready benchmark** 2012 • PSAT – sophomores: 35% on track to be CCR *SAT data represent 71% of Class of 2013 **ACT data represent 51% of Class of 2013
Georgia’s New Assessment System As we begin to build a new assessment system, the plan is: • to consolidate reading, language arts, and writing into a single measure to align to the standards; • to embed norm-referenced items to provide a national comparison; • to share items with other states; • to align expectations with other external measures to send consistent signal of how Georgia students are doing compared to their peers; and • to involve USG and TCSG in the development to ensure the assessments signal college and career readiness.
Georgia’s Plan • To accomplish this, Georgia must: • continue strong partnership between K – 12 and post-secondary (USG and TCSG); • include a variety of item types – more than just multiple choice; • increase expectations for student learning and achievement; and • continue to – and accelerate – transition to online administration
Resources • Even with many of the specifics of the new assessment system unknown at this time, there are many, many resources that will prepare educators and students: • Content standards • frameworks, formative lessons, PARCC evidence statements • Sample items: PARCC; SBAC; Georgia OAS; other states (KY, NY) • CRCT Readiness Indicators • Lexiles
CRCT Readiness Indicators:Reading, ELA, Mathematics • Indicators are designed to send a signal to stakeholders about where students are relative to the expectations in the our standards • Indicators are to provide feedback about our preparedness for the increase in rigor and expectation for student achievement that is on the horizon • Feedback will consist of the percent of students who achieved each readiness level – state , district, and school levels – for instructional planning purposes
CRCT Readiness Indicators:Reading, ELA, Mathematics For instructional planning and decision making: • Needs Additional Support:The student has demonstrated that his or her command of the knowledge and skills described in the CCGPS warrants additional instructional supports. • On Track: The student has demonstrated that his or her command of the knowledge and skills described in the CCGPS is sufficient; the student is on track for success at the next level. • Commendable:The student has demonstrated that his or her command of the knowledge and skills described in the CCGPS is exemplary.
CRCT Readiness Indicators:Reading, ELA, Mathematics • For accountability purposes - at the student (promotion/retention), school, district, and state levels (CCRPI) - we will continue to use 800 and 850. • It is strongly advised, however, that schools use the scale scores associated with the Readiness Indicators as targets - we need to be working actively to get students to these levels because we believe the new tests will be more in line with those expectations than the 800 / 850. • The readiness indicators will be provided during the interim as additional feedback to districts and schools so they have "better" information about where students are in relation to where they need to be in 2014-2015 (with the increased rigor). • Bottom line: shooting for 800 isn't going to be sufficient in future years.
Formative Assessment InitiativesBringing a Balanced Assessment Focus to the Classroom Statewide launch in summer 2013 1600 new items loaded Phase I available February 2014; Phase II pilot in winter 2014
Key Findings from Pilots of Formative Open-Ended Items • Overall performance shortfalls • Many students lacked organization and neatness • Don’t seem to understand what question required • Don’t follow directions well • Didn’t answer all parts of questions • Don’t follow through with “units” in Mathematics answers
Benchmark Assessment ImplementationSchedule • ELA • Grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 10 • Mathematics • Grades 1, 2, 3, and Coordinate Algebra • U.S. History • ELA • Grades 4, 5, 9, and 11 • Mathematics • Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Analytic Geometry, and Advanced Algebra • Biology Phase I Fall 2013 pilot Available Winter 2014 Phase II Winter 2014 pilot Available Fall 2014
FIP Learning Modules • Introduction to Formative Instructional Practices • Clear Learning Targets • Collecting and Documenting Evidence of Student Learning • Analyzing Evidence and Providing Effective Feedback • Student Ownership of Learning: Peer Feedback, Self-Assessment, and More • Leading Formative Instructional Practices (for district and/or school leaders) • Coaching Formative Instructional Practices (for instructional coaches and/or teacher leaders)