Development of a NCLB Assessment for Hawaiian Immersion Schools

1. Development of a NCLB Assessment for Hawaiian Immersion Schools Sarah Gronna, Hawaii Department of Education-Student Assessment Section Keoni Inciong, Administrator- Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Don Burger, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

2. “HAPA” • Hawaiian • Aligned • Portfolio • Assessment • All constructed response items in Hawaiian • Oral Reading Fluency component for grade 3 • Aligned to each Reading and Mathematics Grade 3 and 4 Benchmarks

3. Historical Timeline • Prior to NCLB • Designed for NCLB • Setting Reading Levels • Translations of Benchmarks • Alignment to Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III • Flexibility for various vocabulary usage • Continuous Development and input from educators and community

4. Prior to NCLB • No one assessed in Immersion Programs prior to 2001in grade 3 & 5 • Grades 6 and up assessed using HSA • 2002-2003: Grade 5 and up assessed using HSA, back translated field test grade 3 • 2003-2004: Grade 3 back translated HSA field tested grade 4 • 2004-2005: Grades 3 & 4 assessed with HSA back translation • 2005-2006: Memo from Superintendent, First HAPA • 2006-2007: Second administration of the HAPA

5. Designed for NCLB • Recommended by Technical Advisory Committee to use a structured portfolio • Designed by teachers and parents • Written in Hawaiian • Responses in Hawaiian • Teachers, educators, parents, UH Hilo, UH Manoa, community members fluent in Hawaiian developed items

6. Setting Reading Levels • Needed to create grade level passages • No Frye’s readability level for Hawaiian • Developed Literacy Reading Level Criteria • Created Grade 3 and Grade 4 reading level criteria • Contracted local educators fluent in Hawaiian to write grade 3 and grade 4 passages using reading criteria

7. Translations of Benchmarks • Used Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III Benchmarks • Modeled items after sample performance assessments that were benchmark specific • Developed Glossary of vocabulary words used in benchmarks • Translated benchmarks in Spring 2007 • Posted Translated Benchmarks to the HAPA web site Spring 2007

8. Alignment to HCPS III • Items written to HCPS III benchmarks • Grade 3 and Grade 4 Reading Comprehension, Convention and Skills and Literary Response • Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency questions • All Grade 3 and Grade 4 Mathematics benchmarks • Norman Web Alignment studies indicate HAPA is well aligned to HCPS III

9. Flexibility for Vocabulary Usage • Various vocabulary words may be substituted for vocabulary used in HAPA test item • Allows for philosophical and cultural differences • An entire test items may be substituted for an item for a specific benchmark to meet the needs of the teachers and class

10. Continuous Conversations • Continuous Development and input from the educators and community members regarding the HAPA items and passages • Sensitivity of cultural issues as well as for NCLB large scale assessment requirements • Respect for each other • Involvement and commitment of HLIP schools and teachers

11. Sarah Gronna 808-529-4266 sarah_gronna@notes.k12.hi.us Keoni Inciong 808-733-9141 ext 262 keoni_inciong@notes.k12.hi.us Don Burger 808-441-1342 burgerd@prel.org Contact Information