Streamlining Assessments at CPS

1. Streamlining Assessments at CPS Policies for SY14 and Future Years Department of Student Assessment

2. Focus Groups—Process In February CEO Byrd-Bennett presented the Office of Accountability with the charge to carefully examine the system of assessments, to understand what is working and where we needed change. She specifically directed that we streamline the system to ensure effective use of student learning time. Over March and April meetings were held with a variety of stakeholders to understand assessment needs and concerns. Process: • Initial meeting with CTU leadership to discuss specific concerns • Meeting with Raise Your Hand where additional concerns were highlighted • 17 Focus Groups with the following stakeholders: • Students (7) • PK-2 teachers (6) • 3-8 teachers (12) • High school teachers (5) • Alternative teachers (10) • TeachPlus teacher fellows (20) • In addition, the teacher newsletter featured a survey on assessments in Quarter 3, that resulted in over 450 respondents • Elementary principals (14) • High school principals (2) • Network staff (14) • Central office staff (20) • External Researchers, ISBE (9) • Parents (20) Department of Student Assessment

3. Focus Groups—Major Findings • Test preparation crowds out instructional time • Students and members of the research community expressed the most concern with the amount of time spent on preparation activities that don’t necessarily result in better scores, and limit time to learn the course content.* • Preparation activities are not aligned to Common Core learning • Groups pointed to the disconnect between the critical thinking and analysis expected in the Common Core standards and the limitations of many current assessments to fully measure these skills, or help teachers understand student progress on them. *See for example The Consortium on Chicago School Research’s “ACT Preparation: Too Much, Too Late”: http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/high-school-future-act-preparation-too-much-too-late Department of Student Assessment

4. Focus Groups—Major Findings • Practice testing requirements vary by Network and school • CPS centrally offers optional mid-year practice assessments, however implementation of these optional assessments and additional assessment varies widely. • Problems with data delivery and interpretation • Teachers and principals expressed frustration with the time it takes to receive scores back from many tests, and the amount of varying data points they had to interpret. • Inadequate assessment measures for diverse learners • Many educators emphasized the need for assessments that were flexible in both presentation and response, to meet diverse learning styles. Many were also concerned with the lack of helpful formative data for English Language Learners. Department of Student Assessment

5. Streamlining for SY14 and Beyond Department of Student Assessment

6. Streamlining Assessments at CPS • Limit required high stakes, full-length testing to the Spring: eliminate Fall MAP and EPAS tests. • Limit K-2 district-wide assessment to a single “pulse check” in 2nd grade, but require a school-determined measure of primary literacy. • Build Common-Core aligned benchmarks and an item bank for flexible use. • Limit formal test preparation activities to the optional mid-year MAP or MPG or EPAS. • Ensure appropriateness of measures and support tools for all students. • Require schools have in place common benchmark measures across classes (Common Core aligned where applicable), but leave discretion over particular tools to the school level. • Focus on the Common Core and college/career readiness, and align all assessments to these north stars. • Phase out mandated district assessments as PARCC phases in. • Increase transparency, engagement and communication around assessment. • Develop and publish an Assessment Guidebook and provide aligned professional development. Department of Student Assessment

7. Current and Future Required Assessments Department of Student Assessment

8. Current and Future Optional Assessment Tools Department of Student Assessment

9. SY14 Assessment Timing by Grade Band Department of Student Assessment

10. SY 2013-2014 Assessment Details: K-2 K-2 Assessments in SY14 2nd grade: NWEA MAP REACH Performance Tasks REACH Performance Tasks Required K-2: literacy assessment choice* ACCESS for ELLs K-2: literacy assessment choice* K-1: literacy assessment choice* Fall Winter Spring K-1 numeracy assessment choice K-2 numeracy assessment choice K-2 numeracy assessment choice School Determined • *A formative literacy assessment is required for K-2. CPS is supporting the following options: • TRC/DIBELS or IDEL for Spanish speakers • NWEA MPG • A school can choose to use another valid, research-based product, with Chief approval. Schools would have to support these on their own. • A separate numeracy assessment is not required, though encouraged. CPS will support: • mClass Math • NWEA MPG • A school may also choose to use benchmarks aligned with their instructional materials. Department of Student Assessment

11. SY 2013-2014 Assessment Details: 3-8 3-8 Assessments in SY14 NWEA MAP (new students to CPS only) NWEA MAP Required ACCESS for ELLs REACH Performance Tasks REACH Performance Tasks ISAT/IAA Fall Winter Spring Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math NWEA MAP Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math School Determined *Schools are not required to use the centrally provided CCSS-aligned benchmarks, but having CCSS-aligned measures, common across a grade/course team, of both discreet skills and writing/problem solving is required in both literacy and math, at least quarterly. Teachers will also be able to access an item bank to build assessments within their course teams. Department of Student Assessment

12. SY 2013-2014 Assessment Details: High School High School Assessments in SY14 EPAS (new students to CPS only)** EPAS Required REACH Performance Tasks REACH Performance Tasks ACCESS for ELLs PSAE/IAA Fall Winter Spring Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math EPAS Practice (EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math Measuring CCSS skills*: Quarterly-Literacy; End of unit-Math School Determined *Schools are not required to use the centrally provided CCSS-aligned benchmarks, but having CCSS-aligned measures, common across a grade/course team, of both discreet skills and writing/problem solving is required in both literacy and math, at least quarterly. Teachers will also be able to access an item bank to build assessments within their course teams. **Growth for new students will be measured from EXPLORE to EXPLORE (9th), PLAN to PLAN (10th) and ACT to ACT (11th) Department of Student Assessment

13. FAQs • Will schools be able to change their assessment plans? Yes. Schools will be able to make edits to their plans in the fall, when they have a clearer sense of both their units of instruction and what the CPS options will provide. The only decision that is inflexible is use of TRC or MPG, due to licensing constraints. • Why can schools no longer have multiple K-2 literacy assessments? Limiting the number of assessments in K-2 was done with the consideration that most formative assessment products measure the same range of skills, though often in different formats. The incremental additional data received does not justify the additional instructional time lost to assessing similar skills. • How should a school decide what K-2 assessment to use? Teachers should first consider what research-based tool meets the criteria listed on page 4. After, schools should weigh several factors: teacher expertise (Is this a tool that has a deep history in the school? Is there a knowledge base that can help new teachers?); logistics (For MPG: Does the school wireless/hard wire capacity support this? For TRC: Are teachers able to conduct individual assessment during dedicated blocks or small group time?); student population (Does the school have many students who are below grade level, who will need more frequent progress monitoring like TRC and DIBELS? Does the school have Spanish-speaking ELLs who won’t be able to access MPG?). Schools should also consult with their Network and the Department of Literacy with additional questions. Department of Student Assessment

14. FAQs • Why is fall testing for 3-11th grade being eliminated? Moving to Spring only testing for accountability next year puts CPS in line with the schedule for the summative component of PARCC in the following year. Focusing on Spring data also allows teachers to start planning much earlier, and go into the August PD days and new year with a clear idea of grouping and strategies for particular students. Finally this frees up time in the fall for class-based assessment of skills that can't be measured thoroughly on NWEA or EPAS (e.g. writing, speaking, research, problem solving…etc.) • Will schools have to pay for the optional assessments? No. CPS will provide either TRC/mClass or MPG, the optional mid-year NWEA MAP for 2-8 and mid-year EPAS, as well as the benchmarks. • Why is EXPLORE for 8th grade being eliminated? EXPLORE for 8th grade currently measures similar reading comprehension and math problem solving skills, similar to what is also measured on NWEA and ISAT. In addition, the data from the EXPLORE doesn’t arrive back at schools until the last few days of school, negating its usefulness for instructional planning or conversations with students. • Will CPS schools have the opportunity to pilot PARCC items? Yes, most likely. ISBE is currently working with the consortium of states that make up PARCC to finalize piloting logistics this summer. We anticipate CPS schools will be a part of a pilot, which will allow for greater insight into the type of texts and tasks students will be asked on PARCC in 2014-2015. Schools can preview prototype items here: http://www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes Department of Student Assessment