georgia’s student assessment program

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent“Making Education Work for All Georgians”www.gadoe.org

Georgia’s Student Assessment Program

Spring 2013 Update

Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (G-CASE)

Conference

Athens, GA

March 20, 2013Tony Eitel

GaDOE Assessment Administration Division


Today’s Topics• Transition of Georgia assessments to the

CCGPS

• RT3 Assessment Resources

• PARCC (including accommodations)

• NCSC (Natl. Center & State Collaborative)

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Assessment Transition to the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards

(CCGPS)


CCGPS Implementation: Georgia Student Assessment

Program• CCGPS: English Language Arts & Mathematics• Georgia will continue to administer state assessments until

PARCC is implemented in 2014-2015• Remember, Science and Social Studies are in state law – but not

in design by PARCC• As the CCGPS is implemented in classrooms this school year

(2012-2013), the state assessments will transition to measure the CCGPS.

• The Test Content Descriptions for the CRCT and EOCT clearly delineate the CCGPS standards in Reading (CRCT), ELA, and Mathematics . . . Listing the standards and associated skills/concepts addressed in the assessments

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Program• The following state assessments will

transition to measure the CCGPS in 2012-2013: GKIDS CRCT CRCT-M

GAA EOCT

• NOTE: EOCT – In ELA, all grades transition to CCGPS (no phase in)– In Mathematics, grades K – 9 transition this school year (Coordinate Algebra),

with grade 10 transitioning next school year (2013-2014: Analytic Geometry)

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Program

• The Writing Assessments will remain as currently structured (on-demand prompts)– The attributes of effective writing remain the

same regardless of what initiated the writing

• Connections Resource Guides detail alignment of the CCGPS and WA rubrics are posted

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Writing-Assessments.aspx

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Program• Focus of the ELA and Mathematics

assessments will be the CCGPS• CCGPS items were field tested in Spring

2012 (and this continues during 2012-2013)• Revised assessment resources (e.g.,

Content Descriptions) are postedhttp://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/default.aspx

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http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/default.aspx


Transition Standards• What are transitional standards in mathematics?

– Those standards taught in one grade level under the GPS that are taught in a different grade level under the CCGPS

• For example, a concept or skill that was in 5th grade under the GPS is now in 4th grade under the CCGPS. This year’s 5th grade students would not receive exposure to this concept under the CCGPS.

• GaDOE Curriculum & Assessment has identified these concepts and skill as transitional standards.

• The CRCT Test Content Descriptions address these specifically. These are subject to assessment in the grades in which they are taught.

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Transition Standards

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Language Progressive Skills: ELA

Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, there are identified skills and understandings in ELA Standards 1 -3 that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking. These skills are subject to assessment.

The CRCT Test Content Descriptions address these specifically

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Progressive Skills: ELA

CRCT ELA Content Descriptions – page 25.

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Sample CRCTItem: ELA

In the grade 8 CC, students are expected to utilize and control the active and passive voices effectively and appropriately. Students will continue to evaluate tense and verb usage, as in the GPS; however, in the Grade 8 CC, analysis expands to include identification / correction of errors in voice and mood.


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Sample CRCTItem: ELA

In the grade 7 CC, students are expected to express ideas clearly and precisely, without using unnecessary, wordy, or redundant language. In the GPS students were expected to identify extraneous information; however, the grade 7 CC also measures students’ ability to hone relevant language for precision and clarity.


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Sample CRCTItem: Mathematics

In the grade 3 CC, students are expected to specifically recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole numbers. In the GPS, the focus was on understanding that fractions represent equal sized parts of a whole. This understanding is still a focus in the grade 3 CC as well, but goes beyond the specifics of GPS.


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In the grade 6 CC, students are expected to find the volume of right rectangular prisms specifically with fractional edges. In the GPS, the focus in grade 6 was also on finding the volume of rectangular prisms but fractional edge lengths were not the focus.


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In the grade 8 CC, students are expected to apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between two points. In the GPS, the focus was on applying properties of a right triangle including the Pythagorean Theorem to find a missing part of a right triangle. The CC standard is more “abstract” and requires that the students recognize that they need to draw in the right triangle on the coordinate grid.


Race To The TopAssessment Resources


RT3 Assessment Resources

• CCGPS Formative Item Bank

• Interim Benchmarks

• Assessment Literacy/Formative Instruction Online Learning Modules

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CCGPS Formative Item Bank

• Approximately 750 new ELA and mathematics items are now loaded into the Online Assessment System (OAS Level 2)

• Another round of field testing has taken place in recent weeks . . . With availability of more items scheduled for Fall 2013

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Sample CCGPS Formative ELA Item

Compare and contrast the two farmers and their farms. What could each farmer learn from the other? Support your conclusions with numerous appropriate examples from the story.

Actual Student Response 1:

Oliver should relise that it doesn’t matter how it looks it just needs to be healthy.

Actual Student Response 2:

They both own a farm and they both are farmers. They both grow crops. They grow different crops. Abe’s crops did not grow in strait rows.

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Key Findings from Phase I Pilot• On open-ended items, preponderance of score points

1 and 2– Incomplete responses – Responses hampered by writing skills– Students did not show work in mathematics; did

not cite evidence from text in ELA; and in general, could not explain why they did what they did

• Students should be earning 3s or 4s to demonstrate grade-level mastery of the standards

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Implications for the Classroom

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• Clearer directions for students so they understand the expectations of a good response– Complete sentences, good grammar and syntax– Connections– Explanations and rationales

• Student self-checklists to assist students in assessing their own responses working on tasks

• Reinforce instructional recommendations to teachers– Instruction aligned with CCGPS content and rigor– Classroom assessments designed with focus on students

articulating how they know what they know– Lessons and classroom assessments integrate knowledge;

thus, address multiple standards and domains


Interim Benchmark Assessments

• 24 Interim Benchmark Assessments will be mini-summative and ALL in OAS Level 3– ELA in Grades 1 – HS (9th Grade Literature, 10th Grade

Literature, American Literature)– Mathematics in Grades 1 – HS (Coordinate Algebra, Analytic

Geometry, and Advanced Algebra)– Bank (for system-level staff to select from) of Science and Social

Studies items in Grades 3 – HS (Biology and U.S. History)

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Interim Benchmark Assessment Availability Phase 1—Targeted for

Fall 2013

• Grades/Content Areas Targeted for Phase 1:– Grades 1 – 3 ELA and Math– Grade 6 – 8 ELA– High School Coordinate Algebra, 10th Grade

Literature and U.S. History

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Phase 1 Pilot in Late April – May 2013


Interim Benchmark Assessment Availability Phase 2—Fall 2014

• Grades/Content Areas Targeted for Phase 1:– Grades 4 – 5: ELA and Math– Grades 6 – 8: Math– High School: 9th Grade Literature, Biology, 11th

Grade Literature, Analytic Geometry, Advanced Algebra

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Phase 2 Pilot in Spring 2014


Assessment Literacy

Georgia Formative Instructional Practices: Keys to Student Success

• Seven On-Line Modules– Foundations of Formative Instructional Practices

(5)– Leading and Coaching Formative Instruction

Learning Path (2)

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Georgia Formative Instructional Practices:Keys to Student Success

1. Introduction to Formative Instructional Practices

• Understand what formative instructional practices are• Become familiar with key research findings related to

the effects of formative instructional practices on student achievement

2. Clear Learning Targets • Understand the benefits of learning targets• Know how to ensure learning targets are clear to the

teacher• Know how to make learning targets clear to students

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3. Collecting and Documenting Evidence of Student Learning

• Know how to collect accurate formative evidence of student learning

• Know how to document formative evidence of student learning

4. Analyzing Evidence and Providing Effective Feedback

• Know how to use methods of assessment formatively in order to analyze evidence of student learning

• Understand what makes feedback effective

• Know how to provide effective feedback

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Georgia Formative Instructional Practices:Keys to Student Success


5. Student Ownership of Learning: Peer Feedback, Self-Assessment, and More• Know how to prepare students to give each other

effective feedback• Know how to prepare students to self-assess with a

focus on learning targets• Know how to prepare students to create specific and

challenging goals• Know how to prepare students to track, reflect on, and

share their learning with others

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Georgia Formative Instructional Practice:Keys to Student Success



6. Leading Formative Instructional Practices

• Know how to promote formative instructional practices and support school-wide change

• Know how to lead quality formative instructional practice implementation in your school

• Understand the importance of developing a balanced assessment system

Target audience: District and school leaders

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7. Coaching Formative Instructional Practices

• Know how to plan for the change process and to promote a systemic approach to formative instructional practices.

• Know how to leverage blended learning and professional learning teams.

• Understand how to sustain the implementation of formative instructional practices.

• Know how to provide teachers with effective feedback as they learn about formative instructional practices.

• Know how to employ resources and strategies that support formative instructional practices.

Target audience: Instructional coaches, curriculum supervisors, department heads, district and school leaders

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Partnership for Assessment Readiness for Colleges & Careers

(PARCC)


Common Core Assessment

• Georgia is a governing state within the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of 23 states focused on building a common assessment based on the Common Core.– Implementation is planned for the 2014-2015 SY

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PARCC States

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Georgia & PARCC• GaDOE staff – and some local system staff and other external

stakeholders – are involved in PARCC’s work.• This includes senior staff along with staff from the Curriculum,

Instruction, Assessment Division and the Technology Services Division

– Including Curriculum, Assessment & Accountability, and Special Education Services & Supports

• GaDOE staff have served on multiple “working groups” that are engaged in the following areas:

– The assessment’s content and design– The research on which the assessment design will be based– Its technology features and requirements– The engagement of educators in its implementation– Accommodations and how students with disabilities and ELs will interact with the assessment.

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Assessment DesignEnglish Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3-11

End-of-Year Assessment

•Innovative, computer-based items•Required

Performance-BasedAssessment (PBA)

•Extended tasks•Applications of concepts and skills•Required

Diagnostic Assessment

•Early indicator of student knowledge and skills to inform instruction, supports, and PD•Non-summative

2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration

Mid-Year Assessment•Performance-based•Emphasis on hard-to-measure standards•Potentially summative

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Speaking And Listening Assessment•Locally scored•Non-summative, required


Summative Assessment Components

End-of-Year Assessment

•Innovative, computer-based items

Performance-BasedAssessment (PBA)

•Extended tasks•Applications of concepts and skills

• Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) administered as close to the end of the school year as possible. The ELA/literacy PBA will focus on writing effectively when analyzing text. The mathematics PBA will focus on applying skills, concepts, and understandings to solve multi-step problems requiring abstract reasoning, precision, perseverance, and strategic use of tools

• End-of-Year Assessment (EOY) administered after approx. 90% of the school year. The ELA/literacy EOY will focus on reading comprehension. The math EOY will be comprised of innovative, machine-scorable items

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Use of Technology

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PARCC Resourceshttp://www.parcconline.org/

• Model Content Frameworks– Serve as bridge between Common Core and

the PARCC assessmentshttp://www.parcconline.org/parcc-model-content-frameworks

• Sample Prototype Items– Illustrative only; not all encompassing

http://www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes

Sign up to receive PARCC news & updates

Sign up to receive PARCC news & updates

Be sure to read the supporting documentation for each itemBe sure to read the supporting documentation for each item

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http://www.parcconline.org/

http://www.parcconline.org/parcc-model-content-frameworks

http://www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes


Sample PARCC ELA Item:Evidence-Based Selected Response

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Sample PARCC ELA Item: Analytical Prose Constructed-Response

Item #1:

Based on the information in the text “Biography of Amelia Earhart,” write an essay that summarizes and explains the challenges Earhart faced throughout her life. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

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Sample PARCC ELA Item: Analytical Prose Constructed-Response

Item #2:You have read three texts describing Amelia Earhart. All three include the

claim that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are:

•“Biography of Amelia Earhart”

•“Earhart's Final Resting Place Believed Found”

•“Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance”

Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery.

Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments about Earhart’s

bravery in at least two of the texts. Remember to use textual evidence to

support your ideas.

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Sample PARCC Mathematics Item

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Sample PARCC Mathematics Item

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Proposed PARCC Accommodations

PARCC has committed to developing a common PARCC Accommodations

Manual by Spring 2013

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Goals for Promoting Student Access

• Apply principles of Universal Design for accessible assessments throughout every stage of developing assessment components, items, and performance tasks

• Minimize/eliminate features of the assessment that are irrelevant to what is being measured, so that all students can more accurately demonstrate their knowledge and skills

• Measure the full range of complexity of the standards

• Leverage technology for delivering assessment components as widely accessible as possible

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Goals for Promoting Student Access

• Build accessibility throughout the test itself with no trade-off between accessibility and validity

• Use a combination of ‘accessible’-authoring and accessible technologies from the inception of items and tasks

• Established Committees on Accessibility, Accommodations, and Fairness comprised of knowledgeable testing officials from member states and national experts Open Policies for Public Comment

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What is an accommodation?• A testing accommodation is a change in how a test

is presented or how the test-taker responds, which may include changes in the presentation format, response format, timing, or scheduling.

• This term generally refers to changes that do not significantly alter what the test measures.

• It stems from a student need; it is not intended to give the student an unfair advantage – nor be intended to “ensure proficiency”.

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Embedded Supports Being Discussed• Screen readers/text-to-speech/speech-to-text software

• Highlighting

• Enlargement of text/graphics

• Customized colors

• Graphic organizers or representations

• Customized dictionary or other home language supports

• Embedded/pop-up glossary

• Reducing visual distractions surrounding written text

• Captions for audio

• Descriptive audio for students with visual impairments

• Option response: adapted keyboards, StickyKeys, MouseKeys, FilterKeys

• Braille

• Signing supports (Will be ASL)

• Assistive Technology

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Why Must PARCC Have Common Assessment Accommodations

Policies?• One of the primary objectives of PARCC is to report comparable

results across all states in the Consortium.• In order to achieve comparability in results, students must have

common comparable testing experiences.• Therefore, accommodations policies for SWDs and ELs, among

other factors, must be commonly defined and implemented across PARCC states.

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Accommodations Comparability Issues

While PARCC states currently allow for the provision of a range of accommodations that are common among them, there are a few that are not commonly allowed:

Reading access accommodation (Oral Reading)

Writing response accommodations

Calculator use accommodations

Braille and signing support accommodations

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Why Release Select Draft Policies in Spring 2013?

• Teachers need to know which accommodations will be offered

• Public feedback is essential to state-led policy development

• States need to know if PARCC accommodations policy decisions will impact current state regulations, policies, etc.

• Accommodations information is necessary for field testing and item try-outs

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Timeline For Adopting Common Accommodations Policies

• DRAFT PARCC Accommodations Manual (for SWDs and ELs) posted for public comment . . . April – May 2013

• PARCC Governing Board votes on PARCC Accommodations Manual . . . June 2013

http://www.parcconline.org/parcc-accessibility-accommodations-and-fairness

http://parcconline.org/open-policies-public-comment

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http://parcconline.org/open-policies-public-comment

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National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC)

http://www.ncscpartners.org/

http://www.ncscpartners.org/

What is NCSC?A consortium that includes:• National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) as the host

and fiscal agent, along with;• the National Center for the Improvement of Educational

Assessment (NCIEA), the University of Kentucky (UKY), University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), edCount;

• And 18 state partners: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pacific Assessment Consortium (PAC-6)*, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

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The goal of NCSC• To develop a system of assessments supported by curriculum,

instruction, and professional development to ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for post-secondary options.

• NCSC is focused on the development of an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). Georgia’s current “AA-AAS” (or “1% assessment”) is the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA).

• NCSC is developing a full system intended to support educators, which includes formative assessment tools and strategies (in addition to a summative assessment tool), professional development, and management systems to ease the burdens of administration and documentation.

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Design• The NCSC design is NOT a portfolio-based alternate

assessment.• Instead, the design consists of on-demand items/tasks.• There is a “trade-off” between the flexibility of the

current portfolio model in Georgia (teacher selection of standards, tasks, etc.) vs. a bank of designated on-demand items/tasks. As with anything, advantages and disadvantages exist with either model.

• Incorporation of technology in the administration/scoring of the assessment.

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Georgia & NCSC

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• Just as with PARCC’s work, GaDOE staff is involved in the work of NCSC.• These staff members serve in the Assessment & Accountability and

Special Education Services & Supports Divisions.• GaDOE staff and local system staff involved in this project serve on

working groups that are focused on:– The assessment’s content and design– Future professional development needs of teachers who will use the

tools and assessments developed• Teachers who administered the GAA in 2010 – 2011 are completed a

web-based survey regarding the learning characteristics of students to help inform the development process.

• There may be future opportunities for the participation of classroom educators in the process during 2013-2014.

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NCSC Timeline

2010-11 School Year: Launch & Design phase begins

2011-12 School Year: Design phase continues & Development of the common assessment begins

2012-13 and 2013-14 School Years: Small Scale Item Try-Outs, related research and data collection, Item Development and Review, Cognitive Labs, etc.

2014-15 School Year: Field Testing - potential for use as accountability assessment in states that choose to do so?

Thank you!

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georgia’s student assessment program

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