Multi-State Common Assessment of Common Core Standards

Objectives for Today

• Overview of the competitive grant

• High level view of the proposal

• Authorize the State Board Chair to sign the Memorandum of Understanding so that we can help this work progress further

High Level Timeline• July 2009

– Race to the Top Announcement– $350 Million to develop assessment systems– Multi-state consortiums– Summative assessments

• December 2009– State conversations begin– On-line adaptive testing focus

• April 2010– USED releases Notice of Intent to Award (NIA)– Technical Guidance session on April 22nd

• May 2010– FAQs released on May 7th

– Still waiting for key questions to be answered• June 11th 2 hardcopies of signed MOU in California• June 23rd, 2010 proposals are due!

Quick NIA Breakdown• Part A- comprehensive assessment system

– Includes a minimum of 15 states– Implemented among states that adopt a common

college and career ready content standards by December 31, 2011

– Implemented among states that adopt common achievement standards by 2014-15

– Must be operational by 2014-15– Must assess the full breadth and depth of a

common set of content standards– Must assess the full range of student proficiency– Must use technology to the maximum extent

appropriate

Quick NIA Breakdown (cont)

Bonus points awarded if consortium provides letters of intent from the public colleges (comprising at least 30% of students who attend public colleges within 2 years of leaving high school) to:– Participate in the design of the assessment

system– Agree to a common achievement standard

that will exempt a student from remedial courses when student meets the consortium achievement standard

Who is with us?

Proposal

• Strong tension between future innovation and immediate specificity

• Consultants are walking a fine line

• WestEd is the grant project manager and grant writer. CCSSO is a partner

• Linda Darling-Hammond is a key advisor. Sue Gendron is policy coordinator

• Additional policy and technical advisors being identified now

Proposal

• Predict Career and College Readiness

• Describe growth

• Online Adaptive Test– Multiple Choice– Computer scored constructed response– Human scored constructed response

• Multiple Opportunities

• Performance Assessments

• Support and resources for formative and interim assessment

Research Agenda

• More comprehensive and frequent performance assessments

• “Through-course” assessment