This memo (November 25, 2013) from Ira Schwartz provides updated information regarding the current status of the requested waiver from the Grade 8 Mathematics assessments for those students who are accelerated and will be taking a Regents exam in Mathematics. It includes a "frequently asked questions" sections that may be helpful.
The following information was shared recently by Ken Wagner:
(1) In October, the Board of Regents discussed Performance Levels for the Common Core Regents Exams, to be first administered in June 2014 (see http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2013Meetings/October2013/1013p12d4.pdf). In November, staff proposed five performance levels, with separate cut scores analogous to the current score of 65 (necessary for credit and graduation purposes) and the current scores of 75/80 (the aspirational performance measures). If approved by the Board, these performance levels will allow similar percentages of students to pass Common Core Regents Exams for graduation and credit purposes as currently pass the existing Regents Exams. See http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2013Meetings/November2013/CommonCoreRegentsExams.pdf. (2) At its November 2013 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted an emergency rule that provides at local discretion an additional opportunity, at the January 2014 examination administration, for students enrolled in Common Core ELA courses to meet diploma requirements by passing either the Regents Comprehensive Examination in English or the Regents Examination in English Language Arts (Common Core). The updated field memo is posted at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/commoncore/transitionccregents1113.pdf. (3) In 2014, the Estimated Time on Task (ETOT, or how long it will take the student to complete the test) will decrease on the grades 3-8 math tests. The math tests will have fewer questions and, therefore, will take less time to complete. Due to fewer questions on the math tests, the session length (how long students will be given to complete a test) on Day 1 and Day 2 has decreased by 10 minutes each day, resulting in a total decrease in testing time of 20 minutes per grade. In 2014, the Estimated Time on Task (ETOT, or how long it will take the student to complete the test) will decrease on the grades 5-8 English language arts (ELA) tests. The ELA tests in these specific grades will have fewer passages and questions on Day 2 and, therefore, the ETOT will decrease by 10 minutes. The ELA session time is remaining the same in 2014 based on field concerns that students have sufficient time to complete the test. This information will be released shortly when the 2014 Test Guides are posted. The operational test length in 2014 was reduced by moving embedded field test items from the operational tests to standalone field tests. In addition, the Department has submitted a legislative budget request to eliminate grades 3-8 ELA and math multiple-choice standalone field tests by increasing the number of operational test forms. If this budget request is granted, all multiple choice field test questions would be included in the operational test, without increasing testing time. This would reduce the number of students by 42% who need to take standalone field tests. We would continue to need standalone field tests for constructed response questions only. (4) Testimony on the data security and privacy protections contained in the EngageNY Portal was presented to the Assembly Education Committee and posted at http://usny.nysed.gov/docs/presentations/enyp-assembly-education-committee.pdf. During the 2012-13 school year, leaders and educators from districts and BOCES across the state worked to fully implement the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) process. The development of high quality teacher and principal evaluation systems is an evolutionary process and the Department recognizes that there is much to be learned from the first full year of implementation across New York. The Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness, Policy and Programs is pleased to share with you a new resource meant to build upon the experiences, reflections, and requests from the field as you work to reflect and refine your work in the 2013-14 school year.
The Department has released a document titled “Early Elementary Assessments.” This resource focuses on assessment pathways for districts and BOCES seeking opportunities to reduce and/or refine assessments used in early elementary grades and subjects. For the purposes of APPR, there are no K-2 standardized tests administered or required by the State[1]. Decisions about how to measure student progress in K-2 are made by local school districts and BOCES. Education Law §3012-c provides districts and BOCES with design flexibility and assessment options. Districts and BOCES are encouraged to reflect upon decisions made within grades K-2 to ensure testing is the minimum necessary for effective decision making at the classroom, school, and district/BOCES level. The Department strongly recommends against the use of traditional standardized tests and urges districts and BOCES and their respective collective bargaining units to identify other ways to assess learning progress for these very young students. There are a variety of ways in which a district or BOCES can design a meaningful and authentic assessment program that provides information to drive instructional decisions, ultimately leading to an increase in students' knowledge and skills. This document offers considerations and opportunities that draw upon performance-based assessment approaches used by a variety of districts and BOCES. The Department offers this resource to encourage districts to engage in collaborative conversations about assessment opportunities available at all levels, including the early elementary level. (“Early Elementary Assessments” can be found here: http://www.engageny.org/resource/early-elementary-assessments) Shared by Courtney Jablonski, Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness, Policy and Programs (NYSED) Ken Wagner shared the following update from the BOR meeting:
It was shared with the Board yesterday that Estimated Time on Task (ETOT, or how long it will take the student to complete the test) will decrease in math in all grades (20 minutes) and ELA in grades 5-8 (10 minutes) in 2014. These tests in these grades will have fewer questions and are shorter. In addition, the Session Time (how long students will have to complete the test) will decrease in math in all grades (20 minutes) in 2014. The ELA Session Time is remaining the same this year, however, based on field concerns that students have sufficient time to complete the test. This information will be released shortly when the 2014 Test Guides are posted. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers released new sample test items. With this release, PARCC has now made public exemplar test items across the grades in both mathematics and English language arts/literacy. These sample items are designed to help teachers, students and parents get a better sense of how PARCC will measure student learning in mathematics and ELA/literacy. The new assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The sample items have gone through a rigorous review process to ensure they are of high quality and reflect the range of items that will be on the operational tests.
PARCC will make all of its sample items available later this year on the PARCC technology platform, providing an opportunity for students and teachers to try out the assessment system in the manner in which it will be administered. For more information about PARCC, please visit www.parcconline.org as well as the link on this website about the PARCC assessments. The Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness, Policy and Programs has just released a new webinar that focuses on assessments in APPR. In this resource the role of assessments in APPR is discussed, as well as ways in which the Department is working alongside districts and BOCES to incorporate requested changes stemming from reflections upon year one implementation and refinements and enhancements to APPR plans. The new webinar, "Assessments in APPR" can be found using the link located here: http://www.engageny.org/resource/assessments-in-annual-professional-performance-review-appr
This school year represents the second full year of implementation. Just as with any process, taking the time to reflect on decisions made, lessons learned, and goals yet to be obtained can lead to a leveraged moment to refine and enhance the work. The Department has developed this webinar to encourage collaborative conversations about assessments within APPR at the local level. There are many ways for districts and BOCES to reduce the number of assessments they are using in their APPR plans, subject to collective bargaining decisions. Reflective conversations can help develop a shared vision for how to use this process to support high-quality professional development and ultimately improve student achievement. Please note that this webinar is meant to provide examples of district/BOCES decisions. Districts and BOCES, within the context of State Regulations and frameworks, should locally determine the most appropriate assessments within the APPR system after analyzing their unique priorities and needs. The Regents and the Department will continue to look for ways to reduce testing that is not needed without sacrificing the valuable information assessments provide. Additional tools associated with the webinar that you may find helpful are as follows: · SLO 103 Webinar: The Use of Past Performance Trends and Historical Data · APPR Planning and Design Resources The Office of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness, Policy and Programs looks forward to working together with you to ensure that all students achieve college and career readiness. An updated Engage NY Portal Fact sheet has been added to EngageNY which addresses new questions that have been raised in the past week or so as districts participating in RTTT have made their Data Dashboard decisions. The following resources on this topic are now available:
Additionally, questions about the EngageNY portal can be emailed to [email protected]. |
IES Team
This page provides updates on the work of the team as well as updates from NYSED. Archives
February 2014
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