T

Providing parents the key to understanding assessment

Margaret Pupillo, Area Superintendent Susan Baker, STEM Kimberly Jenks,

Exceptional Child Errol Dice, Behavior Audra Wheeler, Professional Learning

LaKenji Hastings, Assessment Hannah Zey, Humanities

Informed Parent Session Presented by the NWLC

Educate about Fulton County Schools’ vision of balanced assessment

Enlighten parents on the shift to the Georgia Milestones Assessment System

Equip parents with knowledge about the resources being used to assist students in meeting learning goals

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Desired Outcomes:

Four Key Understandings to Unlock

Balanced Assessme

nt

Instructional Shifts

Assessment Shifts (GMAS)

FCS Assessme

nt Resource

s

1 2 3 4

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-To plan learning

-To support learning

-To monitor learning

-To verify learning

Why do we assess?

Balanced Assessment

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Balance is KEY to Growth

Plan and individualize instruction by determining student prior knowledge

Diagnostic Formative Mid-unit

Formative Summative Reteach/Recovery

Monitor learning and

evaluate instructional

effectiveness; Feedback

High quality, practice

assessment for instructional

decision making

Monitor learning and

evaluate instructional

effectiveness; Feedback

Used to verify learning and

quality of instruction; can be formative as

well

. Assessment given to measure

growth after re-teaching

and remediation

1 2 3

4 5 6

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State Required:-GKIDS -Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)-Georgia Milestones EOG -GA Alternate Assessment -ACCESS (ELLs)

System Level:-Diagnostic Placement -ITBS-STAR

Balanced Assessment Resources:-Math Pre-Unit Assessments -Writescore-Math Unit Assessments -DRA2-ELA Performance Assessments -Fountas & Pinnell BAS-Item Bank Questions -GMAS Diagnostics

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Fulton County Balanced Assessment Plan (K-5):

Achievement • One time snapshot of

student performance

• Looks at the collective performance

• Summative

Example:

97% of 3rd Grade students passed the reading CRCT.

Growth • Look at student performance

over time• Better inform students,

parents and teachers of student strengths and lesser strengths

Example: Kevin showed an 35% increase in his ability comprehend informational text. 7

Achievement vs. Growth

1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts

2. Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text

3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

Common Core Instructional Shifts

Key ELA/Literacy Shifts

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1. Greater focus on fewer topics

2. Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades

3. Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity

Common Core Instructional Shifts

Key Mathematic Shifts

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10

Georgia Milestones

• Coherent-Consistent expectations regarding rigor and student preparedness within grades and courses and with external measures

• Comprehensive-Single program across the subjects and grades

• Consolidate-Reading, language arts, and writing into one assessment

Coherent Information through Rigorous

Assessments

GMAS (EOG&EOC)

NAEPITBSSAT ACT

Comprehensive

• Grades 3 – 8• End of Grade (EOG) in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies

Consolidated

Consolidation of English Language Arts

• English Language Arts and reading will be combined and a writing component added for every grade level and course within the ELA assessment

• One overall ELA score and proficiency designation

• Reporting categories below the overall content area will be reported similar to the domains on the CRCT

• Cannot make proficiency claims at the lower level reporting categories

Georgia MilestonesTransition to Online Starts this school year• Online administration will be the primary

mode of administration for Georgia Milestones for all grades

– Year 1: minimum of 30% online– Year 3: minimum of 80% online– Year 5: minimum of 100% online

• EVERY School will participate in online testing this school year

• Paper/pencil versions will be available for the small number of students who cannot interact with computer due to their disability. Braille forms will be available.

FCS Spring EOG Test Schedule(Students will not test for 11 days.)

Georgia Milestones

KEY Things to note….

• First year results will be delayed until fall of 2015 due to standard setting

• The State Board has waived through July 2015:

– 160-4-2-.11 Promotion, Placement, and Retention sections (3)(a), (3)(b), (3)(c)

– 160-4-2-.13 Statewide Passing Score sections (2)(d), (2)(e), (2)(f)

Georgia Milestones

KEY Things to note….

• While the state board has waived student accountability this first year, it has not waived implementation of the EOG or EOC

• Students will receive results that will be included in their permanent record in the fall of 2015

Georgia MilestonesUnique Features

Blended: Criterion-Referenced & Norm-Referenced

Criterion-Referenced

• Did students learn a specific body of knowledge

• Meet a set cut score to determine proficiency

Norm-Referenced

• Designed to rate and rank test takers in relation to others

• Generally reported as percentages

Georgia Milestones

• Georgia Milestones is primarily a criterion-referenced test, reflecting the content standards for each grade and course

• teachers should teach the Georgia state-adopted content standards and not to the NRT standards

• All accountability uses of the test results – for both students and educators – will be based on the criterion-referenced scores and proficiency determinations

Key to Understanding Changes in Special Education Test Parameters

Common Accommodations

Online Only

Read Aloud

IEP Team cannot

decide on human reader

Small group

not require

d

Needs Careful Consideration

Paper &

Online versio

n

Scribe

Should be used

infrequently

Many specific requirements for use of this accommodati

on

Accommodations Cycle

Select Accommodati

ons

Use/Practice accommodati

ons in classroom

Evaluate use and

effectiveness of

accommodations

Online Tools for ALL Students• Blocking Tool• Eraser• Highlighter• Magnifying Glass• Mark for Review• Online Calculator – if allowable• Option Eliminator• Scratch Pad• Test Pause

Use the following link to access the site: 

http://learnoas.ctb.com/GA/

Note that no login is required.  All you need to do to access a test is to click on the login button to begin your experience.

Experience Online Testing in Georgia

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What’s different about GMAS?

Item Types

• Selected-Response [aka, multiple-choice]• all content areas• evidence-based selected response in ELA

• Constructed-Response• ELA and mathematics

• Extended-Response• ELA and mathematics

• Technology Enhanced• to begin in 2016-2017

Georgia Milestones

General Test Parameters

• ELA - 3 sections, 1 of which will focus mainly on writing

• Mathematics, Science and Social Studies will consist of 2 sections

• Each section will be approximately 70 minutes.

Writing at Every Grade Level

• All students will encounter a constructed-response item allowing for narrative prose, in response to text, within the 1st or 2nd test section.

• Writing prompts will be informative/explanatory or opinion/argumentative depending on the grade level. Students could encounter either genre.

Georgia Milestones

Georgia Milestones

ELACriterion-Referenced

Total Number of Items: 44 / Total Number of Points: 55

Breakdown by Item Type:• 40 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned

NRT)• 2 Constructed Response (2 points each)

• 1 Constructed Response (worth 4 points)• 1 Extended Response (worth 7 points)

Norm-Referenced• Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)

Embedded Field Test• Total field test items: 6

Total number of items taken by each student: 60

Sample ELA GMAS Items

Fourth Grade

Seventh Grade

Am. Literature

What is the theme of the story, The Great Surprise, and how does the author reveal this theme? Use details from the story to support your answer.

What are two central ideas that can be found in BOTH “Animal Roles and Relationships” and “UnusualAnimal Friendships”? Use details from BOTH articles to support your answer.

The author claims that Dickey’s career as a poet declined after the success of his novel Deliverance.How does the author develop this claim? Use details from the text to support your answer.

Georgia MilestonesMathematicsCriterion-Referenced

Total Number of Items: 53 / Total Number of Points: 58

Breakdown by Item Type:• 50 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are

aligned NRT)

• 2 Constructed Response (worth 2 points each)

• 1 Constructed Response (worth 4 points)

Norm-Referenced• Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)

Embedded Field Test• Total field test items: 10

Total number of items taken by each student: 73

Constructed Response

George and Ana each had a 12-inch pizza. Both pizzas were split into 8 equal pieces. The shaded pieces are the portion of their pizzas that George and Ana ate.

Express in fractions how much pizza George and Ana ate. Use the symbol <, =, or > to show who ate more pizza.

   >The content and presentation of these items are for illustrative purposes only.

George Ana

George Ana

Constructed Response•  

12 inches

George Ana

9 inches

12 inches

George

12 inches

Carlos

 

 

The c

onte

nt

and p

rese

nta

tion o

f th

ese

it

em

s are

for

illust

rati

ve p

urp

ose

s only

.

Georgia Milestones

Science/Social StudiesCriterion-Referenced

Total Number of Items: 55 / Total Number of Points: 55

Breakdown by Item Type:• 55 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; approximately 10 of which

are aligned NRT)

Norm-Referenced• Total Number of Items: 20 (approximately 10 of which contribute to

CR score)

Embedded Field Test• Total field test items: 10

Total number of items taken by each student: 75

Key Resources Available To Support GA Students & Teachers

State Resources Available

•Content standards (GPS & CCGPS)

•Sample items • formative items via Georgia FAR;

• released items via PARCC, Smarter Balance, other states (KY, NY)

•Lexiles

State Resources Available NOW

•CRCT Readiness Indicators•Formative Instructional Practices (FIP) professional learning modules•Aligns to TKES/LKES

•NAEP Item Tool

Resources • Sample items specific to Georgia Milestones

• Ancillary support resources, such as

• Content Descriptions (test blueprints)

• Student Study Guides• Technology Specifications• Accommodations Guidelines• Assessment for Learning Modules

[types of items to elicit evidence of student learning]

• Informational videos [parents & public / educators]

What is Fulton County doing to support students and teachers?

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Assessment Program Specialists

• Carla Austin, CLC

•LaKenji Hastings, NWLC

• Orrie Henry, NELC

• Heavenly Montgomery, SLC 44

FIP Implementation & Sustainability

Assessment Leaders Cohort (ALC)

• Assessment Leaders Cohort (ALC) will focus on professional learning resources from Georgia’s

Formative Instructional Practices (FIP) modules.

• The purpose of the ALC is to secure a cohort of teachers who are able to build capacity within their

schools on assessment related practices.

• FIP is the median we will use to engage in deeper conversations related to instruction and assessments.

Thank you for being so attentive.

Questions & Answers

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