N EW S TUDENT A SSESSMENT P ROGRAM Dr. Kenneth P. Oliver Macon County Schools’ Fall Leadership Retreat November 15, 2013

Purpose Present changes to the State of Alabama’s Student Assessment Program

Changes AMRT + is no longer a part of the assessment program AHSGE is in its last stages of implementation. Currently only the seniors of are required to take AHSGE. ?????? NCLB has been waived by the Feds for the State of Alabama No AYP Status for Alabama Schools

Changes cont. ACT Aspire and the AL Science Assessment takes the place of the ARMT+ The Explore and Plan are ACT assessments that correlates to college and career readiness standards End of Course Test and ACT plus writing takes the place of AHSGE

ACT Aspire ACT Aspire assesses student readiness in English, math, reading, science, and writing. ACT Aspire connects student growth from grades 3-8 and early high school in the context of college and career readiness benchmarks.

ACT Aspire Assessment Highlights ACT Aspire Assessment System ® Highlights Vertically articulated, standards-based system of summative, interim, and classroom-based assessments Summative available in spring 2014; interim and classroom-based assessments launching in fall 2014 Multiple question types—constructed response, selected response, and technology enhanced Subject areas: English, math, reading, science, and direct writing for grades 3-8 and Linked to ACT College Readiness Benchmarks and aligned with Common Core State Standards Online delivery of assessments with a paper-and-pencil option

ACT Aspire Question Types Question Types ACT Aspire will incorporate multiple question types including constructed response, selected response, and technology-enhanced items to better assess student knowledge and provide more meaningful insights. Exemplar Items (Sample test items) are available for the following subject test: English Science Mathematics Writing Reading

Length of each test

Exemplars All sample test items can be found at the following web site

Explore, Plan and the ACT EXPLORE is the first part of a testing system that goes on to include PLAN and the ACT. Typically, students take EXPLORE in the 8th or 9th grade, PLAN as 10th graders, and the ACT as juniors or seniors. All three test you in English, math, reading, and science. However, the material tested in each program gets more difficult.

Explore and Plan Taking EXPLORE ® in 8th or 9th grade tells students things they need to know—to plan their high school courses, prepare for the ACT, or choose a career direction. Scores are between 1 (the lowest score you can receive) and 25 (the highest score you can receive)

Explore and Plan cont. The Estimated PLAN Composite Score Range (1- 25) (Grade 8 or 9) is a prediction about how students are likely to score on PLAN if they take the right courses and work hard in those courses. The Estimated ACT Composite Score Range (1- 32) (Grade 1O) is a prediction about how students are likely to score on ACT if they take the right courses and work hard in those courses.

ACT The Estimated ACT Composite Score Range (1-36) (Grade 11 & 12) is a prediction about how students are likely to perform in college if they take the right courses and work hard in those courses

QualityCore End-of-Course Assessments measure the learning outcomes all students must attain in order to succeed in college and careers. Each assessment includes problem-based questions embedded in both academic and real-world contexts that are accessible and relevant to high school students. These real- world problems require practical applications of concepts, theories, principles, and process. Quality Core End of Course Test

End of Course Assessments Flexible options include: Two 45-minute test sessions—multiple choice and constructed response, or multiple choice only Computer-based or paper-and-pencil format Standards-based reporting Results support informed decisions: each assessment will report a total score and three to five diagnostic subscores associated with the ACT Course Standards. These subscores enable educators to drill down to specific areas of strength and weakness in student learning.

Quality Core End of Course Assessment The Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject-area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. These college courses include English composition, college algebra, introductory social science courses, and biology. Based on a sample of 214 institutions and more than 230,000 students from across the United States, the Benchmarks are median course placement values for these institutions and as such represent a typical set of expectations.

Benchmark Scores Explore Eng 13 Math 17 Reading 16 Sci 18 Plan Eng 15 Math 19 Reading 18 Sci 20 ACT Eng 18 Math 22 Reading 22 Sci 23

District Scores 2013 The district scale score in Algebra I is 141. BTW Alg I score is 141 and NHS Alg I score is 142. These scores indicate that they are below the college readiness benchmark. The district scale score in Geometry is 141. BTW Geometry score is 142 and NHS Geometry score is 142. These scores indicate that they are below the college readiness benchmark The district scale score in English 9 is 147. BTW Eng 9 score is 148 and NHS Eng 9 score is 146. These scores indicate that they are At or Above the college readiness benchmark. The district scale score in English 10 is 147. BTW Eng 10 score is 147 and NHS Eng 10 score is 149. These scores indicate that they are At or Above the college readiness benchmark. These scores are based on a scale range from

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