Assessing the Common Core Saluda Middle & High School October 30, 2012

What Will Be Assessed? 4 Claims in ELA (the same across all grade levels) Claim 1: Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts Claim 2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences Claim 3: Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences Claim 4: Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information

What is a Performance Task? Requires significant interaction with stimulus materials and/or engagement in a problem solution ultimately leading to an exhibition of the students' application of knowledge and skills Asks students to research and analyze information, weigh evidence, and solve problems relevant to the real world Measures skills valued by higher ed and the workplace: critical thinking, problem solving, and communication Assesses several standards in one single, rich task

What Makes Performance Tasks Different? Greatest departure from current state testing practices is the inclusion of performance tasks (PT), which engage students in more complex, prolonged exercises Students will construct rather than select their answers Extended writing will be a dependent prompt as opposed to PASS or HSAP, which has an independent prompt

What are Examples of Stimuli? Stimuli include: readings, video clips, audio clips, graphs, charts, research topic/issue/problem Students may produce: essay, report, story, script, speech, media, graphic, responses to embedded constructed response questions

How Much Stimuli Will PTs Include? PTs for Grade 3 will require use of 1-2 stimuli PTs for high school will require the use of up to 5 stimuli Emphasis on stimuli related to science, history, and social studies We need to provide opportunities in all of our classrooms for students to engage with multiple stimuli

What Does Test Administration Look Like? Grades 3-8: 120 min Performance Task part 1:35-45 min Part 2: 75-85 min 90 min Computer Adaptive Task Grade 11: 120 min Performance Task part 1: 35-45 min part 2: 75-85 min 120 min Computer Adaptive Task

What Do PTs Look Like? Let’s take a look at two release items (these can be found at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample-items-and-performance-tasks/) Using the DOK information provided, analyze the PT and identify the DOK levels for each piece In small groups, write your findings on chart paper Whole-group, we will look for trends in the findings

Closure Discuss the following questions at your table: How can we provide opportunities now for students to engage in activities like these performance tasks? What challenges will we face? How will we work through these challenges?