Science and Tech/Eng State Assessment Update MSELA Leadership Conference October 23, 2015

Updates Student performance Accountability and Adams Scholarship Assessment Report from the ESE Future Plans Resources Questions Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

2008-2015 Statewide Science MCAS Results Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

High School MCAS Participation by Grade 2008 Biology (June) Chem Intro Physics Tech/Eng Total Gr. 9 23,079 322 15,903 1,614 50% Gr. 10 36,752 1,940 1,077 637 2015 Biology (June) Chem Intro Physics Tech/Eng Total Gr. 9 32,531 132 15,172 2,332 71% Gr. 10 18,572 1,036 889 377 29%

Which High School STE MCAS Are Students Taking in 2015? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Science & Accountability General Information about Accountability: Added MCAS Science and Tech/Eng results into calculations Tracks progress of closing gaps in STE (no growth) For high schools: graduation and annual dropout rates Extra Credit: Improved performance for Advanced & Warning/Failing levels for STE More information: www.mass.gov/ese/accountability Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Science Requirement for Adams Scholarship Class of 2016 To qualify must: Score in Advanced category on one test (ELA, math, STE) and Proficient or Advanced on other two tests Be ranked in highest 25% in district based on MCAS ELA, Math, and STE test results More info on Adams Scholarship: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/adams.html Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

ESE Assessment Report 2015 study included: survey to superintendents interviews with school and district personnel case study of 4 districts Focus: district-wide assessments given to most students in a particular grade Report can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/2015/08AssessmentPractices.pdf

Assessment Study Findings State-required assessments For most grades: two tests; two sessions per test District-required assessments Total: 6.7 assessments, 19.1 testing sessions Elementary: 2.9 assessments, 8.3 sessions Middle school: 2.6 assessments, 7.5 sessions High school: 1.9 assessments, 5.6 sessions Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Assessment Study Findings (cont’d) Districts vary substantially on time spent on testing: Grade span District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 K–5 1 day 5 ½ days 1 ½ days 8 ½ days 6–8 0 days 6 ½ days 9–12 4 days 3 days Total 6 days 9 days 18 days Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Testing data is most used for student placement and progress monitoring Most common uses Addressing student academic needs such as diagnosis and placement Measuring progress Least common uses Student preparation or practice for state assessments Predicting student performance on state assessments Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Testing in the Classroom Lots of negative press about testing, but good teaching includes good testing! Recommended reads: -How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning http://www.retrievalpractice.org/RetrievalPracticeGuide.pdf -Daily Online Testing in Large Classes: Boosting College Performance while Reducing Achievement Gaps http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0079774 -Retrieval-based learning: Research at the interface between cognitive science and education http://learninglab.psych.purdue.edu/downloads/2015_Nunes_Karpicke_Emerging_Trends.pdf

Future of STE MCAS Things ESE must consider for transition to new assessments: Adoption timeline for standards PARCC or MCAS 2.0 NCLB and/or NCLB rewrite Accountability Grade spans (3-5, 6-8) Feedback from stakeholders Costs and tradeoffs

Future of STE MCAS (cont’d) Writing RFR now for future tests Will not be in a consortium Will need to have summative tests that will produce valid and reliable data Will be transitioning to online testing Some possibilities: Scenario-based items Include practices/inquiry skills in a more direct way Other

Future of STE MCAS (cont’d) 2016 STE MCAS STE Tests will be based on the 2001/06 STE Curriculum Framework Takes time to develop items (typically 2-3 yrs) Contractor develops items ESE staff and Educators review items Items are field tested ESE staff and Educators review statistics of FT items NO timeline yet for when tests will transition to revised standards

Test Item Links MCAS Items http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html NAEP Items http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nqt/ AAAS Items http://assessment.aaas.org/topics MOSART Items https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/mosart/testinventory_2.html

Questions, Comments, and Contacts Katie Bowler, Administrator for STE Test Development cbowler@doe.mass.edu Brendan Harmon, STE Test Development Specialist bharmon@doe.mass.edu Darin LaSota, STE Test Development Specialist dlasota@doe.mass.edu Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education