Understanding the Smarter Balanced Assessment & the Proposed Washington Agreement for Its Use in Higher Education William S. Moore, Ph.D., Policy Associate, SBCTC Director, Core to College Alignment & Transition Mathematics Project May 2014

Topic Overview  Context  Common Core State Standards  Smarter Balanced Assessment  Process for Setting Readiness Expectations  Core to College Update  Proposed Smarter Balanced Agreement  Transition course design/development  Next steps  Questions

Common Core State Standards Clear, consistent, rigorous standards in English language arts/literacy and mathematics Knowledge and skills needed for college and career success Developed voluntarily and cooperatively by states with input from teachers and college faculty Source:

Major Shifts in the Common Core State Standards: “Fewer, Higher, Clearer, Deeper” MATH Focus strongly where the standards focus Coherence: Think across grades and link to major topics within grades Rigor: Require conceptual understanding, fluency, and application ELA Building content knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

Common Core Standards and Assessments: Key Factors in Student Success Common Core standards and assessments: Anchor K-12 experience in real-world expectations for success in college and careers Remove the guesswork for teachers and schools Allow schools, parents and students to track progress Identify students who need assistance while still in high school Reduce remediation and increase college success Research has consistently shown that the single most powerful predictor of student success in college is the rigor of academic preparation.

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium 26 states & territories (22 governing, 3 advisory, 1 affiliate) K-12 & Higher Education Leads in each state

Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness All students leave high school college and career ready Teachers and schools have information and tools they need to improve teaching and learning Summative: College and career readiness assessments for accountability Interim: Flexible and open assessments, used for actionable feedback Formative resources: Educator resources for formative assessment practices to improve instruction A Balanced Assessment System

Digital Library Resources Slide 8 Commissioned Professional Learning Modules Resources for educators, students and families Frame Formative Assessment within a Balanced Assessment System Articulate the Formative Assessment Process Highlight Formative Assessment Practices and Tools Assessment Literacy Modules Commissioned Professional Learning Modules Instructional coaching for educators Instructional materials for students Demonstrate/support effective implementation of the formative assessment process Focus on key content and practice from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts Exemplar Instructional Modules High-quality vetted instructional resources and tools for educators High-quality vetted resources and tools for students and families Reflect and support the formative assessment process Reflect and support the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts Create Professional Learning Communities Education Resources

Describe Explain Interpret Level One (Recall) Level Three (Strategic Thinking) (Extended Thinking) Level Two (Skill/ Concept) Design Synthesize Connect Apply Concepts Critique Analyze Create Prove Arrange Calculate Draw Repeat Tabulate Recognize Memorize Identify Who, What, When, Where, Why List Name Use Illustrate Measure Define Recall Match Graph Classify Cause/Effect Estimate Compare Relate Infer Categorize Organize Interpret Predict Modify Summarize Show Construct Develop a Logical Argument AssessRevise Apprise Hypothesize Investigate Critique Compare Formulate Draw Conclusions Explain Differentiate Use Concepts to Solve Non-Routine Problems Level Four Source: Webb, Norman L. and others, “Web Alignment Tool” 24 July Wisconsin Center of Educational Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2 Feb Assessing the Common Core Smarter Balanced assessments move beyond basic skills and recall to assess critical thinking and problem solving

Summative Assessment: Two-pronged Approach

Smarter Balanced Updates 1. Field test in Spring 2014 will target 2 million students — roughly 20% of eligible students in each state 2. Online “Readiness Tool” allows schools and districts to evaluate technology readiness 3. Cost estimates (March 2013) 1.~$22.50 per student for Summative only; 2.~$27.30 per student for Summative, Interim, & Formative 4. UCLA will serve as host and partner for a sustainable Smarter Balanced beginning in 2015

College Content-Readiness Policy Framework for Grade 11 Assessment Results Note: Applies only to students who matriculate directly from high school to college.

Setting Student Readiness Expectations Consortium Process and Recruitment

Setting Student Readiness Expectations Process of setting common expectations for performance proficiency for the Consortium Relies on judgment and classroom experience of educators Educators are key to success Process to be inclusive, representative, transparent, and scientifically rigorous In Person Standard Setting Distributed Standard Setting Vertical Articulation Committee

In-Person Process Recruited/Nominated by States –grades 3 to 8: content specialists and teachers from varying grade levels –high school: high school content specialists and teachers and college faculty [October 13-15] Review difficulty of questions and define what students at four Achievement Levels can reasonably expected to answer correctly Interested? Contact Bill Moore, ,

Distributed Process Open to the public – parents, teachers, college faculty, administrators, business/community leaders Two-stage recruitment process: –Through states during academic year –Through professional organizations, media over the summer Activity will occur online and take approximately 3 hours to complete (for Level 3 decision only) [October 6-17] Online registration

Vertical Articulation Committee 60 panelists selected from In-Person Standard Setting participants will review results from both in-person and distributed panels Ensure vertically articulated achievement and proficiency levels in Grades 3 through high school Committee will make final recommendations to state leadership

Core to College Project Update May 2014  Higher education agreement  Strengthen 12 th Grade “Launch Year”  Communications campaign Policy recommendations re use of SBAC  6 local partnership grants  Transition courses  Faculty network  “Real Learning for Real Life”Real Learning for Real Life

Core to College Smarter Balanced Process Develop specific proposal for SB use in higher education Review and decide on proposal Showcase local school/ college partnerships System group and institutional review (Spring 2014)

Proposed Agreement: Math SB Score Level on the 11 th Grade Assessment Placement Options Available Based on Score For students scoring at level 4… Any entry college-level math course through pre-calculus I For students scoring at level 3…  An entry college-level terminal math course not on the calculus pathway  An entry-level calculus pathway math course, contingent on a B or better in a calculus pathway class in the senior year of high school For students scoring at level 2… An entry college-level terminal math course not on the calculus pathway, contingent on a B or better in the statewide math college readiness/transition course For students scoring at level 1… Additional placement information, determined by local institutional processes (transcript, high school GPA, additional testing, etc.), needed for all entry-level courses

Proposed Agreement: English SB Score Level on the 11 th Grade Assessment Placement Options Available Based on Score For students scoring at level 4… An entry college-level English course (including but not limited to English Composition or its equivalent) For students scoring at level 3… An entry college-level English course (including but not limited to English Composition or its equivalent) For students scoring at level 2… An entry college-level English course (including but not limited to English Composition or its equivalent), contingent on a B or better in a statewide English senior year college readiness/transition course or through local institutional processes (transcript, high school GPA, additional testing, etc.) For students scoring at level 1… Additional placement information, determined by local institutional processes (transcript, high school GPA, additional testing, etc.), needed for all entry-level courses

3-Year Agreement Timeframe Review agreement in winter 2018 and consider revision/renewal for class of 2019

Key Points about the Agreement

Timetable for WA Transition Courses

Current Faculty Recruitment Efforts

Questions? 28