FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: AN OVERVIEW October 31, 2013

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 2 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: AN OVERVIEW 2013–2014: States field test new assessments aligned to college- and career-ready standards in reading/language arts and mathematics June 18, 2013: Secretary Duncan announced that the Department would be willing to entertain requests for waivers related to “double testing” for this one year of field tests 1

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 3 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: KEY DOCUMENTS Letter from Assistant Secretary Delisle Frequently Asked Questions Optional Request Templates flexibility/college-career-ready/index.html 2

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 4 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: WHAT IS IT? 1.Double-Testing Flexibility: Allows schools that participate in the field tests to administer only one reading/language arts and one mathematics assessment to an individual student 2.Determination Flexibility: Allows schools that participate in the field test to retain for 2014–2015 the same Federal accountability designations as they have for 2013–2014 and implement the same interventions and supports in 2014–2015 Collectively: Field-Test Flexibility 3

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 5 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: WHO CAN REQUEST IT? Any State that will field test new assessments aligned to college- and career-ready standards in reading/language arts and mathematics in 2013– 2014 can request the flexibility Not limited to States with ESEA flexibility or a grant under Race to the Top Fall testing States may request the flexibility (see A-10 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 4

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 6 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: WHICH ASSESSMENTS? Assessments aligned to a State’s college- and career-ready standards, including: General assessments, including those developed by a Race to the Top Assessment consortium (PARCC or Smarter Balanced) Alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards, including those developed by a General Supervision Enhancement Grant consortium (DLM or NCSC) 5

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 7 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST For purposes of the field-test flexibility, a school “participates in the field test” if at least one full classroom or course section within the school takes the full form of the assessment in one subject area during the 2013–2014 school year. (See A-6 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 6

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 8 PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST: ONE CLASSROOM/COURSE SECTION All students in the class who are required to take the assessment being field tested, for example: – Students in tested grades (if class includes multiple grades) – Students who take the general assessment (if field test is of the general assessment) For high school, all students in one period during which a course is taught (See A-11, A-12 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 7

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 9 PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST: FULL FORM OF THE ASSESSMENT “Full form of the assessment” means all items and components of the form of the field test Not just some test items May be full form of the assessment in just one subject (i.e., reading/language arts or mathematics) 8

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 10 “During 2013–2014” means completing the full form of the field test during this school year Need not be in one sitting or one test window (e.g., may be multiple testlets over the course of the year) PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST: DURING 2013–2014 9

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 11 PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST This definition is for purposes of the field-test flexibility only. A school is not prohibited from being part of a field test if it does not meet the definition. Remember: A school may get the flexibility as long as it “participates in the field test” of at least one assessment (reading or math, general or alternate). 10

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 12 PARTICIPATING IN THE FIELD TEST: AN EXAMPLE K-8 school, four classes at each grade level. One 5th-grade class takes the full form of the math field test; all other classes take the current State math test. All classes in grades 3-8 take the current State reading/language arts assessment. – The school participates in the field test for purposes of the field-test flexibility. (See A-6 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 11

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 13 DOUBLE-TESTING FLEXIBILITY Allows schools that participate in the field tests to administer, for purposes of meeting the assessment requirements in ESEA section 1111(b)(3), only one reading/language arts and one mathematics assessment in 2013–2014 to any individual student — i.e., either the current State assessment or the field test. All students must still participate in both a reading/language arts assessment and a mathematics assessment in 2013–

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 14 DOUBLE-TESTING FLEXIBILITY: WHAT DOES IT WAIVE? ESEA sections 1111(b)(1)(B) and 1111(b)(3)(C)(i) – Require an SEA to apply the same academic achievement standards, and to use the same academic assessments, for all public school children in the State – Waivers would permit any individual student to take only one assessment in each content area in 2013–2014 — i.e., either the current State assessment or the field test 13

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 15 DOUBLE-TESTING FLEXIBILITY: WHAT DOES IT WAIVE? ESEA section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xii) – Requires individual student interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports that include information regarding achievement on State assessments to parents, teachers, and principals as soon as is practically possible after an assessment is given – Waiver would permit an SEA or LEA to refrain from producing or providing these individual student reports for a student’s performance on the field test – All reporting obligations must still be met for performance on the State test. 14

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 16 DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY: WHAT DOES IT WAIVE? ESEA sections 1116(a)(1)(A) and 1116(c)(1)(A) Require an LEA and an SEA to make AYP determinations for schools and LEAs, respectively Waivers would permit an LEA to refrain from making AYP determinations for schools that participate in the field test and an SEA to refrain from making AYP determinations for one-school LEAs that participate in the field test AYP determinations must still be made for all other schools and LEAs An SEA with ESEA flexibility may already have these waivers 15

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 17 DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY: WHAT DOES IT WAIVE? ESEA sections 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) and 1111(h)(2)(B) Require an SEA and LEA, respectively, to report on performance against AMOs Waivers would permit SEA or LEA to refrain from reporting performance against AMOs for any school or single-school LEA that participates in the field test An SEA and its LEAs would still report performance against AMOs for: – Subject that is not part of the field test – All other schools and LEAs 16

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 18 DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY IN A NON-ESEA FLEXIBILITY STATE No AYP determination for schools or single-school LEAs that participate in the field test Schools and single-school LEAs that participate in the field test would retain their 2013–2014 improvement status for 2014–2015 – Would not enter or exit improvement – Would not move up in the improvement timeline – Would continue same interventions in 2014–

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 19 DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY IN AN ESEA FLEXIBILITY STATE Greater flexibility in implementing because ESEA flexibility already permits waiver of AYP and does not require annual identification of priority and focus schools Determination flexibility might affect: – Identification of reward, priority, and focus schools – Exiting focus or priority status – Annual grades or ratings – AYP determinations (if not already waived) (See D-2 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 18

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 20 DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY AND AMAO 3 UNDER TITLE III Where possible, make AMAO 3 determinations based on the performance of English Learners within an LEA who take the current State assessment. Where not possible (i.e., because an LEA does not meet the minimum “n” because of English Learner participation in the field test or is a single school LEA participating in the field test), make Title III accountability determinations based on AMAOs 1 and 2 performance. Contact your Title III program contact with questions. 19

ESEA Flexibility Package U.S. Department of Education 21 DOUBLE-TESTING FLEXIBILITY AND DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY DOUBLE-TESTING FLEXIBILITY Applies to all schools that participate in the field test May request for field test of either or both general or alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards DETERMINATION FLEXIBILITY SEA may choose not to request at all or to request only for some schools that participate in the field test May request only in conjunction with the double- testing flexibility 20

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 22 REPORTING UNDER THE FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY An SEA or LEA need not report results from a field test. It must … Must meet all reporting obligations with respect to results on State assessments, including for students who also participate in a field test Report participation rate — total, for the field test, and for the State assessments Report against AMOs for reading if the field test is only for math and vice versa Report Federal accountability designation (even if same as the prior year) 21

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 23 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY FOR ALTERNATE ASSESSMENTS (1% TESTS) Special rule for application of double-testing flexibility: Individual students who take full form of the field test of an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards in reading/language arts or mathematics during 2013–2014 may receive the benefit of this flexibility (i.e., need not be double tested) However, the full classroom or course section threshold would still have to be met for the students’ school to receive the benefit of the determination flexibility (See F-1 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 22

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 24 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY AND INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (IEPs) IEP teams should determine whether a student’s IEP should be modified so that the student can participate in the field test, including modifications to address: – Accommodations available on the field test that might not previously have been available but meet the student’s needs – A student’s participation in the field test of the general assessment if the IEP indicates participation in an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (See F-2, F-3 in the Field-Test Flexibility FAQs) 23

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 25 FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY: OTHER CONSIDERATIONS In deciding whether to request the field-test flexibility, an SEA should consider, for example: Whether state law requires annual assessments or annual accountability determinations based on assessments Promotion, remediation, or graduation requirements Implications for the operation of the SIG program Implications for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems Implications for determining English Learner status Implications for its ability to carry out external evaluations of particular programs 24

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 26 REQUESTING THE FIELD-TEST FLEXIBILITY An SEA may, but is not required to, use the template requests posted on ED’s website Must include list of schools that will implement the flexibility Must include comments from LEAs, per the waiver requirements of ESEA section 9401 An ESEA flexibility SEA should also include an amendment request and a redline of its approved ESEA flexibility request Requests are due November 22,

Field-Test Flexibility U.S. Department of Education 27 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION … All documents related to the field-test flexibility are available on the Department’s website: flexibility/college-career-ready/index.html Contact your ESEA flexibility contact or, for non- ESEA flexibility States, Carlos Martinez at with additional questions 26