SSA Fall Conference October 8, 2012 Florence, Alabama

The Basis for Change An accountability system that was unbalanced and imposed an inaccurate identification for schools in need of improvement. A disconnect in articulation with our partners in postsecondary, higher education and business and industry – AYP vs. CCR An increasing number of students requiring remedial education at the technical school, two-year and four- year college level and entry into business and industry. 2

3

Example 4

College and Career Readiness Ability to draw inferences/conclusions from text Analyzing conflicting source documents Supporting arguments with evidence Solving complex problems with no obvious answer 5

Undergraduate Remediation

The Process of Change State Board Adoption of the ACT, PLAN, EXPLORE and WorkKeys as Alabama’s measure of College and/or Career Readiness - 9/10/09 to be phased in beginning with EXPLORE with the 8 th grade class of State Board Adoption of End-of-Course Tests to replace the Alabama High School Graduation Exam - 9/10/09 to be phased in beginning in Alabama State Board Adoption of the College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts - 11/18/10 7

The Process of Change continued… The Alabama State Board of Education establishes an Assessment and Accountability Task Force to review current status and needed changes 7/12/11 SSA Fall Conference 2011 – overview of ESEA Waiver impact and request for input Task Force meetings throughout the Fall of 2011 and Presentation of Recommendations in April 2012 The Alabama State Board of Education requests an AMO Freeze to allow for development and implementation of new assessments and accountability - 5/10/12 8

The Process of Change continued… SSA Summer Conference June 2012 – Presentation of AMO Waiver and possible ESEA Waiver impacts and associated changes with follow up survey 7/16/12 The Alabama State Board of Education Adopts Alabama PLAN 2020 as its ESEA Flexibility Request with new assessment and accountability frameworks - 9/6/12 Alabama State Board of Education consideration of the One Diploma with multiple pathways plan for high school graduation - Present 9

The Result of Change AMO Freeze - What Does It Mean? AYP determinations will be based on AMOs from the school year AYP determinations will be based on AMOs from the school year and no status assigned – baseline year for new accountability plan. Bottom line, it gives us a two-year window to transition to a new balanced and meaningful accountability system without the threat of sanctions and status and time for implementation of our Alabama specific ESEA Waiver. 10

BALANCED ASSESSMENT SYSTEM By Purpose 11

GradeAssessment(s) 12WorkKeys 11ACT w/Writing 10PLAN 9Transition 8EXPLORE 7ARMT+ 6ARMT+ 5ARMT+ 4ARMT+ 3ARMT+ 2Developmentally Appropriate Assessments(s) 1Developmentally Appropriate Assessments(s) KKindergarten Screener(s) for all entering Kindergarten students End-of-Course English 9, 10, 11, 12 Alg. I, Geometry, Alg. II w/Trig, Pre-Cal Biology, Chemistry, Physics U. S. History ARMT+ (Reading/ELA, Math, Science and Writing/Social Studies Based) aligned to College and Career Readiness Benchmarks Formative, Benchmark and/or Interim Assessment Repository with Resources Grades 3-12 A pool of aligned items to each standard at each grade level within each assessment content area will be available for teacher, school or system use for formative, benchmark and/or interim assessments to be used to inform instructional practice. Included will also be links to instructional resources aligned to the standards for use by teachers, schools or school systems. Formative, Benchmark and/or Interim Assessment Repository with Resources Grades 3-12 A pool of aligned items to each standard at each grade level within each assessment content area will be available for teacher, school or system use for formative, benchmark and/or interim assessments to be used to inform instructional practice. Included will also be links to instructional resources aligned to the standards for use by teachers, schools or school systems. Project-Based Assessments Grades 6-12 These assessments are designed to foster research inquiry skills, persistence, independence and intercommunications in ways that are not accomplished with more traditional summative and end-of-course assessments. Project-based assessments are scored based on templates or rubrics that produce rich, multileveled evaluations of student work. Project-Based Assessments Grades 6-12 These assessments are designed to foster research inquiry skills, persistence, independence and intercommunications in ways that are not accomplished with more traditional summative and end-of-course assessments. Project-based assessments are scored based on templates or rubrics that produce rich, multileveled evaluations of student work. Career Interest/Career Aptitude Assessments Grades 6-12 These assessments are designed to inform student, parent, teacher, counselor and principal decisions about appropriate coursework and co- curricular opportunities for students culminating in a comprehensive and annually updated four-year high school plan of study. Career Interest/Career Aptitude Assessments Grades 6-12 These assessments are designed to inform student, parent, teacher, counselor and principal decisions about appropriate coursework and co- curricular opportunities for students culminating in a comprehensive and annually updated four-year high school plan of study. All assessments will be offered in online or paper-and-pencil format with a standards-based reporting format that will be immediate. All assessments will be formatted for “through course” or single-setting use. Alabama College- and Career-Ready Assessment System 12

School YearGrades K-2Grades 3-7Grades 8-12 End-of-Course Assessments College- and Career- Ready Assessments Formative/Interim/ Benchmark Assessments (LEA Determined) ARMT + (Grades 3-8)English 9 English 10 Algebra I Geometry (AHSGE Grades 11-12) EXPLORE (Grade 8) PLAN (Grade 10) Formative/Interim/ Benchmark Assessments (LEA Determined) NewAbove assessments plus English 11 Algebra II Biology Chemistry U. S. History (AHSGE Grades 12) EXPLORE (Grade 8) PLAN (Grade 10) ACT Plus Writing (Grade 11) Formative/Interim/ Benchmark Assessments (LEA Determined) NewAbove assessments plus English 12 Pre-Calculus Physics EXPLORE (Grade 8) PLAN (Grade 10) ACT Plus Writing (Grade 11) WorkKeys (Grade 12) Formative/Interim/ Benchmark Assessments (LEA Determined) NewAbove assessmentsEXPLORE (Grade 8) PLAN (Grade 10) ACT Plus Writing (Grade 11) WorkKeys (Grade 12) Alabama College- and Career-Ready Assessment System Timeline for Implementation NOTE: State-provided formative/interim/benchmark assessments aligned to college- and career-ready standards will be available August 2012 for Grades K

Overview of Proposed Alabama Accountability Model Alabama Learners Achievement Growth Gap College and Career Readiness Weight 100 Alabama Support Systems Program Reviews Graduation Rate Attendance Participation Rates Other Measures Weight 40 Alabama Professionals Effective teachers and leaders as measured by EDUCATE Alabama, LEADAlabama, and multiple measures of student performance Weight 50 Alabama Schools and Systems Local Indicator(s) from School/System Improvement Plan Weight 10 To be implemented in two phases over the next three years. 14

Data Points for Accountability Student Achievement New Assessment 3-7, AAA, QualityCore Algebra I and English 10 Student Growth New Assessment 3-7, AAA, EXPLORE to PLAN to ACT Achievement Gap New Assessment 3-7, AAA, QualityCore Algebra I and English 10 College and Career Readiness Benchmark on ACT WorkKeys Silver and Platinum Recognition Industry Recognized CTE Credential AP/IB Qualifying Score Transcripted College Credit/Dual Enrollment or Early College ASVAB Qualifying Score Graduation Rate Four-year Cohort Rate with a fifth-year option Attendance TBD Program Reviews TBD Participation Rates 95% Teacher and Leader Effectiveness TBD Locally Determined Indicator Determined based on Local Continuous Improvement Plan 15

Timelines ARMT+, AAA, AHSGE (Grades 11 and 12 only) EXPLORE/Grade 8, PLAN/Grade 10 and QualityCore EOC for Algebra I, Geometry, English 9, and English New 3-7 Assessment, AAA, AHSGE (Grade 12 only) EXPLORE/Grade 8, PLAN/Grade 10, ACT w/writing/Grade 11, and additional QualityCore EOC for Algebra II, English 11, Biology, Chemistry, and U.S. History Continue all above minus the ARMT+ and AHSGE and add QualityCore EOC for Pre-calculus, English 12, and Physics Begin new comprehensive State-Developed and Differentiated Recognition, Accountability and Support System based on a multi-dimensional School Performance Index 16

Absolutes During the Transition Teach to the standards for each of the required subjects (Alabama College- and Career-Ready Standards - Courses of Study) Through a clearly articulated and locally aligned K-12 curriculum (Sample curricula found on ALEX and Alabama Insight) Supported by aligned resources, support, and professional development (Sample lesson plans and supporting resources found on ALEX, differentiated support through ALSDE Regional Support Teams and ALSDE Initiatives, etc.) Monitored regularly through formative, interim/benchmark assessments to inform the effectiveness of the instruction and continued learning needs of individuals and groups of students (GlobalScholar, QualityCore Benchmarks, and other locally determined assessments) With a goal that each student graduates from high school with the knowledge and skills to succeed in post-high school education and the workforce without the need for remediation as evidenced by multiple measures achieved through multiple pathways to meet the graduation requirements set for students in Alabama. (Alabama High School Graduation Requirements/Diploma) 17

ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS This one approach to the Alabama High School Diploma removes the need for endorsements or the Alabama Occupational Diploma. The focus will be on the coursework taken that necessitates a clearly articulated and individualized four-year high school plan built for each student based on the results from the EXPLORE academic and career interest assessment and middle school coursework. 18