New Mathematics SOL and Assessments and their Impact on Instruction and Assessment March 26, 2012 Michael Bolling, Mathematics Coordinator

2009 Mathematics Standards of Learning New Standards –Increased rigor –New content Curriculum Framework New Assessments –Increased rigor –New content –Technology Enhanced Items (TEI) 2

A New Trend Line in Student Achievement 3 “Virginia's public schools are beginning a new trend line with the implementation of more challenging standards and assessments. The goal is to build on the progress already made under the Standards of Learning program and ensure that all graduates possess the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the workplace.” - Dr. Patricia I. Wright Superintendent of Public Instruction

A New Trend Line in Student Achievement 4 “…this will be an indication that we are now expecting more of students, not that they are learning less.” - Dr. Patricia I. Wright Superintendent of Public Instruction

Curve of Change Implementation 5 Past Practice Denial Anger Fear Depression Understanding Acceptance Progress

We all have a role in a quality implementation of new standards 6

Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework Testing blueprints SOL Institutes (2009, 2010, 2011) Instructional Videos ESS Sample Lesson Plans Technical assistance documents SOL Practice Items and Tools Practice Vocabulary resources 7

Mathematics Supervisors and Central Office Curriculum guide updates Resources realignment Communication of changes and countywide PD efforts/emphasis Collaboration –Within the division –Among divisions Professional development 8

Professional Development Use data to determine areas of limited content knowledge (students) Use surveys to determine areas of lower confidence levels with instruction (teachers) Collaborate on providing PD with emphasis on –Process goals for students –Vertical articulation of content –Instructional strategies –Development of quality assessments –Effective use of data 9

Mathematics Supervisors and Central Office Assist school-level administrators by providing “look-fors” to support and monitor countywide PD efforts and initiatives (not many) Communicate to find out what they are observing and adjust future resource development and PD 10

School-level Administrators When observing, notice who is doing the most thinking – teachers or students Communicate with the mathematics supervisor and/or central office staff about what is being observed Facilitate common planning periods for teachers (general and special education) of the same subjects – when possible Provide guidelines and expectations for planning (learning community) meetings 11

Learning Community Meetings Long-term and short-term planning/pacing Instruction – What’s being taught? Instruction – How’s it being taught? Creation/review of common assessment items Review/analysis of data/student performance Review and analysis of student work 12

Building-level Mathematics Leaders Lobby the administration for needs – support, leadership, and professional development Support new teachers Provide a source of expertise or conduit to find answers Encourage and facilitate collaboration Plan with groups of teachers 13

Teachers Engage students in the learning, providing relevant and rigorous activities and tasks Ask high-leverage questions – make students work harder than you Require students to communicate their thinking and listen carefully to them Make students justify their thinking Use multiple models 14 Process Goals!

Teachers Use formative assessments to learn about the level of student understanding and reflect on your own teaching Know what needs to be taught and to what extent 15

16 What did we learn about assessments in college? 2 minute group discussion How should we assess students?

Types of Assessment – Informal and Formal Formative –Checking in on the formation of learning –Diagnostic in nature – should lead to changes in instruction –Assessment for learning –Questions (verbal), homework, classwork, quizzes, benchmark tests –Includes a lot of student feedback

Types of Assessment Summative –Assessment of learning –Provides a numeric evaluation –Tests, projects, simulation tests –Less feedback

Types of Assessment Items Multiple choice Open response –Short response fill in the blank solve/simplify/select/sort/compare create/describe/shade explain why/justify –Open-ended no predefined answer synthesizes multiple concepts

20 Benchmark Testing What are the positives? negatives? 2 minute group discussion

Benchmark Testing Summative or Formative? How often? How many problems? Predictive or not? Should I give a grade? How do I use them? –Future warm-ups –Class discussion –Reteaching –Remediation/small group work 21

22 It is time to upgrade Our knowledge Our instruction Our assessments

Are you preparing your students? 23 OLD NEW

24 Technology Enhanced Items (TEI) Format of Questions: Fill in the blank Drag and drop Hot-spot: Select one or more “spots” to respond to a test item, i.e. select answer option(s), shade region(s), place a point on a grid Creation of graphs

Technology Enhanced Items (TEI) Spring 2012 Test Administration For online tests that assess 2009 Mathematics SOL: Grades 3-5: TEI will be field test items (approximately 1-3 field test items per test form) Grade 6 through End-of-Course (EOC): TEI will be operational (approximately 15% of the test form) 25

26 Sample TEI – Fill in the Blank

27 Sample TEI – Drag and Drop

28 Sample TEI – Hot Spot

Sample TEI – Create Graphs 29

30 Understanding the “increased rigor” of the new SOL comes through analysis of the SOL and the Curriculum Framework

31 Exercise #1

Instruction, Assessment, and Backwards Design STEPS 1.Analyze an SOL and Curriculum Framework - what students should be able to do 2.Brainstorm ways to assess the SOL 3.Develop an assessment 4.Brainstorm instructional strategies 5.Develop instructional resources/lesson plans 32

Analysis - What should students be able to do? Read the SOL and Curriculum Framework for SOL 6.13 found on the next slide. List 5 different things that students should be able to do, given different information. 33

Analyze an SOL and Curriculum Framework SOL 6.13 The student will describe and identify properties of quadrilaterals Sort and classify polygons as quadrilaterals, parallelograms, rectangles, trapezoids, kites, rhombi, and squares based on their properties. Properties include number of parallel sides, angle measures, and number of congruent sides. Identify the sum of the measures of the angles of a quadrilateral as 360°. 34

Developing Assessments and Appropriate Instruction – Backwards Design 1.Analyze an SOL and Curriculum Framework - what students should be able to do 2.Brainstorm ways to assess the SOL 3.Develop assessment items 4.Brainstorm instructional strategies 5.Develop instructional resources 35

Developing Assessments and Appropriate Instruction – Backwards Design 1.Analyze an SOL and Curriculum Framework - what students should be able to do 2.Brainstorm ways to assess the SOL 3.Develop assessment items 4.Brainstorm instructional strategies 5.Develop instructional resources 36

37 Exercise #2 Compare the 2001 SOL 7.22 with 2009 SOL 7.14 on next two slides How has rigor has been increased? group discussion

Comparing the 2001 SOL to the 2009 SOL 2001 SOL 7.22 The student will a) solve one-step linear equations and inequalities in one variable with strategies involving inverse operations and integers, using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and paper and pencil; and 2009 SOL 7.14 The student will a) solve one- and two-step linear equations in one variable; and (details in bold black moved to CF) 38

Comparing the 2001 SOL to the 2009 SOL 2001 SOL 7.22 The student will b) solve practical problems requiring the solution of a one-step linear equation SOL 7.14 The student will b) solve practical problems requiring the solution of one- and two-step linear equations. 39

Modifying Assessment Items How could a test item writer ask this in a TEI format? What types of classroom activities or assessments could I use to prepare students? 40

Modifying Assessments 41

Modifying Assessments 42

Modifying Assessments 43

Modifying Assessments 44

Modifying Assessments 45

Modifying Assessments 46

ESS Sample Lesson Plans – now available K-12 47

ESS Sample Lesson Plans 48

Instructional Videos 49

Practice SOL Items Practice SOL Items have been updated to include additional items in 3-8 and will be updated for high school courses very soon. TestNav 7.5 practice tools will provide additional practice problems. REMEMBER: ePATs are a concentration of examples showing increased rigor, technology enhanced items, and how new content may be tested. 50

Practice SOL Items It is essential that students have experiences with the Practice SOL Items prior to testing. Use of the Practice Item Guides is STRONGLY recommended. Practice Item Guides provide: –Guided practice with tools –Information specific to TEI functionality –Information on item format 51

Currently being developed Grades K-5, 6-8, Algebra, and Geometry Anticipated release by summer Vocabulary Word Wall Cards

No Pain, No Gain If you are more tired than the kids, it’s not because you are old Make kids estimate/predict and think before calculating Don’t ask questions that solicit one word answers Let kids struggle to make sense of the mathematics 53