Maywood School District Assessment Overview October 19, 2011

WHY? NCLB- “No Child Left Behind” –2002 Every state must have an assessment for annual tests in reading/language arts and math in grades 3-8 Grades 1 & 2 use the NJPASS examination.*** Align state assessments with standards Have all students attain a level of proficiency by the school year.

WHO? All students enrolled in New Jersey public schools must be tested. English Language Learner students and special education students are included.

WHAT?  LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENT Writing- Explanatory-30 minutes Speculative-30 minutes 3 Reading Texts  Narrative Texts 30 minutes each  Informational Texts with open-ended questions and multiple choice questions Each multiple choice question is worth 1 point and each open-ended question is worth up to 4 points.

WHAT?  MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT- Approximately 114 minutes Multiple Choice - MC Short Constructed Response - SCR Extended Constructed Response - ECR

WHAT’S NEW?  More Language Arts Literacy (LAL) reading passages in grades 3-5  Shorter reading passages and more diverse content  Two LAL writing prompts in grades 3-5  Elimination of picture prompt: replaced with speculative writing prompt  Two days of math testing grades 3-5  New math item type: short constructed response  Testing later in the school year

Adequate Yearly Progress Each state must develop a timeline that effectively ensures that 100% of students are proficient in the state’s academic standards (reading and math) by years Academic Year (100%) 7

How to Interpret Test Scores ISR- Individual Student Reports Identifies areas of proficiency in LA, Math and Science (grade 4 only) Advanced Proficient = Proficient = Partially Proficient =

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORT

L.A. Reading  Three reading passages at each grade level  Reading passages will include literature as well as informational or “everyday” reading selections from a wide array of sources and genres  There are multiple choice and open-ended questions  Additional field-test passages and items will be included

Open-Ended Questions Rubric PointsCriteria 4 A 4-point response clearly demonstrates understanding of the task and provides an insightful explanation/opinion that links to or extends aspects of the text. 3 A 3-point response demonstrates an understanding of the task and provides some explanation/opinion using situations or ideas from the text as support. 2 A 2-point response demonstrates a partial understanding of the task, and uses text incorrectly or with limited success resulting in an inconsistent or flawed explanation. 1 A 1-point response demonstrates minimal understanding of the task and provides only a vague reference to or no use of the text. 0 A 0-point response is irrelevant or off-topic.

L.A. Writing  LAL writing will require students to respond in a variety of modes and forms (e.g., narrative, expository, persuasive, speculative) and for a variety of purposes in keeping with the standards  These tasks may be labeled “Speculative” or “Explanatory” or “Persuasive”: some, like the poem or persuasive prompt, will be familiar: others will be newer types of tasks

Observations about Writing The prewriting/planning space for each writing task is designed solely for students’ brainstorming and is not scored. Due to time constraints, students do not have enough time to prepare a first draft and then rewrite or copy over their drafts. The explanatory prompt, which may draw its topic from a poem, is designed to elicit a sustained piece of writing and therefore asks students to write a composition. This composition should be formatted to include short vivid scenes to illustrate a point. The speculative prompt gives students a scenario which may contain a problem. The students are expected to write a story where a problem is solved in a realistic way.

New Jersey State Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric Writing Tasks: Partial rubric used to score explanatory and speculative prompts Partial CommandAdequate CommandStrong Command Score345 Content & Organization - may lack opening and/or closing - has opening and closing - usually has a single focus - single focus - sense of unity & coherence - key ideas developed - single focus - unified & coherent - well developed - some flaws in organization - may lack transitions between ideas - ideas loosely connected - transitions evident - logical progression - fluent - attempts compositional risks - repetitious details - unelaborated - uneven development of details - details appropriate & varied Usage- errors/patterns of errors evident - some errors; don’t interfere with meaning - few errors Sentence Construction - little variety in syntax - some errors - some errors; don’t interfere with meaning - few errors Mechanics- patterns of errors evident - some errors; don’t detract from meaning - few errors

LAL Tasks, Item Frequency & Scoring (( TimeTaskItems Total Points Poss. Reading30 mins each 3 selections - Includes both Literature and Informational, or “every day” text Grade MC & 3 OE Grade MC & 3 OE Grade MC & 3 OE Writing30 mins each 1 Speculative 1 Explanatory 10 points each (5 pt. rubric double scored) 20

Assessment Overview Grade 1 (2011)Adv. P B Language Arts68% 23% 9% Mathematics38% 55% 7% Grade 2 (2011) Language Arts42% 36% 22% Mathematics43% 42% 15%

Assessment Overview (% P/AP) Grade 32011% Inc. Language Arts73%N/A Mathematics91%N/A Grade 42011% Inc. Language Arts75%Flat Mathematics97%+ 7% ***Regular Education

Assessment Overview (% P/AP) 2011% Inc. Grade 5 Language Arts80%+ 27% Mathematics90%+ 15% Grade 6 Language Arts90%+ 4% Mathematics89%- 5% ***Regular Education

Assessment Overview (% P/AP) 2011% Inc. Grade 7 Language Arts88%+ 7% Mathematics83%+ 2% Grade 8 Language Arts100%+ 9% Mathematics94%+ 14% ***Regular Education Overall+ 47%

Advanced Proficient Analysis Grade 32011% Inc. Language Arts5 %N/A Mathematics40 %N/A Grade 42011% Inc. Language Arts6 %+ 4% Mathematics41 %- 4% ***Regular Education

Advanced Proficient Analysis 2011% Inc. Grade 5 Language Arts7 %+ 5 % Mathematics42 %+ 17 % Grade 6 Language Arts12 %- 2 % Mathematics31 %- 8 % ***Regular Education

Advanced Proficient Analysis 2011% Inc. Grade 7 Language Arts19 %+ 8 % Mathematics17 %Flat Grade 8 Language Arts27 %+ 15 % Mathematics41 %+ 32 % ***Regular Education Overall+ 67% 30 Students scored a perfect 300 on one or more exam up from 6 in the prior year.

Maywood Action Plan/Focus Reading Passages Writing Prompts Timed Tasks Look-a-Like Items Acuity Unit collaboration at grade levels

Maywood Action Plan/Focus Schedule Changes Personnel Changes Increased Supplemental Instruction Benchmarks Formalized

NJ Ask Language Arts

RESPONDING TO A LITERATURE OPEN-ENDED QUESTION Students should follow a specific formula for their response: Using R.A.C.E. the student should: Restate the question Answer all parts of the question Cite details and support from the text Extend to themselves, another text, or to the world

Speculative Writing The speculative writing prompt is a brief scenario with characters and a setting. The students must develop a story using the prompt which includes a problem, solution, and a lesson learned.

Explanatory Writing There are two formats for assessing explanatory/expository writing: one will introduce a topic in a brief verbal prompt and ask students to develop a composition about that topic. Example: Most people have a special activity or hobby that they enjoy. Some people collect things while others like to read or play games. What activity do you like to do? Write a composition describing what you enjoy doing. Explain why that activity is special to you.

The second format begins with a poem that introduces a topic. The students must then create a story related to that topic, based upon a series of questions. Questions include how the student relates to a similar experience, how they felt during the experience, and with whom they shared the experience. For each writing task, the students will have 30 minutes to plan and develop their story. Explanatory Writing

Create an opening “hook” Create characters and dialogue Frame a setting Create a plot State and explain the main problem Solve the problem Write the lesson learned Do all tasks while using high level vocabulary, descriptive adjectives and verbs, specific nouns, figurative language, varied sentence structure, and other advanced writing techniques All scores based on a 5 point rubric In 30 Minutes…

NJ ASK- Math

Mathematical Processes Problem Solving: Apply problem solving strategies Communication: Use language to express mathematical understanding Reasoning: Justify answers

Multiple Choice Questions Students select an answer from the list of choices provided. Students should spend approximately 1- 2 minutes per question. Correct answers are worth 1 point.

Short Constructed Response Questions Students calculate the answer and record the answer on the line. No explanations are needed to support students answers. Students should spend minutes per question.

Extended Constructed Response Questions Formerly known as open-ended questions. These questions involve students answering multiple questions centered around a problem. Students then need to explain their mathematical thinking and justify their process through written language. Students should spend about 10 minutes to answer each of these questions. A task-specific holistic scoring rubric is used in which students can earn up to 3 points.

New Jersey Standards Clarification Project: Areas of Focus: