SHEEO Working Conference On College Readiness and the Common Core Assessments Joe Willhoft, Executive Director Susan Gendron, Policy Coordinator March 3-4, 2011 SHEEO Policy Center, Boulder Colorado

Common Core State Standards

For more information about the CCSS, go to...

Background

Historical Development of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium SMARTER Computer Adaptive MOSAIC Formative Capacity Balanced Integrated System

The Purpose of the Consortium To develop a set of comprehensive and innovative assessments for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards Students leave high school prepared for postsecondary success in college or a career through increased student learning and improved teaching The assessments shall be operational across Consortium states in the school year

31 Member States

A 31-State Consortium Fiscal Agent: Washington State 18 Governing States 13 Advisory States CT, HI, ID, KS, ME, MI, MO, MT, NC, NH, NM, NV, OR, UT, VT, WA, WI, WV AL, CO, DE, IA, KY, ND, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, WY Total Number of States = 31 Membership Status as of December 2, 2010

Consortium Governance Co-ChairsTony Alpert (OR) Judy Park (UT) Executive DirectorJoe Willhoft Executive CommitteeDan Hupp (ME); Joseph Martineau (MI); Carissa Miller (ID); Lynette Russell (WI); Mike Middleton (WA); Charlie Lenth, SHEEO TBD: 2 year colleges Project Management PartnerWestEd Policy CoordinatorSue Gendron Senior Research AdvisorLinda Darling-Hammond Last Modified November 8,2010

Executive Committee Content Experts Sr. Research Advisor (Part-time) Linda Darling-Hammond Policy Coordinator (Part-time) Sue Gendron Deputy Executive Director Executive Assistant Washington OSPI WestEd Executive Director Joe Willhoft Executive Director Joe Willhoft Co-Chairs: Judy Park, Tony Alpert Executive Assistant SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium Office of the Executive Director Communications Psychometrician Math Specialist ELA Specialist Communication Director Communications Service Provider National Partnerships Advisor (Part-time) Approved by Governing States Feb. 22, 2011 IHE Advisor Other grants US Dept of Ed grant PMP Procurement & Fiscal Agent

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Partners IHE partners include more than 170 public and 13 private institutions and systems of Higher Education represent nearly 75% of the total number of direct matriculation students across all SMARTER Balanced States IHE representatives and/or postsecondary faculty may serve on: Executive Committee Assessment scoring and item review committees Standard-setting committees

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Partners NIA Specifications a)Commits the IHE or IHE system to participate with the consortium in the design and development of the consortium’s final high school summative assessments in mathematics and English language arts in order to ensure that the assessments measure college readiness; b)Commits the IHE or IHE system to implement policies, once the final high school summative assessments are implemented, that exempt from remedial courses and place into credit-bearing college courses any student who meets the consortium-adopted achievement standard (as defined in the NIA) for each assessment and any other placement requirement established by the IHE or IHE system; and c)Is signed by the State’s higher education executive officer (if the State has one) and the president or head of each participating IHE or IHE system.

The Challenge How do we get from here......to here? All students leave high school college and career ready Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness...and what can an assessment system do to help?

Assessment System Overview

Federal Assessment Requirements Assess acquisition of and progress toward “college and career readiness” Have common, comparable scores across member states Provide achievement and growth information for teacher and principal evaluation and professional development Assess all students, except those with “significant cognitive disabilities” Administer online, with timely results Use multiple measures Source: Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 68 / Friday, April 9, 2010 pp

Theory of Action A model of verifiable accomplishments/milestones, leading to the desired outcome Accomplishments/milestones are interdependent The theory of action is closely linked to the validation argument for the assessment system

Seven Principles Underlying the Theory of Action An integrated system Evidence of student performance Teacher involvement State-led with transparent governance Continuously improve teaching and learning Useful information on multiple measures Adheres to established professional standards

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readiness Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness Assessment System Components

Summative Assessments Summative assessments using online computer adaptive technologies Used as accountability measures, and for college- and career readiness indicator in high school Provides accurate measurement of all students Uses adaptive precision into selection of performance tasks Variety of item types assess the full range of the CCSS Measures both current achievement and growth across time Performance standards use research-based benchmarks Includes option of taking the summative tests twice a year Includes two performance tasks per year per content area

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readiness Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness Adaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedback Assessment System Components

Interim Assessments Optional interim assessments using online adaptive technology Uses the same scale as the summative assessments Helps identify specific needs Involvement of teachers in item and task design and scoring Tests are non-secure and fully accessible Timing and content of tests is customizable Provides clear examples of the expected performance Includes performance tasks

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readiness Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness Teachers can access formative tools and practices to improve instruction Adaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedback Assessment System Components

Optional Web-based formative resources Online resources for assessment literacy, aligning assessments to CCSS, and formative assessment guides Training in item and task development, creating scoring guides/rubrics Best practice support through online learning modules Comprehensive information portal: access to information about student progress student performance history Formative Processes and Tools

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readiness Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness Teachers can access formative tools and practices to improve instruction Adaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedback Assessment System Components