1. Update on State Assessment and CCSS Presentation to the West Hartford Parent Teacher Council

2. Agenda  The Five W’s  What we learned from the 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test  Assessment Targets and Sample Student Responses  Mathematics  English Language Arts  Questions

3. Tested Grades and Subjects  Science – Grades 5, 8, and 10  Format: paper and pencil  Window: 3/12 through 3/27  Reading, Writing, and Mathematics – Grades 3-8, 11  Format: computer based  Window:  Elementary: 3/23 through 5/8  Middle School: 4/20 through 5/20  High School: 5/18 through 6/5

4. State Assessment Item Types - Overview Assess a broad range of content. Scoring is objective (e.g., multiple choice or checkboxes) Difficult to understand a student’s reasoning process and to assess higher-order thinking skills. Require the student to generate a response as opposed to selecting a response. Include both short and extended responses. Allow students to demonstrate their use of complex thinking skills consistent with the expectations for college and career readiness. Require students to demonstrate ability to think and reason and produce fully developed written responses. Measure complex “assessment targets.” Provide evidence of college and career readiness.

5. Assessment Claims and Targets Mathematics  Students can explain and apply mathematical concepts and interpret and carry out mathematical procedures with precision and fluency  Students can solve a range of complex well- posed problems in pure and applied mathematics, making productive use of knowledge and problem solving strategies  Students can clearly and precisely construct viable arguments to support their own reasoning and to critique the reasoning of others  Students can analyze complex, real-world scenarios and can construct and use mathematical models to interpret and solve problems English Language Arts  Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts  Students can produce effective writing for a range of purposes and audiences  Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences  Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information

6. Curricular and Instructional Targets Mathematics In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical skill areas: DDevelop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication; Develop understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi- digit dividends. DDevelop an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers. UUnderstand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

7. In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical skill areas: DDevelop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication; Develop understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi- digit dividends. DDevelop an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers. UUnderstand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

8. In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical skill areas: DDevelop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication; Develop understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi- digit dividends. DDevelop an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers. UUnderstand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

9. Assessment Claims and Targets Mathematics Priority Assessment Targets – Problem Solving, Modeling, Communicating Reasoning  Apply mathematics to solve well-posed problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.  Apply mathematics to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.  Interpret results in the context of a situation.  Test propositions or conjectures with specific examples.  Use the technique of breaking an argument into cases.

10. Sample Student Items Mathematics Grade 4 Targets (sample items)  Develop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication; Develop understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi- digit dividends  A cat has 2 times as many toys as a puppy. The cat has 12 toys. How many toys does the puppy have?  Enter the unknown number that makes the equation true. 36 x 94 = 2700 + □ + 540 + 24  Scott is reading a book that has 172 pages. Melanie is reading a book that has three times as many pages as Scott’s book. How many pages does Melanie’s book have? Select all the equations that represent this problem.

11. Sample Student Items Mathematics  Grade 4 Student Response No, because every two lemons is 3 ounces 3 times 5 = 15 and that’s one ounce short.

12. Sample Student Responses English Language Arts

13. The Politics of State Testing State Testing Student Impact School Improvement Planning Teacher Evaluation

14. District Philosophy regarding State Assessments  District and School Development Planning  Program and Curriculum Review  Systemic Professional Learning  Individual Student Programming  Teacher Development and Support  Compliance with State and Federal Regulations

15. 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test  Project Scale  Technology Readiness  Instructional Alignment  Keyboarding Skills  Functionality of Item Types and Testing Platform  Student Familiarity w/ Test Format

16. Questions For more information, visit: ct.portal.airast.org