1. MAC Common Assessment Training Modules Session F5 Michigan School Testing Conference February 21, 2013 Ann Arbor MI

2. Michigan Assessment Consortium Vision
…is to improve student learning and achievement through a system of coherent curriculum, balanced assessment and effective instruction. We do this by collaboratively:
Promoting assessment knowledge and practice.
Providing professional development.
Providing and sharing assessment tools and products.
Assessment (language lifted from Instructional Services Committee Goals)
1.Promote and support the implementation of a statewide professional development series (funded by MAISA) that will develop capacity through ISD Regional Assessment Facilitators who will work with their local districts to develop common assessments that will be shared ISD-wide.
2.Develop a statewide outreach approach so that the collaborative assessment work and the professional development opportunities are made available to an increasing number of ISDs and their constituent districts.

3. Michigan Assessment Consortium Beliefs
We believe…
Collaboratives and consortia advance the work
Balanced assessment is a valued enterprise
Students are the most important users of classroom assessment data
Teachers and administrators must engage students in the assessment process

4. We Believe….
All educators can learn to implement a balanced assessment system
Teachers and principals and central office must be assessment literate
Development and use of a coherent system (CIA) ensures quality for each student
An effective assessment system includes a balance of school, district, and state measures and uses a variety of methods 4

5. Comprehensive Balanced Assessment System
Aligned to Content Standards
MEAP /MME/MI-Access/End of Course
Summative – Assessment of Learning
Are students proficient?
Interim Assessments/Unit/Chapter
Short-Cycle Summative Assessments
Are students on track for proficiency?
Classroom Assessment Practices
Formative – Assessment for Learning
Did the student learn what I just taught them?
How can I help students learn even more?

6. …create a balanced assessment system
The trick….
Formative Assessment
Summative assessment
…create a balanced assessment system

7. MAISA Instructional Services Committee 2012-13 Assessment Goal
"In cooperation with the MI Assessment Consortium and other statewide related projects, contribute to a high quality, comprehensive assessment system in the state of MI."

8. Vision of Excellence in Assessment - Balanced Assessment System
There is a balance of formative and summative assessments.
The assessments are of high quality.
Students are actively engaged in the assessment process.

9. You know you have a high quality common assessment when…..
Elbow Partner
You know you have a high quality common assessment when…..

10. Accurate assessments +
Appropriate uses resulting in productive reactions
STUDENT SUCCESS

11. Common Assessment Module Content
1. Introduction and Overview of the MAC CADS Series
2. What Are Common Assessments?
3. Determining the Outcome of Assessment
4. Determining the Targets of Assessment
5. Matching the Assessment Methods to the Learning
Targets
6. Assessing Students with Special Needs
7. Writing the Test Blueprint
8. Writing the Selected-Response Items
9. Writing Constructed Response Items
10. Writing Performance Assessment Items
11. Using Portfolios to Assess Students
12. Developing and Using Scoring Guides and Rubrics
13. Editing the Draft Assessment Items
14. Detecting and Eliminating Bias and Distortion
15. Assembling the Assessment Instrument
16. Field Testing
17. Looking at Field Test Data
18. Reliability
19. Test Validity
20. Assembling the Final Common Assessment
21. Assessment Administration, Scoring and Reporting
22. Standard Setting
23. Presenting the Results
24. Using Data to Improve Instruction

12. “Other” Elbow Partner Time
When reviewing and thinking about what you currently know about the assessment development process…
Which module would you want to know more about?
Which module topic might you already have a level of confidence?

13. Website www.michiganassessmentconsortium.org
Follow MAC

14. St. Joseph County Common Assessment Project

15. Beginning at the beginning
Why did we begin this journey?
LEA’s desire to:
conduct Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s)
implement a multi-tiered system of support (RtI)
provide effective feedback to students around learning goals
fully implement a standards-based model of instruction/assessment

16. Beginning at the beginning
Our challenges:
“Faulty” data at PLC’s
Ineffective data to target the interventions for RtI
Ineffective feedback practices around data/grading and reporting
Assessments not designed for a standards based system

17. The “vision” began simply..
Just pick the items from the CD with our text and use that!
Just find the best one and use it countywide!
Someone has to have one to buy!
There’s lots of software that has items we can use! Let’s just get that.
Teachers can just go online and find one to use!
Let’s just wait for Smarter Balanced!

18. Critical First Step
Do you have a clear and appropriate purpose(s) for your assessment?
How will the assessment be used?
Who will use the results?
Which partners will help you?
What learning targets will you measure?
Local?
State?
National?
Other?

19. What Makes an Assessment “Common?”
It is more than an assessment given by one teacher
This is an insufficient definition
It is a method for creating a community of shared practice in a school, district, across districts, even across the state

20. The Power of the Common Assessment
The use of common assessment results by two or more teachers in a PLC…
Provides data to inform interventions
Allows teachers to see how changes in instructional practice can lead to higher achievement
Look deeply at their own and others’ practice to ultimately improve student achievement

21. This was the first challenge – could they agree???
Common Assessments
Common Assessments….
are built on the same learning targets/goals, whether they were developed at the school, district, state, or national levels
These targets needed to be those contained within the mathematics common core standards for Algebra I and Algebra II
This was the first challenge – could they agree???

22. The decisions Create benchmark assessments 25 – 30 per course
Use the traditional Algebra I and II course “outline” defined in the CC
Build the assessments by “standards cluster” – explicitly key each item
“Unpack” each standard within a cluster to determine appropriate cognitive demand and ensure alignment

23. Alignment
CONTENT
INSTRUCTION
ASSESSMENT

24. Unpacked document
Identification of key vocabulary within each standard
Determination of learning goals in the format of:
I know statements
I can statements
These statements determined the types of items to include on each assessment
Direct link to standards
Prerequisite skills yet to be filled in

25. “Vetting” of content Teams of 2-3 unpacked Another team reviewed
An outside math consultant reviewed/edited
Final unpacking document was used to develop assessment items
Assessments assess only one cluster and no more than 2 – 3 standards

27. Alignment
CONTENT
INSTRUCTION
ASSESSMENT

28. Cognitive Demand
It is critical to be sure that assessments measure the correct cognitive demand of the learning goals represented in the standards.
It is critical that whoever is ‘building assessments’ understands this concept and applies it in their work
The majority of classroom teachers have not received sufficient training in assessment design

29. Target/Method Match 29

33. The outcomes of quality assesments….
Clear, concise data being used in collaborative groups
Powerful data to provide feedback to teachers and students and parents
The ability to accurately inform curriculum and instructional changes
Closer alignment between grades/scores and actual proficiency levels of the students

34. The pilot test…2012/2013 Agreements for Pilot Teachers
Assessments are to remain “intact”
Assessments assess only one cluster and no more than 2 – 3 standards and will be given whenever that content has been taught
Data is not to be used to determine grades or for teacher evaluation. These are draft!
Item level data are being collected and analyzed to determine edits needed at follow up sessions

35. Validity Checklist….. How did we do?
What do we “tweak” as we move forward?

36. Project Timeline 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 ALG I ALG II
Assessment Writing
Assessment Implementation
ALG I
Assessment Field Testing
Assessment Writing
Assessment Implementation
ALG II
Assessment Field Testing
Assessment Writing
Assessment Implementation
Geometry
Assessment Writing
Assessment Field Testing
Assessment Implementation
8th Grade
Assessment Field Testing
Assessment Writing
6-7 Grade?

37. Lessons learned This work takes a team! This work takes time!
Content area specialists
Assessment specialists
Data specialists
This work takes time!
This work takes commitment!
This work takes patience!
This work takes trust!
This work will help increase achievement if done well.

38. “One of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving student learning available to schools is the creation of frequent, common, high-quality formative assessments by teachers who are working collaboratively to help a group of students develop agreed-upon knowledge and skills.”
Fullan (2005), Hargreaves & Fink (2006), Reeves (2004), Schmoker (2003), Stiggins (2005)

39. What questions might you have?

40. Contact Information
Dodie Raycraft – St. Joseph County ISD
Keith Barnes – St. Joseph County ISD
Kimberly Young – MDE/BAA
Kathy Dewsbury-White – Michigan Assessment Consortium