1. OCS High School Algebra 1 Honors: Articulating with Elementary Schools
Dr. Marilynn Kulieke
GAINS Education Group

2. Intent of CCSS Math Standards: Algebra 1 Standards are in Grade 8

3. Transitioning from Middle to High School Mathematics
How can we better help our most able 8th grade students place out of HS Algebra 1 honors in order to take higher level mathematics courses in high school?

4. What skills comprise an Algebra 1 honors course?
Are there national standards and assessments that address the skills in an Algebra 1 honors course?
Can we create an Algebra 1 honors end-of-course test that is valid and reliable?

5. An Algebra 1 Honors Project Team Was Formed to Investigate These Questions
GAINS created a series of 5 workshops which began in February and ended May 2019
A team of OCS middle school and high school math teachers were invited to participate in this project.

6. Project Team Members Ms. Phyllis Cavallone Project Leader
Name
School
Ms. Phyllis Cavallone
Project Leader
Mr. Denis Bergstedt
Brother Rice High School
Mr. Roberet Reisenbuechler
Frassati Catholic Academy
Ms. Marie Pansino
Guerin College Preparatory HS
Ms. Bernadette Skobel
Nazareth Academy
Mr. Joe Pauley
Notre Dame College Prep
Ms. Maureen Preabt
St. Barnabas School
Ms. Katie Kikos
St. Laurence High School
Mr. Andrew DiMarco
St. Rita High School
Ms. Carol Hang
St. Therese School
Mr. Kristen Wolf
St. Thomas of Villanova School
Project Team Members
Dr. Marilynn Kulieke, GAINS Lead

7. Process for Developing the OCS Algebra 1 Honors Exam
Create Standards/Benchmarks
Draft Exam
Finalize Exam
Establish Exam Quality

8. Creating Standards for an Algebra 1 Honors Course (March 2019)
The team:
Reviewed a variety of high school mathematics standards and benchmarks
Chose the College Board’s Alg 1 course to organize the standards and benchmarks
Created Alg 1 standards and benchmarks using many of the sources that had been reviewed
The team reviewed:
SAT Domains and Dimensions and Skills Insight benchmarks
ACT Career and College Readiness Standards
Common Core State Standards
GAINs Integrated Standards and Benchmarks
College Board’s Algebra 1 Course Outline and Objectives

9. Alg 1 Standards Framework
Expressions and Inequalities
Linear Concepts
Quadratic Functions
Relations and Functions
Exponents, Radicals, and Polynomials

10. Drafting an Algebra 1 Honors End-of-Course Exam (April 2019)
Created Assessment Specifications to guide the development of the Algebra 1 exam
Project team reviewed a variety of assessment items from different national exams
GAINS developed a draft of the Algebra 1 exam which project team members then reviewed
Final changes in the draft exam items were made by GAINS

11. Finalizing an Algebra 1 Honors End-of-Course Exam (June 2019)
Piloted the Algebra 1 exam and teacher key with both high school and middle school students
GAINS created reports from the multiple- choice items results and student work from pilot schools was evaluated.
Final changes in items were made on Version 1 of the exam and a second version of the exam was created by GAINS staff.

12. By June 2019, the Algebra 1 Honors Team had created an: 1
By June 2019, the Algebra 1 Honors Team had created an: 1. Algebra 1 Honors Course Standards 2. End-of-Course Exam and Teacher Key

13. Establishing a Quality Algebra 1 Honors Exam (October 2019)
Establish reliability of the exam and the scoring of the short response open ended items
Determine the validity of the exam using established methodologies
Set a meaningful cut score for determining if students have demonstrated their ability to meet the Algebra 1 honors standards

14. Provide a tool for elementary school math teachers to use in assessing their students ability to place out of Algebra 1.
Support placement decisions by the OCS high schools. A student does well on this exam should be ready to move forward in the math course sequence at the school.
Utilize the Version 1 test items as part of the formative assessment cycle in appropriate courses.
How can we better help our most able 8th grade students place out of HS Algebra 1 honors in order to take higher level mathematics courses in high school?

15. Follow up questions How would you use this Exam with teachers
Follow up questions How would you use this Exam with teachers? What resources or support do teachers need? How can we utilize the Pilot Exam items to support students?