1. District Determined Measures
Acton-Boxborough Day 2
District Determined Measures
December 15, 2014
Dr. Deborah Brady

2. Do Now You may want to download from http://ddmsbrady.wikispaces.com
Getting Online
You may want to download from
The Excel file (for calculating local DDMs)
The Grade 4 file (for looking at student work)
The Agenda, Mock Assessment Protocol, Checklist

3. Agenda II. Scoring DDMs: Calibration and Calculations
I. Collecting DDMs, Assuring High Quality
Coversheet and Checklist
Examples The good the bad, the ugly
“Mock” evaluation of sample DDMs
II. Scoring DDMs: Calibration and Calculations
Group Work: Calibration Protocols—Calibrating with Rubrics
Group Work: Excel Calculation of pre-post, rubrics, and MCAS SGP
Lunch
III. Time to work your district’s plan for
Communication
Designation and Documentation of DDMs
Assessment of DDMs
Analysis of pre and post test
Calculating Individual Teacher Growth Scores
1:00 Optional: Union Negotiations (30 minutes—table talk)
1:30 Optional: Indirect Measures—Administrator, Guidance Counselor, Nurse, School Psychologists, for example
2:00 Optional: Your choice

4. Why Flunking Exams is Actually a Good Thing
“That is: The (bombed) pretest drives home the information in a way that studying as usual does not. We fail, but we fail forward.”
The excitement around pre-finals is rooted in the fact that the tests appear to improve subsequent performance in topics that are not already familiar, whether geography, sociology or psychology. At least they do so in experiments in controlled laboratory conditions. A just-completed study — the first of its kind, carried out by the U.C.L.A. psychologist Elizabeth Ligon Bjork — found that in a live classroom of Bjork’s own students, pretesting raised performance on final-exam questions by an average of 10 percent compared with a control group.
Full article is on wiki "Why flunking exams is actually a good thing" from NY Times.

5. Consistency in Directions for Administrating Assessments
Directions to teachers need to define rules for giving support, dictionary use, etc.
What can be done? What cannot?
“Are you sure you are finished?”
How much time?
Accommodations and modifications?

6. Examples: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Scores:. Thumbs up—All is good
Examples: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Scores: Thumbs up—All is good Thumbs horizontal—Some questions Thumbs Down—Needs significant work

7. Quick Reminder: Assessment Quality Requirements and Definitions from DESE (See Checklist.)
Alignment to Frameworks and District Curriculum content and/or district standards
Rigor
Comparability across all classes and in all disciplines
“Substantial” assessment of the course; core content and skills
Modifications are allowed as with MCAS
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

8. Learning Skills Criteria (Special Education)
Individual Goals; measured weekly; permanent folder
Notes
Planner
Work/Action Plan
Flexible when Necessary
Prepared for Class (materials, work)
Revises work
Follows instructions
Uses time well
Gets to work
Asks for help when needed
Advocates for self
Moving toward independence
Works collaboratively
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN

9. Essay Prompt from Text Table Vote
Read a primary source about Mohammed based on Mohammed’s Wife’s memories of her husband.
Essay: Identify and describe Mohammed’s most admirable quality based on this excerpt.
Then, select someone from your life who has this quality. Identify who they are and describe how they demonstrate this trait.
What’s wrong with this prompt using a primary source and a district-required
text-based question?
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

10. Scoring Guides from Text
A scoring guide from a textbook for building a Lou Vee Air Car. Is it good enough to ensure inter-rater reliability?
Lou Vee Air Car built to specs (50 points)
Propeller Spins Freely (60 points)
Distance car travels
1m 70
2m 80
3m 90
4m 100
Best distance (10,8,5)
Best car(10,8,5)
Best all time distance all classes (+5)
235 points total
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

11. Grade 2 for overhand throw and catching.
PE Rubric in Progress.
Grade 2 for overhand throw and catching.
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

12. Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

13. Music: Teacher and Student Instructions
Table Vote
Thumbs UP? Halfway? DOWN?

14. Scoring Validity—Does it test what it says it tests?
Are the assessors’ ratings calibrated?
Floor and ceiling effects
Rubric concerns
Validity assessment after test is given
What happens to these scores and assessments?
Stored as an L, M, H for district
Used as a discussion topic with evaluator

15. Beware Rubrics! Holistic Rubric Show Progress across a Scale, Continuum, Descriptors1 2 3 4
Details
No improvement in the level of detail.
One is true
* No new details across versions
* New details are added, but not included in future versions.
* A few new details are added that are not relevant, accurate or meaningful
Modest improvement in the level of detail
* There are a few details included across all versions
* There are many added details are included, but they are not included consistently, or none are improved or elaborated upon.
* There are many added details, but several are not relevant, accurate or meaningful
Considerable Improvement in the level of detail
All are true
* There are many examples of added details across all versions,
* At least one example of a detail that is improved or elaborated in future versions
*Details are consistently included in future versions
*The added details reflect relevant and meaningful additions
Outstanding Improvement in the level of detail
* On average there are multiple details added across every version
* There are multiple examples of details that build and elaborate on previous versions
* The added details reflect the most relevant and meaningful additions
Example taken from Austin, a first grader from Answer Charter School in Boise, Idaho.  Used with permission from Expeditionary Learning. Learn more about this and other examples at

16. x x x x Criterion Referenced Rubric and Raw Scores or % of 100 4(25)=
4(22)= 88 x
4(18)=72 x x
4(15)= 60
= 80%

17. Rubric “Cut Scores”
Create a “growth” rubric and describe a typical year’s growth
Translate into 100%

18. Calibration
Protocol

19. Considerations for Scoring Student Work
Districts will need to determine fair, efficient and accurate methods for scoring students’ work. (Use consistent directions for teachers.)
DDMs can be scored by the educators themselves, groups of teachers within the district, external raters, or commercial vendors.
For districts concerned about the quality of scoring when educators score their own student’s work, processes such as randomly re-scoring a selection of student work to ensure proper calibration or using teams of educators to score together, can improve the quality of the results.
When an educator plays a large role in scoring his/her own work, a supervisor may also choose to include the scoring process into making a determination of a Student Impact.

20. Mock Calibration
1. All of the readers come together and are provided student compositions for calibration. These compositions can be pre-selected by the facilitator from all of the writing submitted or can be provided by the teachers. To assure fairness in assessment, teachers will not evaluate their own students’ compositions, but will be provided with their students’ work once compositions are graded and the scores are entered for the entire class. The purpose of the calibration meeting is to make sure that all evaluators are assessing student work on the same scale. In addition, the papers used for calibration become the exemplars that all teachers will use during scoring. Rubrics alone are not sufficient for precise assessment. Encourage each scorer to make notations on these compositions. Differences are expected and will be discussed until it is clear that all compositions are assessed with the same standards. 2. Time is given for each scorer to read and to use the rubric provided (local, textbook, MCAS, PARCC, or 6-Trait rubrics are all appropriate) to score the first composition and to enter their score on a chart like the one illustrated below. After each scorer has entered his or her score, the facilitator discusses the reasons for the scores. Scorers may need to find examples for their scores within the compositions. 3. After there is consensus for the first paper, the scorers go on to a second and third until there is a composition that represents each level of the rubric. Generally, after the first one or two compositions are calibrated, the process goes quickly.

21. Mock Calibration
Ask teachers to select (or you can pre-select 2 low compositions, 2 average, and 2 high compositions (altogether) Try to select a clear range.
Photocopy all of the compositions and ask teachers to evaluate the top one and using the 6-level rubric and the 4-level rubric to enter their scores under the first composition. Suggest that they can comment on their copies. Continue with the calibration until you have an exemplar for all levels.
Then the discussion needs to begin to discuss the specific reasoning for each scoring
Assume each person has a good reason, but the purpose is to work toward consensus.
Composition #
1st
Exemplar
2nd
3rd
4th 5 6
Content
2,2,3,2,4,2
Conventions
1,1,1,1,2,1

22. MCAS ( 2 Holistic) Rubrics1 2 3 4 5 6
Content
Little topic/idea development, organization, and/or details
Little or no awareness of audience and/or task
Limited or weak topic/idea development, organization, and/or details
Limited awareness of audience and/or task
Rudimentary topic/idea development and/or organization
Basic supporting details
Simplistic language
Moderate topic/idea development and organization
Adequate, relevant details
Some variety in language
Full topic/idea development
Logical organization
Strong details
Appropriate use of language
Rich topic/idea development
Careful and/or subtle organization
Effective/rich use of language
Conventions
Errors seriously interfere with communication AND
Little control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics
Errors interfere somewhat with communication and/or
Too many errors relative to the length of the essay or complexity of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics
Errors do not interfere with communication and/or
Few errors relative to length of essay or complexity of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics
Control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics (length and complexity of essay provide opportunity for student to show control of standard English conventions)

23. 4th Grade Prompt http://www. doe. mass. edu/mcas/student/2014/question
You are finally old enough to baby-sit, and your first job is this afternoon! You will be spending the entire afternoon with a one- year-old. When you open the door you realize that instead of watching a one-year-old child, you will be watching a one-year-old elephant! Write a story about spending your afternoon with a baby elephant. Give enough details to show readers what your afternoon is like baby-sitting the elephant

26. 2014 MCAS Grade 4 English Language Arts Composition Topic/Idea Development - Score Point 3
This composition is rudimentary in topic development and organization. The straightforward introduction moves immediately to the surprise of discovering that the "baby" is a baby elephant. From here, though, only basic supporting details are demonstrated as this composition of five paragraphs unfolds. There is an interesting "snoring scenario" which briefly captures the babysitter's personality in his or her impatience with the elephant: "It was as if there were 100 bells surrounding the house and all ringing at the same time. I covered my ears with pillows, it didn't work. I put ear muffs on, it still didn't work. Finally I just woke him up. He was pretty upset." The job ends as the mom comes home and there is a brief exchange of mildly humorous dialogue. The conclusion is simplistic, reiterating that the experience was not enjoyable

27. Calculating Growth Scores MCAS and Local
What you need to understand as you are creating assessments

28. Growth Score FAQs from DESE
Do the same numbers of students have to be identified as having high, moderate, and low growth? There is no set percentage of students who need to be included in each category. Districts should set parameters for high, moderate, and low growth using a variety of approaches.
How do I know what low growth looks like? Districts should be guided by the professional judgment of educators. The guiding definition of low growth is that it is less than a year’s worth of growth relative to academic peers, while high growth is more than a year’s worth of growth. If the course meets for less than a year, districts should make inferences about a year’s worth of growth based on the growth expected during the time of the course.
Can I change scoring decisions when we use a DDM in the second year? It is expected that districts are building their knowledge and experience with DDMs. DDMs will undergo both small and large modifications from year to year. Changing or modifying scoring procedures is part of the continuous improvement of DDMs over time.
Will parameters of growth be comparable from one district to another? Different assessments serve different purposes. While statewide SGPs will provide a consistent metric across the Commonwealth and allow for district-to-district comparisons, DDMs are selected

29. MCAS SGP
Local Manipulation of Scores
(4-8; ELA or Math; not grade 10)

30. Excel File Tour

31. Sample Cut Score Determination (for local assessments)
Pre-test
Post test
Difference
Student Scores
Sorted low to high
Teacher score is based on the MEDIAN Score of her class for each DDM 20 35 15 5
Cut score
LOW Growth
Lowest ___% 25 30 50 60
median
teacher score 40 70
Teacher score 65 75 80
Top 20% 85
HIGH GROWTH
Highest ___?

32. Measuring Growth Example: Fountas and Pinnell P to Q; N to P; D to K

33. 12.0 Median for whole Grade 3 DDM
Teacher A
Teacher B
Teacher C
Teacher D
Teacher E
Teacher F 5
7.5
6.5
3.5 9
5.5 7 10
8.5 1 3 12 6
12.5
11.5
None 13 16
13.5
13.6 17
16.5
15.5 19
Median 6.5
Median 9
Median 12
Median 10
Median 16
Below 6.5
Between 6.5 and 16
LOW
Moderate
High
103 Third Graders
All Classes 1 3
3.5
5.5 6
6.5 7
7.5
8.5 9
9.5 10
10.7
10.9
11.0
11.2
11.4
11.5
11.7
11.9
12.0
12.2
12.5
12.6
12.7
12.9
13.1
13.2
13.4
13.6
13.8
13.9
14.1
14.3
14.4
14.6
14.8
15.0
15.1
15.3
15.5
15.6 13
13.5 16
16.5 17 19 26
6.5 Cut Score lowest 15%
12.0 Median for whole Grade 3 DDM
16 cut score highest 15%

34. Fountas and Pinnell Growth for Each Student Is Based on 10 Months of Growth
Second Grade Student
Level
Achievement
Level End of Year
Levels from beginning to the end of the year
Pre-Post F&P Levels
Growth
HIGH, MODERATE, OR LOW GROWTH
(10 MONTHS=YEAR) Q
Above Benchmark PQ
7 MONTHS GROWTH
LOW GROWTH P
At Benchmark
NOP
10 MONTHS OF GROWTH
MODERATE GROWTH K
Below Benchmark
DEFGHIJK
17 MONTHS OF GROWTH
HIGH GROWTH

35. Summary DDM Process for Determining L, M, H for Every Teacher
Whole Grade Level or Course
Score the entire grade level or course or take the MCAS Growth Scores for all students
Rank the scores from highest to lowest (post minus pre or MCAS SGP)
Identify the median score for the entire group
Determine the “cut” scores for local assessments; MCAS 35 and 65 for classrooms
Individual Teacher
Select students for each teacher
Rank the scores from highest to lowest
Identify the Median score
Is the median below or above the “cut” score? Is it in the middle?
Don’t forget Roster Verification might change the specific scores and, therefore, change the Median
Distribute scores to teachers for each DDM

36. Mock Scoring, Storing, Determining Cut Scores
Protocol
1. Assess all students for the course or grade level.
2. Enter student names, teacher names pre-test scores, post-test scores, and the gain from pre-test to post-test.
3. Using the SORT function, rank all assessments from highest to lowest. Determine the local cut scores. DESE recommends 1.5 Standard Deviations from 50; local districts have selected 10%, 15%, and 20% as their “cut scores.”
4. Look at samples of student work just above and just below the cut scores. Professional judgment about the appropriateness of this number is then used to determine the local cut scores to determine Low, Moderate, and High Growth. This number may vary from assessment to assessment and from year to year based upon the district’s determination and upon the professional judgment of the district.

37. Using Excel
Excel (really simple method)
1. Enter data
2. Simple pre-post formula
3. Cut and Paste Values
4.Sort Highest to Lowest
Tabs include (quick tour):
Fountas and Pinnell Sample for 6 teachers, 103 students with median for full assessment and for each teacher and with High, Moderate, and Low determinations
Pre-Post-Test Calculations (for three teachers)
Rubric Pre-Post (for three teaches)
MCAS SGP (Student Growth Percentile) Calculations for three teachers
A “Test” file that calculates the “gain,” but does not determine cut scores
Use the “test” tab to enter your local data
Or use the data provided

38. Time to Work with Your Team
On line materials
Excel
Templates