School Assessments Queen Anne s County Office of Accountability
Assessments Required by Maryland Maryland School Assessments (MSA) Science Grades 5 and 8 A criterion referenced test that measures student proficiency and advanced proficiency on the Maryland content standards April The state collects data and reports system scores. School system uses data to inform instruction in elementary and middle school science programs. Individual student performance data shared with parents and kept on file at school. Notes While the tests are only given in grades 5 and 8, they covers curriculum content from grades 3 5 and from grades 6 8.
Assessments Required by Maryland Alternative Maryland School Assessment (AltMSA) An alternate assessment is an assessment designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to participate in a regular assessment, even when accommodations are provided. Students in grades 3 8 and 10 as determined by the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team Artifacts collected between October through February State collects data and reports. School system uses data to inform instruction. Individual student performance data shared with parents and kept on file at school. NOTE The AltMSA will be replace by the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) in 2015-16 for reading and math. AltMSA will continue for Science in grades 5, 8 and 10.
Assessments Required by Maryland High School Assessments (HSA) The HSA tests biology and government are based on the Core Learning Goals, which clearly outline course content and learning objectives for each subject area High school students upon completion of the related course October, January, April (seniors only), May and July. Passing the HSAs are a graduation requirement for Maryland students. The state collects data and reports system scores. School system uses data to inform instruction in biology and government classes. Individual student performance data shared with parents and kept on file at school. Notes: PARCC Algebra I and English 10 are replacing the old Algebra\Data Analysis and English II HSA assessments
Assessments Required by Maryland Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) he Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a group of states working together to develop a set of assessments that measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers. These are used for Reading / English Language Arts and Math classes. All students in grades 3-11 The Performance Based Assessments (PBA) is taken at approximately 75% of the way through the course content and the EOY is taken at 90% of the way through the class. Notes: The state collects data and reports system scores. School system uses data to inform instruction reading \ English language arts and Math programs. Individual student performance data shared with parents and kept on file at school. In High school the assessment courses are Algebra I, Algebra II and English 10. Passing these assessments will eventually be a graduation requirement, but not until the 2016-17 school year
Assessments Required by Maryland National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. Approximately 50 random students in grades 4 and 8. (from 1 elementary and 1 middle each year) Early February Collected by NAEP and processed and reported by state. Below Basic (%) Basic (%) Proficient (%) Advanced (%) 2013 Data Nation 33 33 26 8 Maryland 23 32 31 14
Assessments Required by Maryland Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs) English proficiency test All ELL students in grades K - 12 January and February What is Done with Provides MSDE and QACPS with information that aides in the evaluation of the effectiveness of the ESL/bilingual programs. Home report provided to parent about child s level of social and academic English language proficiency. Sample
Assessments Required by Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) The KRA is a kindergarten readiness tool that allows teachers to measure each child's school readiness across multiple domains. Kindergarten students Start of school through November 1 Data is collected and reviewed by MSDE. Used by QACPS to evaluate Pre- Kindergarten and Pre-school program effectiveness. Kindergarten teacher can use results to individualize instruction. Notes This is the first year for the KRA
National Aptitude\Achievement Tests Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) The SAT is designed to assess academic readiness for college. These exams provide a path to opportunities, financial support, and scholarships. College bound high school students. Various dates throughout the year. Data is collected by College Board. Summary data shared with MSDE. Individual student data is provided to the student and to the school. Scores are released to individual colleges by student request. Notes SAT will be redesigned for spring 2016
National Aptitude\Achievement Tests Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test\National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT\NMSQT) The PSAT/NMSQT assesses the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills students need for college and beyond. All QACPS students in grades 10 and 11. Mid October Data is collected by College Board. Summary data shared with MSDE. Individual student data is provided to the student and to the school. Our school system uses the data to inform instruction in reading \ language arts and math. Notes Grade 11 test takers qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. PSAT will be redesigned for fall 2015..
National Aptitude\Achievement Tests ReadiStep ReadiStep measures skills students need to be on track for success as they transition to high school. It provides insight into students academic progress All grade 9 students Mid October Data is collected by College Board. Individual student data is provided to the student and to the school. Our school system uses the data to inform instruction in reading \ language arts and math. Notes College Board Sequence ReadiStep Grade 9 PSAT Grades 10 and 11 SAT Grades 11 and 12
National Aptitude\Achievement Tests Advanced Placement (AP) Notes The AP Exam is the final step after taking an AP class. These standardized exams are designed to measure how well the student has mastered the content and skills of the course a successful score may earn credit and advanced placement in college. Students that have taken an AP Course Early May Data is collected by College Board. Individual student data is provided to the student and to the school. Collective data is reported to MSDE by College Board. Students may share results with perspective colleges. Most exams are two to three hours long. The first part of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions. The second part usually consists of free-response questions that require generating your own responses. Depending on the exam, responses could be in the form of an essay, a solution to a problem, or a spoken response. In most cases, responses are written in pen in the free-response exam booklet.
National Aptitude\Achievement Tests Cognitive Abilities Test CogAT Measures students learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most linked to academic success in school: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. All students in grades 3 and 5 Generates individual student profile Early September Individual student reports are provided to parents. Classroom reports provided to teachers. Student data used as one measure for Gifted and Talented consideration. Characteristics of Students with These Profiles Students who obtain these profiles have excellent resources for learning and generally show high levels of achievement. They have well-developed networks of verbal knowledge, and, on achievement tests, tend to do somewhat better than expected on the vocabulary, reading comprehension, and social studies subtests. However, on the math computation subtest, their scores tend to be lower than expected. Instructional Suggestions for Profiles 7C (V+ Q-), 8C (V+ Q-), and 9C (V+ Q-) In the primary grades, the relatively less developed quantitative reasoning abilities of these students seem to have a broader meaning and impact on achievement. Primary-grade students with V+ Q- profiles may have difficulties thinking about mathematical problems outside of their surrounding context. Help them attend to the specifically quantitative aspects of math story problems rather than to the story presented and the associations it may elicit. Selectively encoding stimuli in this way will help these students learn how to separate concepts from contexts.
Locally Controlled Assessments PARCC Diagnostics the primary purpose for these tools is to provide educators with instructionally useful information related to how students demonstrate proficiencies (including in relation to content progressions), and to provide that information at an appropriate level of detail and specificity to supplement a teacher s current understanding of student proficiency. Students in Grades 2-8 Up to 4 times a year Data will be used to inform instruction Notes This year selected schools will be field testing the assessment.
Locally Controlled Assessments Ongoing Formative Assessments Notes Local formative assessments in all content areas to check on student learning. All students Various times throughout the year Shared with students. Used by schools and teachers to inform instruction. Reviewed regularly by content supervisors. Assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning. Process used during instruction to provide feedback to teachers and students for ongoing adjustments to teaching and learning. Examples Pretests, benchmark assessments
Locally Controlled Assessments Summative Assessments Local assessments used to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit or course. All students Various times Results are shared with students and parents. Test scores are often used as part of the grade calculation for the course. Notes Examples: Unit tests, final exams