Innovative Approaches to Alternate Assessment Design: Tennessee Grade 2 Alternate Assessment CCSSO 2017 National Conference on Student Assessment Dr. Nakia Towns, Assistant Commissioner, Data & Research Division
Our Vision Districts and schools in Tennessee will exemplify excellence and equity such that all students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to successfully embark upon their chosen path in life. 2
Our Priorities 3
Our Big Goals 4
Grade 2 Design
Grade 2 Assessment Overview Optional Administration This assessment offered to districts at no additional cost and only at the district s option Designed to help ensure that our youngest students are strengthening foundational literacy and math skills This assessment is part of an overarching strategy to improve early grades instruction and student learning Kindergarten Entry Inventory Screener Voluntary Pre-K Program Criteria & Funding Read to Be Ready Coaching Network Read to Be Ready Summer Camps Pre-K/K Student Growth Portfolios for Teacher Evaluation Third Grade Individual Value-Added Data for Teacher Evaluation 6
Grade 2 Assessment Overview Criterion-referenced assessment versus normreferenced. Designed to replace the SAT-10, which was optional for grades K 2 from 2011-2016 in Tennessee. Designed to only assess Tennessee Academic Standards. Will provide teachers, leaders, parents, and community members information on how our students are performing at the end of second grade on Tennesseespecific standards. Provides information on progress in advance of third grade, before the first year for student and school accountability. 7
Grade 2 Assessment Design Timeline July 2016 Item Review September 2016 Gen Ed Field Test and Passage Review October 2016 Alternate Field Test April May 2017 Operational Administration Summer 2017 Standard Setting Fall 2017 Individual, School, and District Score Reports 8
Grade 2 Assessment: Initial Reception from the Field 98 of 144 districts administered the Grade 2 assessment this spring, driven by positive feedback from the fall field test: 96% of educators agreed or strongly agreed that the items on the ELA field test align with the TN state standards. 92% of educators agreed or strongly agreed that the items on the Mathematics field test align with the TN state standards. Educators felt the test length and rigor was a good fit for second graders. And thought the amount and quality of questions was very appropriate for second grade. 9
Grade 2 Mathematics Blueprint Subdomain Number of Points Percent of Test Computation with Whole Numbers 17 29 Number Relationships and Patterns 14 24 Measurement Concepts 13 22 Data and Geometric Concepts 9 15 16 Problem Solving 5 6 9 10 Total 58 59 100 Administered in two (2) subparts, 40 and 42 minutes long. 10
Grade 2 Mathematics Overview The mathematics test will focus approximately: 70% of the assessment items on major work of the grade and 30% of the items on supporting and additional work. Student mastery of fluency, ability to problem solve, and understanding of the grade level standards will be assessed. Students will be assessed on their ability to connect topics across the grade level domains. 11
Grade 2 Mathematics Item Types Non-Contextual Fluency 1-point item; aligned to a single standard Fill-in-the-blank format Multiple-select format Multiple Choice 1-point item; aligned to a single standard 12
Grade 2 Mathematics Item Types Multi-part 2-point item; aligned to a single standard Contains multiple parts Integrated 5 6 point item; aligned to two or more standards Contains multiple parts 13
Grade 2 Mathematics: Integrated Item 14
Grade 2 ELA Blueprint Literature Subtest 42 Total Items Points % Reading 15 30 Writing 5 10 Foundational Literacy (Phonics and Word Recognition, Vocabulary Acquisition, Word Composition, and Sentence Composition) 20 40 Listening 10 20 Total 50 100 Informational Text Subtest 44 Total Items Points % Reading 15 28 Writing 5 9 Foundational Literacy (Phonics and Word Recognition, Vocabulary Acquisition, Word Composition, and Sentence Composition) 19 35 Listening 10 19 Fluency 5 9 Total 54 100 Administered in four (4) subparts, each 40 42 minutes long. 15
Grade 2 ELA Overview The integrated format will assess students based upon questions derived from both literary passages and informational text in order to determine their mastery of the standards in the following areas: Reading Comprehension Foundational Literacy Skills Language Conventions/Grammar/Spelling Writing Listening Foundational Literacy Fluency 16
Grade 2 ELA Item Types Reading Comprehension 1-point multiple-choice items Passage-based items Foundational Literacy Phonics and Word Recognition 2-point multiple-select items Based on words from the passage Vocabulary Acquisition 1-point multiple-choice items Based on words from the passage 17
Grade 2 ELA Item Types Foundational Literacy (continued) Word Composition and Sentence Composition 1-point multiple-choice items Based on sentences about the passage Writing 5-point writing prompt Prompt is based on ideas in a short reading passage that is read to students Requires students to write a response that is at least three or four sentences to answer two passage-related questions 18
Holistic Writing Rubric 19
Holistic Writing Rubric 20
Grade 2 ELA Item Types Listening Sentence-based 1-point multiple-choice items Graphic answer choices Sentences and questions read to students Passage-based 1-point multiple-choice items Some have graphic answer choices Some have text answer choices Passages, questions, and text answer choices read to students 21
Grade 2 ELA Item Types Fluency 5-point item scored using a rubric Students have two minutes to read 20 sentences Students read as many sentences as possible in the time allowed, identifying each as true or not true 22
Beyond Oral Reading Fluency Oral Reading Fluency is typically assessed in situations where students read aloud from a passage while their reading errors (i.e., miscues) and reading rate are recorded (Price et al., 2012, p. 2). Does not connect decoding skills to a measure of comprehension It requires substantial one-on-one time per student It does not address the need to pay closer consideration to oral reading s often ignored counterpart, silent reading (Price et al., 2012, p. 2). 23
Grade 2 ELA Fluency Item The Foundational Literacy Fluency item is a measure of fluency that connects students basic decoding skills with their comprehension at the sentence level. Students reading fluency and comprehension will be assessed through the use of yes or no responses to independently read sentences containing second grade vocabulary. The number of sentences that students answer correctly will be translated into a 0 5 score. Examples: - A fish can swim. - It is dark at night. - A hen is a plant. - A rock is very soft. 24
Grade 2 Alternate Design
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Design Overview The new alternate assessment for second grade replaces the historical TCAP-Alt portfolio assessment. Tennessee educators participated in the item review and their input was a critical part of the assessment design to ensure quality, rigor, and accessibility. The Grade 2 Alternate was designed using a similar process as MSAA and TCAP-Alt: Developing Alternate Assessment Targets (AATs) from the grade level standards, Developing Underlying Concepts (UCs) from the AATs Developing item families consisting of four tiers of levels from the AATs and UCs 26
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Design Overview The assessment begins with Tier 1 items and progress with Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 items before reverting back to Tier 3 items, then Tier 2 items, and ending with Tier 1 items, as shown below. Operational assessment consists of a single form and with a range of 6-10 items per tier. 27
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Design Overview Paper and pencil test delivered in three pieces: (1) test item booklet, (2) student response cards, and (3) answer sheet to record answers. ELA and math only 30-35 multiple choice questions for each content area Includes constructed response items in ELA Answer cards on perforated paper Teacher completes the answer sheet Assessment may be administered over multiple days, multiple times as needed for the student If the district chooses to administer the Grade 2 GenEd assessment, students in second grade who qualify for the alternate must be assessed as well. 28
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Test Design The table below details Spring 2017 Grade 2 TCAP-Alt operational test design for ELA and Mathematics. Spring 2018 updates to include additional field test positions and reduced MC operational points (33/32) #Passages # Items Content Area Literature Informational Text Multiple Choice Constructed Response Total Total # Points** ELA 2 2 32 2 34 38 Math -- -- 35 -- 35 35 * Literature and Informational Text passages have 6 7 items each. ** Multiple-choice (MC) items are valued at 1 point. Constructed-response (CR) items are valued at 3 points. 29
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Item Sampling Content Category Academic Standard Tier 4 Tier 3 Tier 2 Tier 1 ELA ELA Reading: Literature Reading: Informational Text 2.RL.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. 2.RI.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. Use illustrations to answer questions about the characters, setting, key events, or problem/solution in a story. Answer why or how questions about key details in a passage. Use illustrations to answer questions about the characters, setting, key events, or problem/solution in a story. Answer who, what, where, and when questions about key details in a passage. Use illustrations to identify a character s traits or feelings, a setting or plot Identify important people, an event, or a key detail in a passage. Use illustrations to identify a character s traits or a setting. Identify important people or an event in a passage. 30
Grade 2 Alternate Assessment Content Emphasis ELA Strand Grade 2 Reading Literature 37% Reading Informational Text 26% Reading Foundational 10% Vocabulary 10% Writing 16% Mathematics Domain Grade 2 Operations and Algebraic Thinking 25% Number and Operations Base Ten 45% Number and Operations Fractions -- Measurement and Data 30% Geometry -- 31
Conclusion Grade 2 Assessment designed to focus deeply on early numeracy and literacy skills Grade 2 Alternate Assessment built off same premise, utilizing design principles established in MSAA tiered items and aligned to standards. Tennessee is eliminating portfolio models for all TCAP-ALT assessments in grades 2 11. Grade 2 and Grade 2 Alternate Assessments are part of an overarching strategy to improve K-3 results and ensure equity for all students. 32
Districts and schools in Tennessee will exemplify excellence and equity such that all students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to successfully embark on their chosen path in life. Excellence Optimism Judgment Courage Teamwork