Overview and Update, March 2011 With Excerpts and Slides from TEA and ESC XIII

Overview and Update, March 2011 With Excerpts and Slides from TEA and ESC XIII

STAAR The Next Generation of Assessments A new test design that will focus on readiness for success in subsequent grades or courses and, ultimately, college and career Linked vertically to measure student growth More rigorous than TAKS

STAAR Assessments for Grades 3 8 Grade Reading Math Writing Science Social Studies 3 4 5 6 7 8

STAAR Assessments for Grades 3 8 Will have Modified, LAT, and Alternate versions of the test STAAR-L (LAT) will be administered exclusively on-line Only paper versions for all other STAAR 3 8 tests Spanish assessments will continue to be available in grades 3 5 TELPAS continues

STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) At high school, 12 end-of-course tests replace the current 10 grade-level TAKS tests: English I, English II, English III Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II Biology, Chemistry, Physics World Geography, World History, US History Both paper and on-line versions offered Will have Modified, LAT, and Alternate versions of the test No modified or alternate version of Algebra II, Chemistry, or Physics

STAAR Content Standards Readiness standards will be emphasized Essential for success in current grade or course Important for preparedness for next grade or course Support college and career readiness Necessitate in-depth instruction Address broad and deep ideas Supporting standards assessed but not emphasized Blueprints for every subject and grade now available on TEA website

STAAR Content Standards Eligible TEKS Standards Fewer Assessment Blueprint Deeper

Example TEKS: Grade 5 Science

Example Blueprint: Grade 5 Science

STAAR Performance Standards Standards for EOC will be set in February 2012 and performance reports will be available in June 2012 after first May administration Standards for STAAR grades 3 8 will not be set until fall 2012, after first spring administration Only one administration of reading and math at grades 5 and 8 since no passing standards established Performance reports for grades 3 8 delayed until fall 2012 Students parents and teachers will be able to

STAAR Performance Standards Standards for satisfactory performance expected to be phased in over several years (similar to TAKS) BUT advanced performance standards for Algebra II and ELA III will be applied when STAAR becomes operational Performance standards will be reviewed at least every 3 years Expect performance standards to continually get more rigorous

STAAR Performance Labels Level III: Advanced Academic Performance Students are well prepared for next grade or course. For Algebra II and ELA III, this level will indicate college readiness Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Students are sufficiently prepared for next grade or course. Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance Students are not adequately prepared for next grade or course. For EOC s, we expect some point in this performance level will determine whether a particular assessment can count toward cumulative score in the

EOC Requirements for Graduation Testing requirements for graduation increase significantly TAKS Exit-Level represented 4 hurdles for students STAAR EOC represents 12 hurdles for students on RHSP/DAP Cumulative score requirement in each core subject area (ELA, math, science, social studies) will be required for graduation #EOCs x Satisfactory Score = Cumulative Required Must meet minimum score in order to be eligible for inclusion in cumulative score

EOC Requirements for Graduation Students must reach at least the minimum score PERFORMANCE Minimum Score UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY ADVANCED

EOC Requirements for Graduation Entering 9 th Graders in 2011-12 Will Be the First Group Using EOCs to Meet Graduation Requirements Students on Minimum graduation plan must meet cumulative score based on number of courses taken for which an EOC exists (may be less than 12 tests) In addition to meeting cumulative score requirements in each core content area, students on the Recommended high school plan must perform satisfactorily on Algebra II EOC

EOC Requirements for Graduation In addition to meeting cumulative score requirements in each core content area, students on the Distinguished Achievement plan must meet the college and career readiness standard on Algebra II EOC ELA III EOC Performance on AP test, IB exam, SAT/ACT test, or another assessment determined to be at least as rigorous as EOC may be used to determine whether cumulative score requirements have been satisfied

EOC Assessments EOC tests will be given spring, summer, and fall beginning in 2012/13, but only two administrations in 2011/12 If a student doesn t meet minimum score requirements must retest Must provide accelerated instruction (10:1 setting) If a student doesn t meet cumulative score requirements must retest If student doesn t meet standard for RHSP or DAP, student may retest Student s score on EOC must count 15% of final course grade

EOC Considerations/Questions What about middle school students taking EOCtested courses? Will they take both EOC and grade-level STAAR? Impact on accountability (both MS and HS) What about students who complete an EOC course next fall, when tests won t be available until spring? Will they take EOC late? Will cumulative requirements be reduced? How do testing opportunities fit with self-paced, credit recovery programs?

EOC Considerations/Questions What about back-graded 9 th graders next year? Will be graduating under TAKS, but no 9 th grade TAKS will be administered Will they take EOC? Will it count for 15% of grade? If not, will they go three years with NO assessment until Exit-Level TAKS?

EOC Considerations/Questions EOCs administered at the same time as AP tests Legislative requirement that they can be administered no earlier than 1 st week of May Is 2012 an anomaly, or will there always be a conflict? Is it reasonable to have two tests, Algebra II and ELA III serve as gatekeepers to RHSP or DAP graduation if all other requirements have been met?

EOC Considerations/Questions What happens if a student meets minimum score in subject area tests but doesn t end up with sufficient cumulative score? Will they be allowed to retake only the most recent EOC exam again or can they take a test from a prior course? Graduation rate impact: Some students could end up taking an EOC for first time in spring of senior year No retest opportunity before graduation Must monitor course-taking patterns carefully Huge implications for counselors teachers

STAAR Implementation Challenges Significantly increases the number of testing days, especially at the high school level (fall, spring, summer administrations of all 12 tests) Currently, only offer high school retests for 4 exit level TAKS tests Now, all 12 EOCs will be available for retest Writing tests and ELA tests will now take two days Possible increase from 25 testing days to 45 testing days! Will continue to administer TAKS grade 10 (in 2012) and exit level TAKS until phased out

STAAR Implementation Challenges TEA intends to intensify test security/data integrity monitoring (think Caveon ) Reduced resources under projected budget, but Professional development necessary Accelerated instruction required Test administration and oversight increases (more tests and retests) Materials management burden increases Complexity in tracking graduation requirements increases Integration of 15% grade requirement M l l t i d f EOC

Legislative and Agency Proposals Under Consideration TEA proposal to place time limits on EOC will enable two subject area tests per day, reducing the original estimate of 45 days back to about 25 days Agency may adopt rules to limit EOC retests HB 500 Eissler: Relates to EOC exams Removes 15% requirement Offers flexibility for MHP and RHSP graduation requirements (cumulative score & Algebra II/ELA III) Deletes language regarding unlimited EOC testing Maintains TAKS as a graduation option for 2 more

Legislative and Agency Proposals Under Consideration SB 443 Patrick: provides mandate relief Ensures no double-testing of MS students SB 3 Shapiro: provides mandate relief Eliminates 10:1 ratio for accelerated instruction HB 233 Hochberg: impacts testing Moves writing test to grades 5 & 8 Limits reading and math tests in grades 4, 6, & 7 to failers, marginal passers, and testers on alternate or Spanish test forms HB 2135 Hochberg: No double-testing in middle school

Legislative and Agency Proposals Under Consideration HB 2395 Weber: Delays EOC tests HB 2509 Huberty: Delays EOC implementation HB 2514 Callegari: Replaces STAAR with norm-referenced tests Repeals EOC tests Stay tuned for more possible changes!

QUESTIONS?