MCPS Assessment Strategy February 2016
Today s Discussion MCPS Assessment Vision Required state, local, national testing PARCC, instructional shifts, curricular implications Background and core goals of MCPS Assessment Strategy Final exams and new quarterly assessments Q&A MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
TYPE HOW USED EXAMPLES Student Self Assessment (As Learning) Assessments should be Formative (For Learning) Assessments should be Summative (Of Learning) Assessments should be Used regularly to gather student voice and perspective An opportunity for students to reflect on how they learn best, self monitor own progress A daily practice embedded in instruction Used to guide instructional next steps for each student Administered at the end of a learning cycle Consistently administered and scored across a team, school, and/or district One of multiple data points considered when reviewing student progress and an instructional program Surveys Reflections, Learning logs Quizzes Exit cards Running records Observations Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Final exams Note. An assessment may be used in various ways and may fit more than one category. Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) SAT MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Quizzes Tests MCPS Identified Assessments Measuring Academic Progress Primary (Math) Measuring Academic Progress Reading Measuring Academic Progress Math Montgomery County Public Schools Assessment Program Primary Reading InView (Gifted and Talented) Final Exams State, National, and International Assessment Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Science Maryland School Assessment (Grades 5 and 8) Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (Literacy and Math Grades 3 8/Algebra 1 and English 10) High School Assessment (Biology and Government) Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English Stateto State for English Language Learners PSAT SAT ACT ACCUPLACER Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate College and Career Readiness Career and Technology Education Certifications MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Core Goals The MCPS Assessment Strategy will Align local assessments to new standards and state/national measures; Gather formative assessment data throughout the school year to inform instruction, allowing for students to receive timely supports and interventions; Provide students with more frequent and varied measures to demonstrate learning; and Use assessment data to facilitate accountability and central office monitoring and support. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Recent Context Great City Schools Report About Standardized Testing Obama Administration Action Plan for Fewer and Smarter Assessments Assessments must be: Worth taking High Quality Time Limited Fair Measures Fully Transparent to Students and Parents Just One of Multiple Measures Tied to Improve Learning Maryland Commission on Assessment Feedback from MCPS stakeholders MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
What is PARCC? Series of assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards and the MCPS curriculum Developed by a consortium of states, including Maryland Replaced the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in literacy and math, and some High School Assessments (HSA) Online assessment
PARCC Assessments Grades 3 8 English language arts/literacy and mathematics Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Grade 10 English language arts/literacy First administration was in Spring 2015
PARCC Timeline 2014 2015: Year 1 Setting a new baseline for a new test Students must participate in the PARCC assessment Passing score not tied to graduation Participation for Algebra 1, ELA 10 suffices for graduation requirement 2015 2016: Year 2 2016 2017: Year 3 Algebra 1 and ELA 10 are graduation requirements
Changes for 2016 Streamlined administration: Only one testing window, May 9 June 3 Fewer testing units: 6 or 7, depending on grade level, down from 8 or 9 Less testing time: testing time reduced by 90 minutes MCPS students will no longer take Algebra 2 exam
How is PARCC Different? Earlier Statewide Tests (i.e., MSA, HSA) Multiple choice Memorization Information without context PARCC Read, write, reflect Analyze and show results Information in real world context Critical thinking, problem solving, clear writing
Compare MSA to PARCC Grade 5 MSA Question
Compare MSA to PARCC This PARCC item measures understanding of the same concept a grade earlier (Grade 4) and with greater depth
Effective Instruction: Helping Students Develop Literacy Skills Measured on PARCC
Literacy is PARCC tests measure students skills in English language arts and literacy.
Critical and creative thinking through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. Literacy is
Literacy is Ashared responsibility among all content areas, and students learn and practice literacy skills throughout the school day.
PARCC Literacy Skills Literary Text Informational Text Vocabulary Writing Expression Knowledge and Use of Language Conventions
Effective Instruction: Helping Students Develop Mathematics Understanding Measured on PARCC
A Measure of Proficiency PARCC tests require students to solve multistep math problems that require reasoning and address real world situations. This requires students to reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships to solve real world problems, and show their understanding. Many previous assessments focused mostly on rote procedure only.
PARCC Mathematics Skills Major Content Additional & Supporting Content Expressing Mathematical Reasoning Modeling & Application
MCPS Final Exams & New Quarterly Assessments
Background Community concern about over testing and teacher concern over loss of instructional time following PARCC administration Interest in increased time engaged in meaningful instruction Math Semester Exam Work Group (2013) recommendation to eliminate exams in courses with a state assessment Middle School Exam Work Group (2013 2014) recommendation to reduce final exam load in middle school Interest in reducing final exam load in high school, looking at final exam schedules Maryland State Department of Education reaffirms state tests, recommends adjustments be made at the local level Feedback collected from multiple stakeholder groups May June 2015 MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Central Question How can we increase instructional time, alleviate the testing burden, AND continue to gather data to help us recognize and respond to student, teacher, school, and district needs? MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Core Goals The MCPS Assessment Strategy will Align local assessments to new standards and state/national measures; Gather formative assessment data throughout the school year to inform instruction, allowing for students to receive timely supports and interventions; Provide students with more frequent and varied measures to demonstrate learning; and Use assessment data to facilitate accountability and central office monitoring and support. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Middle School Assessment Changes 2015 2016 No two hour exams for middle school courses High School credit courses offered in middle school follow the high school model 2016 2017 High School credit courses offered in middle school follow the new high school model MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
High School Assessment Changes 2015 2016 Semester 1: No changes Semester 2: No two hour final exams in externally assessed courses (PARCC and HSA assessed courses) Semester 1 & 2: No two hour final exams 2016 2017 Centrally developed assessments embedded in the curriculum administered in class and collected during each marking period to inform student progress High school exam week with half days and two hour exams is eliminated; classes continue on a full day schedule MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Marking Period Assessments Centrally developed common assessments each marking period in courses which there is currently a districtwide, centrally developed final exam. 30 courses (16 core content areas, 9 World Language, 5 ESOL) Central services/teacher teams to begin course specific development of marking period assessments, using criteria/standards and in many cases, existing common assessments as a starting point. Measure cumulative learning Time windows during each marking period Respecting teacher workload Greater consistency, rigor, and accountability Specific timeline for implementation MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses Feedback: There needs to be countywide consistency within content areas when giving assessments (elimination of exams takes away rigor and consistency). Response: In class marking period assessments will replace the centrally developed semester two hour final exams. The marking period assessments will be centrally developed and the same marking period assessment will be given across the entire district by course. The assessments also will be scored and graded consistently throughout the entire district, supported by professional development to ensure consistency in implementation. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses Feedback: Current exam process does not allow the opportunity for parents to easily review the exam questions and the student responses. The final exams are considered secure documents and do not go home. Response: The new marking period assessments will be available for students to keep and take home, and position teachers to provide immediate feedback and timely support to students. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses Feedback: Students will be overloaded at the end of each marking period with numerous assessments on the same day or within the same week. Response: Because the marking period assessments will be closely aligned to the curriculum in each content area, these assessments will be spread out over multiple weeks across all the content areas. This approach will reduce the chance that students will have multiple marking period assessments on a given day. Recognizing that teachers should have flexibility in delivery of curriculum to meet the needs of students, there will not be a single date on which marking period assessments much be given. To assist teachers, a window will be provided for each content area marking period assessment. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses Feedback: Eliminating final exams will jeopardize preparation for college. Eliminating final exams might put our students at a disadvantage in their applications for postsecondary study. Response: Currently, final exams are a series of traditional multiple choice and short answer exams, very similar in format across content areas. In college, practices with finals vary widely and are content specific, to include tests, papers, research, and projects, among other professor generated assessments. Colleges and universities report that curriculum, grades, and college placement tests are the most important factors in college admissions. Exam grades do not appear on student transcripts. Admissions staff report that school districts have a variety of approaches including no exams, teacher developed exams, and district created semester exams. As a result, exams are not seen as an important factor in the admissions process. Colleges report that MCPS maintains a strong reputation in higher education, built upon rigorous curriculum options and strong college and career readiness pathways. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland Q & A