Ministry of Education Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide, Part 1 – June 2017 Overview This guide is designed to help you prepare your school for the new Graduation Numeracy Assessment in 2018. It contains technical specifications, pre-assessment day planning tips, support resources, and key Ministry of Education contacts. A second, more detailed, administration guide will be distributed in the fall. In preparation for the electronic component of the numeracy assessment, it is recommended that schools set up their technical systems as soon as possible. Take Note Students who have completed Grade 9 may write the assessment at the most appropriate time for them within their graduation years (Grades 10–12). The assessment questions will be delivered electronically on a computer, and will require responses through the computer as well as handwritten responses on a paper response sheet. All schools will be required to receive, distribute, collect, and return paper response sheets to the Ministry of Education for marking. The Graduation Numeracy Assessment is not linked to a specific Mathematics course and will be reported on a four-category proficiency scale. Quick Links Graduation Numeracy Assessment: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/provincial-assessment/graduation Provincial assessments: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/provincial-assessment What’s Inside This Guide? Key changes Pre-assessment day technical requirements and planning tips Assessment day tips Resources Key Ministry of Education contacts Model of the Graduation Numeracy Assessment Revised adjudication criteria Q&A Di stricts and independent school s to inform the Mini stry of their Gr aduation Numer acy Assessment li ai sons – one district or independent school coordinator and one district or independent school IT contact Sept 15, 2017 (new) Late August 2017 September 2017 Fall 2017 August 2017 Check the adjudication website for further details about the revised adjudication criteria. Check the Ministry website for the updated Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program. You will receive the Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide, Part 2, with more detailed information for school principals and assessment invigilators about administering the assessment. Check the BC Curriculum website for a sample Graduation Numeracy Assessment. Put these Put these on your on your calendar! calendar! Put these on your calendar! Deadline extended!
20
Embed
Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide Part 1 › sites › curriculum.gov... · 10 days in advance of the Graduation Numeracy Assessment session. The package will include
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
2
Ministry of Education
Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide, Part 1 – June 2017
Overview This guide is designed to help you prepare your school for
the new Graduation Numeracy Assessment in 2018. It
contains technical specifications, pre-assessment day
planning tips, support resources, and key Ministry of
Education contacts. A second, more detailed,
administration guide will be distributed in the fall.
In preparation for the electronic component of the
numeracy assessment, it is recommended that schools set
up their technical systems as soon as possible.
Take Note Students who have completed Grade 9 may write the
assessment at the most appropriate time for them within
their graduation years (Grades 10–12).
The assessment questions will be delivered electronically on a
computer, and will require responses through the computer as well as handwritten responses on
a paper response sheet. All schools will be required to receive, distribute, collect, and return
paper response sheets to the Ministry of Education for marking.
The Graduation Numeracy Assessment is not linked to a specific Mathematics course and will be
What’s Inside This Guide?Key changesPre-assessment day technical requirements and planning tipsAssessment day tipsResourcesKey Ministry of Educationcontacts
Model of the GraduationNumeracy AssessmentRevised adjudication criteriaQ&A
Districts and independent schools to inform the Ministry of their Graduation Numeracy Assessment liaisons – one district or independent school coordinator and one district or independent school IT contact
Sept 15, 2017 (new)
Late August 2017
September 2017
Fall 2017
August 2017
Check the adjudication website for further details about the revised adjudication criteria.
Check the Ministry website for the updated Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program.
You will receive the Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide, Part 2, with more detailed information for school principals and assessment invigilators about administering the assessment.
Check the BC Curriculum website for a sample Graduation Numeracy Assessment.
Appendix D: Questions and Answers ............................................................. 14
2Ministry of Education – June 2017
KEY CHANGES
The Graduation Numeracy Assessment
Administration
Registration
• The assessment is not linked to a specificMathematics course.
• Students who have completed Grade 9 may writethe assessment at the most appropriate time forthem within the graduation years (Grades 10–12).
• The assessment will be reported on a four-categoryproficiency scale.
• All schools will be required to register students writingthe assessment through MyEducation BC (or theirstudent information system for non-MyEd BC schools)and the Ministry’s Transcript and Examinations (TRAX)system. Timelines will be similar to those of theprovincial examinations (approximately 10–12 weeksin advance of the assessment session).
• The assessment will be delivered electronically on acomputer, but will include two questions requiringhandwritten responses on a paper response sheet.
• Each computer work station must have a writingsurface for the handwritten portion of the assessment.
• Assessment format (See Appendix A for a model):
• All schools will be required to receive, distribute,collect, and return paper response sheets to theMinistry of Education for marking.
1. The student will answer two sets of questionsonline, based on two tasks.
2. The student will then choose one of two tasks toanswer a more in-depth question. The questionwill be displayed on the computer screen. Thestudent will show their work and solution on thepaper response sheet.
3. The student will turn back to their computer toanswer another two sets of questions onlinebased on two tasks.
4. The student will repeat step 2.
2Ministry of Education – June 2017
SUMMER 2017: REVIEW TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The new Graduation Numeracy Assessment has online and handwritten components, and there
are a few things you should check well in advance of the assessment date to ensure a successful
administration.
PC OS requirement for each student workstation is
Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10.
Mac OS requirement for each student workstation is
OSX 10.7+.
PC-supported web browsers are Firefox v.45+
(recommended), Internet Explorer v.11.0 and Microsoft Edge.
Mac-supported web browsers are Firefox v.45+
(recommended) and Safari v.6.1+.
The web browser requires some basic settings for
the Graduation Numeracy Assessment to function
correctly: 1. Popup blockers must be turned “Off” (i.e., you
should “Allow pop-ups”).
2. Cookies must be enabled (i.e., you should
“Accept cookies”).
3. Javascripting must be enabled.
4. Any proxy caching must be turned “Off.”
Appendix B also outlines troubleshooting tips to work through once the sample Graduation
Numeracy Assessment is released (by August 2017).
NEW!NEW!NEW! Each workstation must have a writing surface for the handwritten
10–12 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ASSESSMENT DATE All schools register students All schools will be required to register students in order for their students to write the Graduation
Numeracy Assessment.
Exact timelines for registration will be published in the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program 2017/2018, posted to the Ministry website in September 2017.
School administrators are responsible for registering the following categories of students:
• Students enrolled in their schools, including those who may be cross-enrolled
with a continuing education centre or distributed learning school
• Home-schooled students who are registered at their schools and who want to
write the Graduation Numeracy Assessment
If you have questions regarding registration, please contact [email protected].
Revised adjudication criteria Now is the time to think about students who are eligible for
supports during Provincial Graduation Assessments.
Schools are responsible for ensuring that text-to-speech or
speech-to-text software for students with identified needs is
configured to work with the assessments. Schools are required
to do a practice session with the students prior to the
assessment day. The Ministry will no longer provide voice
exams, as students should be using the same form of supports
for the assessment as used on a routine basis in the classroom.
Appendix C provides an overview of the revised adjudication
criteria and contact information.
Further details about the revised adjudication criteria are
available on the adjudication website.
Exam preparation materials To prepare students for writing the new Graduation Numeracy
Assessment and to help them maximize their performance, the
Ministry is developing a series of support materials, including a
sample assessment to try, student responses to explore, and
marking materials to understand how questions will be evaluated.
In addition, the Ministry is creating demonstration videos that will
illustrate how the numeracy problems work. These videos will allow
students and teachers to engage in collaborative learning to
prepare them for the assessment. These support materials will be
posted to the BC Curriculum website by August (sample, student
exemplars, marking materials) and September (videos) 2017.
All students are eligible for supports during Provincial Graduation Assessments, based on identified need rather than medical diagnosis, designation, or criteria set by the Ministry.
Keep in mind!
Set your students up for success!
Have them engage with the exam preparation materials.
Why do ALL schools have to register their students?
All schools will be required to register students writing the Graduation Numeracy Assessment to
ensure that each school receives the correct number of paper student response sheets.
What is the registration deadline?
Exact registration deadlines will be published in the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program 2017/2018 posted to the Ministry website in September 2017. They will be similar to those
of the provincial examinations (approximately 10–12 weeks in advance of the assessment session).
Can students walk into the session and write the assessment without
being registered?
Yes. They will be considered a walk-in and will have to provide the appropriate identification, as
outlined in the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program 2017/2018, posted to the
Ministry website in September 2017.
Who is responsible for registering students and invigilating at the
assessment?
School administrators will need to work with their teachers and school districts or education
authority to decide what will best meet the needs of students in their districts and the operations
of their districts.
What will invigilators need to know?
Invigilators should familiarize themselves with this document and keep it handy. Page 3 provides
a brief outline of the key changes in the administration of the new Graduation Numeracy
Assessment.
The Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program 2017/2018, posted to the Ministry
website in September 2017, will provide further information.
There will also be more detailed instructions coming this fall, in the Graduation Numeracy Assessment Administration Guide, Part 2. Updated resource materials for assessment invigilators
will be posted to the School Secure Web (SSW) this fall.
Sample assessments and exemplars will be available for administrators, teachers, students, and
technicians on the BC Curriculum website by August 2017.
School administrators, teachers, and technicians should familiarize themselves with the electronic
assessment format well in advance of their delivery session.
Administration questions?
Morag Masterton, Assessment Administration Coordinator: 250-356-0953 or [email protected]
Technical questions?
AWIS technical support: 1-866-558-5339 (toll-free) or [email protected]
Assessment design and content questions?
Allison Chapman, Numeracy Assessment Coordinator, Curriculum and Assessment: 778-678-1658
They can use either, as long as they use a dark pencil or pen; this is essential, as the paper
response sheets will be scanned for marking. In instances where invigilators observe students
writing with a light pencil or pen it is recommended that they provide the student with a darker
writing tool. Invigilators should inform students that if they do not write clearly or dark enough
there is a risk that their response will be illegible and markers will not be able to assign a score.
How will schools get paper response sheets from, and then back to,
the Ministry for marking?
As with provincial examinations, the Ministry of Education will send paper response sheets to
schools based on the number of students that the school administrator has registered. Schools
will ship materials back to the Ministry of Education following the timelines and shipping
instructions that will have been provided.
Who will be marking the paper response sheets?
BC certified teachers who have been trained and credentialed will mark the paper response sheets.
Will the assessments be marked locally or provincially?
The assessments will be marked provincially at central locations by BC certified teachers. At this
point in time, there is no local marking in school districts of either assessments or provincial
examinations.
How many times may a student write the Graduation Numeracy
Assessment?
A student may make three attempts at writing the assessment: one write, two rewrites. The first
attempt is considered Write #1 (an attempt with less than 50% of questions answered still
constitutes one write); the second attempt is considered Rewrite #1; and the third attempt is
considered Rewrite #2 and is the last opportunity for a student to improve their standing on the
proficiency scale.
Paper response sheets
Results and transcripts
2
Ministry of Education – June 2017
What constitutes completion of an assessment?
Students must respond to a sufficient number of questions for markers to be able to assign a
proficiency category; the benchmark to satisfy this requirement has been set at fifty percent.
At the minimum, students must answer at least half of the questions in order to “complete” the
assessment and meet the graduation requirement.
Less than fifty percent completion would not meet the completion requirement, but would be
considered as one of the three allowable attempts.
How does completion of an assessment align with completion of
graduation requirements?
Students are not required to reach a minimum category of proficiency to graduate. They must,
however, complete the assessment. Please see the question above regarding minimum
completion requirements.
Will the mark associated with the Graduation Numeracy Assessment
affect Grade 12 students graduating in 2018?
No. The Graduation Numeracy Assessment will not affect Grade 12 students graduating in early
2018 because they will have met the former graduation requirement by writing a Mathematics 10
examination.
How will the score for the Graduation Numeracy Assessment be
illustrated on a transcript?
The Graduation Numeracy Assessment will be scored on a four-category proficiency scale and
identified as a stand-alone item on a student’s transcript.
How are the Graduation Numeracy Assessment questions weighted?
The two student-choice written response questions will be weighted more heavily than the other
questions. Please see the detailed table of specifications in the final Graduation Numeracy Assessment Design Specifications to be posted to the BC Curriculum website by August 2017.
Will assessment results be provided to schools?
Yes. As with provincial examinations, the results will be released to school administrators
following the completion of the marking process and analysis.