Implementing High Quality Assessments for All Students: Lessons Learned Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment.

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Implementing High Quality Assessments for All Students:

Lessons Learned

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

Kentucky

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The Future of KY Science Assessment

GoalDevelop new summative and

through-course assessments aligned to Next Generation Science Standards

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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BACKGROUND

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Where did the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) come from?

• 2010 - An independent collaboration of groups came together to develop a Framework for K-12 Science Education: Led by 18 nationally and internationally recognized science experts. Groups: National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the

Advancement of Science, National Science Teachers Association and Achieve Inc. It was from this framework that the NGSS were developed.

• September 2011 - Kentucky became a lead state partner with 25 other states.• June 2013 - Kentucky Board of Education adopts NGSS as the Kentucky

Academic Standards (KAS) for Science.• Development of standards led by states and organizations. No federal

funding or federal involvement. Link to KAS Science: http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/sci/Pages/Next-Generation-Science-Standards.aspx

• Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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What is the purpose of NGSS?NGSS significantly alters the way science is taught in schools by making science education resemble the way scientists work and think. The three dimensions of science standards are:A. Dimension 1: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP)

Practices through which scientists and engineers do their work. Example: Planning and carrying out investigations.

B. Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts (CCC) Crosscutting Concepts that link different science disciplines. Example: Cause and effect.

C. Dimension 3: Inter Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) Core Ideas of the disciplines of science. Example: The faster an object moves, the more energy it possesses.

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Kentucky Testing Expectations and Legal Requirements

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Ideas for the new assessment system

A. Assessment design is bottom-up, not top-down A system of assessments and not a single test. The assessment system must support classroom

instruction and validate science achievement from classroom to district to state.

Performance Based Tasks

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Ideas of the new assessment system (continued)B. The assessment types include:

Classroom-embedded assessments designed by teachers. External assessments such as through-course designed at the

state level to be used to validate student learning. State administered summative assessment given at the end

of year for state accountability purposes.C. The assessment format must include rich and deep tasks where

students use Scientific and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Disciplinary Core Ideas just as real scientists do.

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Online Assessment• Assessments to have technology enhanced items,

innovative items and performance based tasks in addition to multiple choice and constructed response.

• Application shall support 300,000 concurrent students testing online.

• Student/technology ratio is currently 1.9 to 1.• Application to support all major operating systems and

hardware.• Testing happening in a test secure environment.

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Summative Assessments (SSA)• Administered at grades 4 and 7.• Comprehensive of grades 3 & 4 and 5, 6 & 7• Blend of common and matrix sampling• Limited amount of hand scoring• Item Clusters approximately 20 minutes in total length• Coverage of all three DCI domains• Assessments meet requirements/restrictions in Kentucky Revised

Statute KRS 158.6543• Reports to provide overall student performance and domain results

where feasible.Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Through-Course Assessments (TCA)• Structure with flexibility• Administered 3 times a year at each grade 3-8

4 testing intervals (the 4th will have NO TCAs, reserved for SSAs)

• Focus is on Science and Engineering Practices/ Crosscutting Concepts intersection

• Emphasis on strength of stimuli and usability of item sets across stimuli

• Little “a” vs big “A” accountability• Assessments have overall time restrictions - Kentucky Revised

Statute KRS 158.6543Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Item Cluster Overview

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Where Kentucky is Today

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Activities Underway• Contract with WestEd for assistance in the Design of

Kentucky Science Assessments.• CCSSO Science Assessment Item Collaborative (SAIC).• Building Capacity of District Teams - Leadership

NetworksDistrict leadership teams – Teacher leaders, school and

district administrators, higher education. Educational Cooperatives – Content specialists and

instructional SpecialistsKentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Lessons Learned• Still a lot to learn.• 10X more complex that what was developed for PARCC

and Smarter Balanced.• No state has ever developed state summative and

through-course assessments this complex.• Expect schedule slippage.• Obtain assistance from national experts.

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Lessons Learned (continued)• Item writing is extremely complex and different. Is

there a test vendor that can create the needed item clusters?

• Psychometric considerations not fully addressed.• Need for phase in of through-course assessments.• Possible political considerations at the state and

federal levels.

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment

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Future Activities• Fall 2015 - Issue science summative and though-course

operational RFP• Fall/Winter 2015 – Award contract• Spring 2017 – Fully operational summative assessment

and some through-course assessments• Fall 2017 and beyond – Continued development of

through-course assessments

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Roger ErvinSystems AdministratorKentucky Department of EducationOffice of Assessment and [email protected]

Contact Information

Kentucky Department of Education – CCSSO 2015 National Conference on Student Assessment