Presentation given to the Mendon-Upton Regional School Committee on November 4, 2013 regarding the planned field test of the PARCC Assessment at Clough Elementary School & Miscoe Hill Middle School in the spring of 2014.
2. Transition to New, More Rigorous
Standards
Common Core State Standards:
2010 MA Curriculum Frameworks for ELA/Literacy and
Mathematics incorporate the CCSS.
Public school districts, public charter schools, and
educator preparation programs in colleges and
universities are implementing the new standards
• SY 2012: Introduction of 2010 standards
• SY 2013: Near full implementation of 2010 standards
• SY 2014: Full implementation of 2010 standards
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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4. Why Do We Need A New
Assessment?
Common Core State Standards: MA 2010
ELA & Math Standards incorporate the Common Core.
1. The new standards include significant changes
and shifts from the prior standards.
2. MA must implement an assessment aligned to
the new standards
3. MCAS would require significant changes to be fully
aligned with the MA 2010 Standards
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
6. Spring 2014 PARCC Field Test
Approximately 15% of MA students in grades 3-11
• randomly selected, by grade and classroom
• students will take portions of ELA/Lit –OR– Math
Computer-based or paper-and-pencil
Testing windows:
• March 24-April 11 Performance-based assessment (PBA)
in ELA & Math.
• May 5-June 6 End-of-year assessment (EOY) in ELA &
Math.
Grade 10 students will be selected for end-of-year
(EOY) only.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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7. Who has been selected for the
MURSD Field Test
School
Grade
Test Type
Subject
# of Classes
Clough
3
PBA
ELA
2
Miscoe
5
EOY
Math
2
Miscoe
6
PBA
ELA
2
Miscoe
8
PBA
ELA
2
Notes:
• End-Of-Year assessments are 2 sessions (55 min each);
Performance-based assessments are 3 sessions (50, 60 &
40 min for grade 3) (80, 85 & 50 min for grades 6 & 8)
• At Clough: assessments are pencil & paper; at Miscoe:
assessments are online (iPad app)
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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8. MCAS Testing Window for
Spring 2014
ELA Testing: March 17-31, 2014
Math Testing: May 5-20
Science & Technology/Engineering: May 6-20
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
10. Accountability in 2013/14
Districts have THIS option:
For those students selected to take a PARCC field
test: the district may opt out of MCAS in that
subject area for those students.
However, this leaves DESE and the district with
less MCAS data with which to make all sorts of
decisions.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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11. Why this option is problematic
Less information about the effectiveness of the
curriculum and instruction: We get NO
INFORMATION from the PARCC Field Test
Less information about individual student
progress or a cohort of students
Less information about student growth over
time
Our grades are more than the 15% DESE goal!
Implications for the new educator evaluation
system
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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12. For those districts that opt out
of MCAS….
DESE is considering different options to
determine Accountability ratings for 2014
Nothing has been determined or finalized
yet
Potentially confusing!!
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
13. Option 1: Grade Level Exception
School is given the highest score (CPI, Percent
Proficient, SGP) of:
Calculations including the field-tested grade(s)
Calculations excluding the field-tested grade(s)
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
14. Option 1: Grade Level Exception
Pro
Con
Keeps accountability system Scores may not be entirely
going as per state and
accurate
federal law
If we exclude an atypically
high performing grade, the
school is harmed by having
participated in the field test
Won’t work for schools with
only 1 tested grade (e.g., a
K-3 school)
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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15. Option 2: Use if Representative
We determine whether the achievement of
students who are opted out of MCAS is
representative of the overall achievement in
that school:
1. If student sample is skewed (high proportion
of higher or lower achieving students), then
school’s scores and level cannot move down
(“held harmless.”)
2. If student sample was representative, then
accountability determinations are made as
usual.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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16. Option 2: Use if Representative
Pro
Con
Keeps accountability system Requires additional data
going as per state and
collection and is based on a
federal law
judgment made by the
Department
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
17. How would we determine whether
the sample is representative?
We would first find out who was selected for the
PARCC field test and opting out of MCAS, and
compare their “predicted” 2013-14 scores
to the non-selected student “predicted”
2013-14 scores. If the school is projected to
be negatively impacted, they would receive a
hold harmless accountability determination. It
is important to note that this would be withinschool comparison and not like SGPs which are
statewide comparison groups.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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19. Transition Plan Timeline
November 2013: Recommendation to Board of
Education to approve PARCC Transition Plan which
includes the following:
District Choice: Massachusetts led the way to enable
districts to choose whether to administer MCAS or
PARCC in 2014/15.
MCAS only for Grade 10 in 2014/15 and 2015/16
MCAS for Competency Determination through Class of 2018
Budget will determine extent to which we can make PARCC
end-of-course assessments available for grades 9 and 11
PARCC Test: for grades 3-8 in 2015/16
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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20. Spring 2015 Administration
1. Dual administration of PARCC and MCAS, but
no double-testing of students
2. Districts choose PARCC or MCAS
3. PARCC will offer computer-based and paperand-pencil tests
4. For accountability, DESE is recommending a
“hold harmless” policy for districts/schools
that choose PARCC
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
21. The PARCC Decision
1. Rigor: We will use the results of the field test to
evaluate the rigor of PARCC items in Fall 2014
2. Quality: We are conducting
comprehensive, independent reviews to evaluate
PARCC’s readiness to deliver a quality assessment
3. Opportunity: We will evaluate the ability of PARCC
to assess standards and measure skills and abilities
we cannot assess with MCAS.
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
22. Recommendation to the Board
Before the final Board Decision, we will
analyze::
1. Results of 2014/15 test administration and the
2. Summer 2015 Standard Setting to inform the
Board’s decision on whether or not to adopt
PARCC in the Fall 2015.
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
23. Transition to PARCC:
Competency Determination
At least through Class of 2018: Grade 10
students will take MCAS tests/retests in ELA,
Mathematics, and Science and Tech/Engineering
In spring 2015 and spring 2016, grade 10 students will
take MCAS (not PARCC) for CD
MCAS retests continue through at least spring 2018
Science and Tech/Engineering tests will continue
during PARCC implementation
This fall: DESE will provide updates for classes of
2019 and beyond
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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24. Technology Questions
1. Will districts be able to access the test across
multiple technology platforms?
•
PARCC has adopted minimum requirements that are close to
being “device agnostic”
2. How long will there be a paper/pencil option?
•
At least through 2015-2016 and possibly beyond
3. What if we don’t have the technology or
bandwidth?
a) FCC is committed to expanded eRate options and funding
b) The Department is working with the Administration and the
Treasurer’s Office to help districts meet the matching
requirement
25. Quick Reminders
Only Level 4 Schools may choose to opt out
of PARCC Field Test:
1. No justification required.
2. May exercise MCAS opt out; many
implications (+/-) to consider.
Grade 10 Students through the Class of
2018 will do MCAS (for competency
determination.)
MCAS Science testing continues (including
for the Science competency determination.)
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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26. PARCC Timeline in MA
SYs 2011-12, 2012-13
SY 2012-13
SY 2013-14
Phase I Design &
Development
Content
Phase II
Development
• State-led item
BESE Votes on
Transition Plan
frameworks & test
specifications
reviews
• Item tryouts and
analysis
Field Testing
Spring
Administration
SY 2014-15
MCAS + Initial
administration
of PARCC
assessments
2015
Summer: Set 5
achievement
& CCR
performance
levels
Fall: BESE Vote
on adoption
SY 2015-16
PARCC
[except
grade 10]
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education