Transcript the testing picture is shaping up in Massachusetts

PARCC
Update for
MA Legislature
June 25, 2014
Commissioners:
Mitchell Chester (Elementary and Secondary)
Higher Education (Richard Freeland)
Bob Bickerton, MCAS-PARCC Transitions Coordinator
Maureen LaCroix, Special Assistant
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Agenda
1. PURPOSE: Improve Student Success
2. MA Continuous Improvement & Leadership
3. Test Drive: Year One
Spring 2014 PARCC Field Tests
4. District, School & Educator Engagement
5. Test Drive: Year Two
Spring 2015 District Choice – PARCC or
MCAS
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Improve Student Success
 MA legacy of rigorous standards and assessments
#1 nationally & top tier internationally
 Lessons learned: What we must improve
More than 1 in 3 HS graduates who enroll in public higher
education require non-credit bearing remedial courses
Historic agreement between K-12 & Higher Education
Enroll directly in credit bearing freshman courses
 Assessment that reflects the world our children live in
More comprehensive & authentic assessments
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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MA Continuous Improvement & Leadership
Next generation standards
Teams of MA educators convened to upgrade
English language arts (English Language ArtsELA) & Math Frameworks in 2008
Merged development teams with “Common
Core” multi-state process sponsored by NGA and
CCSSO; extensive field contributions & comments
Board set high bar before adopting in 2010
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
MA Continuous Improvement & Leadership
Next generation assessments
Application of skills, online testing included when
MCAS was rebid in 2009 – stalled by recession
MA set high bar when joined consortium of PARCC
states – to adopt, PARCC must be better than MCAS
To drive PARCC to be a better assessment than MCAS
Commissioner Chester chairs governing board
Commissioner Freeland co-chairs the higher education
board
DESE staff & MA educators deeply engaged to ensure
quality
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Where We are on the 2-Year PARCC “Test Drive”
2013
BESE votes
on 2-year
“test drive”
Mar-Jun
2014
PBA and
EOY field
tests
Jun*-Oct 1,
2014
Districts
choose
PARCC or
MCAS
2015
Operational
PARCC and
MCAS
testing
Fall 2015
BESE votes
whether to
adopt
PARCC
2016
PARCC is
implemented
or transition
begins to
another
“next-gen”
assessment
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Today
*June 30 is PARCC “guarantee” deadline
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Competency Determination
MA high school graduation testing requirement for
English Language Arts & Mathematics will
continue to be based upon the 10th grade MCAS
through the class of 2019
The “class of 2019” students are in 7th grade today and
will take the 10th grade tests in 2017
 The graduation requirement for Science will continue
to be based upon 9th & 10th grade MCAS tests for the
foreseeable future
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
PARCC Field Test Update
 Most schools in Massachusetts participated
Approx. 81,000 students in 1,050 schools in 345
districts
 March 24 to April 11: Performance Based
Assessment window
41,000 students tested online
17,000 students tested with pencil and paper
 May 5 to June 6: End of Year Assessment window
33,500 students tested online
14,500 students tested with pencil and paper
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Feedback from 37,000 Students & 371 Test
Proctors about PARCC Online
 The majority of students
 Liked taking online tests over paper-and-pencil tests
 Said they had enough time to answer questions, found typing
ELA questions “easy,” – that they had been taught the content
& skills covered by the test
 Found answering math questions more challenging
 Use a computer or tablet regularly at home (87%) & in school
(60%)
 The vast majority of test proctors
 Had never before administered an online test (81%)
 Agreed that testing time was sufficient for most students
 Cited need to improve training & support from the vendor
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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District, School & Educator Engagement
 MA educators
 From grades 3-11 participated in the review of thousands of
PARCC items
 Include 24 PARCC Fellows (18 K-12, 6 public H.E.)
 Participate on the PARCC Advisory Committee convened by
Commissioners Chester & Freeland
 ESE staff & PARCC Fellows
 Have completed more than 100 PARCC presentations across
the state – including trainings in support of implementation of
the 2010 standards for ELA & Math
 Provided additional training & support to districts & schools
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involved in the PARCC field test
 Will increase support in preparation for 2015 operational tests
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The PARCC or MCAS Choice in 2015
 MCAS is familiar
Schools, parents & students look forward to reviewing their
results & comparing to prior years
 PARCC is new
PARCC designed to assess the full range of 2010 ELA & Math
standards – including college readiness
Students & schools participating in PARCC will have a head
start demonstrating their readiness for a next generation
assessment
MCAS is 17 years old this year – we need to upgrade
whether or not PARCC is the right test
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
“Hold Harmless” for Schools
Administering PARCC in 2015
The accountability levels of schools administering
PARCC will stay the same or improve – they
cannot decline
Schools administering MCAS will be classified
into a level as usual, & will not be held harmless.
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The PARCC/MCAS Choice (Spring 2015)
Students will take either PARCC or MCAS next
year
 The technology challenge:
Most schools require more devices and/or bandwidth
Schools that are ready to administer PARCC online may
do so; additional support will be provided by the
PARCC assessment vendor & ESE staff
Schools that are not ready to test online can choose to
administer the paper-and-pencil version of PARCC
 ESE will issue full parent, school, & district reports –
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whether districts test with PARCC or MCAS
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Technology Funding
 Federal eRate
The FCC has sharpened the focus of eRate funding on
K-12 technology infrastructure
Funding is doubled to $2B over the coming two years
 State Education Technology Bond Bill
First since 1999
Submitted by Governor, passed House, reported
favorably by Senate Bond Committee
Would provide $38M for K-12 technology
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The PARCC/MCAS Choice
 The deadline for districts to choose PARCC or MCAS
is October 1, 2014
A “choice guarantee” is offered to districts that
submit their choice by June 30th
The PARCC/MCAS choice is binding after June 30th
Districts may change which schools will test online &
which will administer the paper-and-pencil version
through October 31, 2014
The 2015 MCAS & PARCC testing windows are:
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MCAS 2015 Testing Dates
 ELA testing window: March 23-April 6
 Math and G5/G8 STE testing window: May 4-May 19
 HS STE testing window: June 2-5
PARCC 2015 Testing Dates (tentative)
 Performance-Based Assessment: March 16-April 10 for computer-based testing; March
23-April 3 for paper-based testing
 End-of-Year: May 4-29 for computer-based testing; May 11-22 for paper-based testing
* Grades 9 and 11 are optional and subject to appropriation
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
District Choice Through 6/24/14
GRADES
Grades
3-8
Grades 9
and/or
11
# DISTRICTS
187
150
84% of Districts
have responded
MCAS
PARCC
#
%
#
%
83
45%
104
55%
N/A
N/A
38
25%
“Early Decision”
Choices due
June 30
Requests made
between June
30 & October 1
are subject to
availability
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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PARCC: Anticipated Decision Criteria in Fall 2015
 RIGOR (achievement expectations)
MCAS/PARCC comparison
 QUALITY
Items aligned with full range of & full continuum of student
performance
Provides valid & reliable assessment of students’
knowledge, skills & abilities
 COVERAGE
Provides measures of student performance on all standards,
including the hardest to assess
+ TECHNOLOGY Readiness and Paper Option
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Discussion
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