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Ohio’s State Assessments: What do families need to know? [INSERT DATE] Overview of Discussion You will learn: 1. About Ohio’s New State Learning Standards & Assessments 2. What students can expect 3. Ways to help your child prepare 4. How to understand test results 5. Resources for more information 1 About Ohio’s New Learning Standards & Assessments Ohio’s New Learning Standards The standards: • Establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade to prepare for college and career. • Focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills students will need to be successful in college and career. • Require students to discuss and explain ideas, ask questions, speak in complete sentences, analyze and interpret data, reason and apply ideas using evidence. New Tests Aligned to New Learning Standards Assessments help to: • Measure students’ progress toward mastering state learning standards • Enable educators to identify gaps in student progress and tailor instruction for each child’s specific needs • Facilitate communication between teachers and parents about student progress and specific needs for additional support • Compare student performance across schools and districts statewide to help identify additional support or resources needed • Ensure all children have equal access to high quality education 4 The Academic Checkup 5 How Were the Tests Developed? The Ohio State Assessments in math and ELA were developed: • By the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of educators in 18 States and territories • The tests were field-tested in Spring 2014 by 16,000 schools in 14 states serving 1 million students Ohio teachers spent a total of 50,000 hours developing and reviewing the questions and format of the new assessments 6 PTA THANKS OUR OHIO TEACHERS! Types of Assessments/Tests Formative Assessments: Activities teachers engage in throughout the year to assess knowledge and skills in specific areas and adjust instruction: • • • Classroom discussion Observation of student work Assignments and quizzes Interim Assessments: Tests given at various points during the school year to measure student and make sure they making progress Summative Assessments: End-of-year assessments administered by the state to measure student performance against a common set of standards 7 What do the New Ohio Assessments Gauge? • Whether students can read and comprehend texts of varying complexities • How well students use information from several sources to make a persuasive argument English • The degree to which students can use context to determine the Language Arts meaning of vocabulary word • Whether students can understand and use important math ideas (i.e., number sense, algebraic thinking, geometry, and data analysis) Math • How students use math facts and reasoning skills to solve realworld problems • How well students can make math arguments For grade-specific standards, visit PTA.org/CommonCore 8 How Long Will the Tests Take? The tests will: • Replace old state tests – not become an additional test • Take 8 to 9.5 hours during a school year for reading, writing and math • Take less than 1% of school year • Break down into 2 tests: – Performance-based Assessment Approximately 1.5 days out of 180 days of school for Ohio’s New State Assessments – End-of-year Assessment 9 When Will the State Assessments Occur? Dates Test Type Grades Feb. 16 - March 20 ELA/Math: Performance-based 3-8; High School Computer Feb. 16 – March 6 ELA/Math: Performance-based 3-8; High School Paper/Pencil April 13 – May 15 ELA/Math: End of Course 3-8; High School Computer April 13 – May 1 ELA/Math: End of Course 3-8; High School Paper/Pencil April 20 – May 1 Ohio Achievement Assessment: Reading Grade 3 Paper/Pencil March 16 – March 29 Ohio Graduation Tests High School Administration District choice Science for Grades 5 and 8 administered in March and May Social Studies for Grades 4, 6, High School administered in March and May 10 What Students Can Expect What’s Different About the Tests? The new assessments go beyond the “bubble test” you remember to measure: • Problem-solving • Writing • Critical thinking The tests: • May be administered using technology – desktops, laptops, tablets • Include a variety of question and answer formats (i.e., multiple choice, essay, short answer) • Reflect what students learn in class 12 What Will the Tests Look Like? The tests will: • Look a lot like class assignments! • Include tools available via technology to accommodate all learners including: Highlighting Calculators Magnifier Line reader Text to Speech (math only) • Have more accommodations available for students with special needs 13 What Will be Different in Math? Students will: • Show their work and demonstrate that they understand a concept rather than simply memorize a formula • Compute math problems quickly and accurately • Apply their mathematical knowledge to solve real-world problems 14 EXAMPLE: 5th Grade Math Test Prior Ohio Achievement Test Example: The town of La Paz, Bolivia, is in the Andes mountains. Which of these units could be used to describe the distance of the town of La Paz above sea level? A. Degrees B. Feet C. Cubic Inches D. Pounds Multiple choice or True/False formats allow for random selection if answer is unknown. 15 EXAMPLE: 5th Grade Math Test New Ohio State Assessment Example: Mr. Edmunds shared 12 pencils among his four sons as follows: • Alan received 1/3 of the pencils • Bill received 1/4 of the pencils • Carl received more than 1 pencil • David received more pencils than Carl PART A: On the number line, represent the fraction of the total number of pencils that was given to both Alan and Bill combined. Use the buttons on the right to increase or decrease the number of equal sections on the number line. PART B: What fraction of the total number of pencils did Carl and David each receive? Justify your answer. Students must show work and explain answer; no random selection. It will take students more time per question. 16 What Will be Different in English Language Arts? Students will: – Show they can read and understand complex passages – Write persuasively, write to support their ideas – Conduct research and present findings 17 EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test Prior Ohio Achievement Test Example: Read the writing prompt below and complete the writing activity: Jump out of bed! Look out the window! It is a perfect weather day! Write a story about a day when the weather seemed perfect. Students demonstrate writing and creative thinking skills. 18 EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test New Ohio State Assessment Example: You have read two texts about famous people in American history who solved a problem by working to make a change. • Write an article for your school newspaper describing how Eliza and Carver faced challenges to change something in America. • In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they tried worked and others did not work. • Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how they were different. Students demonstrate comprehension, writing skills, and ability to analyze and think critically about problems and solutions. 19 Ways to Support Your Student How Will Students Prepare at School? Prep at school looks like: • Teaching in a way that probes students to think analytically about text and follow problem-solving methods to answer questions • Completing class and homework assignments and participating in class activities • Using technology in many ways to build basic skills needed for the test including typing, highlighting, underlining, scrolling, drag/drop, video start/stop, calculator, graphing, dropdown selection Less time dedicated to test prep means teachers can focus more on engaging lessons. How Can I Help Prepare at Home? You can: • Read books and articles together in different genres and difficulty levels • Call attention to everyday math examples, such as when cooking or shopping • Look at homework and ask students to explain how they got their answers • Pay close attention to the PARCC Prep questions in homework and talk about the way the questions are asked Assure your students that this is not a test they can study for – the work they do every day IS preparing them for the test. On Testing Days You can: • Ensure your students have a healthy breakfast and lunch • Encourage plenty of rest for a few days prior to the test • Remind them that they’ve been preparing all year • Tell them to focus on doing their best on every question • Give a note expressing your love, pride and encouragement • Volunteer at the school, if possible • Give them something to look forward to at the end of the day – a movie, a treat, a special meal CELEBRATE the achievement of completion – this is a big milestone! After the Tests How Do I Interpret My Student’s Results? Don’t compare the old tests with the new tests – it is like comparing apples to oranges. Consider 2015 a new baseline – a measuring stick to start tracking student progress from this point forward. 25 How Will Scores be Used? Test results will help schools to: • Make instructional decisions • Determine individual needs of students: Extra support? More challenging work? Recommendations for future classes? • Advocate to district or state leaders for needed resources at the school In Ohio, test results for ELA/Math will not impact GPA, school ranking or college acceptance. 26 Resources for More Information 27 Where Can I Find More Info? Great Web Sites • PARCC Practice Tests: Reading, Writing, Math • Tutorials http://parcc.pearson.com/tutorial/ • Practice Tests http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/ • PARCC Info: www.parcconline.org • Ohio Computer Based Assessments: Science and Social Studies http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba/resources/?section=1-student-practice-resources • Parent Friendly Information: BeALearningHero.org and Facebook.com/bealearninghero • Ohio Department of Education: http://education.ohio.gov/ • Ohio State PTA: www.ohioPTA.org www.PTA.org/CommonCore 28 Ohio’s New State Assessments: Questions?