Assessment and Accountability: Update with the California Department of Education

1. Assessment and Accountability: Update with the California Department of Education March 17, 2014Diane Hernandez, DirectorAssessment Development and Administration DivisionKeric Ashley, DirectorAnalysis, Measurement and Accountability Reporting Division

2. Assembly Bill 484: California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress • Assembly Bill (AB) 484 establishes the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP); through regulation, the name changes to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). • CAASPP replaces the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. • AB 484 outlines assessments in CAASPP, some of which were used previously in STAR.

3. AB 484: Required Assessments for the 2013–14 School Year • Smarter Balanced Field Test for English language–arts (ELA) and mathematics: – Grades 3–8: All students participate. – Grades 9 and 10: Only students selected for the scientific sample participate. – Grade 11: Students selected for the scientific sample participate. All others are encouraged to participate. • Science in grades 5,8, and 10 • CST • CMA • California Alternate Performance Assessment(CAPA) • CAPA for Enlishlanguage–arts and mathematics in grades 2–11

4. AB 484: Optional Assessmentsfor the 2013–14 School Year • Early Assessment Program (EAP) in grade 11: – EAP will be voluntary for students, as it has been in previous years. – All grade 11 students have the option to participate in the EAP. – Scores will be produced for individuals only; no school-, district-, or state-level scores from EAP assessments will be produced. • Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS) for Reading/Language Arts in grades 2 through 11: – STS will be voluntary for local educational agencies (LEAs) to administer to English learners. – LEAs will receive apportionment for STS assessments.

5. Smarter Balanced Assessment System Summative assessments benchmarked to college and career readiness Teachers and schools have information and tools they need to improve teaching and learning Common Core State Standards specify K–12 expectations for college and career readiness All students leave high school ready for college and career Formative assessment tools and practices for teachers to improve instruction Interim assessments flexible, open, used for actionable feedback

6. Benefits of Participation in the Smarter Balanced Field Test • Students: will have hands-on experience with the functionality of a computer-based assessment • Teachers and administrators: willgain valuable exposure to administration logistics during a trial run • LEAs: will benefit from knowing where technology gaps may exist so they can fully prepare for operational assessments

7. Smarter Balanced Field Test • The Field Test will be administered March 18 through June 6, 2014. • On March 14, 2014, LEAs in window 1 were informed that their window would be adjusted; begins March 25. • Each school has been assigned a six-week window and can conduct testing anytime within that assigned window. • Field Test window assignments are available at http://www.startest.org/FT-windows2014.html. • Field Test will be computer-based only; no paper-and-pencil version will be available. • No results will be reported.

8. Smarter Balanced Field Test Components • Ninety-five percent of students will take a sample of items from both ELA and mathematics. • The remaining 5 percent of students will take a sample of items in either ELA or mathematics. • All students will complete one performance task in one content area, either ELA or mathematics. • The performance task will be preceded by a classroom activity. • The performance task and classroom activity will be made available to LEAs around March 10, and will be by school by grade level.

9. Smarter BalancedUsability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines

10. Smarter BalancedUsability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines (cont.) • Universal tools, available to all students. Examples include spell-check, highlighter, embedded ruler, strikethrough, and English dictionary. 2. Designated supports, available to identified students, including English learners, struggling readers, and students with attention deficits. Examples include color-contrast text, the blocking of distracting content, stacked translations and bilingual dictionary.

11. Smarter BalancedUsability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines (cont.) • Accommodations, available to students with an individualized education program or a 504 plan that specifies the need for such an accommodation. Examples include closed captioning, Braille, calculator, and scribe. The Guidelines are available on the CDE Smarter Balanced Accessibility and Accommodations Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/access.asp

12. Matrix One: Universal Tools, Designated Supports, and Accommodations for the California Assessment of Academic Performance and Progress • A new matrix that describes the universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations available for the CAASPP assessments is now available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ai/.

13. CAASPP Accessibility Support Request Form • The CAASPP Accessibility Support Request Form is now available at http://californiatac.org/administration/forms/. • Local educational agency CAASPP coordinators can submit this form to the CDE when they determine that a student needs to use a support that he or she regularly uses in the classroom but that is not listed on the matrix.

14. CAASPP Accessibility Support Request Form (cont.) • The request must be submitted at least ten business days prior to the student’s first day of CAASPP testing. • More information in the 2014 LEA and Test Site Coordinator Manual for the Spring 2014 Administration that is available at http://californiatac.org/administration/instructions/index.html.

15. California Online Field Test Administration Manual • The California Online Field Test Administration Manual contains instructions on test administration procedures specifically for California LEA testing coordinators, test site coordinators, and test administrators. • The manual is available at http://sbac.portal.airast.org/ca/field-test-ca/resources/.

16. ResourcesSmarter BalancedPractice Tests and Training Tests • Practice Tests • Provide students with grade-specific testing experience similar in format and structure to the Smarter Balanced Field Test, including available supports. • Training Tests • Allow teachers and students to experience the features, functionality, and item types in computer-based testing. • A training test is available for each of three grade bands (3–5, 6–8, and high school) and contains approximately 6–9 items per band, per content area. Note: Smarter Balanced Practice Tests and Training Tests are available at http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/.

17. Resources (cont.)Smarter Balanced Field TestTraining Modules • New training modules are available on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Field Test portal at http://sbac.portal.airast.org/ca/field-test-ca/resources/. • Ten videos (6 to 55 minutes in length) are available that provide information on a variety of topics, including: – Accessibility and Accommodations – Smarter Balanced Test Administration Overview – Technology Requirements for Online Testing

18. AB 484: Required Assessments for the 2014–15 School Year • Operational Smarter Balanced Assessments for ELA and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and 11. • Smarter Balanced Assessments for grade 11 will be used for purposes of the EAP. • CST and CMA for science in grades 5, 8, and 10 will be administered until new science assessments based on the Next Generation Science Standards are developed. • CAPA for ELA and mathematics in grades 2 through 11 and for science in grades 5, 8 and 10 will be administered until new alternate assessments are developed.

19. Smarter Balanced Summative Windows for the 2014–15 School Year • Window was approved by governing states on September 10, 2013. • In grades 3–8: – Sixty-six percent of school’s instructional days must be completed before testing can begin. • In grade 11: – Eighty percent of a school’s annual instructional days must be completed before testing can begin.

20. 2014-15 and BeyondFuture Assessments • AB 484 requires the SSPI to bring a comprehensive plan to the SBE regarding assessments in other content areas and grades by March 2016. • AB 484 also requires the SSPI to develop, and the SBE to adopt, a new primary language assessment by the 2016–17 school year.

21. California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) • Assembly Bill 1705 extended exemption to eligible students with disabilities to July 1, 2015 • The SBE may further extend the date by one year. • Assembly Bill 250 assessment requirements • SSPI Report: Transitioning California to a Future Assessment System • Assembly Bill 484 • HumRRO Biennial Report

22. State Assessment Support California Technical Assistance Center (CALTAC) http://californiatac.org/ 800-955-2954 CAASPP Office caaspp@cde.ca.gov 916-445-8765 CDE redesigned Smarter Balanced Field Test Web page http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/smarterfieldtest.asp.

23. Accountability and Special Education • LCFF reduced the Academic Performance Index (API) significant student group size to 30 students • The State Board of Education (SBE) approved the same student group size of 30 students for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) 23

24. Accountability and Special Education (Cont.) • The Smarter Balanced Assessment System incorporates universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations, which will meet the needs of special education students. Therefore, the ELA and mathematics CMAs are no longer needed. 24

25. Accountability and Special Education (Cont.) • There are approximately 10 accommodations that will change the construct of the test and will impact accountability – meaning a score is produced for the student, but wouldn’t be used in a school’s accountability 25

26. AB 484: Test Results and Accountability • No assessment results available from the field test – prohibits use for accountability • Restricts comparison of scores from California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) to Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program

27. Status of AYP • 2013 - AYP reports released • 2014 - AYP reports for high schools will continue since grade 10 CAHSEE and CAPA and graduation rates are used to make AYP determinations • The U.S. Department of Education (ED) approved a California waiver that would suspend AYP reports for elementary and middle schools for 2014 5

28. Status of AYP (Cont.) • 2013 AYP determinations for elementary and middle schools carry over to 2014 • Program Improvement (PI) status freezes in place for elementary and middle schools • Elementary and middle schools do not advance or exit from PI; no new schools would be identified as PI in 2014 6

29. Status of API • 2013 – Growth API released (The Base API will not be calculated) • 2014 – Growth and Base APIs will not be calculated – approved by SBE • 2015 – No Growth API will be calculated, but a baseline will be established with the Base API using the new CAASPP results – approved by SBE • 2016 – The first Base to Growth comparison using CAASPP results will be reported 7

30. New Indicators for the API • The Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) Advisory Committee has completed a graduation data methodology – still needs SBE approval • PSAA is currently working on a recommendation for a college/career indicator 30

31. Graduation Data Indicator • The SSPI supports the PSAA Advisory Committee’s recommended methodology which awards points for: • On-time graduates • Certificates of completion • GED completers 9

32. Graduation Data Indicator (Cont.) • Additional points for on-time graduates within disadvantaged student groups (English learners, students with disabilities, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and foster youth). • Still pending SBE approval 10

33. College/Career Indicator • The PSAA Advisory Committee approved a methodology that would use multiple ways for students to contribute to a school’s API through various college and career measures toward a single indicator of success • Details of the multiple measures are under discussion 33

34. Accountability Contact Information • Data Reporting Office Randy Bonnell, Administrator rbonnell@cde.ca.gov • Academic Accountability Unit Jenny Singh, Administrator jsingh@cde.ca.gov • Data Visualization and Reporting Office Michelle Center, Administrator, mcenter@cde.ca.gov 12