1. Margaret Pupillo, Area Superintendent
Informed Parent Session
Presented by the NWLC T
Providing parents the key to understanding assessment
Margaret Pupillo, Area Superintendent
Susan Baker, STEM Kimberly Jenks, Exceptional Child Errol Dice, Behavior Audra Wheeler, Professional Learning
LaKenji Hastings, Assessment Hannah Zey, Humanities

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Desired Outcomes:
Educate about Fulton County Schools’ vision of balanced assessment
Enlighten parents on the shift to the Georgia Milestones Assessment System
Equip parents with knowledge about the resources being used to assist students in meeting learning goals

3. FCS Assessment Resources Four Key Understandings to Unlock
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Balanced Assessment
Instructional Shifts
Assessment Shifts
(GMAS)
FCS Assessment Resources
Four Key Understandings to Unlock

4. Balanced Assessment Why do we assess? -To support learning
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Balanced Assessment
-To plan learning
-To support learning
-To monitor learning
-To verify learning
Why do we assess?

5. Balance is KEY to Growth
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Diagnostic
Formative
Mid-unit
Plan and individualize instruction by determining student prior knowledge
Monitor learning and evaluate instructional effectiveness; Feedback
High quality, practice assessment for instructional decision making 4 5 6
Formative
Summative
Reteach/Recovery
Monitor learning and evaluate instructional effectiveness; Feedback
Used to verify learning and quality of instruction; can be formative as well
. Assessment given to measure growth after re-teaching and remediation
Balance is KEY to Growth

6. Fulton County Balanced Assessment Plan (K-5):
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Fulton County Balanced Assessment Plan (K-5):
State Required:
-GKIDS -Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)
-Georgia Milestones EOG -GA Alternate Assessment
-ACCESS (ELLs)
System Level:
-Diagnostic Placement
-ITBS
-STAR
Balanced Assessment Resources:
-Math Pre-Unit Assessments -Writescore
-Math Unit Assessments -DRA2
-ELA Performance Assessments -Fountas & Pinnell BAS
-Item Bank Questions -GMAS Diagnostics

7. Achievement vs. Growth Achievement Growth
One time snapshot of student performance
Looks at the collective performance
Summative
Example:
97% of 3rd Grade students passed the reading CRCT.
Look at student performance over time
Better inform students, parents and teachers of student strengths and lesser strengths
Example:
Kevin showed an 35% increase in his ability comprehend informational text.

8. Key ELA/Literacy Shifts Common Core Instructional Shifts
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Key ELA/Literacy Shifts
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts
Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text
Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary
Common Core Instructional Shifts

9. Common Core Instructional Shifts
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Key Mathematic Shifts
Greater focus on fewer topics
Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades
Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity
Common Core Instructional Shifts

11. Georgia Milestones Coherent
-Consistent expectations regarding rigor and student preparedness within grades and courses and with external measures
Comprehensive
-Single program across the subjects and grades
Consolidate
-Reading, language arts, and writing into one assessment
Source – GA DOE
Guiding principles stipulate that Georgia Milestones:
be sufficiently challenging to ensure Georgia students are well positioned to compete with other students across the United States and internationally;
be intentionally designed across grade levels to send a clear signal of student progress/growth and preparedness for the next level, be it the next grade level, course, or college or career;
be accessible to all students, including those with disabilities or limited English proficiency, at all achievement levels;
support and inform educator effectiveness initiatives, ensuring items and forms are appropriately sensitive to quality instructional practices; and
accelerate the transition to online administration, allowing – over time – for the inclusion of innovative technology-enhanced items.
Coherent
consistent expectations and rigor to position Georgia students to compete with peers nationally and internationally
consistent signal about student preparedness for the next level, be it the next grade, course, or college/career
consistent signal about student achievement both within system (across grades and courses) and with external measures (NAEP; PSAT; SAT; ACT)
Comprehensive
single program, not series of tests (e.g., CRCT; EOCT; WA); formative assessment tools to compliment summative
Consolidate
combine reading, language arts, and writing into a single measure to align to the standards
be sufficiently rigorous to ensure Georgia students are well positioned to compete with other students across the United States and internationally;

12. Coherent Information through Rigorous Assessments
GMAS
(EOG&EOC)
NAEP
ITBS
SAT
ACT

13. Comprehensive Grades 3 – 8
End of Grade (EOG) in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies
Source – GA DOE

14. Consolidated Consolidation of English Language Arts
English Language Arts and reading will be combined and a writing component added for every grade level and course within the ELA assessment
One overall ELA score and proficiency designation
Reporting categories below the overall content area will be reported similar to the domains on the CRCT
Cannot make proficiency claims at the lower level reporting categories

15. Georgia Milestones Transition to Online Starts this school year
Online administration will be the primary mode of administration for Georgia Milestones for all grades
Year 1: minimum of 30% online
Year 3: minimum of 80% online
Year 5: minimum of 100% online
EVERY School will participate in online testing this school year
Paper/pencil versions will be available for the small number of students who cannot interact with computer due to their disability. Braille forms will be available.
Source – GA DOE
Paper/pencil versions will be available for the small number of students who cannot interact with computer due to their disability. Braille forms will be available.

17. FCS Spring EOG Test Schedule (Students will not test for 11 days.)

18. Georgia Milestones KEY Things to note….
First year results will be delayed until fall of due to standard setting
The State Board has waived through July 2015:
Promotion, Placement, and Retention sections (3)(a), (3)(b), (3)(c)
Statewide Passing Score sections (2)(d), (2)(e), (2)(f)
Assessment development is a process, not an event
as such, some components may need to be rolled- out in stages
Georgia is transitioning from a set of long-standing, mature programs
districts, schools, students, parents, and the public are familiar with and know what to expect
This transition provides Georgia with an opportunity
however, as with any change, there will be periods of uncertainty and discomfort

19. Georgia Milestones KEY Things to note….
While the state board has waived student accountability this first year, it has not waived implementation of the EOG or EOC
Students will receive results that will be included in their permanent record in the fall of 2015
Assessment development is a process, not an event
as such, some components may need to be rolled- out in stages
Georgia is transitioning from a set of long-standing, mature programs
districts, schools, students, parents, and the public are familiar with and know what to expect
This transition provides Georgia with an opportunity
however, as with any change, there will be periods of uncertainty and discomfort

20. Georgia Milestones Unique Features

21. Blended: Criterion-Referenced & Norm-Referenced
Designed to rate and rank test takers in relation to others
Generally reported as percentages
Did students learn a specific body of knowledge
Meet a set cut score to determine proficiency
Source – GA DOE
Note: To provide norm-referenced information, some norm-referenced items may not align to Georgia’s content standards. Only aligned NRT items will contribute to proficiency designations
Note: To provide norm-referenced information, some norm-referenced items may not align to Georgia’s content standards. Only aligned NRT items will contribute to proficiency designations.
Will not provide the level of detail that the ITBS or other NRT provides due to the limited number of items. Will provide subject scores.

22. Georgia Milestones
Georgia Milestones is primarily a criterion- referenced test, reflecting the content standards for each grade and course
teachers should teach the Georgia state-adopted content standards and not to the NRT standards
All accountability uses of the test results – for both students and educators – will be based on the criterion-referenced scores and proficiency determinations

23. Key to Understanding Changes in Special Education Test Parameters

24. Common Accommodations
Online Only
Read Aloud
IEP Team cannot decide on human reader
Small group not required
If any portion of the test is read aloud, the entire test for that student will be administered online. There is no way to have one subtest administered online and other subtests in the paper version.

25. Needs Careful Consideration
Paper & Online version
Scribe
Should be used infrequently
Many specific requirements for use of this accommodation
Constructed responses are a new type of response on the GA Milestones. Constructed response is the same thing as short answer. Students will be required to respond to questions by writing or typing sentences or short paragraphs to answer questions.
The scribe accommodation is a standard accommodation. However, the GADOE has many very specific requirements around the use of this accommodation. This accommodation is designed for students who have significant motor or cognitive challenges and use a scribe on a regular basis. This is not an accommodation to be used for students who may write below grade level expectations.
Remember, if this accommodation is utilized, the student must be using this as a regular instructional accommodation in the classroom. Additionally, specific guidelines set by the state must be followed exactly.

26. Accommodations Cycle
Select Accommodations
Use/Practice accommodations in classroom
Evaluate use and effectiveness of accommodations
To summarize, All students with disabilities are entitled to the appropriate accommodations that allow them to fully participate in state- and district-wide testing. The student’s IEP team selects the accommodations for both instruction and assessments. Accommodations should be chosen on the basis of the individual student’s needs, not on the basis of the disability category, grade level or instructional setting. Once selected, accommodations should be used consistently for instruction and assessment. Each teacher and others responsible for the implementation of the accommodations must be informed of the specific accommodations that must be provided.
The consideration and selection of assessment accommodations is a critical function of the IEP team. IEP team members, including parents, must engage in a thoughtful process that determines the necessary accommodations to facilitate the student’s access to grade level instruction and full participation in state/district assessments.

27. Online Tools for ALL Students
Blocking Tool
Eraser
Highlighter
Magnifying Glass
Mark for Review
Online Calculator – if allowable
Option Eliminator
Scratch Pad
Test Pause
Since online versions of GA Milestones will be used for students. This slide shows online tools that are available for all students.
Source – GA DOE
Paper/pencil versions will be available for the small number of students who cannot interact with computer due to their disability. Braille forms will be available.

28. Experience Online Testing in Georgia
Use the following link to access the site:   Note that no login is required.  All you need to do to access a test is to click on the login button to begin your experience.

29. What’s different about GMAS?

30. Item Types Selected-Response [aka, multiple-choice] all content areas
evidence-based selected response in ELA
Constructed-Response
ELA and mathematics
Extended-Response
Technology Enhanced
to begin in
Constructed response is a general term for assessment items that require the student to generate a response as opposed to selecting a response. Extended-response items require more elaborate answers and explanations of reasoning. They allow for multiple correct answers and/or varying methods of arriving at the correct answer. Writing prompts and performance tasks are examples of extended-response items.

31. General Test Parameters
Georgia Milestones
General Test Parameters
ELA - 3 sections, 1 of which will focus mainly on writing
Mathematics, Science and Social Studies will consist of 2 sections
Each section will be approximately 70 minutes.

32. Writing at Every Grade Level
Georgia Milestones
Writing at Every Grade Level
All students will encounter a constructed-response item allowing for narrative prose, in response to text, within the 1st or 2nd test section.
Writing prompts will be informative/explanatory or opinion/argumentative depending on the grade level. Students could encounter either genre.

33. Georgia Milestones ELA Criterion-Referenced Breakdown by Item Type:
Total Number of Items: 44 / Total Number of Points: 55
Breakdown by Item Type:
40 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT)
2 Constructed Response (2 points each)
1 Constructed Response (worth 4 points)
1 Extended Response (worth 7 points)
Norm-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test
Total field test items: 6
Source GA DOE
Total number of items taken by each student: 60

34. Sample ELA GMAS Items Fourth Grade Seventh Grade Am. Literature
What is the theme of the story, The Great Surprise, and how does the author reveal this theme? Use details from the story to support your answer.
What are two central ideas that can be found in BOTH “Animal Roles and Relationships” and “Unusual
Animal Friendships”? Use details from BOTH articles to support your answer.
The author claims that Dickey’s career as a poet declined after the success of his novel Deliverance.
How does the author develop this claim? Use details from the text to support your answer.
Source GA DOE

35. Georgia Milestones Mathematics Criterion-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 53 / Total Number of Points: 58
Breakdown by Item Type:
50 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT)
2 Constructed Response (worth 2 points each)
1 Constructed Response (worth 4 points)
Norm-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test
Total field test items: 10
Total number of items taken by each student: 73

36. Constructed Response >
George and Ana each had a 12-inch pizza. Both pizzas were split into 8 equal pieces. The shaded pieces are the portion of their pizzas that George and Ana ate. Express in fractions how much pizza George and Ana ate. Use the symbol <, =, or > to show who ate more pizza.
George Ana
Source – GA DOE
Click to answer the item.
Click to transition to CR item.
George Ana
>
The content and presentation of these items are for illustrative purposes only.

37. Constructed Response George Ana 12 inches 9 inches George Carlos
George
Ana
12 inches
9 inches
George
Carlos
Source – GA DOE
Click to answer the item.
Click to transition to CR item.
12 inches
12 inches
The content and presentation of these items are for illustrative purposes only.

38. Georgia Milestones Science/Social Studies Criterion-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 55 / Total Number of Points: 55
Breakdown by Item Type:
55 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; approximately 10 of which are aligned NRT)
Norm-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 20 (approximately 10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test
Total field test items: 10
Total number of items taken by each student: 75

39. Key Resources Available To Support GA Students & Teachers
Source – GA DOE

40. State Resources Available
Content standards (GPS & CCGPS)
Sample items
formative items via Georgia FAR;
released items via PARCC, Smarter Balance, other states (KY, NY)
Lexiles
Source – GA DOE
Focus on teaching and learning – eliciting evidence of student learning during instruction and adjusting as needed.

41. State Resources Available NOW
CRCT Readiness Indicators
Formative Instructional Practices (FIP) professional learning modules
Aligns to TKES/LKES
NAEP Item Tool
Source – GA DOE
Focus on teaching and learning – eliciting evidence of student learning during instruction and adjusting as needed.
Indicators were designed to send a signal to stakeholders about where students are relative to where they need to be headed
Indicators provide feedback about our preparedness for the increase in rigor and expectation for student achievement that is on the horizon
Feedback consists of the percent of students who achieved each readiness level – state , district, and school levels – for instructional planning purposes

42. Resources Sample items specific to Georgia Milestones
Ancillary support resources, such as
Content Descriptions (test blueprints)
Student Study Guides
Technology Specifications
Accommodations Guidelines
Assessment for Learning Modules [types of items to elicit evidence of student learning]
Informational videos [parents & public / educators]
Source – GA DOE

43. What is Fulton County doing to support students and teachers?

44. Assessment Program Specialists
Carla Austin, CLC
LaKenji Hastings, NWLC
Orrie Henry, NELC
Heavenly Montgomery, SLC

45. FIP Implementation & Sustainability Assessment Leaders Cohort (ALC)
Adrienne – How often meeting, substitutes provided, focus of the meetings
Assessment Leaders Cohort (ALC) will focus on professional learning resources from Georgia’s Formative Instructional Practices (FIP) modules.
The purpose of the ALC is to secure a cohort of teachers who are able to build capacity within their schools on assessment related practices.
FIP is the median we will use to engage in deeper conversations related to instruction and assessments.

46. Thank you for being so attentive. Questions & Answers