1. PARCC Assessments Massachusetts School Superintendents Association May 23, 2013 1

2. Steve Chrostowski – PARCC Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeff Nellhaus – Director of PARCC Policy, Research and Design, Achieve, Inc., Washington, DC Presenters 2

3. 1.Background about PARCC 2.Design of assessment system 3.Focus of the content of the assessments 4.2015 operational tests 5.2014 field tests 6.Suggestions for getting ready PARCC -- Today’s topics 3

4. What Is PARCC? The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers:  Made up of 21 states  Developing common, high-quality math and ELA/literacy tests for grades 3–11  Based on the Common Core State Standards  Computer-delivered  For use starting in the 2014–15 school year 4

5. PARCC - Member States 5

6. 1.Measure the extent to which students are mastering the full range of the Common Core State Standards 2.Provide educators with data throughout the year to inform instruction 3.Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or on- track 4.Measure the full range of student performance, including that of high- and low-achieving students 5.Use technology to deliver the tests, engage students, assess hard to measure standards, increase access for students with disabilities and English learners 6.Be affordable and sustainable PARCC’s Top Priorities 6

7. Summative Assessments – Performance-based (PBA) component – End-of Year (EOY) component – Speaking and Listening component Optional Assessments – Diagnostic – Mid-year assessment (MYA) 7 Overall Design of the PARCC Assessment System

8. Summative Assessment Components 8 Performance- Based Assessment End-of-Year Assessment  After 90 percent of the school year  Short-answer items  ELA/literacy: Reading comprehension  Math: Concepts, skills, and fluency (grades 3-6)  After 75 percent of the school year  Short and extended tasks  ELA/literacy: Writing effectively when analyzing sources  Math: Solving multistep problems with an emphasis on the mathematical standards for practice: reasoning and modeling Beginning of School Year End of School Year Results of both the PBA and EOY will be combined to generate a student’s overall score (performance level)

9. Optional Assessments 9 Diagnostic Assessment Mid-Year Assessment Flexible administration  Design will be similar to required Performance-Based Assessment  Could serve as a benchmark or interim assessment  Computer-based  Target grades 2-8 in reading, writing, and mathematics  Determine students’ learning needs in order to tailor instruction Beginning of School Year End of School Year

10. PARCC Assessment System ELA/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3–11 10 Beginning of School Year End of School Year Diagnostic Assessment Mid-Year Assessment Performance- Based Assessment End-of-Year Assessment Speaking and Listening Assessment OptionalRequired Key: Flexible administration

11. Content Focus of PARCC Assessments 11 ELA/Literacy Read and comprehend literary and informational texts independently Write effectively to sources Math Demonstrate conceptual understanding and fluency Reason mathematically Model real-world problems

12. At each grade level include three tasks – Research Simulation Task – Literature Analysis Task – Narrative Writing Task Each task will require students to – Read one or more passages, one of which may be a multi- media stimulus (e.g. video) – Answer short answer reading comprehension questions, and – Write an extended response to a prompt that requires the student to draw evidence from the passage(s) to support their response 12 ELA/Literacy: Performance-Based Assessments

13. 13 Narrative Writing Task (Grade 6): Excerpt from Julie of the Wolves By Jean Craighead George

14. ELA/Literacy: Grade 6 Evidence-Based Selected Response Item 14

15. ELA/Literacy: Grade 6 Another “technology enabled” EBSR 15

16. ELA/Literacy: Grade 6 Sample Item 16 Grade 6 Narrative Writing Task In the passage, the author developed a strong character named Miyax. Think about Miyax and the details the author used to create that character. The passage ends with Miyax waiting for the black wolf to look at her. Write an original story to continue where the passage ended. In your story, be sure to use what you have learned about the character Miyax as you tell what happens to her next.

17. Math: Grade 3 Sample Item 17 Unlike traditional multiple choice, it is difficult to guess the correct answer or use a choice elimination strategy and there is more than one correct solution. Unlike paper and pencil tests, students can create a visual representation even though the task is scored automatically.

18. Math: Grade 3 Sample Item 18

19. Math: High School Sample Item 19  Students have to recognize the nature of the equation to know how to solve (addresses mathematical practice of observing structure)  Technology prevents guessing and working backward

20. Number of Sessions – Performance-Based Assessments o ELA/Literacy3 sessions o Math2 sessions – End-of-Year Assessments o ELA/Literacy2 sessions o Math2 sessions Testing Time o Depending on grade level, a total of 8.5 to 10 hours plus a fixed amount of additional time allowed for each session for students who need it Testing Windows – 2 windows: PBA early spring, EOY later in the spring – Each window will be a maximum of 20 days long, but most schools should be able to administer the tests in many fewer days Operational Tests in 2014-2015 20

21. Purpose – Generate the information on individual items needed to build roughly equivalent operational test forms – Provide districts and schools with an opportunity to learn about their capacity to administer computer-based assessments Participation – Sample of schools in each state – Sample of classroom(s) within each selected school Design – Most students will take only one component in one content area Schedule – PBA: March/Early April EOY: April/Early May Practice Testlets – Will be available next year to ensure that all educators and students can become familiar with item types, technology enabled questions, and embedded supports 2014 Field Test 21

22. Available Now on PARCC Website – Model Content Frameworks – Sample Items and Tasks – Draft Accommodations Policies for SWDs and ELs – Draft Performance Level Descriptors (Five Levels) – Test Blueprints and Evidence Statements – Minimum Device and Bandwidth Specifications – Assessment Administration Capacity Planning Tool Coming Soon – Additional Sample Items – Participation and Scheduling Information for 2014 Field Tests (August) – Scheduling Information for 2015 Operational Tests – Online Tutorial for Taking Computer-Based Tests – Practice Testlets Getting Ready 22

23. Want to know if your schools have enough computers and bandwidth to administer PARCC’s computer-based assessments? – Go to www.parcconline.org/technologywww.parcconline.org/technology – Download the assessment administration planning tool – Enter the following information o The school’s enrollment by grade level o The school’s connection speed to the internet o Information about usage of the internet in the school that will occur concurrent with the administration of the assessments o The number of days in which you would like to complete testing – Based on the aforementioned information, the tool will calculate the number of computers and bandwidth you need PARCC Assessment Administration Capacity Planning Tool 23

24. 24 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers On the Web: http://parcconline.org http://parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes On Twitter: @PARCCplace @EducatorLeader