Smarter Balanced assessments Parent Information Sessions April 6, 2015 Darien Public Library Community Room

Welcome and Introductions Part 1: How did we get here? Connecticut Core Standards New assessment to measure progress: online, adaptive, and field tested Key instructional shifts - Darien Public Schools Part 2: What do the assessments look like? (Use your own device) Exploration of the CSDE Smarter Balanced portal and resources for parents Exploration of test items and question types - What do they look like? How are they different from traditional tests? Part 3: What results can we expect? What information will parents receive? Information to inform curriculum and instruction Information to inform professional learning and development Information to parents on their child’s performance against new standards deemed necessary for success in college and career Part 4: School-based test administration update & questions Parent Information Sessions: Smarter Balanced

Connecticut Core Standards and Smarter Balanced assessments In Connecticut, our roadmap to Common Core State Standards (CCSS), referred to as Connecticut Core Standards, sets learning expectations for what students should learn and be able to do at each grade level so that by the time they graduate from high school, they are prepared to succeed in college and careers. With these new learning expectations, Connecticut needs new ways to measure student progress. This year, the Smarter Balanced assessments will replace our old statewide tests, the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), in English/Language Arts and math. New standards. New tests. New scores.

Smarter Balanced assessments The Connecticut Core Standards focus on critical thinking and problem-solving—the skills students need to be successful in college and careers. The Smarter Balanced assessments will be administered on computers and are designed to measure these skills through reading comprehension, writing, and math questions that require students to demonstrate that they truly understand the content.

Connecticut Core Standards: Key Instructional Shifts for ELA English/ Language Arts 1)Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language Rather than focusing solely on the skills of reading and writing, the ELA/literacy standards highlight the growing complexity of the texts students must read to be ready for the demands of college, career, and life. The standards call for a staircase of increasing complexity so that all students are ready for the demands of college- and career-level reading no later than the end of high school. 2) Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational The Common Core emphasizes using evidence from texts to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. Rather than asking students questions they can answer solely from their prior knowledge and experience, the standards call for students to answer questions that depend on their having read the texts with care. 3) Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Students must be immersed in information about the world around them if they are to develop the strong general knowledge and vocabulary they need to become successful readers and be prepared for college, career, and life. Informational texts play an important part in building students’ content knowledge. Further, it is vital for students to have extensive opportunities to build knowledge through texts so they can learn independently.

Connecticut Core Standards: Key Instructional Shifts for Math 1)Greater focus on fewer topics Rather than racing to cover many topics in a mile-wide, inch-deep curriculum, the standards ask math teachers to significantly narrow and deepen the way time and energy are spent in the classroom. This means focusing deeply on the major work of each grade as follows: ● In grades K–2: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction ● In grades 3–5: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions ● In grade 6: Ratios and proportional relationships, and early algebraic expressions and equations ● In grade 7: Ratios and proportional relationships, and arithmetic of rational numbers ● In grade 8: Linear algebra and linear functions This focus will help students gain strong foundations, including a solid understanding of concepts, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the classroom.

Connecticut Core Standards: Key Instructional Shifts for Math 2) Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades Mathematics is not a list of disconnected topics, tricks, or mnemonics; it is a coherent body of knowledge made up of interconnected concepts. Therefore, the standards are designed around coherent progressions from grade to grade. Learning is carefully connected across grades so that students can build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years. For example, in 4th grade, students must “apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number” (Standard 4.NF.4). This extends to 5th grade, when students are expected to build on that skill to “apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction” (Standard 5.NF.4). Each standard is not a new event, but an extension of previous learning. Coherence is also built into the standards in how they reinforce a major topic in a grade by utilizing supporting, complementary topics. For example, instead of presenting the topic of data displays as an end in itself, the topic is used to support grade-level word problems in which students apply mathematical skills to solve problems.

Connecticut Core Standards: Key Instructional Shifts for Math 3) Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity Rigor refers to deep, authentic command of mathematical concepts, not making math harder or introducing topics at earlier grades. To help students meet the standards, educators will need to pursue, with equal intensity, three aspects of rigor in the major work of each grade: conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application. Conceptual understanding: The standards call for conceptual understanding of key concepts, such as place value and ratios. Students must be able to access concepts from a number of perspectives in order to see math as more than a set of mnemonics or discrete procedures. Procedural skills and fluency: The standards call for speed and accuracy in calculation. Students must practice core functions, such as single-digit multiplication, in order to have access to more complex concepts and procedures. Fluency must be addressed in the classroom or through supporting materials, as some students might require more practice than others. Application: The standards call for students to use math in situations that require mathematical knowledge. Correctly applying mathematical knowledge depends on students having a solid conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.

Smarter Balanced assessments How did we get here? Timeline: Jan Connecticut adopts Common Core State Standards Connecticut joins the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) - SBAC is a service provided by the University of California, Los Angeles, governed and funded by 21 member states/ territories - * Surrounding states of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts join Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) - Both SBAC and PARCC have ELA and math assessments aligned with the Common Core - Key difference is that SBAC assessments are adaptive SBAC develops an online adaptive assessment tool aligned with Common Core Fall 2013/Winter In Darien, decision made to participate in the Smarter Balanced Field Test in lieu of the paper-and-pencil Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) Spring In Darien, Field Test is conducted (*SBAC provides generalized feedback) Spring Full implementation of Smarter Balanced assessments (replaces CMT & CAPT for Reading, Writing, and Math) *Science CMT and CAPT remain

Field Test Feedback “The development of this assessment system by a newly formed consortium of 21 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands was a herculean effort that, as evidenced by the Field Test survey results from 13 participating states, was implemented extremely well. Five themes from these survey results can help inform those state and district plans. 1. States need to customize the Test Administrator Manual and Training Modules based on their implementation choices and get those materials out to districts as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for thorough preparation, training of test proctors, and testing of the technology infrastructure at the district and school levels. 2. Schools and districts need to continue to update their technology infrastructure and ensure sufficient Internet connectivity/bandwidth in all locations that will be used for testing. 3. Students with weak keyboarding or word processing skills need opportunities to strengthen them, whether in or out of school. 4. In order to give students the full benefit of the untimed nature of these assessments and the optional breaks, schools will need to thoughtfully develop their test administration schedules. 5. Students should have an opportunity to try out the test so that the final results describe students’ knowledge and skill rather than their familiarity with the test format. Teachers have several resources available to help students become familiar with the format of the test, including a practice test, training test, and the optional interim assessments.” excerpt from Smarter Balanced “Tests of the Test” Successful: Field Test Provides Clear Path Forward, October 2014

Field Test feedback “Another theme from the survey results warrants mentioning, even though it is not related to the Field Test itself. It is clear from the responses of both teachers and students that, at least in some states, efforts to help teachers align instruction with the Common Core State Standards need to be significantly intensified, particularly in the upper grades. Students cannot be expected to perform well if the tests address skills and knowledge that they have not yet been taught.” excerpt from Smarter Balanced “Tests of the Test” Successful: Field Test Provides Clear Path Forward, October 2014

Let’s explore: Student Training Tests What do the assessments look like? Use your own device (or watch) Training Test - short (6-8 items), used on Orientation Day Notice: Online tools and accessibility features (*currently available on all our chromebooks to allow for practice and exploration all year) Different approaches to asking questions and answering (listen, look at charts & graphs, read multiple texts) All answers (ELA) are right. Students will need to rank, evaluate evidence and decide which ones are more right *The training test is not adaptive. Go on and check it out:

Results What results can we expect? What information will parents receive? Timeline (Connecticut State Department of Education): July Reports to districts for review August/September - Individual reports to parents New Assessment Vocabulary: Claims: What students should be able to do in Math and ELA Achievement level: Above standard, At/Near Standard, Below Standard Error band: The range in which the student performs [ ] Scales: Up to 2,400 Reports and Results Overview (4 min.):

Student Performance Year 1 What can we expect? New scores In the beginning, fewer students may score at higher levels as compared to historical CMT and CAPT results This does not mean that students are learning less. Rather, it reflects that a new baseline is being set. Early adoption states Based on the analysis of states that transitioned to new tests early, scores will steadily improve as students and teachers gain more experience and align the work of the classroom to the new state standards

Smarter Balanced assessment results How will this information be used? Analysis of district-wide student performance relative to new standards to inform instruction, professional development, and curriculum Analysis of Darien’s progress relative to like districts across the state Drive important conversations

School-based administration Test administration Update Questions & Answer session

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