Out with the Old, In with the New: NYS Assessments “Primer” Basics to Keep in Mind & Strategies to Enhance Student Achievement Maria Fallacaro, MORIC

Design of ELA Tests How they are the SAME: Assesses ELA Standards 1, 2, 3 Skills: Reading, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, test-taking ability Types of items: MC, listening selection, constructed response, extended response Length of tests comparable for grades 4/8 and 4, 6, & 8 “Item Response Theory” model – varying difficulties of all items known in advance of the administration of the test

How they are different: ELA 4/8: Assesses content/skills acquired by students through Grade 4/8 ELA 3-8: Assesses grade- level specific content/skills Skills also include error analysis Editing paragraph, 2 paired passages Shorter length for grades 3, 5, 7

Weight of Emphasis by ELA Standards Grade* ELA Standards Grade** %45% 1 33%36%43%36%39% 35% 2 47%44.5%36%44.5%39% 15%20% %21%19.5%22% * Multiple Choice items (28 out of possible 42/43 points available on test) ** Source: NYSED web site: Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics

Design of Math Tests How they are the SAME: Assesses MST Standard 3 Greater emphasis on procedural & conceptual knowledge than on problem solving Types of items: multiple choice & extended response Length of tests comparable for grades 4/8 and 4, 6, & 8 “Item Response Theory” model – varying difficulties of all items known in advance of the administration of the test

How they are different: Math 4/8: Assesses content/skills acquired by students through Grade 4/8 Assesses 7 math key ideas Math 3-8: Assesses grade- level specific content/skills Constructed response Assesses 5 math strands Shorter length for grades 3, 5, 7

Weight of Emphasis by Math Key Ideas ** Source: NYSED web site Key Idea48 Mathematical Reasoning10-15% Number & Numeration15-25%10-15% Operations20-25%15-20% Modeling/Multiple Representation 5-10%15-20% Measurement15-20%10-20% Uncertainty5-10% Patterns/Functions10-15%20-25%

Weight of Emphasis by Math Strands ** Source: NYSED web site: Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics Strand Number Sense & Operations 48%45%39%37%30%11% Algebra13%14%11%19%12%44% Geometry13%12%25%17%14%35% Measurement13%17%14%11%14%10% Probability & Statistics 13%12%11%16%30%0%

Design of Social Studies Tests Social Studies 5 Assesses Standards 1-5 K-4 Social Studies curriculum Most emphasis on: -US & NY History -Geography -Economics Social Studies 8 Assesses Standards Social Studies curriculum Most emphasis on: -US/NY History -Civics, Citizenship & Govt. (very distant 2 nd )

Assessment Basics: “Item Response Theory” Test items have unequal difficulties known in advance of the construction of the test which were determined through field testing Items discriminate between Levels 2, 3, and 4 students “Guessing” parameter

Assessment Basics: “Item Response Theory” “Basic Information” all students should know; items easily answered by Level 2 students “Mastery Information” difficult for all but higher Level 4 students

“Number-Correct” Scoring Used since 2002 assessments Considers only how many questions correctly answered Allows for conversion of raw scores to scale scores One point on a MC item = one point on a CR. Student scale scores are based on unweighted raw scores.

“Signal Words” Words and phrases which have appeared repeatedly on the NYS Assessments within the multiple choice and constructed response questions, as well as in the answer choices. Signal Words provide clues: -to what the question is specifically asking -identifying the skill being assessed -about the mental task necessary in order to select/construct a successful answer

“SIGNAL WORDS” from the NYS Assessments Best describes Compare First time Phrase Best characterizes Described Contrast Between Expresses According to the article Examine According to the author Reasonably conclude Next to Best shows Eventually Point of view Main theme If Symbol of What Summarize Conclude Think about Reflect upon ELA & Social Studies Effect Which fact Passage Least useful Mostly about Context Suggesting In order to

“SIGNAL WORDS” from the NYS Assessments Solve Lowest Ratio Probability Estimate How long Excerpt Function Form Measure Risk Chance Answer How Much Which Which step Smallest number According Maximum Expression Approximately Closest to Math, Science, & Technology How long What percent Relationships Which statement Which equation Which expression Which drawing Next number Average speed How many

“Signal Words” Activities for Teachers & Students Use a copy of last year’s assessment and highlight all the signal words you find in the questions and the answer choices. Identify how the signal words relate to the ELA or Social Studies Standards; or to the Math or Science Key Ideas. Investigate how individual signal words provide clues as to the specific type of problem or skill being tested. Use the item map for a specific assessment to identify other signal words that appear more than twice in the same standard or key idea.

“Error Analysis” Exercise (2004 Math 4, Q20) “Mr. Conway bought 73 rolls of film. He can take 24 pictures with each roll of film. What is the total number of pictures he can take with 73 rolls of film?” A) 1,642 B) 1,652 C) 1,742 D) 1,752

Question 1: What is this question asking students to know and be able to do? –What content and skills are we currently providing students, which would enable them to be successful with this type of question?

Question 2: What are the reasons this was a difficult question for our students to answer successfully? –Which students had difficulty? –Was it because of the content/skill being assessed, lack of employing effective test-taking strategies, specific distracters, or other factors?

Question 3: What can I/we do differently in the future to ensure students will be more successful in the future? –What additional content/skills will enable our students to be more successful in the future with similar questions (curriculum)? –What are the implications for instruction and what opportunities for practice will I provide my students (instruction)? –How will I know when students have learned this (classroom assessment)?