Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the 2012 HSTW Assessment for HSTW Sites

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW About the HSTW Assessment HSTW is a research-based school improvement model HSTW Assessment is used to set baselines, acknowledge progress, identify areas for improvement, and set priorities Only initiative combining student achievement data with students’ perceptions of school and classroom practices Required of HSTW sites in even-numbered years Administered to seniors to collect data on entire high school experience

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW New in 2012 HSTW Teacher Survey will be conducted online There will be no constructed response items in the assessment The overall assessment time will be shortened by 20 minutes Sites that have not paid by April 30, 2012 will not receive their school report until they do so

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Examples of How Schools Use the Results Lobby for state actions to support school improvement Identify a need for improvement Gain support for school improvement Engage the entire faculty in school improvement Set priorities for school improvement Improve classroom practices

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Five Components Reading test Mathematics test Science test Student survey Course-taking patterns School and classroom experiences Teacher survey

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Reading Test 75 minutes 80% informational texts; 20% literary non-fiction texts Includes meaning vocabulary Includes paired texts (to assess critical analysis) Does not include literary fiction or poetry

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Mathematics Test 80 minutes Content 11% Number Properties and Operations 29% Measurement/Geometry 24% Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability 36% Algebra

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Science Test 55 minutes Content 43% Life Sciences 42% Physical Sciences 15% Earth and Space Science

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Student Survey Section 1 Course-taking patterns Sections 2 and 3 School and classroom experiences Based on HSTW Key Practices

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Teacher Survey School and classroom experiences School mission High expectations and extra help Guiding and supporting students Curriculum content and engaging students in learning Transitions Leadership and professional growth

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Results HSTW Award of Educational Achievement Student reports School report

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW HSTW Award of Educational Achievement Mailed to schools in late April, 2012 Awarded to students who: Meet all three readiness goals Complete at least two parts of the HSTW-Recommended Curriculum English/language arts, mathematics, science Complete a concentration Career/technical, mathematics/science, humanities

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Student reports Mailed to schools in late April, 2012 Performance on reading, mathematics and science test Performance level Completion of recommended curriculum and concentration Award status

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW HSTW Assessment Report Mailed to schools by late June, 2012 Executive Summary One page summary of performance and implementation Overview Slightly longer summary Full report Tables breaking out achievement by experiences Teacher survey results

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 1. Place order Order window September 1 – October 31, 2011 Orders must be placed online on SREB website State may require paper copies be sent to State Coordinator All communication and materials will be sent to contact person listed on order form

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Information needed to place order If your school has previously participated in an assessment Name, address and phone number of contact person (will receive all materials and communication via mail and through summer 2012) Complete shipping address (no P.O. boxes) Principal name, address and phone number Sampling method and number of students to be assessed Payment information and billing address Dates the school plans to assess within window Number of teacher surveys (estimate)

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Payment Information The cost is $34 per student. If your school or district is paying for the assessment, a purchase order is due to SREB by November 18, 2011 to confirm your order Final payment is due to SREB by April 30, 2012 SREB will accept payments beginning immediately (call Fran Cowart at to request an early invoice)

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Optional/Additional Costs Cancellation Fee The cancellation fee of $13 per student applies if orders are cancelled after materials have been printed and/or shipped. ITEMCOST Composite Report$465 Color Copy$210 Black and White Copy$80

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 2. Review administration materials Available on SREB website beginning September, 2011 A link also will be included in the order confirmation sent upon placing an order Review materials immediately Set timeline for preparation and administration

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administration Materials Test Administration Guide Sampling Instructions Student Roster Form Course Description Guide Course Matching Chart Checklist HSTW Student Bulletin (with Sample Questions Booklet) Information for Sites Tasks and Timelines

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW TaskScheduleEstimated Time Identify studentsSept. – Nov hours Identify assistantsSept. – Nov hour Schedule time and placeSept. – Nov hours Notify students and teachersSept. – Nov hours Prepare student rosterOct. – Dec hour Complete course matching chartOct. – Dec days Prepare student transcriptsJan days Receive and check materialsJan. 23, hour Assign answer documents to students Jan , hours Complete section 1 of student survey for students Prior to Scheduled Testing 3 days Administer assessment and teacher survey Jan. 27 – Feb. 17, days Return materials No later than Feb. 17, hour Sample Timeline

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 3. Identify students Use sampling plan selected on order All seniors Random sample of 60+ seniors All CT seniors Random sample of 60+ CT seniors Include all currently enrolled students in sampling Only exclude students if IEP exempts them from state assessments Use sampling instructions provided to select sample

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Identifying Students to Participate Only include seniors If selecting a sample, select a true random sample using the instructions provided Only exclude students if their IEP exempts them from state assessments Accommodations provided for state assessments should be provided for this assessment Contact ETS by October 31, 2011 to request large-print or CD materials Accommodations exist for English language learners

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 4. Scheduling Identify assistants One assistant per 15 students is ideal Schedule dates, times and locations Include make-up sessions SREB recommends administering assessment over 2-3 days Schedule date, time and location for teacher survey

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 5. Notification Notify students, parents and teachers Provide informational materials and/or schedule an informational meeting

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 6. Prepare student roster form Include names of all participating students Will need to include each student’s Assessment ID number from the answer document he or she is assigned Keep fully completed roster on file with testing records for five years Include students’ addresses to assist with Follow-Up Survey of 2012 Graduates (very important!)

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 7. Course-taking preparation Work with department chairs to complete course-matching chart, using course description guide Used to link local course titles to generic SREB course titles Include all courses current seniors could have taken during high school Collect transcripts and course schedules for participating students, including spring courses

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 8. Receive assessment materials Materials scheduled to arrive by January 23, 2012 HSTW Teacher Survey materials will NOT be included with student materials from ETS Verify contents according to instructions immediately This gives ETS time to send new materials should an error have occurred Keep secure (locked) until testing begins These are secure testing materials and all materials (used and unused) will need to be returned Keep the boxes – you will need them to return materials Keep ALL materials

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 9. Prepare assessment materials Assign each student an answer document Record each student’s Assessment ID number from the answer document on the student roster form Complete section 1 (transcript analysis) for students Strongly recommended, but not required Reduces testing time Increases accuracy

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 10. Review testing arrangements Confirm dates, times and locations (for students and teachers) Remind participants Review administration plan with assistants

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 11. Administer assessment Student and Teacher Window: January 27 – February 17, 2012 Administration guide includes scripts and complete instructions for administering the student assessment Students must complete all four components All materials must be postmarked for return using the enclosed instructions and labels no later than February 17, 2012

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment 12. Return materials Pack student and teacher materials using enclosed instructions Completed answer documents will be packed in a different envelope and use a different return label than the test books and other materials If the necessary envelopes and labels are not included, you must call ETS (Lisa Rion at ) for replacement materials HSTW Teacher Survey is online, so you won’t need to return anything All materials must be postmarked for return no later than February 17, 2012 Keep the receipt and tracking number!!!

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Administering the Assessment VERY IMPORTANT: Only return answer documents that you want scored. Your school will be responsible for paying for all answer documents sent to ETS for scoring, even if the number is over what you ordered.

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Important Dates to Remember Order window  September 1 – October 31, 2011 Administration materials available online  September, 2011 Test materials arrive at sites  By January 23, 2012 Student and teacher administration window  January 27 – February 17, 2012 Final return deadline  February 17, 2012 Awards and student reports mailed to sites  By April 30, 2012 Payment due to SREB  April 30, 2012 School reports mailed to sites  Late June, 2012

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Making the 2012 Assessment a Success Communication Letters/informational sessions for students and parents Announcements to faculty and staff Stress importance, intended use, and value of assessment

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Making the 2012 Assessment a Success Cooperation Importance of the assessment to the school’s improvement goals Importance of students, administration and faculty taking it seriously Handling make-up work Cooperation from teachers whose classes might be interrupted by the assessment

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW Making the 2012 Assessment a Success Encourage all students to do their best Promote the HSTW Award of Educational Achievement Recognize those who receive the HSTW Award of Educational Achievement Explain the student readiness reports and how it can help with their resumes Build enthusiasm Be honest – explain how this helps the school and future students Make students feel special for participating in the assessment and thank them for their participation See “PUBLICATIONS” column at

Southern Regional Education Board HSTW For More Information… Go to SREB’s Web pages on assessment for more ideas and information! Fran Cowart, Coordinator of Assessment (404)