Kansas State Board of Education Brad Neuenswander & Tom Foster Kansas State Department of Education March, 2013

Kansas State Department of Education How do we help schools transition?

Kansas State Department of Education  Transition timeline 3 Source: Document available at:

Kansas State Department of Education December 21 st : Letter U.S. Department of Education On December 21 st, the Kansas State Department of Education received a letter from the United States Department of Education encouraging KSDE to continue to take the necessary steps toward a new assessment system in To assist states in this task, the USED is relaxing some of its peer review requirements.

Kansas State Department of Education Transitioning the Kansas Assessments to College and Career Standards in 2014 Mathematics and English Language Arts It may be possible by 2014 to modify the current Kansas assessments in Reading and Math to align with the new College and Career Ready standards adopted by the Board and give schools a look forward.

Kansas State Department of Education This flexibility from the USED applies to the mathematics and reading assessments delivered in It does not alter (1) the SBAC field test scheduled for 2014, (2) the CPASS pilots for 2014, (3) the History-Government pilot for 2014, or (4) the state science assessment.

Kansas State Department of Education Possibilities to consider for 2014 (1) Shorten the current state assessment by removing one of the three sections (2) Add a greater number of Common Core items to existing assessments (3) Create an assessment aligned to the new standards (including technology enhanced items). Some of the items would not be field tested in advance. Performance standards could be set in two ways.  Maintain the same percent in each category from 2013 to 2014  Match percent in four new categories to college and career ready scores (e.g. NAEP, ACT, SBAC).

Kansas State Department of Education What are the pro’s and con’s for schools? Pro’s  Supports transition College and Career Ready Standards  Provides a single focus for instruction  1 st look at instructional practice necessary with new standards  Provides practical experience with higher standards before 2015  1 st look at new test items (including technology enhancements)  100% CCR test items with 0% retired

Kansas State Department of Education What are the pro’s and con’s for schools?  Provides consistent transition for students with disabilities  Allows experience with a new test engine for teachers and students  Gives more lead time for districts to resolve technical problems  Creates better experience in 2015 for everyone  Increases iPads and tablet compatibility

Kansas State Department of Education What are the pro’s and con’s for schools?  Provides time for local boards to communicate with constituents and communities  KSDE is responsive to needs of field  Supports a PreK-20 connection and the CCR definition  Helps shift the focus from NCLB to Kansas Accreditation  Compatible with ESEA Waiver “Measurable Objectives”

Kansas State Department of Education What are the pro’s and con’s for schools? Con’s  Some schools have not yet transitioned to the CCR Standards  Results may not be comparable for research purposes  Growth calculations may require a new baseline  Problems will happen and districts will need assistance  May require modifications in some district systems or configurations  There could be costs associated updating for some (hardware training)  Some confusion with messaging - why change is happening

Kansas State Department of Education Input from the Field  KSDE visited with educators across the state to determine preferences for the 2014 state assessments:  Curriculum Leaders  KAAC  Council of Superintendents  Conference call with representatives of: KASCD, KSSA, KAMSA, KAESP, KAAC  Various Service Center Meetings

Kansas State Department of Education Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation  I. Test Development:  1. Design new College-and-Career-ready assessment in reading  --1 form for grades 3-8 and H.S.  2. Design new college-and-Career-ready assessment in math  --1 form for grades 3-8 and H.S.  3. Design pilot assessment for history-government --grades 6, 8, and H.S  II. Test Administration:  Administer new College-and-Career-ready assessment in reading  Administer new College-and-Career-ready assessment in mathematics

Kansas State Department of Education Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation  III. Piloting:  Pilot assessment for history-government  Pilot interim assessment items and structure  Pilot Dynamic Learning Maps assessment for students with disabilities  IV. Infrastructure Work:  Provide new browser-based KITE test engine (ready for Spring 2014 testing)  Provide help-desk for new test engine  V. Reporting:  1. Provide building-level reports for reading  2. Provide building-level reports for mathematics

Kansas State Department of Education Possible Board Action  The State Board of Education moves to approve CETE contract to modify current assessments to align to the Kansas College and Career Ready standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics.  The State Board of Education moves to retain current assessment program aligned to the 2003 standards in Reading and Math.