1. TELPAS Holistic Rating Training 2014–2015 East Central ISD 2015

2. Disclaimer 2 This training is intended to provide an overview of the TELPAS Rating System, the responsibilities and qualifying activities of a Rater. Training should never take the place of reading the manual.

3. Principal’s Responsibilities Ensure that test security is maintained Oversee the implementation of the test administration process as stated in the District and Campus Coordinator Manual (DCCM) Establish in conjunction with the CTC, test administration processes specific to the campus Oversee the training of campus personnel in cooperation with the CTC DCCM S-18

4. CTC Responsibilities Read and adhere to all manuals Attend required coordinator training sessions CTC and campus principal are responsible for test security and confidentiality on the campus Supervise and actively monitor testing Be the campus contact for all questions about testing Ensure all holisitic training is completed and supplemental support is provided if needed. Report testing irregularities and security violations immediately to the district testing coordinator

5. CTC Responsibilities Identify and train Online Test Administrators by March 6 Enter/verify student information in. Ensure computers have been checked for TestNav capability Ensure that all students are identified and tested Oversee the implementation of validity and reliability Report any suspected violation of test security to the DTC Compile required documentation and turn in to testing office

6. TELPAS Rater Responsibilities A student’s TELPAS rater is the teacher designated by the district as the official rater of the student’s English language proficiency. The student’s rater must rate the student in all domains for which the student is eligible. A student is not permitted to have one rater for some domains and another rater for other domains. 6

7. 7 General Information The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System assesses all students who are identified as LEP including parent denials in the domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking K-12-12 Reading Holistically rated observational assessments Multiple choice online reading test Writing Holistically rated observational assessments Holistically rated student writing collections Listening Holistically rated observational assessments Speaking Holistically rated observational assessments

8. After your training, you will... assess the English language proficiency of students and assign one of four ratings: beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high; record the students’ ratings and related information on the TELPAS Student Rating Roster in Appendix B; and It is rater’s responsibility to ensure that all writing samples represent the student’s level of language proficiency. This is NOT the verifier’s responsibility. 8

9. 9 http://tea.texas.gov/student.a ssessment/ell/telpas/ Rater Manual Training Powerpoints Rater Resources Proficiency Descriptors (PLDs) Student Writing samples TEA Resources

10. 10 Texas Training Center NEW RATER? Self- Registration Site Code Telpas2015 Forgot your password? See your Campus Coordinator

11. Two Types of Training Online basic training course This course is for NEW raters or raters who have not participated in TELPAS rating in the past 3 three years. It provides instruction on using the PLD rubrics and gives raters practice rating students in each language domain. There are separate courses for K–1 and 2–12. Online calibration This is for ALL raters. Raters use the PLDs to rate students in each language domain. Raters have three opportunities to calibrate on assigned grade cluster. 11

12. Online Training 12  Access the Basic Training Course for grade cluster  New, new to grade cluster or a rater who has not passed the Calibration Activities in the last 3 years  Basic Training Course is open starting January 26  Click on TELPAS 2015 under the “My Texas Training Center Program” header then:

13. Training and Calibration Grade Clusters Raters must know their assigned grade cluster to select the appropriate online training. Raters should consult with their campus testing coordinator if they are unsure of their assigned cluster. 13 Grade Clusters Grades K–1 Grade 2 Grades 3–5 Grades 6–8 Grades 9–12

14. Raters with Students in Multiple Grade Clusters that Include Grades K–1 Because of differences in the instructional content and rating rubrics, these raters must complete training and calibration for K–1 and at least one other cluster in 2–12. Raters with more than one additional cluster should train in the cluster in which they have the most ELLs. As a best practice, these raters should also review online basic training course practice activities in the additional cluster(s). 14

15. When and Where do Raters Take the Online Training? Depending on campus arrangements, raters may either complete training and calibration during school hours, after school, or on weekends. 15 It is a violation of state assessment procedures to record, discuss, or share answers to the rating practice and calibration activities. Prior to accessing the online courses and calibration activities, raters are required to read an online statement and affirm that they will complete the rating activities independently.

16. Why is Calibration Necessary? Calibration helps ensure that raters have adequate training, including ample practice and feedback, before they assess their students in the spring. Calibration ensures that raters clear their heads and consider only the elements of student performance included in the PLDs. Calibration supports assessment validity and reliability and is an important part of holistically scored assessment processes. 16

17. Preparing for Calibration Sets New raters or raters who have not rated since 2012 must complete the online basic training course before beginning calibration. All raters have the option to review the online basic training course (which includes practice rating activities) before beginning calibration. 17

18. Things to Know About Calibration Raters affirm online that they will keep the contents of the calibration sets secure and confidential. Calibration activities are taken from a bank and randomized. Trainees will rate different sets of students. Raters can work at their own pace, go back and review students, and change ratings as they work. 18

19. Things to Know About Calibration (cont’d) Raters can exit and return later to finish. They click a “submit” button when they are finished with a set. After completing a calibration set, raters immediately see results. Results show both the rating assigned by the rater as well as the correct rating. Raters see annotations explaining the correct ratings. Raters should use the annotations to go back and review any incorrectly rated students. 19

20. Is calibration a TEST? No, it is a training method that ensures that raters have enough guidance, practice, and support to assess students consistently and accurately. 20

21. Will raters be able to refer to any resources during calibration activities? Yes, raters should use their rating rubrics (PLDs) and refer to, as needed, information from the: online basic training course holistic rating PowerPoints produced by TEA TELPAS Rater Manual Educator Guide to TELPAS 21 After raters have completed calibration activities, they must destroy all notes taken about specific student profiles.

22. When Calibrating, How Many Students Must be Rated Successfully? To be successful, raters need to rate students in their assigned grade cluster with at least 70% accuracy. 22

23. Supplemental Holistic Rating Training Raters not successful after sets 1 and 2 must receive supplemental training. The rater will meet with a district-appointed supplemental support provider. After the rater has received supplemental training, he or she will be able to access the third and final calibration set. 23

24. Grades 2–12 Collecting Writing Collections Raters assemble a collection of each student’s writing from a variety of content areas. Raters base the English writing proficiency ratings on the contents of the collections. Additional classroom observations are not used. 24

25. Goal in Assembling Writing Collections To make sure the collections portray the students’ overall English language writing proficiency 25

26. Writing Activities TELPAS writing samples should be taken from authentic classroom activities grounded in content area TEKS ELPS 26

27. February 16, 2015 Writing assigned on or after February 16, 2015 may be considered. Writing samples may continue to be gathered until the date designated by the district as the deadline for completing the collections in order to submit the ratings. 27

28. Samples Required At least 5 total samples are required in each collection. In each collection there must be - at least 1 narrative about a past event - at least 2 writing samples from math, science, or social studies 28

29. Some Eligible Types of Writing Descriptive writing on a familiar topic Writing about a familiar process Narrative writing about a past event Personal narratives and reflective pieces Expository and other extended writing from language arts classes Expository or procedural writing from or about science, math, and social studies classes. (This will allow the rater to see how an ELL uses specific content vocabulary. 29

30. Papers Not to Include Papers containing copied language Papers in which student relies heavily on resources (dictionary, thesaurus, etc.) Papers showing teacher comments and corrections Worksheets and question-answer assignments Papers that have been polished with help from peers or teachers Papers written primarily in student’s native language Papers that are brief, incomplete, or rushed 30

31. Building Collections Strive to gather more than 5 writing samples for each student. Choose at least 5 samples that meet the criteria and do the best job of portraying the student’s current proficiency level. If a student is near the border between two proficiency levels, consider including samples written in the latter part of the TELPAS assessment window. The more recent the writing samples, the more accurately they will reflect the proficiency level of these students. 31

32. Building Collections Collections should contain some papers in which students showcase English they know and feel comfortable using. “Comfort zone” writing is especially important for students at lower proficiency levels. Collections should also include papers in which students are stretched and pushed beyond their comfort zone so the collection shows that a student has not yet reached the next level (the student is beginning but not yet intermediate, intermediate but not yet advanced, advanced but not yet advanced high). 32

33. Building Collections The papers you assemble need to help you determine and justify your ratings. They must give you evidence to say, “I know the student is at least at X proficiency level because of these characteristics in his or her writing. I know the student is not yet at the next proficiency level because of these other characteristics in his or her writing.” Reminder: The characteristics you consider must come from the PLDs. 33

34. Summarizing Tips Students who are capable of expressing themselves in English in a detailed, extended way should do so. Do not include brief responses from students who know enough English to respond to writing tasks in extended ways. In other words, consider students’ English- language proficiency levels in determining whether papers are too brief to be included. 34

35. Summarizing Tips Build writing collections that have a balance of writing from language arts and other core content areas. Collections should show what the student knows and can do as well as what the student struggles with in second language acquisition. Remember, build the collections to portray the student’s overall ability to communicate in writing in English. TEA 35

36. Cover Sheet 36 FRONT BACK Cover Sheet must be attached to each Writing Collection

37. Verification of Collection Contents Although a qualified campus member will verify that all procedures outlined in the TELPAS Rater Manual are followed and assembled correctly and that they include the necessary number and types of writing, it is the RATER’S responsibility to determine that the collections represent the student’s language acquisition level. 37

38. 38 Rating Roster An Additional Rater is required if the Rater did not pass the Calibration set with a 70% or higher after the 3 rd attempt There must be teacher collaboration on ratings as part of the Validity & Reliability process

39. Verifier Responsibilities p#31 39 Attend training on administrative procedures Obtain access to Texas Training Center Complete online training “Assembling and Verifying Writing Collections” Print Certificate of Completion and turn in to CTC (page 75 in Rater Manual) Verify student writing collections in accordance with the checklist Sign Oath Verifier cannot be a TELPAS Rater

40. Important TEA Requirements In the Appendix of your TELPAS manual you will find the required paperwork including: – TELPAS Oath of Confidentiality & Security – TELPAS Rating Roster – TELPAS Writing Collection Coversheet – Writing Verification Checklist Campus Coordinators must check that all elements are completed and signed according to guidelines. 40