1. WELCOME to the Fall 2015 MCAS-Alt EDUCATOR TRAINING MCAS-Alt Update: What’s New for 2016? Dan Wiener Administrator of Inclusive Assessment With Measured Progress

2. 2 MCAS-Alt Educator Training: Schedule for the Day  Teachers with no prior or recent MCAS-Alt experience:  Introduction to MCAS-Alt (8:30 am—12:30 pm)  Teachers with MCAS-Alt experience (8:30 am—12:15 pm)  Session 1: MCAS-Alt Update (What’s New?)  Session 2: How to Submit a Complete Portfolio  Session 3: Choice of concurrent sessions  ELA  Writing Activity: Entry points, Access skills, and Scoring  Competency and Grade-level Portfolios for students working at or close to grade level  Note: Oct. 5, 6, 14, 15 Administrators Training (1:30—3:00 pm) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. 3 In This Session  2015 MCAS-Alt Statewide Results  What We Observed at the Scoring Institute  2016 Educator’s Manual New and Notable (pp. 3-4)  Updated Resource Guides (Fall 2015)  Technology and MCAS-Alt (Demonstration) Flash drive Online Forms and Graphs Digital evidence; e-newsletter  2015 Teacher Survey  New ELA  Writing Requirements  Other New and Notable Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. 4 2015 MCAS-Alt Results: Statewide Participation  8,795 students in grades 3-12 took MCAS-Alt in at least one subject in 2015.  Total has decreased by 308 since 2014 (9,103)  46,943 strands were scored. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. 5 2013-2015 MCAS-Alt: Statewide Results (All Content Areas - All Grades) 2013 2014 2015 80.12% 10.41% 8.41%.15%.91% Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 17.09% 1.88% 10.81% 70.09%.10% Incomplete Awareness Emerging Progressing Needs Improvement+.83% 10.68% 12.40% 75.95%.13%

6. 2015 MCAS-Alt: Percent Incomplete Portfolios by Grade Level and Subject 6

7. 7 What We Observed at the Scoring Institute  ELA  Reading: better than last year, but…  Titles missing in brief descriptions.  Informational and Literary text types were mixed.  Measurable outcomes were generally better, but evidence did not always assess what was stated.  Brief descriptions often lacked adequate explanation of how student performed the skill.  Better assessment of access skills during standards-based instruction.  Per scorers request, we encourage: No: Sheet protectors; staples Yes: Three-hole punch; dividers Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. 8 What’s New? Fall 2015 Resource Guides:  2016 MCAS-Alt must be based on the updated Fall 2015 Resource Guides in all subjects. Entry points and access skills were added/revised in all three assessed subjects, based on feedback from special educators and content specialists.  Online Forms and Graphs updated to reflect current entry points and access skills. Brief demonstration of technology used for MCAS-Alt. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/alt/resources.html

9. 9 2015 MCAS-Alt Teacher Survey: Responses  97% (2,448) of lead teachers (2,522) responded to survey.  How many portfolios did each teacher submit?  83% submitted 1-6  59% submitted 1-3  24% submitted 4-6  11% submitted 7-10  4.4% (about 100 respondents) submitted more than 10  24.5% did MCAS-Alt for the first time in 2015.  41% had help from other special educator; 50% from aide; 25% from student.  48.4% had classroom coverage or flex time (up from 43%).  98.5% teach standards-based knowledge and skills at times other than portfolio creation.  96% used data collection methods for other instruction.

10. 10 What’s New? ELA  Writing for 2016 MCAS-Alt  ELA  Writing requirements in grades 4, 7, and 10 have been replaced with an annual ELA  Writing assessment on MCAS, PARCC, and MCAS-Alt.  Writing will now be assessed in grades 3  8 and 10.  Emphasis on “Writing in response to a text” in 2011 MA Curriculum Framework.  Submission requirements include: Three final writing samples in any text type listed in the “Text Types and Purposes” cluster One draft/baseline writing sample for each text type submitted, showing where student began Data charts are not required  only writing samples  Students will use their primary mode of communication to produce writing samples. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. 11 How does your student communicate?  Oral language  Sounds  Symbols (photos, icons)  Objects  Gestures  Sign language  Eye-gaze  High tech device (e.g., Dynavox)  Low tech device (e.g., communication book)  Other Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. 12 ELA  Writing Samples  Three different writing samples are required in any combination of “text types.”  Argument/opinion: States a claim or preference, based on a text or topic.  Informative/explanatory text: Conveys facts or ideas, based on a text or topic.  Narrative: Tells a story, based on real or imagined events.  Poetry: Uses figurative language, imagery, sound of words, meter, etc. to express emotion or tell a story.  Use entry points and access skills in “Text Types and Purposes” cluster (W.x.1, W.x.2, W.x.3, MA.W.x.3a).  Include draft/baseline samples: required for each text type submitted in final samples. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. 13 Pre-Scoring the Writing Samples  Teachers will pre-score their students’ final writing samples, using standardized scoring rubrics. Include completed scoring rubric for each final writing sample. Scorers will verify the teacher’s scores. Scoring rubrics for each text type were developed by the Department  Scoring rubrics include the following: Level of Complexity Demonstration of Skills and Concepts  Expression of Ideas and Content (clarity)  Text Structure (words, phrases, sentences)  Vocabulary (appropriate, related)  Conventions (mechanics) Independence (frequency of prompts) Self-Evaluation Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. 14 Required Elements for Writing Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Draft Sample (not scored) + ++ X X X X 90 Final Writing Sample (1 of 3) Baseline/ Draft Writing Sample Educator’s Manual, pp. 22-25 Final Sample Scoring Rubric (scored)

15. What is “writing?” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 15 Using the rubric, how would each of these score? 100% I Measurable Outcome: “(Student) will apply temporal words to indicate a sequence of events in a text.”

16. Which of these is “writing?” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 16

17. What about these examples? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 17

18. 18 Resources: MCAS-Alt Training Specialists Your colleagues who…  Have experience compiling and submitting MCAS-Alt portfolios  Have volunteered to help teachers in their district  Will lead Department-sponsored portfolio review sessions in January and March Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. 19 Dates to Remember  Educator and Administrator Training Sessions: Sept. 28, 29, 30, Oct. 1, 5*, 6*, 14*,15*  “Portfolios in Progress” (half-day portfolio review sessions):  January 6, 7, 13, 14, 2016  Feb. 25, 26, March 9, 10  Order MCAS-Alt materials: Jan. 4  16, 2016  Binders received in schools: last week in Feb.  Portfolios due: Friday, April 1  Preliminary results: posted mid-June  MCAS-Alt Score Appeals deadline: June 24 * Administrator Training Sessions (1:30-3:00 pm)

20. 20 MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education – Student Assessment (781-338-3625) Dan Wiener – Administrator of Inclusive Assessment Debra Hand – dhand@doe.mass.edu General Inquiries – mcas@doe.mass.edu Measured Progress MCAS Service Center – 800-737-5103 Kevin Froton – froton.kevin@measuredprogress.org Terri Rippett – rippett.therasa@measuredprogress.org Contact Information Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education