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PARCC Assessment Administration

Guidance

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PARCC System

• Purpose: To increase the rates at which students graduate from high school prepared for success in college and the work place

• Based: On the core belief that assessment should be a tool for enhancing teaching and learning

• Intends: For the assessments to help educators increase student learning by providing data to inform instruction

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PARCC Assessment DesignSummative Assessments

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Performance-Based

Assessment

End-of-Year Assessment+

After 75 percent of the school year Extended tasks, applications of concepts and skills

ELA/Literacy: Writing effectively when analyzing text, research simulation

Math: Solving multi-step problems requiring abstract reasoning, precision, perseverance and strategic use of tools

ELA/Literacy Grades 3-11 Math Grades 3-8, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II

After 90 percent of the school year Innovative, short-answer items

ELA/Literacy: Reading comprehension Math: Short items that address both

concepts and skills ELA/Literacy Grades 3-11 Math Grades 3-8, Algebra I, Geometry,

and Algebra II

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Number of Testing Sessions

Summative Assessments

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Performance-Based

Assessment

End-of-Year Assessment+

Three (3) Sessions ELA /Literacy + Two (2) Mathematics Sessions

Two (2) Sessions ELA /Literacy +Two (2) Mathematics Sessions

Nine (9) Sessions Total

Estimated Time on Task by Grade and Session

Note: Estimated time on task refers to an estimate of the amount of time the typical student will need to complete each session. While it is anticipated that most students will complete the test sessions within these estimated times, all participating students will have a set amount of additional time for each session to provide them with ample time to demonstrate their knowledge.

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Estimated Time on Task by Grade and Session

Note: Estimated time on task refers to an estimate of the amount of time the typical student will need to complete each session. While it is anticipated that most students will complete the test sessions within these estimated times, all participating students will have a set amount of additional time for each session to provide them with ample time to demonstrate their knowledge.

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Testing Window• Each 20 day window is provided primarily to plan ample

opportunity to administer the assessments via computer in schools with:– Limited number of devices– Limited bandwidth

• Schools will have a maximum of 20 days to administer each assessment component:– Performance Based Assessment (PBA) component– End of Year Assessment (EOY) component

• Schools could complete administration of the tests in fewer days if they have sufficient capacity to administer assessments to large numbers of students simultaneously

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Device Guidance & Planning• The overarching goal is to serve and support– High quality student instruction– Teacher professional development– School community communications and– Next Generation Assessments

• PARCC Minimum and Recommended Technology Guidelines:

http://www.parcconline.org/technology

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Device Guidance & PlanningThe number of devices a school needs for assessment is largely dependent on:

1) The number of students enrolled at each tested grade level;2) The number of students that can be tested simultaneously given the way in which available devices are deployed (e.g. in labs, in classrooms, on carts, etc.); and3) The available bandwidth capacity

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“Rule of Thumb” Guidance

• These are general assessment planning guidelines. Districts may wish to recommend lower student to device ratios to ensure that schools can continue with computer-based instruction at the same time as they are conducting computer-based assessments.

• The expectation is that all students will take the PARCC assessments online.

• The PARCC assessments will be available in paper and pencil format for students with disabilities who have an Individualized Education Plans which requires this accommodation.

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PARCC Assessment Administration Capacity Planning Tool

• The Assessment Administration Capacity Planning tool is simply an electronic spreadsheet that allows schools to evaluate the extent to which their current computer inventory and bandwidth is sufficient to administer PARCC’s computer-based assessments, as well as model what they could do with increased capacity

• The tool and accompanying users’ guide can be found:

http://www.parcconline.org/assessment-administration-guidance

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PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Updates

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PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

• A comprehensive policy document• Guidance for districts and decision-making

teams to ensure that PARCC Mid-Year, End-of-Year, and Performance-Based Assessments provide valid results for ALL students

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PARCC’s Goals for Promoting Student Access

• Applying principles of Universal Design for accessible assessments throughout every stage of developing assessment components, items, and performance tasks;

• Minimizing/eliminating features of the assessment that are irrelevant to what is being measured so that all students can more accurately demonstrate their knowledge and skills;

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PARCC’ s Goals(continued)

• Measuring the full range of complexity of the standards;

• Building accessibility throughout the test itself with no trade-off between accessibility and validity;

• Engaging state and national experts in the development process through item review, bias and sensitivity review, policy development and review , and research

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Universally Designed Assessments

• Purpose: To provide access for the greatest number of students during assessment, and to minimize the need for individualized design or accommodations

• Universal Design cannot eliminate the need for accommodations and alternate assessments. However, universally designed general assessments may reduce the need for accommodations and alternate assessments.

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PARCC Accessibility SystemAccommodations for

Students with Disabilities, English Learners, and English Learners with

Disabilities

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PARCC Field Test

Update

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Field Test Purpose

Three Primary purposes of the PARCC Field Test:• To obtain item-level data to assemble

operational forms• To evaluate methods for scoring and scaling

the PBA and EOY• To yield data to support planned research

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Who Will Participate in the Field Test?

• During the summer of 2013, PARCC will select schools for the field test

• To comprise a representative sample of students across PARCC states

• Notified in late summer/early fall of 2013• Participation of schools finalized in fall 2013• Sample of classrooms selected to participate

from each selected school

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Field Test Sample Size

• The field test sample size for each state will be proportional to each state’s student enrollment

• Assumptions:– All PARCC states participate in the field test– Each state may participate in all grades and both

subjects (across the different schools participating in the state)

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Projected Field Test Sample Size

• The total sample size for all grades and across all states:– English Language Arts/Literacy: approx. 600,000 students– Mathematics: approx. 750,000 students– Total: approx. 1.35 million students

• The final sample size for each state will depend on:– Final forms design– The number/enrollment size of states participating in the field test

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Field Test Experience

• PARCC states will field test the performance-based and end-of-year assessment components in the Spring 2014.

• The majority of students involved in the Field test will take one component (PBA or EOY) in one content area (ELA or mathematics).

• A small percentage of students involved in the field test will take the full summative assessment (PBA and EOY) in one content only (ELA or mathematics).

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When Can We Expect to Learn More About the Field Test?Projected Timeline

• August 2013– Determination of Spring 2014 Field Test Administration

Window– More information about the student experience for the

field test, including expected testing time– Number of schools that will participate in the field test

• August - September 2013– Schools and districts notified of their selection to

participate

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PARCC Practice Test

• Free, online practice tests in spring 2014• Available to all schools and districts• Represents a critical step in supporting the

transition to the new assessments• Will include technology-enhanced items• Will be delivered on the same platform used

for field testing

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Practice Test

• Will enable students to become familiar with the assessments

• Will enable students to practice with the different types of technology functionalities

• Will include a sample of assessment items for each grade level/course

• Will be accompanied by a set of scoring guidance, enabling educators to score student work locally

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PARCC Assessment Professional Development Modules

Update

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Assessment Professional Development Modules

Purpose:Designed to support teachers, school leaders, and school site testing coordinators as they transition to the PARCC assessments

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Assessment PD Modules

The modules will support educators in learning how to:1. Administer and use the non-summative assessments2. Score performance tasks on the Mid-Year assessments3. Interpret data from the non-summative assessments to

support instruction; and4. Understand the accessibility features and

accommodations available to students taking the PARCC assessments.

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Training Modules

• Over the next year, PARCC will develop five training modules – each with a unique purpose.

• PARCC will produce modules with following foci:– PARCC Common Assessments Overview– Introduction to the PARCC Mid-Year Assessments– Introduction to the PARCC Diagnostic Assessments– Introduction to the PARCC Speaking and Listening

Assessments– PARCC Accessibility System

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Assessment PD ModulesTimeline and Next Steps

• During summer/fall 2013, PARCC will procure services to assist the states in the development of the Assessment PD Modules.

• Development of the modules should occur from November 2013 to May 2014.

• Assessment PD Modules should be available in June 2014, and will be updated as additional material becomes available.

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PARCCSpeaking and Listening Assessments

Update

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Speaking and ListeningAssessments

• Create Speaking & Listening Assessments for Grades K – 12

• Field test in early 2015• Ready for use in the 2015 – 2016 school year• Required for use in grades in 3 – 11 (per the

PARCC Assessment System design)

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Diagnostic Assessments andK – 1 Formative Assessment Tools

Update

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Diagnostic AssessmentsGrades 2- 8

• Field tested in early 2015• Available for use in the 2015 – 2016 school

year• Overarching Purpose: Provide instructionally

useful information about how well students have learned, or how prepared they are to learn, key content and skills tied to the CCSS in ELA/Literacy and Mathematics

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K – 1 Formative Tools

• Field test early 2015• Available for use in the 2015 – 2016 school

year• Primary Purpose: Provide educators with

instructionally useful information related to how students demonstrate CCSS proficiencies

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Contact Information

Melody MorganDirector of Student Assessment(501) 682-4558

melody.morgan@arkansas.gov

Paula RawlsPARCC Grant Coordinator(501) 683-4800

paula.rawls@arkansas.gov