SHEEO Working Conference OnCollege Readiness and the Common Core AssessmentsJoe Willhoft, Executive DirectorSusan Gendron, Policy Coordinator

March 3-4, 2011SHEEO Policy Center, Boulder Colorado

Common Core State Standards

Common Core State Standards

For more information about the CCSS, go to...www.corestandards.org

Background

Historical Development of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium

The Purpose of the ConsortiumTo develop a set of comprehensive and innovative assessments for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards Students leave high school prepared for postsecondary success in college or a career through increased student learning and improved teachingThe assessments shall be operational across Consortium states in the 2014-15 school year

31 Member States

A 31-State ConsortiumFiscal Agent: Washington State

Membership Status as ofDecember 2, 2010

18 Governing States 13 Advisory StatesCT, HI, ID, KS, ME, MI, MO, MT, NC, NH, NM, NV, OR, UT, VT, WA, WI, WVAL, CO, DE, IA, KY, ND, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, WYTotal Number of States = 31

Consortium GovernanceLast Modified November 8,2010

Co-Chairs Tony Alpert (OR)Judy Park (UT)Executive DirectorJoe WillhoftExecutive CommitteeDan Hupp (ME); Joseph Martineau (MI); Carissa Miller (ID); Lynette Russell (WI); Mike Middleton (WA);Charlie Lenth, SHEEOTBD: 2 year collegesProject Management PartnerWestEdPolicy CoordinatorSue GendronSenior Research AdvisorLinda Darling-Hammond

Executive CommitteeContent ExpertsSr. Research Advisor(Part-time)Linda Darling-HammondPolicy Coordinator(Part-time)Sue GendronDeputy Executive DirectorExecutive AssistantWashington OSPIWestEdExecutive DirectorJoe WillhoftCo-Chairs: Judy Park, Tony AlpertExecutive AssistantSMARTER Balanced Assessment ConsortiumOffice of the Executive DirectorCommunicationsPsychometricianMath SpecialistELA SpecialistCommunication DirectorCommunications Service ProviderNational Partnerships Advisor(Part-time)Approved by Governing States Feb. 22, 2011IHE Advisor

PMPProcurement & Fiscal Agent

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) PartnersIHE partnersinclude more than 170 public and 13 private institutions and systems of Higher Educationrepresent nearly 75% of the total number of direct matriculation students across all SMARTER Balanced StatesIHE representatives and/or postsecondary faculty may serve on:Executive CommitteeAssessment scoring and item review committeesStandard-setting committees

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) PartnersNIA SpecificationsCommits the IHE or IHE system to participate with the consortium in the design and development of the consortiums final high school summative assessments in mathematics and English language arts in order to ensure that the assessments measure college readiness;Commits the IHE or IHE system to implement policies, once the final high school summative assessments are implemented, that exempt from remedial courses and place into credit-bearing college courses any student who meets the consortium-adopted achievement standard (as defined in the NIA) for each assessment and any other placement requirement established by the IHE or IHE system; andIs signed by the States higher education executive officer (if the State has one) and the president or head of each participating IHE or IHE system.

The ChallengeHow do we get from here......to here?All students leave high school college and career ready Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness...and what can an assessment system do to help?

Assessment System Overview

Federal Assessment RequirementsAssess acquisition of and progress toward college and career readinessHave common, comparable scores across member statesProvide achievement and growth information for teacher and principal evaluation and professional developmentAssess all students, except those with significant cognitive disabilitiesAdminister online, with timely resultsUse multiple measuresSource: Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 68 / Friday, April 9, 2010 pp. 18171-85

Theory of ActionA model of verifiable accomplishments/milestones, leading to the desired outcomeAccomplishments/milestones are interdependentThe theory of action is closely linked to the validation argument for the assessment system

Seven Principles Underlying the Theory of ActionAn integrated systemEvidence of student performanceTeacher involvementState-led with transparent governanceContinuously improve teaching and learningUseful information on multiple measuresAdheres to established professional standards

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readinessCommon Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readinessAssessment System Components

Summative AssessmentsSummative assessments using online computer adaptive technologiesUsed as accountability measures, and for college- and career readiness indicator in high schoolProvides accurate measurement of all studentsUses adaptive precision into selection of performance tasksVariety of item types assess the full range of the CCSSMeasures both current achievement and growth across timePerformance standards use research-based benchmarks Includes option of taking the summative tests twice a yearIncludes two performance tasks per year per content area

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readinessCommon Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readinessAdaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedbackAssessment System Components

Interim AssessmentsOptional interim assessments using online adaptive technologyUses the same scale as the summative assessmentsHelps identify specific needs Involvement of teachers in item and task design and scoringTests are non-secure and fully accessibleTiming and content of tests is customizable Provides clear examples of the expected performanceIncludes performance tasks

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readinessCommon Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readinessTeachers can access formative tools and practices to improve instructionAdaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedbackAssessment System Components

Optional Web-based formative resourcesOnline resources for assessment literacy, aligning assessments to CCSS, and formative assessment guidesTraining in item and task development, creating scoring guides/rubrics Best practice support through online learning modules Comprehensive information portal:access to information about student progressstudent performance history

Formative Processes and Tools

All students leave high school college and career ready Adaptive summative assessments benchmarked to college & career readinessCommon Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readinessTeachers can accessformative tools and practices to improve instructionAdaptive interim assessments that are flexible and open providing actionable feedbackAssessment System Components

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