Parent Information Night
January 22, 2015
Why the Change?
 To ensure consistent
 expectations and rigor so our students can compete with
peers nationally (NAEP, PSAT, SAT, ACT),
 indicator of student preparedness for the next level,
grade, course, or college/career, and
 indicator of student achievement across grades/courses
within Cobb.
Why the Change?
What to Expect?
Grades 3-8
End of Grade (EOG) in ELA, Math, Sci,
SS
CRCT or CRCT-M no longer
administered
GA Milestones -Breakdown
ELA
MATH
3 sections
60-70 min.
Lang arts,
reading, writing
Writing
70-90 min.
2 sections
60-80 min.
GA Milestones -Breakdown
SCIENCE
SOCIAL
STUDIES
2 sections
2 sections
50-70 min.
50-70 min.
What to Expect?
 Paper-pencil or
online tests
 All special education students with
read-to accommodations will take
online
What to Expect?
 Types of Test Items
Criterionreferenced
Normreferenced
Items that
reflect content
standards
Each grade and
course
Items that allow
for national
comparison of
our students
Do not
necessarily
reflect the GA
content
standards – will
not count in
student score
Each grade and
course
What to Expect?
 Types of Test Questions
Selectedresponse
Constructedresponse
Extendedresponse
• “multiple choice”
• generated by student as opposed to selecting a
response
• Require explanations of reasoning
• Allow for multiple correct answers
• Examples: writing prompts or performance
tasks
ELA – What are we doing to
prepare students?
Students will be familiar with much of the test. For
example:
 Read an article about the history of basketball, then
answer this question:
ELA- What are we doing to prepare
students?
 Example of constructed response prompt:
 What is the author’s purpose in writing the
passage? Use details from the passage to support
your answer.
 Example of student answer (basketball article):
 The author’s purpose is to explain the history of
basketball. The passage starts out by telling who
invented basketball and why he did it. Then it talks
about how the game changed and developed over
the years. Finally, it describes how it became a
sport played all over the world.
ELA- What are we doing to prepare
students?
 Example of extended response prompt:
Math – What are we doing to
prepare students?
Math – Which Calculator?
th
th
th
6
7
8
 Basic 4-Function
 Scientific Calculator
 Can include % and √
 No memory function
Science - What are we doing to
prepare students?
 STEM
 Problem Based Learning
 Warm-ups/Assessments with Milestone type
questions
Science- What are we doing to
prepare students?
7th Grade: Natural disasters can cause short- and longterm changes in environmental conditions. These
changes can affect individual plants and animals, as well
as an entire species. Which of these would MOST LIKELY
lead to the extinction of a species?
A. A tsunami passes over a coral reef where a threatened
fish species lives.
B. A wildfire moves through the last remaining habitat of
an endangered plant species.
C. A hurricane moves through a nature preserve where a
population of threatened birds is nesting.
D. An earthquake disturbs a wilderness area where the last
known population of an endangered mammal lives.
Social Studies – What are we doing
to prepare students?
 Will require understanding of the past and its
influence on the present and future
 Four domains:
History (47%)
Geography (12%)
Government and Civics (25%)
Economics (16%)
• Selected-response items only.
Social Studies – What are we doing
to prepare students?
"The Colony of Georgia lying about the same latitude with part of China, Persia,
Palestine, and the Madeiras, it is highly probable that when hereafter it shall be
well peopled and rightly cultivated, England may be supplied from thence with
raw Silk, Wine, Oil, Dyes, [Medicines], and many other materials for
manufactures, which she is obliged to purchase from Southern countries."
—James Oglethorpe, 1733
Which statement about early Georgia settlers is BEST supported by the
information in the quotation?
A They believed they were dependent on importing goods from
England.
B They thought they could benefit from the area's warm climate and
fertile soil.
C They thought they could trade goods with many countries in Asia
and the Middle East.
D They believed the area's resources would allow them to specialize
in limited agricultural products.
What was learned from pilot
school testing?
Students . . .
 Responded with “dnk” (do not know).
 Did not show work, cite evidence, or support
answer or claim with rationale.
 Did not read carefully and answer all parts.
What Can You Do to Prepare Your
Son/Daughter?
 http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-
Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-MilestonesAssessment-System.aspx
Last Words
 April 15-24 (5 actual days of testing)
 High school courses with additional end-of-course test
– given in May:
 Coordinate algebra
 Coordinate algebra and geometry
 Physical science
 Standard setting –scores will be released in September
 The ratings to be used have not been determined-
meets, exceeds etc.
 No retest
Questions?
We will stick around for a few minutes!