Next Generation Assessments
in Kansas
Marianne Perie
CETE
Everything is changing
(We are taking suggestions on naming this new assessment!)
But how much is changing, really?
 Transition assessment in Spring 2014 is the
same as we have always planned
 Spring of 2015, when we would have had
SBAC for the first time, we will have an
enhanced Kansas assessment.
 By Spring of 2016, we will be very close to
where we would have been with SBAC with
difference due to choices made in Kansas.
Spring 2014
 Transition Assessment
o Delivered on KITE
o Aligned with Kansas College and Career
Ready Standards for math, reading, and
writing conventions
o Follows similar blueprint to SBAC
o Machine-scorable items only
–No performance task
–No writing prompt
–No listening items
New Development in 2014–2015
 The transitional test will serve as the
backbone for the new Kansas College and
Career Ready Assessment
 Enhancements
o Listening section
o Writing prompt
o Math performance tasks
Spring 2015
 The core machine-scorable part of the test
will be parallel to what was administered
in 2014, but we will refresh the item pool.
 We will field test the enhancements.
 Accountability for 2015 will be based on
the core portion of the test.
 Schools and districts will receive feedback
on the field-test portions to help gauge
student readiness on the full set of
standards.
Summer 2015
 After analyzing the field-test items, we
will create the best form possible that
includes all features of our future
assessment.
 We will set new achievement standards
(cut scores and performance level
descriptors) based on that form.
 Using those new cut scores, we will set
new AMOs and communicate the new
targets to schools and districts.
Spring 2016
 Now we have a fully enhanced test that
covers all of the Kansas College and
Career Ready Standards.
 We should also have sufficient numbers of
items to make the test adaptive this year
as well.
Adaptivity
 We are considering stage adaptivity rather
than item adaptivity that SBAC uses.
 Benefits
o More reliable estimates
o Targets assessment to student level
o Requires fewer items than item-level
Model of a Stage Adaptive Test
Summary
Spring 2014
Core machine-scorable
items aligned with KCCRS
Spring 2015
Core machine-scorable
items aligned with KCCRS
Spring 2016
Core machine-scorable
items aligned with KCCRS
Math
Performance Task
Essay
Listening
Items
Complete enhancements
(performance task, essay,
listening items)
Adaptivity
Kansas Fingerprints
 We want Kansas educator and stakeholder
fingerprints all over these new
assessments
o Teachers
–Design decisions
–Item writing
–Item reviewing
–Rangefinding
–Scoring
Kansas Stakeholders
 Administrators
o Support teacher involvement
o Voice in report decisions
o Cross-content development
 Kansas Board of Regents
o High school — we want to ensure that
tests truly predict college readiness
o Will be involved in design and review of
assessments and setting cut scores
Full Kansas Assessment Program
 Summative assessment
o ELA (complete in 2016)
o Math (complete in 2016)
o History/government (complete in 2017)
o Science (complete in 2017)
 Formative tools
o Really more like sample items now
o Developing capacity for teachers to build
test forms using item pool.
o In 2016, we can start building true
formative, instructionally-embedded tests.
– Will include science and H/G
Things to Consider
 Essay
o Covers both ELA and Science or
History/Government standards
o Students in grades 4, 7, and 11 would
only need to write one essay aligned to
both History/government and literacy
standards
o Two rubrics provide two scores—one for
each test
o Same idea for science
Example
 Students watch “I have a dream” and read
an essay by Malcolm X. They are then
asked to write an essay comparing and
contrasting the two approaches to the civil
rights movement. They may be asked to
define and give examples of civil
disobedience and discuss its efficacy.
Writing Standards (G11)

Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of
historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical
processes..
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow;
organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies
such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and
cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics
(e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete
details, quotations, or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify
the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
inform about or explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
f.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from
and supports the information or explanation presented.
Kansas History/Government
Standards
 High school: Civil rights, social change
 Standard # 3: Societies are shaped by beliefs,
ideas, and diversity.
o 3.1 The student will recognize and evaluate
significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas of the
many diverse peoples and groups and their impact
on individuals, communities, states, and nations.
o 3.2 The student will draw conclusions about
significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas,
analyzing the origins and context under which
these competing ideals were reached and the
multiple perspectives from which they come.
Things to consider (2)
 Adaptivity in writing prompt and
performance task.
o SBAC planned to have writing prompts
and performance tasks written to three
different levels of difficulty. The first
part of the test would determine which
writing prompt/performance task the
student received.
o Should we do the same? Would two
levels be sufficient?
Things to consider (2)
 Scoring
o With a writing prompt and math
performance task, we will have student
responses that need to be scored by
hand.
o We would like teachers to be involved in
scoring
o What is the best model?
Scoring models
 Fully distributed scoring
o Teachers score on the computer using
KITE. An independent activity.
 School or regional based scoring
o Teachers score as a group and enter
scores later
 Scoring center
o Only a few teachers come to Lawrence
for several days to score all student
papers.
Things to consider (3)
 Weighting the essay and performance task
o What are your thoughts as to how much
weight the essay should have on the ELA
score or the math performance task
should have on the math test?
 MC items are worth one point each. TE
items can be worth up to 3 points each.
o Math core is worth 60 points
o ELA core is worth 57-71 points,
depending on the grade.
Things to consider (4)
 Listening requires headphones and
additional caching
 Districts and schools will need to purchase
headphones for every student or ask
students to bring in their own (think ear
buds)
 Streaming audio will put a huge load on the
system, so you will need to work with IT to
prepare for that in 2014–2015.
 How can KSDE and CETE prepare for this
load?
Things to consider (5)
 Number of performance levels
 USED requires three: Proficient, one above
and one below
 SBAC has four; PARCC has five
 Kansas has traditionally used five
 Considering four:
o Academic warning
o Approaching standard
o Meeting standard
o Exceeding standard
 Would other levels be useful? Where and why?
Next Steps
 Q and A
 Discussion
Discussion Topics
1. Double counting essays
2. Scoring
3. Weighting the essay and math
performance task
4. Streaming audio—bandwidth and caching
issues
5. Number of performance levels