NYS Grade 3-8
Tests
March 2013
Common Core State Standards
• Adopted by the Board of Regents in July
2010
• December 2010 - BOR announced that
student progress on CCSS will be
measured in Grades 3-8 ELA and Math
Tests beginning in 2012-13
• High school CC tests will be phased in
beginning in June 2014
Common Core Assessment
Principles
• Increases in Rigor
– Many questions may be more advanced and
complex
• Focus on Text
– ELA tests require students to carefully read
and analyze passages
• Depth of Math
– Math tests require conceptual understanding
and real-world application
Common Core Assessment
Development
• Every item:
Designed from scratch to measure Common Core
Field-tested
Reviewed multiple times in development cycle by
multiple New York State Certified Teachers
Meets industry best practice for item quality, fairness
and accessibility
Meets rigorous criteria developed by NYSED
Processes and quality assured by third-party
evaluator (same evaluator as for NAEP)
Changes to Grades 3-8 ELA
• 4 test books administered across 3 days
• Shorter testing time for Grades 3 and 4
(reduction of 1 hour each)
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No speaking and listening section
Longer, more rigorous texts
Evidence-based analysis
Balance of literary and informational texts
New Common Core 2-point and 4-point
holistic rubrics for scoring
Changes to Grades 3-8 ELA
• The CCLS ELA Standards define literacy as integrated
comprehension, analysis, and communication of
information gleaned from reading, regardless of the text
type
• Items will look different than past items in several ways
– Many will require both analysis and text evidence
simultaneously
– Many will require comprehension of the entire text
and will be more complex
– Many will require students to navigate text based
distractors
– All writing will require comprehension and analysis of
text
– Some passages will express an author’s point of view
with which not all readers will agree
Changes to Grades 3-8 ELA
• Answer choices will not jump out
– Students will need to make hard choices between
fully correct and only partially correct answers.
– MC questions, including vocabulary, require
comprehension of the entire passage
• To answer ELA questions correctly, students will need to
read and analyze each passage completely and closely
and be prepared to carefully consider responses to
multiple-choice questions
• For constructed response items, students will need to
make inferences that can be defended with evidence
gathered from rigorous literary and informational
passages
• Entire works can be divided into passages that are
appropriate for multiple grade levels
Commissioned or
Authentic Texts
• State testing programs use either
commissioned or authentic texts, or a
combination, as passages for questions
• Commissioned texts are authored by test
developers or writers and are developed
specifically for use in standardized tests
• Authentic texts are published works
from magazines, books, newspapers, etc.
• Using authentic passages means that it is
entirely possible that passages on the test may
have been used in classrooms or for student
personal reading
Changes to Grades 3-8 Math
• Shorter testing time for Grades 3 and 4
(reduction of 1 hour for grade 3 and reduction of 40
minutes for grade 4)
• Mathematics Content emphases and Standard-level
emphases - not all standards are recommended to
receive the same amount of instructional time
• Some clusters require greater emphasis than others
• Mathematics questions may assess multiple-standards
simultaneously
• Revised guidance on mathematics tools
• Revised formula sheets
• Students will need to decide which formulas and tools to
use (symbols will no longer be on tests to indicate when
a tool should be used)
Calculators
• The Department does not provide schools with a specific
list of approved calculators for the Grades 6-8 Math Tests
• As long as schools adhere to the specifications provided
in the 2013 Grades 6-8 Math, schools may choose the
specific models they purchase, and purchase calculators
from any supplier they choose
• Four-function calculator with square root key or scientific
calculator for Grade 6 students
• Scientific calculator for Grades 7 and 8 students
Rulers and Protractors
• Students in Grades 4-8 must be provided with a ruler
and a protractor for all sessions of the Grades 4-8 Math
Tests
• Math Practice 5 of the New York State P-12 Common
Core Learning Standards: Use appropriate tools
strategically. Mathematically proficient students consider the
available tools when solving a mathematical problem. Proficient
students are sufficiently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade
or course to make sound decisions about when each of these tools
might be helpful, recognizing both the insight to be gained and their
limitations…
• Specifications: Appendix P Math Tools
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/sam/ei/ei-sam-12w.pdf
Grades 3-8 Test Guides
• Separate guide for each subject and grade
• Information on instruction and assessment
– Common Core instructional shifts
– Grade-specific Common Core content
– How 2013 tests differ from past years
– Test content and design
• Available at engageny.org
Information on 2013
Grades 3-8 Tests
• Information on the 2013 tests can be
found on NYSED’s website
– http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/ei/eige
n.html
• Scoring turnkey training materials and
video
• Estimated read times for each test item
Information to be Provided
• Additional information will be posted on
the website soon
– School Administrator’s Manual
– Scoring Leader Handbook
– Teacher’s Directions
• These materials will provide detailed
information on administration and scoring
procedures
Proctoring
• There are no changes to rules regarding
who may proctor state assessments
• If assigned by their school administrator,
teachers may continue to proctor their own
students
• Information on proctoring can be found in
the School Administrator’s Manuals:
– Elementary-/Intermediate-Level Tests: coming soon
– NYSESLAT: coming soon
– Secondary-Level Tests:
www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/sam/secondary/home.html
Scoring Constructed-Response
Questions
• None of the scorers assigned to score a
student’s test response may be that
student’s teacher
• Regardless of the scoring model used, a
minimum of 3 scorers is necessary to
score each student’s test
Changes in Score Scale and
Performance Categories
• New score scale: Scores will range from
approximately 100 – 320/350
• New performance categories
Level 4: Student excels in standards for this
grade level
Level 3: Student is proficient in standards for
this grade level
Level 2: Student does not demonstrate
minimum standards for this grade level
Level 1: Student demonstrates little evidence
of knowledge and skills for this grade level
Expectations for 2013 Tests
• New standards and expectations will likely
result in fewer students performing at or
above grade-level CC expectations
• Results will present a more accurate
picture of where students are relative to
college and career expectations
• No new districts will be identified as Focus
Districts and no new school will be
identified as Priority Schools based on
2012-13 test results
Reporting Testing Irregularities
• Policies regarding how to report testing
irregularities have been changed
• Some irregularities continue to be reported
to the Office of State Assessment
• Others are now reported to the Test
Security Unit
• Information is included in the School
Administrator’s Manual for each test
Report to Office of State
Assessment
• Violations of communications device policy
• Confirmed cases of student fraud
• Interruptions of testing sessions (power
outages, fire alarms, etc.)
• Administrations outside of scheduled time
• Failure to following scoring protocols
• Lost student answer papers
• Reports should be made via fax
or email
Report to Test Security Unit
• School officials or staff providing aid to a
student during testing or changing student
responses
• School officials or staff altering or
incorrectly recording an exam score
• School staff instructing other staff to alter
an exam score
• Reports should be made at:
– http://www.forms2.nysed.gov/ohe/tsei/irf.cfm
Spring Field Testing
• Dates for spring field tests:
– Grades 3-8 ELA and Math: June 3 - 7
– Grades 4 and 8 Science: May 13 - 17
– Regents Exams: early May – May 31
• Field testing is essential to ensure the
validity and reliability of the assessments
• NYSED’s goal is to require only the
minimum amount of field testing needed to
build high quality assessments
Questions?
E-mail: emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov
Thank you for your time
and attention!