NYS Assessment Updates & Processes
for New Social Studies Regents Exams
September 18, 2014
Candace Shyer
Assistant Commissioner for Assessment, Standards and Curriculum
Assessment Updates
• Regents Exam Schedule for June 2015

Common Core Regents Exams in ELA and
Geometry administered on Tuesday June 2nd
• Conversion charts will be available by Rating Day (June 25)

All other Regents Exams: June 16-24, 2015
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Assessment Updates
• 2015 NYSAA Schedule



Administration Dates: Monday, September 29 –
Friday, February 27
Scoring Dates: Monday, March 16 – Friday, May 1
Final Dates to Submit Answer Sheets to
Scanning Centers: Monday, May 4
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Administration Notes
• Administration dates have been posted for all
grades and subjects through June 2015
• Currently working on the August 2015 Regents
Exam schedule and the 2015-16 SY Grades 3-8
and Regents Exam schedules
• Ordering portal closes:


Nov. 7th for January 2015 Regents Exams
Nov. 3rd for Grades 3-8 assessments
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Regents ELA and Math Transition
2010: Board of Regents adopted Common Core
2013: Common Core Assessments first administered in Grades
3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Math
2014: Roll-out of Common Core Regents Exams

June 2014: Algebra I
ELA offered, but not required

June 2015: Geometry
ELA offered, but not required

June 2016: Algebra II
ELA - required for 1st time
EngageNY.org
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Class of 2017: First cohort of high school
graduates required to pass Common Core
Regents Exams for graduation at the current score
of 65 (partial proficiency)
Class of 2022: First cohort of high school
graduates required to pass Common Core
Regents Exams for graduation at the aspirational
college- and career ready score (proficiency)
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Full Implementation for the Class of
2022
Transition to New York Common Core Assessments
is a 12-year phase-in
• The Board of Regents intends to phase in over time
the graduation requirement to demonstrate proficiency
on the Common Core standards in high school courses
• Specifically, the class of 2022 would be the first group
of students required to pass Common Core Regents
Exams (ELA and one exam in math) at the level of
meeting Common Core course-level expectations (i.e.,
Level 4 of five levels)
EngageNY.org
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Social Studies Test Development
• NYS K-12 Social Studies Framework was
approved by the Board of Regents in April
2014
• The Field Guide, which will help educators
develop local curriculum in alignment with the
Framework, is nearing completion
• NYS Social Studies Resource Toolkit Project is
developing resources for classroom use and
for professional development
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Social Studies Test Development
• The State Education Department has been
working with the Content Advisory Panel and
Social Studies organizations to gather
feedback from the field that will inform
thinking regarding changes being made to the
Regents Examinations in Global History &
Geography and United States History &
Government
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Social Studies Test Development
• The Framework divides Global History &
Geography coursework into two units


Global History & Geography I (Grade 9:
Paleolithic era-1750)
Global History & Geography II (Grade 10:
1750-present)
• It was recommended to the BOR that the new
Regents Exam in Global History & Geography
measure student knowledge and skills in the
second course only. Staff will proceed with
drafting regulations for the Board.
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Test Development Timeline
• Spring 2015

Training of item writers
• Spring 2016

Piloting of new items
• Spring 2017

Full-scale field testing of items
• June 2018

Global History & Geography II first administration
• June 2019

US History & Government first administration
Note: the above timeline was presented to the Board of Regents for approval on September 15
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Test Development Timeline
• The proposed timeline is intended to allow schools
to development curriculum and teachers
opportunities to become familiar with the skills,
practices, and content in the new Social Studies
Framework as well as to make shifts in instruction
• It is also to allow for the development, piloting, and
field testing of new types of items linked to the new
framework that will be used on the new Regents
Exam
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Scaling and Equating
Dr. Zachary Warner
Project Coordinator
Scaling
• Scaling is the process by which test results
are mathematically transformed to numeric
scores.

Why scale scores?
• Score scales provide context for interpreting test results
(e.g., score of 324…?)

A baseline scale is established when a new test
is introduced.
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Equating
• Equating is a statistical process that places
results on subsequent test forms on the
baseline scale (i.e., make different forms
comparable to each other).


Cannot have perfectly parallel tests unless all
items are identical.
“Equating adjusts for differences in difficulty, not
for differences in content” (Kolen & Brennan, 2004)
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Scaling & Equating: Grades 3-8
• Post-equating


The statistical analyses to place the test results
on the baseline scale take place after the test is
administered using student test results to
determine difficulty.
This is what happens between
administration/scoring and score release.
• Results must be compiled, analyzed, and equated to
baseline scale so that results are comparable to prior forms.
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Scaling & Equating: Regents Exams
• Pre-equating


The statistical analyses to place the test results
on the baseline scale take place before the test is
administered using results from field testing to
determine difficulty.
This is why scale score conversions are available
on the day of testing – the equating of test forms
to the baseline has already taken place.
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Performance Levels
• Equating ensures that the meaning of scale
scores is consistent from form to form

a score of 65 in 2014 and in 2015 must
demonstrate the same performance
• This ensures that performance levels retain the
meaning from the standard setting meeting
where educators recommended the required
performance to achieve at each level.
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Thank you.
Questions?