Proof of Concept
Study
Accountability Services
NC Department of Public Instruction
July 27, 2015
Concept Design―Grades 5 and 6
• Grade 5 Math and Grade 6 ELA/Reading
• Students take 3 interim assessments during the
school year
• The interim assessments are not included in
accountability calculations
• Students take a shortened end-of-year test
• End-of-grade test without embedded field test
items
• The modified end-of-year test is included in
accountability calculations
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Sample―Grades 5 and 6
• Grade 5 Math — 45 schools, 4,021 students
• Grade 6 ELA/Reading ― 35 schools, 4,859 students
• Stratified random sample pulled
• Generalizable to the entire state
• Demographic variables: region, ethnicity, gender,
economically disadvantaged
• School-level achievement variable: mean scale score
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Interim Test Specifications—Grades 5 and 6
•
Step 2 in the test development
•
Separate meetings held late June and early July
– Invitees selected by NCDPI Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics and
ELA
– Active grade 5 Math and grade 6 ELA classroom teachers, instructional
coaches, and LEA curriculum and instruction leaders
– First half of meeting―Training by NCDPI Curriculum and Instruction
– Second half of meeting—NCDPI Test Development collected feedback and
recommendations
• Test Development team discusses teacher recommendations with NCDPI
Curriculum and Instruction to finalize test specifications
• Feedback will be collected from sampled schools
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Interim Test Specification Documents―
Grades 5 and 6
• NCDPI will provide a test specification document for ELA/Reading and
Math that includes the number of items
– DRAFT documents released July 24, 2015
•
•
Lists standards that will be assessed by each interim
•
ELA/Reading: all standards assessed by the EOG
•
Mathematics: set of standards assessed by each interim
Will provide number and type of selections (ELA) and items,
supplemental materials, etc.
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Interim Design—Grades 5 and 6
 Mathematics Grade 5
 Calculator active and inactive sections
 Multiple-choice and gridded-response items
 ELA/Reading Grade 6
 3 selections
 Multiple-choice and constructed response (CR) items
 1 CR item on interims two and three
 Both
 Paper/pencil
 Up to 90 minutes max
 20–25 items pulled from the EOG item pool (if available)
 One form for each interim
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Interim Assessment Policy—Grades 5 and 6
Testing Windows (3)
 Interim 1 October 1–30, 2015
 Interim 2 December 8, 2015 – January 22, 2016
 Interim 3 March 3–31, 2016
 Districts/charters can determine the testing days within the designated
windows
 Interims are not required to be administered to all students on same day, but
should be administered within the same week
 Make-up administrations are optional
 Should be administered by the classroom teacher
 Proctors are not required
 Administration does not require the removal of displays
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Interim Assessment Policy―Grades 5 and 6
Eligibility
Mathematics Grade 5
 All students enrolled in grade 5 at sampled schools who
participate in the EOG mathematics assessment
English Language Arts/Reading Grade 6
 All students enrolled in grade 6 at sampled schools who
participate in the EOG English Language Arts/ reading
assessment
Both
 Transfer students−−Take the interim(s) and the modified end-of-year
(EOY) test
 No opt out
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Interim Assessment Policy—Grades 5 and 6
Students Not Eligible to Participate
• Students with disabilities whose IEP documents
participation in the NCEXTEND1 alternate assessment
• LEP students who scored below Level 4.0 Expanding on
the W-APT and are in their first year in U.S. schools are
not eligible to participate in the grade 6 ELA study, but they
are eligible to participate in the grade 5 math study
• Students who are granted a medical exception from the
Division of Accountability Services for the EOG
assessments
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Interim Assessment Policy—Grades 5 and 6
Accommodations
• IEP, 504, and/or LEP teams do not have to reconvene and
document the accommodations for the Proof of Concept
Studies.
• Students may use the accommodations that are specified on their
current IEPs, Section 504 Plans, or LEP documentation for the
EOG for the modified end-of-year test.
• Instructional accommodations may be used for the interims except
for the Read Aloud and Signing/Cueing accommodations for grade
6 ELA/Reading. Reading aloud or signing/cueing the selections,
questions, or answer choices invalidates results because the
interims measure reading skills.
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Interim Assessment Policy―Grades 5 and 6
Special Print Versions
• Braille, Large Print (LP), One Item Per Page (OIPP), and
Large Print One Item Per Page Editions (LP/OIPP) can be
ordered from TNN
• Accommodation Notification Request Forms for special print
versions do not need to be sent in for interim assessments
• Submit orders at least 30 working days before the actual
administration date
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Interim Assessment Policy—Grades 5 and 6
Materials Ordering
• Materials will be ordered through TNN (after initial order,
materials will be auto shipped for the remainder of the
study)
– Assessment Guide
• guide for interims (separate guides: 1 for ELA/Reading; 1 for Math)
• guide for end-of year (separate guides: 1 for ELA/Reading; 1 for Math)
– Answer sheets
– Test books (separate test books for the subjects)
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Interim Assessment Policy― Grades 5 and 6
Required Supplemental Materials
English Language Arts/Reading
• Blank paper
Mathematics
• Blank paper
• Graph paper (auto shipped for interims and end-of-year)
• Calculators
•
Any four-function calculator with memory key
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EOY Test Policy—Grades 5 and 6
• Multiple forms
• Same as end-of-grade tests
– Test window
– Test security
– Supplemental materials
– Paper/pencil administrations only
– Submit accommodation notification forms
– Scanned locally
– Reporting
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Interim Assessment Policy—Grades 5 and 6
Security
•
Assessment guides are not secure test materials
•
•
Store at the school until all interims have been administered, then securely
destroy
Following the administration, interim assessment booklets are to be kept at the
schools for 4 weeks, then securely destroyed
•
Booklets must remain in the school
•
Booklets should be accounted for at all times
•
Local decision where booklets are stored at the school (secure facility not
accessible to students)
•
Teachers may use the booklets with students in reviews
•
Parents may view the booklets only within the school setting. The teacher may
share with parents the student’s scores on the items through customary
communication (i.e., individual parent/teacher conferences at the school)
•
Interim assessments (booklets, items, content) cannot be shared with other
schools
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NC Education Page
• Use the following link to the course
https://center.ncsu.edu/ncaccount
– Login enter NC Education password
– No Account—Click “Create new account”
– Questions contact the Help Desk
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Professional Development
• Memo−July 27, 2015
• Facilitated by the NCDPI/K–12 Curriculum and Instruction
• Districts and charter schools must send at least one
representative who will share information
– Teachers are preferred
– CEUs will be issued
• NCDPI will reimburse travel and substitute teachers
• No stipend
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Division of K–12 Curriculum &
Instruction
Division Director
Dr. Tiffany Perkins
English Language Arts
Section Chief - Dr. Julie Joslin
6-8 ELA Consultant - Anna Frost
Mathematics
Section Chief - Dr. Jennifer Curtis
K-5 Math Consultant - Kitty Rutherford
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Division of K‒12 Curriculum &
Instruction
The K-12 C & I Division will provide
professional development in preparation for
the Proof of Concept Studies in English
Language Arts/Reading Grade 6 and
Mathematics Grade 5
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ELA/Reading Grade 6 Professional
Development and Support
NCDPI ELA Section will provide instructional
support that will include professional
development (pd) through webinars as well as
resources housed in Edmodo. The pd and
support will focus on key topics that impact
ELA instruction.
To learn about the Proof of Concept Study and
assessments, teachers should attend
Accountability’s webinar that will address the study
specifically.
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ELA Professional Development
Webinars
Part One: Standards Study − includes resources for
understanding, expectations for students, progression, integrating the
strands.
Date: August 19 3:00‒4:00 p.m.
Part Two: Text Complexity − includes how it should be considered
within instruction, scaffolding, and determining the complexity of a text.
Date: August 20 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Part Three: Topic to be determined from teacher survey.
Date: Mid October
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Can’t Attend ELA/Reading PD?
The PowerPoints will be housed (with notes) in
Edmodo. Questions that are asked during the
webinar (and the answers we provide) will be
included as well.
Our Edmodo will house resources, webinars, an
optional discussion thread, and a Q & A section.
Participants will receive the Edmodo code during the
first webinar.
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Math Grade 5 Professional Development

East –August 4th
– Hilton Hotel, Greenville, 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Registration Link: https://proofconceptgreenville2015.eventbrite.com/
https://proofconceptgreenville2015.eventbrite.com/

Central – August 7th
– Embassy Suites, Greensboro, 10:00 a.m.‒3:30 p.m.
Registration Link: https://proofconceptgreensboro2015.eventbrite.com
https://proofconceptgreensboro2015.eventbrite.com

West –August 11th
– Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hickory, 10:00 a.m.‒3:30 p.m.
Registration Link: https://proofconcepthickory2015.eventbrite.com/
htps://proofconcepthickory2015.eventbrite.com/
Participants will help determine need for follow-up support in this math process.
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Topics to be discussed…
• Why 5th grade math interims?
• What will they look like?
• What math standards will be assessed each interim?
• Who decided what math standards will be accessed?
• What are the math expectations at each interim?
• What do we hope to learn from the assessments to guide math
instruction?
• What do we do with the math results?
• What math support will be provided in this process?
Networking with other 5th grade teachers in your area!
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If unable to attend math pd…
• All materials—PowerPoint and handouts
will be available on the
DPI Mathematics Wiki:
http://maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Home
See “Proof of Concept” Page on wiki for
registration links as well.
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Accountability Services Webinars
for Teachers
• The professional development meetings will
provide instructional support only
• To learn about the Proof of Concept Study
and assessments, teachers should attend
webinars offered by Accountability Services
in August
– Information is forthcoming
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