Colorado State Assessments:
What do families need to know?
September 2015
Overview of Discussion
1. What the new state tests mean for your child
2. What tests are being given
3. What your child can expect
4. Ways to support your child
5. How to interpret test results
6. Additional resources for parents
1
Does Colorado require more assessments than
the federal minimum?
Yes, though changes were made to Colorado’s statewide assessment
system by the state legislature in 2015. The assessment system for the
2015-16 school year will include the following tests:
•
•
•
•
English language arts 3rd through 9th grade
Math in grades 3rd through 9th grade
Science in grades 5, 8 and once in high school
Social studies in grades 4, 7 and once in high school (to be done on
a sampling basis with schools participating only once every three
years)
• College preparatory exam in 10th grade
• College entrance exam in 11th grade
2
Too Much Testing?
With all the changes, you’ve probably heard about concerns that
there’s too much testing. There are state tests, district tests and in
some instances, school-based tests that are site based decisions.
Colorado PTA is comprised of parents and teachers and we want to
ensure everyone that we are all aware of and share those concerns.
During the 2015 Legislative Session, Colorado PTA passed a
Resolution regarding assessments.
3
Colorado PTA supports the following changes in
state law regarding the
frequency of state-mandated assessments:
• For English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science
testing, PTA would like the Colorado Department of Education to
seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to allow the
ACT exam to count toward the federally mandated requirement for
testing in these three subjects in high school.
• If the waiver for the ACT is not granted, PTA’s secondary position is
for testing in high school to occur in 10th grade for ELA and
Mathematics and in 11th grade for Science. PTA would like the ACT
to continue to be a required test for all 11th grade Colorado
students.
4
Colorado PTA supports the following changes in
state law regarding the
frequency of state-mandated assessments:
• Regarding Social Studies, would like the state-mandated CMAS
assessment in Social Studies to be eliminated, as this is not a
federally mandated requirement, but allow local districts to continue
Social Studies testing, if they so choose. If the Legislature decides
that Social Studies testing should still be required, PTA recommends
Social Studies testing only in the 6th and 9th grades. PTA believes
that it is not necessary to test in Social Studies in early elementary
grades or as frequently as is currently required.
5
Colorado PTA supports the following changes in
state law regarding the
frequency of state-mandated assessments:
Furthermore, PTA believes that parents should be able to opt their
children out of testing and that parents should be able to make this
choice without the worry of negative impacts to the evaluations of their
teachers and schools.
PTA supports early childhood education and testing that validates the
effectiveness of early education; therefore, PTA supports the School
Readiness assessments and those administered as part of the READ
Act.
Finally, PTA believes that the state should allow the PARCC tests to be
administered as a paper-and-pencil test for rural, elementary, and
special education students.
6
Legislators listened!
Advocacy is important!
Colorado PTA, teachers, and administrators all advocated to our
legislators about the impacts of too much testing on children.
They listened!
7
CDE Proposed Changes:
Reduction in the number of students who will take the social studies
test each year, a shift in the grade level required to take high school
science and social studies assessments, and the elimination of English
language arts and math tests for 10th and 11th grade
students. Students in 10th grade will instead take a college preparatory
exam that is aligned to the 11th grade college entrance exam as well as
our Colorado Academic Standards.
After many discussions with district science and social studies leaders,
CDE has developed the following plan for this year’s state tests:
• Over the next three years, about one-third of elementary and middle
schools will be selected each year to administer social studies
assessments. CDE is developing the schedule and will provide it in
November.
8
CDE Proposed Changes, Continued:
• Social studies exams will not be administered to high school
students in the 2015-16 school year. To meet the legislation’s
requirement for a three-year sampling plan, the social studies exam will
be administered at zero percent of high schools in 2016, approximately
50 percent of high schools in 2017, and the remaining 50 percent in
2018.
• High school science exams will be administered to all 11th grade
students this spring.
• As required by law, CDE is developing a request for proposals for
the 10th grade college preparatory exam and 11th grade college
entrance exam that are aligned to each other and to the Colorado
Academic Standards. We anticipate announcing the winning vendor
this November.
9
How much time will tests take?
CMAS testing time is comparable to previous tests in Colorado.
Overall, the estimated amount of testing time on CMAS is expected to
be less than 1.5% of typical students' total instructional time per CDE
information.
*Note – this time doesn’t include transition time.
In spring 2015, PARCC shortened the length of its math and English
language arts tests and condensed the tests into one window. As a
result, testing time will be reduced by approximately 90 minutes for all
students 3rd through 9th grade.
10
Why new state assessments?
State assessments allow us to
• benchmark results across the state
• ensure a successful pathway to college and career readiness for all
students
New online assessments will
• align to new state standards
• incorporate innovative computer-enhanced approaches to testing
that support students‘ application of their learning
11
State Assessment Program History
• 1997-2011 Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP)
- Measured student learning of the Colorado Model Content Standards
(math, reading, writing & science)
• 2012-13 Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP)
- Transitional assessment—old standards to new
• 2013-14 TCAP & Colorado Measures of Academic Success
-TCAP continues for reading, writing and math
- First year of new Colorado- developed social studies and science
assessments (part of the state’s new Colorado Measures of Academic
Success)
• 2014-15 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)
- First year of new PARCC- developed English language arts and
mathematics assessments
- Second year of Colorado- developed social studies and science
assessments
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PARCC
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
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CMAS
CMAS - English Language Arts and Mathematics Assessments
(PARCC) - See more at:
http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/newassessparcc#sthash.ISDmOBUs.dpuf
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)
CMAS is language arts, math, science, and social studies with PARCC
assessing only language arts and math.
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What the New
State Tests Mean
for Your Child
New Statewide Tests
•
Colorado adopted higher, more focused standards–Colorado’s College and
Career-Ready Standards–in 2010 to better prepare students for college,
technical schools, and careers.
•
Our education system was falling short in developing the critical-thinking
and problem-solving skills needed to compete with students from anywhere
in the world.
•
New standards require new state tests that better measure these skills and
allow students to show what they know and what they can do.
•
Example Third Grade Reading Standard: “Determine the main idea of a text;
recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.”
16
Prior to the adoption of the standards, too many students in Colorado
had been graduating from high school without the problem-solving and
critical-thinking skills they need to succeed in college and in the
workforce. These new standards were designed to change that.
17
New Statewide Tests
• In compliance with legislation, Colorado joined the PARCC consortia
as a governing member in August 2012. PARCC is a multi-state
assessment consortium that is developing shared English language
arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments. About 12 states
participate in the consortium. As a governing member, Colorado is
committed to relying on the PARCC assessment system. PARCC
has ELA assessments in grades 3-11 and mathematics
assessments in grades 3-8 with three high school
assessments. PARCC has developed college- and career-ready
determinations that will be based on the assessments given in 11th
grade. - See more at:
http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/newassessparcc#sthash.ISDmOBUs.dpuf
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New Statewide Tests
• Students in grades 3-8 will take the English Language Arts and
Mathematics tests. They will be divided into two components that
can each be taken online.
• End-of-Year, APRIL 11 – 29, 2016
CMAS tests in science, social studies (random sampling), English
language arts and math for students in third through ninth-grade
• Short-answer questions and multiple choice
• Machine-scored
• the Colorado Department of Education will allow districts to begin
testing one to three weeks early if they cannot complete testing within
the allotted timeframe due to limitations on the number of computers or
other devices needed for testing.
19
What is PARCC?
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers
• A group of states that have worked together to develop high quality
tests in English and Math that are aligned to the new standards.
• Colorado joined PARCC to create a new test aligned to our
standards. State commissioner of Education was on Governing
Board.
• The tests were field-tested in Spring 2014 by 1 million students in
16,000 schools, including Colorado.
20
What Do the Tests Measure?
• Whether students can read and understand texts of varying
complexities.
• How well students use information from several sources to make a
persuasive argument.
English
they can write, using what they’ve read and multi-media
Language Arts • Whether
to support their arguments.
• Whether students can understand and use important math ideas
(i.e., number sense, algebraic thinking, geometry, and data
analysis).
Math
• How students use math facts and reasoning skills to solve realworld problems.
• How well students can justify their answers using math concepts.
21
How Do I Know What My Child is Expected to
Learn This Year
• The PTA developed grade-specific
“Guides to Student Success” so
you know the skills your child
should master and what he or she
is expected to know every year:
www.PTA.org/CommonCore
We have a presentation on
common core as well if you’re
interested!
22
What Students
Can Expect
What’s Different About the Tests?
The new tests go beyond the “bubble test.”
Students show their work through:
• Extended writing and multi-step questions which require students to apply the
skills they have learned.
They measure:
•
•
•
•
Problem-solving
Writing
Critical thinking
Reading Comprehension
24
How Much Time Will Students Need To Complete
The Test?
• Students will have 90 minutes for each section.
• Most students finish in less time
• One to two tests per day
• Average: 4 hours each on the Mathematics and English
Language Arts portion of the test:
• Thinking critically, reading deeply, and writing a wellthought response takes more time than simply filling in a
bubble.
• Necessary skills to practice and master.
25
How Much Time Will Students Need To Complete
The Test?
PARCC estimates that students will spend the approximate lengths of
time below to complete all the sessions, or timed components, of the
PARCC performance-based and end-of-year assessments in ELA and
math:
• 9.75 hours annually in 3rd grade
• 10 hours in grades 4–5
• A little less than 11 hours in middle school
• Close to 11 hours in high school
*Note – this does not include transition time or schools that have half
day testing days.
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What Will be Different in Math?
Students will:
• Show their work and demonstrate that they understand a concept in
addition to memorizing the formula.
• Compute math problems quickly and accurately.
• Know multiple ways to solve problems, allowing them to choose the
method that is best.
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EXAMPLE: 5th Grade Math Test
Previous Colorado State Assessment Test Example:
The town of La Paz, Bolivia, is in the Andes mountains. Which of these
units could be used to describe the distance of the town of La Paz
above sea level?
A. Degrees
B. Feet
C. Cubic Inches
D. Pounds
28
EXAMPLE: 5th Grade Math Test
New Colorado State Assessment Example:
Mr. Edmunds shared 12 pencils among his four sons as follows:
• Alan received 1/3 of the pencils
• Bill received 1/4 of the pencils
• Carl received more than 1 pencil
• David received more pencils than Carl
PART A: On the number line, represent the fraction of the total number of
pencils that was given to both Alan and Bill combined. Use the buttons
on the right to increase or decrease the number of equal sections on
the number line.
PART B: What fraction of the total number of pencils did Carl and David each
receive? Justify your answer.
.
29
EXAMPLE: 6th Grade Math Test
Previous Colorado State Assessment Example:
Mr. August’s class went to the museum on February 14th and
they had an ice-cream party on March 2nd. How many days
were there between the museum trip and ice-cream party?
30
EXAMPLE: 6th Grade Math Test
New Colorado State Assessment Example:
Mr. Ruiz is starting a marching band at his school. He first does research and
finds the following data about other local marching bands.
Band 1
Band 2
Band 3
Number of Brass Instrument Players
123
42
50
Number of Percussion Instrument Players
41
14
50
PART A: Enter your answer in the blank .
Mr. Ruiz realizes there are ______ brass instrument player(s) per percussion
player.
PART B: Mr. Ruiz has 210 students who are interested in joining the marching
band. He decides to have 80% of the band be made up of percussion and brass
instruments. Use the unit rate you found in Part A to determine how many
students should play brass instruments. Show or explain all your steps.
31
What Will be Different in English Language Arts?
Students will:
– Show they can read and understand complex passages.
– Use evidence to support their ideas in written responses at
every grade level.
– Research a topic and use the findings to make a claim and
draw a conclusion.
32
EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test
Previous Colorado State Assessment Test Example:
Read the writing prompt below and complete the writing activity:
Jump out of bed! Look out the window! It is a perfect weather day!
Write a story about a day when the weather seemed perfect.
33
EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test
New Colorado State Assessment Example:
You have read two texts about famous people in American history who solved a
problem by working to make a change.
•Write an article for your school newspaper describing how Eliza and
Carver faced challenges to change something in America.
•In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they tried worked
and others did not work.
•Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how they were
different.
.
34
EXAMPLE: 7th Grade ELA Test
Previous Colorado State Assessment Example:
Going to the movies is a major source of entertainment for many
students. Imagine that the only discount movie theater in your area is
closing.
Write a persuasive essay in support of keeping the discount movie
theater open.
35
EXAMPLE: 7th Grade ELA Test
New Colorado State Assessment Example:
You have read a website entry and an article, and viewed a video describing
Amelia Earhart. All three include information that supports the claim that Earhart
was a brave, courageous person. The three titles are:
• “The Biography of Amelia Earhart”
• “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found”
• “Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance” (video)
Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery. Write
an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments related to Earhart’s bravery
in at least two of the three supporting materials. Remember to use textual
evidence to support your ideas.
36
Ways to Support
Your Student
How Can I Help at Home?
• Take a moment to review a practice test with your child:
http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/
• Talk with your child and reassure him/her that these tests aren’t the kind
you “cram” for, but just measure what they’ve mastered from their
classwork.
• Assure your child they have enough time to finish.
• Have them read a variety of materials at home, including fiction and
informational texts.
• Involve learning in everyday activities. Mix math into cooking or
shopping. Ask children to express opinions and to back their views.
How Can I Help at Home?
• No stress! This is just a measure!
• Just a snap shot to ensure we are serving kids and preparing them for
their futures.
• Tests do not measure your child.
• Tests do not measure your teacher.
• Tests do not measure your school.
With your help, every child’s potential is a reality!
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Why testing?
Data can show us where we need to focus attention and how to better meet the
needs of children as individuals.
Data shows where patterns of success with child are occurring so outcomes can be
duplicated elsewhere to better serve children!
With your help, every child’s potential is a reality!
How To Interpret
Test Results
What Will Results Look Like?
43
New Tests New Baselines
• These upgraded tests are harder.
• With a greater emphasis on deeper learning, we have raised the bar for
our students, parents, and teachers.
• This new bar cannot be compared to the old one.
• The scores are not higher or lower, just different.
44
Shift #1 – Focus: The PARCC assessments will focus strongly
where the Standards focus
Advance: 70% or more on the major work in grades 3-8.
• Focus allows for a variety of problem types to get at concept in
multiple ways.
• Students will have more time to master concepts at a deeper level.
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Shift #2 - Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics
within grades
Advance: Integrative tasks draw on multiple standards to ensure
students are making important connections.
• The Standards are not treated as a checklist
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Shift #3 - Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding,
procedural skill and fluency, and application
Advance: PARCC assessments will reach the rigor in the
Standards through innovations in technology and item
design.
47
This new bar cannot be compared to the old one.
• The scores are not higher or lower, just different.
• Again, lower scores do not equate to lower performance!
• These scores cannot be compared to previous scores.
• Test scores do not equal better teachers, better schools, or better
students.
A whole new assessment! Like comparing apples to watermelons!
48
How Will Scores be Used?
Test results will help schools to:
•
Make instructional decisions.
•
Determine individual needs of students:
 Extra support?
 More challenging work?
 Recommendations for future classes?
•
Scores do not impact GPA, class ranking, or college acceptance.
49
Transition Year One:
Student Results in the Fall
• It will take more time to score the performance-based and
writing components since it has never been done before.
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Transition Year Two:
Student Results before Summer
• Will be able to compare the scores from this year’s
to see progress and strengths and weaknesses.
51
Thank You To Our Teachers
A Transition:
• Learning the new standards
• Engaging lessons
• Helped develop the PARCC test
52
Resources for
More Information
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Where Can I Find More Info?
Great Web Sites
• PARCC Practice Tests: Reading, Writing, Math
• Tutorials http://parcc.pearson.com/tutorial/
• Practice Tests http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/
• PARCC Info: www.parcconline.org
• Parent Friendly Information and Resources: BeALearningHero.org and
Facebook.com/bealearninghero
• Colorado Department of Education: http://www.cde.state.co.us/
• Colorado State PTA: http://copta.org/
www.PTA.org/CommonCore
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Colorado’s New State Assessments:
Questions?