Colorado State Assessments:What do families need to know?

September 2015

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

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Overview of Discussion

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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

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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/newassess-parcc#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.”

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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.

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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/newassess-parcc#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.

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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.

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What Do the Tests Measure?

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English

Language Arts

•Whether students can read and understand texts of varying complexities.

•How well students use information from several sources to make a persuasive argument.

•Whether they can write, using what they’ve read and multi-media to support their arguments.

Math

•Whether students can understand and use important math ideas (i.e., number sense, algebraic thinking, geometry, and data analysis).

•How students use math facts and reasoning skills to solve real-world problems.

•How well students can justify their answers using math concepts.

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!

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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

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How Much Time Will Students Need To Complete The Test?

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• 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 well-thought response takes more time than simply filling in a bubble.

• Necessary skills to practice and master.

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

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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

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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.

EXAMPLE: 5th Grade Math Test

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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?

EXAMPLE: 6th Grade Math Test

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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.

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.

EXAMPLE: 6th Grade Math Test

Band 1 Band 2 Band 3

Number of Brass Instrument Players 123 42 50

Number of Percussion Instrument Players 41 14 50

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.

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EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test

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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.

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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.

EXAMPLE: 5th Grade ELA Test

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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.

EXAMPLE: 7th Grade ELA Test

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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.

EXAMPLE: 7th Grade ELA Test

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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Transition Year One: Student Results in the Fall

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• It will take more time to score the performance-based and writing components since it has never been done before.

Transition Year Two: Student Results before Summer

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• Will be able to compare the scores from this year’s to see progress and strengths and weaknesses.

Thank You To Our Teachers

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A Transition:

• Learning the new standards

• Engaging lessons

• Helped develop the PARCC test

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Resources for More Information

Where Can I Find More Info?

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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

Colorado’s New State Assessments:

Questions?