MCPS Assessment Strategy
February 2016
Today’s Discussion
 MCPS Assessment Vision
 Required state, local, national testing
 PARCC, instructional shifts, curricular implications
 Background and core goals of MCPS Assessment Strategy
 Final exams and new quarterly assessments
 Q&A
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
TYPE
HOW USED
Student Self‐Assessment • Used regularly to gather student voice and (As Learning) perspective
• An opportunity for students to reflect on Assessments should be…
how they learn best, self‐monitor own progress
Formative
(For Learning)
Assessments should be…
Surveys
Reflections,
Learning logs
• A daily practice embedded in instruction
• Used to guide instructional next steps for each student
Quizzes
Exit cards
Running records Observations • Administered at the end of a learning cycle
• Consistently administered and scored across a team, school, and/or district
• One of multiple data points considered when reviewing student progress and an instructional program
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
Assessments should be…
Summative
(Of Learning) EXAMPLES
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
SAT Final exams
Note. An assessment may be used in various ways and may fit more than one category.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
MCPS Identified Assessments
State, National, and International
Assessment
Quizzes
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
Tests
Science Maryland School Assessment (Grades 5 and 8)
Measuring Academic Progress‐Primary (Math)
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (Literacy and Math Grades 3‐8/Algebra 1 and English 10)
Measuring Academic Progress‐Reading
Measuring Academic Progress‐Math
Montgomery County Public Schools Assessment Program‐Primary Reading
High School Assessment (Biology and Government)
Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State‐
to‐State for English Language Learners
InView (Gifted and Talented)
PSAT
Final Exams
SAT
ACT
College and Career Readiness
ACCUPLACER
Advanced Placement
International Baccalaureate
Career and Technology Education Certifications
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Core Goals
The MCPS Assessment Strategy will…
• Align local assessments to new standards and state/national measures;
• Gather formative assessment data throughout the school year to inform instruction, allowing for students to receive timely supports and interventions;
• Provide students with more frequent and varied measures to demonstrate learning; and
• Use assessment data to facilitate accountability and central office monitoring and support.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Recent Context
 Great City Schools Report About Standardized Testing
 Obama Administration Action Plan for “Fewer and Smarter” Assessments– Assessments must be:
 “Worth taking” “High Quality” “Time Limited” “Fair Measures” “Fully Transparent to Students and Parents” “Just One of Multiple Measures” “Tied to Improve Learning”
 Maryland Commission on Assessment
 Feedback from MCPS stakeholders
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
What is PARCC?
• Series of assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards and the MCPS curriculum
• Developed by a consortium of states, including Maryland
• Replaced the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in literacy and math, and some High School Assessments (HSA)
• Online assessment
PARCC Assessments
• Grades 3–8 English language arts/literacy and mathematics
• Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Grade 10 English language arts/literacy • First administration was in Spring 2015
PARCC Timeline
• 2014–2015: Year 1
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Setting a new baseline for a new test
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Students must participate in the PARCC assessment
Passing score not tied to graduation
Participation for Algebra 1, ELA 10 suffices for graduation requirement
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• 2015–2016: Year 2
• 2016–2017: Year 3
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Algebra 1 and ELA 10 are graduation requirements
Changes for 2016
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Streamlined administration: Only one testing window, May 9–June 3
Fewer testing units: 6 or 7, depending on grade level, down from 8 or 9
Less testing time: testing time reduced by 90 minutes MCPS students will no longer take Algebra 2 exam
How is PARCC Different?
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Earlier Statewide Tests (i.e., MSA, HSA)
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Multiple choice
Memorization
Information without context
PARCC
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Read, write, reflect
Analyze and show results
Information in real‐world context
Critical thinking, problem solving, clear writing
Compare MSA to PARCC
Grade 5 MSA Question
Compare MSA to PARCC
This PARCC
item measures understanding of the same concept a grade earlier (Grade 4) and with greater depth
Effective Instruction:
Helping Students Develop
Literacy Skills Measured on PARCC
Literacy is… PARCC tests measure students’ skills in English language arts and literacy.
Literacy is… Critical and creative thinking through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
Literacy is… A shared responsibility among all content areas, and students learn and practice literacy skills throughout the school day. PARCC Literacy Skills
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Literary Text
Informational Text
Vocabulary
Writing Expression
Knowledge and Use of Language Conventions
Effective Instruction:
Helping Students Develop
Mathematics Understanding
Measured on PARCC
A Measure of Proficiency PARCC tests require students to solve multistep math problems that require reasoning and address real‐world situations. This requires students to reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships to solve real‐world problems, and show their understanding. Many previous assessments focused mostly on rote procedure only.
PARCC Mathematics Skills
• Major Content
• Additional & Supporting Content
• Expressing Mathematical Reasoning
• Modeling & Application
MCPS Final Exams & New Quarterly Assessments
Background
 Community concern about over testing and teacher concern over loss of instructional time following PARCC administration
 Interest in increased time engaged in meaningful instruction
 Math Semester Exam Work Group (2013) recommendation to eliminate exams in courses with a state assessment
 Middle School Exam Work Group (2013‐2014) recommendation to reduce final exam load in middle school
 Interest in reducing final exam load in high school, looking at final exam schedules
 Maryland State Department of Education reaffirms state tests, recommends adjustments be made at the local level
 Feedback collected from multiple stakeholder groups May–June 2015
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Central Question
How can we increase instructional time, alleviate the testing burden, AND continue to gather data to help us recognize and respond to student, teacher, school, and district needs?
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Core Goals
The MCPS Assessment Strategy will…
• Align local assessments to new standards and state/national measures;
• Gather formative assessment data throughout the school year to inform instruction, allowing for students to receive timely supports and interventions;
• Provide students with more frequent and varied measures to demonstrate learning; and
• Use assessment data to facilitate accountability and central office monitoring and support.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Middle School
2016‐2017
2015‐2016
Assessment Changes
No two‐hour exams for middle school courses
High School credit courses offered in middle school follow the high school model
High School credit courses offered in middle school follow the new high school model
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
High School
2015‐2016
Assessment Changes
Semester 1: No changes
Semester 2: No two‐hour final exams in externally assessed courses (PARCC and HSA assessed courses)
2016‐2017
Semester 1 & 2: No two‐hour final exams Centrally developed assessments embedded in the curriculum administered in class and collected during each marking period to inform student progress High school exam week with half‐days and two‐hour exams is eliminated; classes continue on a full day schedule
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Marking Period Assessments
 Centrally‐developed common assessments each marking period in courses 
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which there is currently a districtwide, centrally‐developed final exam.
30 courses (16 core content areas, 9 World Language, 5 ESOL)
Central services/teacher teams to begin course‐specific development of marking period assessments, using criteria/standards and in many cases, existing common assessments as a starting point.
Measure cumulative learning
Time “windows” during each marking period
Respecting teacher workload
Greater consistency, rigor, and accountability
Specific timeline for implementation
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses
 Feedback: There needs to be countywide consistency within content areas when giving assessments (elimination of exams takes away rigor and consistency).  Response: In‐class marking period assessments will replace the centrally developed semester two‐hour final exams. The marking period assessments will be centrally developed and the same marking period assessment will be given across the entire district by course. The assessments also will be scored and graded consistently throughout the entire district, supported by professional development to ensure consistency in implementation.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses
 Feedback: Current exam process does not allow the opportunity for parents to easily review the exam questions and the student responses. The final exams are considered “secure” documents and do not go home.
 Response: The new marking period assessments will be available for students to keep and take home, and position teachers to provide immediate feedback and timely support to students.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses
 Feedback: Students will be overloaded at the end of each marking period with numerous assessments on the same day or within the same week.
 Response: Because the marking period assessments will be closely aligned to the curriculum in each content area, these assessments will be spread out over multiple weeks across all the content areas. This approach will reduce the chance that students will have multiple marking period assessments on a given day. Recognizing that teachers should have flexibility in delivery of curriculum to meet the needs of students, there will not be a single date on which marking period assessments much be given. To assist teachers, a window will be provided for each content area marking period assessment.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Feedback and Responses
 Feedback: Eliminating final exams will jeopardize preparation for college. Eliminating final exams might put our students at a disadvantage in their applications for postsecondary study.
 Response: Currently, final exams are a series of “traditional” multiple choice and short answer exams, very similar in format across content areas. In college, practices with finals vary widely and are content specific, to include tests, papers, research, and projects, among other professor‐generated assessments. Colleges and universities report that curriculum, grades, and college placement tests are the most important factors in college admissions. Exam grades do not appear on student transcripts. Admissions staff report that school districts have a variety of approaches including no exams, teacher developed exams, and district created semester exams. As a result, exams are not seen as an important factor in the admissions process. Colleges report that MCPS maintains a strong reputation in higher education, built upon rigorous curriculum options and strong college and career readiness pathways.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland
Q & A
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland