Alternative Methods to Obtain a Certificate of Academic Achievement Same Standards Different Rulers

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Alternative Methods to Obtain a Certificate of
Academic Achievement Same Standards Different
Rulers

• Bob Butts
• Alternative Assessment Coordinator
• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
• April 2006

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Where it began

• HB 2195 (2004)
• The high school assessment system shall include
  objective alternative assessments that may be
  used to achieve a Certificate of Academic
  Achievement
• The alternative assessments shall be comparable
  in rigor to the skills and knowledge that the
  student must demonstrate on the WASL for each
  content area.
• OSPI directed to identify options and make
  recommendations
• Same Standards -- Different
  Rulers

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What did the 2006 Legislature approve??
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The Multiple Methods to Earn a Certificate of
Academic Achievement


As Passed 2006 Legislature Senate Bill 6475
WASL A student
may obtain a Certificate of Academic Achievement
by meeting standards on the WASL. If a student
does not meet a standard initially, he or she
will have opportunities to retake the assessment.

WASL/Grades Comparison The students grades are
compared with the grades of students who took the
same courses and who met the standard.
Collection of Evidence (Guidelines and scoring
must be approved by the State Board) Students
submit classroom-based work samples from academic
and career/ technical classes. Specific
collections are to be designed for Career and
Technical Education programs that lead to an
industry certificate.
Certificate of Academic Achievement
PSAT, SAT, and ACT (Mathematics Only) State
Board to set cutscores equivalent to the WASL.

• Guidelines and Appeals
• - Transfer Students Students who transfer to a
  Washington public school in their junior or
  senior year.
• Special Cases Students with severe health
  problems or who have other unique, unavoidable
  circumstances.

• To be eligible for these options, a student must
  take the WASL twice and meet attendance and
  remediation requirements in his/her Student
  Learning Plan.

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Collection of EvidenceHow it Works

• Students, with the assistance of a teacher,
  compiles a collection of work samples based on
  specified guidelines
• Created in academic, intervention, and CTE
  classes
• The following will be available
• The guidelines
• Model performance tasks
• Scoring criteria
• Exemplary work samples and collections
• Training
• Collections will be scored at the state-level by
  scoring panels of teachers

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Collection of Evidence
National or State Industry Certificate
Programs

• OSPI to develop guidelines for collections for
  students in approved CTE programs that lead to a
  state or national industry certificate
• The collections must
• Be relevant to the student's CTE program
• Focus on the application of academic knowledge
  and skills
• Include projects where academic knowledge is
  inferred
• Be related to the standards and represent the
  knowledge and skills that needed for the industry
  certificate
• To meet the state standard on the alternative
  assessment, the student must also attain the
  industry certificate
• OSPI to develop a list of approved CTE programs
  that qualify for the alternative assessment

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Which Students Should Take This Pathway?

• Not met standard after taking the WASL twice
• Students who have the skills but have not
  demonstrated them on the WASL
• Have test anxiety
• Unable to demonstrate their skills on a
  standardized, on-demand, paper and pencil
  assessment
• Can demonstrate their skills in work samples that
  are
• more culturally relevant than the WASL
• of more interest
• more hands-on or authentic
• English language-learners with proficient skills
• Are in a program that leads to a industry
  certificate
• Are motivated!!

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Eligibility and Likely Student Success

• How many students will meet standards using this
  pathway?
• Difficult to predict, but we are assuming 3-5
• For the Class of 2008
• Estimated 2,400 to 4,000 students statewide
• In MA, only 20-30 of their portfolios are
  determined to be proficient

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What might the Guidelines require? Draft
Mathematics guidelines

• Five to ten Work Samples that demonstrate
  proficiency in each of the components in EALR 1
• Number sense, measurement, geometric sense,
  probability and statistics, and algebraic sense
• Work Samples that demonstrate proficiency in each
  of the EALRs 2-5
• Solves problems
• Reasons logically
• Communicates understanding
• Makes connections
• Work Samples for EALRs 2 - 5 distributed across
  EALR 1 content strands
• Tasks of moderate or high complexity to ensure
  moderate or high level cognitive demands of the
  student
• A majority of the Work Samples must be completed
  under the direct supervision of a teacher

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Mathematics Collection Matrix
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What might the Guidelines require? Draft Writing
guidelines

• Five to eight written Work Samples that together
  demonstrate proficiency in content, organization,
  style, and the use of conventions.
• The samples must include
• at least one expository or persuasive on-demand
  essay, timed and supervised in class
• at least one non-timed expository sample
• at least one non-timed persuasive sample
• Writing for a variety of purposes/modes,
  audiences, and in a variety of forms
• A majority of the Work Samples must be completed
  under the direct supervision of a teacher

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What might the Guidelines require? Draft Reading
guidelines

• Six to twelve reading responses that reflect
  multiple Reading GLEs and WASL learning strands
  and targets
• The collection will represent a balance of
  reading responses that address a variety of grade
  level appropriate
• literary genres and periods
• informational texts across the content areas
• The collection will feature one or more of the
  samples using information that demonstrates the
  ability to integrate multiple sources (e.g.,
  research report)
• A majority of the Work Samples must be completed
  under the direct supervision of a teacher

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Proposed Collection of Evidence Process (Subject
to State Board Approval) Class of 2008
2 WASL
1 WASL
1 WASL Results
x
x
x
Complete Work Samples
3 WASL
4 WASL
2 WASL Results
3 WASL Results
x
x
x
x
SBE Approval
Panels Meet

Complete Work Samples
Results Returned
Submit Collections
4 WASL Results
5 WASL
5 WASL Results
x
x
x
Panels Meet
Panels Meet
Complete Work Samples
Submit Collections
Results Returned
Results Returned
Submit Collections
.
NOTE Final decisions have not been made
regarding when the scoring panels will meet.
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How will we know its not Moms (or Dads or the
Teachers) work?

• Require a majority of work samples be completed
  under the direct supervision of a teacher
• Each work sample will indicate if it was/was not
• Require the student and teacher attest that it is
  the students work
• In the writing collection, require that first
  drafts be submitted
• Use scorers who have expertise in recognizing
  downloaded Internet papers and other forms of
  cheating

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Ensuring Comparability of Rigor

• Clear message to teachers and students
• Same standards different ruler
• Scored at the state-level under the direction of
  OSPI
• WASL assessment content administrators develop
  the scoring process
• Scoring criteria aligned with the WASL
• Use scorers who have scored the WASL
• Conduct comparability studies and make
  refinements, as necessary

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Collection of EvidenceThe Statewide Pilot

• We are currently field testing the Collection of
  Evidence process
• Twenty schools, Skill Centers, and ESDs
• Small/large, urban/rural, affluent/low income,
  East/West
• Are compiling collections from approximately 200
  students that will be scored in April
• Pilot will
• Refine guidelines, scoring criteria,
  and process
• Identify proficient collections
• Will also are considering conducting
  a second pilot this summer

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State Board Approval

• Must submit guidelines and scoring process to
  State Board for approval
• State Board must find that the guidelines and
  scoring process
• Will meet professionally accepted standards for a
  valid and reliable measure of the GLEs and EALRs
  and
• Are comparable to -- or exceed -- the rigor of
  the skills and knowledge that a student must
  demonstrate on the WASL.
• State Board to make decision by December 1, 2006
• However, OSPI to notify students, parents, and
  educators of likely guidelines and process in
  September 2006

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Collection of EvidenceWhy is it a good idea?

• Consistent with good educational practice
• Students and teachers will focus on WASL content
  areas as they develop their collections
• Work is produced in a less stressful environment
• Allows students to demonstrate their skills in
  different ways are of interest to them
• Career and technical education projects/Certificat
  es
• Projects that are more culturally relevant
• Projects that are more fun

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Challenges

• Increased workload on teachers, principals and
  counselors
• Funding provided to reimburse a portion of
  additional costs
• Not setting students up for failure
• Clarifying what type of help teachers can provide
• Editing? Pre-teaching?
• Creating a scoring system that is reliable and
  has comparable rigor
• Making sure it has educational benefits beyond
  getting students across the bar

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WASL/Grades Comparison How it works

• Compares grades of the student with the grades of
  other students in the school
• Who took the same mathematics or English/language
  arts courses in the high school and
• Who met or slightly exceeded the standard on the
  WASL
• If the cohort has six or more students and the
  students grades are above the average grades of
  the cohort, the student would meet the standard
  
• Will not work in small schools
• In these cases, students would use the Collection
  of Evidence

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WASL/Grades Comparison

• Highest Math WASL score 390
• Took Algebra I and Geometry
• Average grades for the two classes 2.9

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Possible WASL/Grades Worksheet
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The WASL/Grades Comparison Model Grading
Practices in Different Schools
Cohort Group (Min. 6)
3.6
Cohort Group (Min. 6)
2.3
Hypothetical GPA needed in the two different
schools
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WASL/Grades Comparison

• OSPI to identify criteria for which classes may
  be included
• Should we require only aligned courses?
• Online spreadsheet will be available this fall to
  make the calculations
• District personnel will be required to identify
  students who took the same classes and their WASL
  scores
• In September 2007, we plan to have an online tool
  that will automatically identify the students and
  make the calculation
• Will only work if school districts submit
  course-taking data

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WASL/Grades Comparison Why is it a good idea?

• Allows grades to be a consideration in getting a
  Certificate of Academic Achievement
• Addresses several of the major problems of using
  grades
• Differences in class rigor
• Between-school differences
• Maintains a focus on the mathematics, reading,
  and writing standards
• Not a Cumulative GPA
• Encourages students to do their absolute best in
  core academic courses
• Is less work than a collection

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Guidelines and Appeals

• Three types of guidelines and appeals were
  approved
• Transfer students For students who transfer into
  a high school in their junior or senior year
• Special cases Students who are close to the
  standard but have special, unavoidable
  circumstances (e.g., health issues but are close
  to standards)
• Score appeals Parents/students who think their
  assessment was incorrectly scored

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Mathematics scores on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT

• Allows a student's PSAT, SAT, or ACT score to be
  used as an alternative to the WASL in mathematics
  
• State Board of Education to identify scores
  students must achieve to meet the state standard
  by December 1, 2006
• Score must be equivalent to the WASL
• Funds were provided to reimburse students who
  take one of these exams for use as an alternative
  assessment

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Mathematics Assessment in segments

• Governor wanted to provide students hope
• Funds were provided to divide the mathematics
  assessment into segments
• OSPI plans to create a model year-long class with
  the assessments embedded
• Aligned course objectives, lesson plans,
  instructional materials
• Development will begin this summer
• Assessments will not be available until
  at least 2008-09, but the model
  classes will be available
  in 2007-08

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Other news

• SPI to explore the feasibility of having the
  mathematics assessment in additional languages
• Legislature also directed the Washington Public
  Policy Institute to
• Analyze why students are not meeting standards
• Identify additional alternative assessments
• Transcripts
• Removed WASL scores, met/did not meet standard,
  Scholars designation, and CAA by Alternative
  Assessment or WASL
• Left the Certificate of Academic Achievement or
  Certificate of Individual Achievement

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Web-based Information

• CAA Alternative Methods
• www.k12.wa.us/assessment/CAAassess.aspx