Benchmark Assessments and State Testing

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Benchmark Assessments and State Testing

• August 13, 2007
• Miami Public Schools

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Common Courtesies

• Turn Cell Phones to SILENT
• Please Keep Discussions Among Yourselves to a
  Minimum
• Please Hold All Questions to the End

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We know the Premises we operate and base
decisions on

• Effective schools have systems of process in
  place in these areas
• Curriculum Development and Implementation.
• Multiple Evaluation Strategies.
• Engaging Instructional Programs.
• Effective Learning Communities.
• Professional Development Opportunities.

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Miami Public Schools Mission Statement

• Miami Public Schools are responsible for
  creating a positive learning environment where
  all students have the opportunity to achieve
  academic success and to become productive,
  responsible citizens who can adapt to an
  ever-changing world.

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So What is Benchmarking?

• It is one process to help improve student
  learning
• Benchmarks are part of the Continuous
  Improvement/Model

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Where Have We Been?

• Each building has been left to create its own
  benchmark process
• We really want a District Wide Plan
• Each building has areas they benchmark

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What have we learned from our previous trials?

• Benchmarking must be uniform across district.
• It is impossible to write all of the questions
  ourselves
• We need a program to help with data collection
• The program must be user friendly and efficient
• Instructional decisions must be based on data

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What is our plan for this year?
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Next Year?
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Why are we implementing benchmarking?

• Formative Assessments District Wide
• Curriculum Alignment
• Alignment of Instruction
• Determination of Student Mastery.

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What Do Teachers Want to Know?
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How many assessments will be given?

• K -8 Math (9)
• 3-8 Reading (6)
• 7 Geo
• 8 Sci
• Alg I
• Bio I
• US History
• Eng II
• Total 21 District Wide for this year

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Are the tests cumulative?

• No
• However, we will remediate the lowest 25 of the
  standards tested

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Will we do a pre and post test?

• We will do a post test only.
• The post test will serve as next years pre-test.

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What is the timeline for this year?
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Who will be tested and how?

• We will test students in the following categories

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When will we test?
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Who administers the test?

• The regular classroom teacher
• If you teach Bio I then you test your Bio I
  students
• Does this mean some teachers will not be using
  Pearson?
• Yes

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Who scores the test?

• The online test will be scored by Pearson
• The paper/pencil test will be scored by Don

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Trainings?

• All staff members will be trained in test
  administration
• All staff members will be trained in reports
• Eventually we will do data interpretation
• Timeline for trainings will be determined and
  announced

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When will results be available?
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What is the timeline for utilizing data?
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What are we going to do with benchmark assessment
results?

• Replace existing tests such as Star, etc.
• We will use test scores for documentation on
  things such as Title 1
• We will make curriculum decisions
• Another part of the puzzle to make determinations
  about educational needs

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What are Teachers and Principals responsibilities?

• Classroom teachers are only responsible for
  administering the test to students in their
  classes if it is a testable area.
• Classroom teachers are responsible for pulling
  their classroom reports and utilizing the data.
• Principals will pull building level reports and
  help teachers formulate remediation plans.
• Don will pull district level reports and
  determine 25 of standards for remediation.

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Who is the Benchmark Team?

• Don Pullen dpullen_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Scott Harris sharris_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Sandy Ankenman sankenman_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Kellie Clark kclark_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Courtney Murphy cmurphy_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Trudy Blankenship tblankenship_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Linda Tunnell ltunnel_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Angie Douthit adouthit_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Randy Darr rdarr_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Shantell Barbour sbarbour_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Anne Chambliss achambliss_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Mike Barlow mbarlow_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Richard Patterson rpatterson_at_miami.k12.ok.us
• Lisa Wilkins lwilkins_at_miami.k12.ok.us

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What do they do?
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What do they do?
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What do they do?
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Tentative Testing Windows
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Tentative Testing Windows
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Tentative Testing Windows