Alternative Assessments and Appeals: What can we learn from other States

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Alternative Assessments and Appeals What can
we learn from other States?

• Robert Butts
• Washington State Office of Superintendent of
  Public Instruction
• Presented to the
• House Education Committee
• September 14, 2005

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What are the major questions to be answered?
Appeal Process?
Use of National Tests? (SAT, Technical
Certificates, etc.)
???
State- developed Alternative Assessments?
Use of state tests for students who move to WA?
What can we learn from other states?
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The Big Picture

• Number of states that
• Had Exit Exam requirements in place for the Class
  of 2005 (19)
• Have appeal processes (10)
• Have state-developed alternative assessments or a
  Portfolio Appeal (2)
• In making decisions, they use
• GPAs in making decisions (5)
• National/international assessments (e.g., SAT,
  AP, IB) (7)

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State-developed Alternative Assessment

• Should the state develop an alternative
  assessment? If yes, what should it consist of?
• Examples
• New Jersey
• Special Review Assessment (SRA)
• Student must enroll in a remediation class
• Must retake the state test
• Students complete Performance Performance Tasks
  (PATs)
• Administered and scored locally by content area
  certified teachers
• ELL students may demonstrate proficiency in their
  native language, but must pass English fluency
  test
• 14,000 students in 2003 15 of the class. More
  than 80 in some urban high schools
• NJ Education Commissioner has recommended that if
  be phased out and replaced by an appeal process.

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State-developed Alternative Assessment

• Examples continued.
• Massachusetts
• Portfolio Appeal (Part of the Performance Appeal
  process)
• Used when there are fewer than 6 comparable
  students in its GPA/MCAS appeal process
• Must demonstrate a comparable level of
  performance as the MCAS
• Must submit specified classroom-based evidence
  (See Portfolio Appeals guidelines)
• English/Language Arts 5 written work samples
  with Work Description form, multiple drafts,
  indication of any assistance provided
• Mathematics Work samples are required for each
  major strand (e.g., number sense and operations,
  geometry, measurement). Also Work Description.

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State-developed Alternative Assessment continued

• Massachusetts continued
• May include samples of work beginning in 9th
  grade
• Portfolios reviewed three times a year by panels
  of content area experts
• Approximately 200 Portfolio Appeals were
  submitted in 2003-04. 27 were granted

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Appeals

• Should the state use an appeal process? If
  yes, what should it include?
• Examples
• Common eligibility requirements
• Have taken the state test two or three times
• Have specified cut-scores on the state test
• MA Must have a minimum score of 216 (220 is the
  cutscore)
• Attendance rate (Excused absences do not count)
• 95 MA, NY, IN
• 97 Ohio
• May not have been expelled
• Participation in remediation
• IN, MA, NY, OH

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Appeals continued

• Decision Criteria
• Grade Point Average
• Massachusetts
• Must have six comparable students
• Compares appellants GPA with other students who
  took the same content classes (the cohort) and
  passed the state assessment within a range of
  220-228
• Appellants GPA must exceed median GPA of the
  cohort
• Indiana, New York, and Ohio
• Must have a minimum GPA to be eligible for an
  appeal (e.g., C)
• Arizona
• A, B, and C grades boost test score by up to 25
• Teacher recommendations
• Indiana
• Written recommendation from a teacher in each
  content area

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Indiana Appeal Process

• Requirements
• Take the test every year
• Complete remediation opportunities
• 95 attendance rate (excused absences do not
  count)
• C average in courses required for graduation
• Written recommendation from teachers with
  principal concurring
• Documentation based on classroom work or tests
• Meet all other state and local graduation
  requirements
• In 2004, 5 of students used the process

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Massachusetts Appeal Process

• Eligibility Requirements
• Take the MCAS three times
• 95 attendance rate
• Minimum score of 216 on the MCAS
• Participated in tutoring and academic support
  services
• Meet all other state and local graduation
  requirements
• GPA/MCAS Analysis
• Compares appellants GPA with other students who
  took the same content classes and passed the MCAS
  within a range of 220-228. Must have six
  comparable students.
• Appellants GPA must exceed median GPA of the
  cohort
• Portfolio Appeal
• Used when there are fewer than six students in
  the cohort
• 2,500 appeals were filed in 2003. Approx. 4 of
  the class

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Massachusetts Appeal Process continued

• For students who are not successful in the appeal
  process, local school districts may award a state
  endorsed Certificate of Attainment
• To be eligible, a student must
• Meet other state and local graduation
  requirements
• Have participated in tutoring and academic
  support services
• Taken the MCAS at least three times in the
  subject area(s) in which the student did not
  receive a passing score

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National Assessments

• Should scores from national assessments be used?
  If yes, which assessments? What cutscore? How
  should they be considered?
• Examples
• Florida
• SAT Math score 370. Reading 410
• ACT Score of 15 on both sections
• New York (has end-of-course exams)
• AP, SAT, International Baccalaureate, Advanced
  International Certificate Exams
• Approx. .01 of students use this option
• Alabama
• GED may be used

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Other State Assessments

• Should tests from other states be allowed for
  students who transfer to WA in the last year or
  two of high school?
• Examples
• Alaska, Georgia, and Maryland
• Students may use passing scores from other states

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Policy questions raised in the state-by-state
review

• Alternative assessments and/or an appeal process?
  Or a combined process? Appeal processes are
  more common.
• What is the best way to incorporate GPAs?
• To what extent do other assessments (e.g., SAT,
  other state tests for transfer students, Industry
  Certifications) need to be aligned with the WASL?
• How can classroom-based evidence be used without
  significantly increasing the workload of
  teachers?
• How do we balance fairness, validity,
  reliability, and cost?
• Stay tuned On September 15th (tomorrow), we will
  share with you the results of a feasibility study
  where these questions are addressed.

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Further Information

• State Policies on Alternative Assessments.
  Center for Educational Policy Research. Prepared
  for the Washington Office of Superintendent of
  Public Instruction. August 2005.
• Exit Exams A Maturing Reform. Center on
  Education Policy. August 2004. (www.cep-dc.org)
• States Try Harder, But Gaps Persist. High School
  Exit Exams 2005. Center on Education Policy.
  August 2004. (www.cep-dc.org)

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Many Thanks

• Much of the information provided in this report
  was compiled by the
• Center for Educational Policy Research.
  University of Oregon (Tris OShaughnessy and
  David Conley)
• Center on Education Policy. Washington DC