Test Coordinator Workshops Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of School

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Test Coordinator WorkshopsGeorgia Department of
EducationKathy Cox, State Superintendent of
SchoolsAugust/September 2003
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Vision We will lead the nation in improving
student achievement.
The Georgia Department of Education
Mission It is the mission of the Department of
Education to function as a service-oriented,
policy-driven, and restructured agency that meets
the needs of local school systems as they go
about the business of preparing all students for
college or a career in a safe and drug-free
environment where we ensure that no child is left
behind.
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• Values Our core values represent the fundamental
  tenets that guide us in our day-to-day
  operations. We, the administration, employees,
  and advisors of the Georgia Department of
  Education, hold the following values essential to
  achieving the Departments mission
• Transparency
• Honesty
• Commitment
• Trust and Respect
• Continuous improvement
• Collaboration
• We Have Fun!

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Goals

• Recruit, Train and Retain
• Reduce the number of teachers who leave the
  profession for reasons of job dissatisfaction
• Ensure a highly qualified teacher for every
  classroom

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Goals

• Quality Core Curriculum
• New QCC Published Used
• Testing
• Well-designed testing program aligned with
  Georgia QCC.

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Goals

• School Improvement
• Decrease the number of schools on NCLB needs
  improvement list
• Ensure that the overwhelming majority of 3rd
  graders are proficient at reading and math
• Eliminate persistent danger in all schools

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Goals

• High School Improvement
• Significantly improve Georgias SAT scores
• Ensure that AP courses are taught well in every
  high school
• Cut drop out rates substantially
• Increase the number of students graduating with
  technical or two-year college certification

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Goals

• Data Development
• Best in class, actionable report card
• Develop and implement best in class student
  information system
• Financial Management
• Clean Audit Report
• Policy
• Reputation for Expertise, Transparency, Strong
  Policy

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Staff Development Credit

• You will earn one SDU for attending 10 contact
  hours of class
• You must complete the required paperwork to earn
  the credit
• Prior approval form signed by superintendent
• Course Completion Form (top portion only)
• Record Keeping

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Agenda Order may vary by meeting date
Introduction of DOE personnel Student assessment
handbook Highlights of individual test
programs Lunch Professional Standards
Commission Information from vendors Questions/answ
ers
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Assessments Ideal Role Within the
Instructional Process
From The Truth About Testing by W. James Popham
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The Role of TC
Coordinates all test administration within the
school system Assumes responsibility for carrying
out the approved plan Trains all system/school
personnel Distributes/Interprets test
results Ensures that students, parents, and the
general public have access to test results
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The Role of TC

• Maintains a portfolio of all training sessions
• Answers questions of all school test coordinators
  and principals and makes decisions regarding
  testing
• Ensures strict test security and reports
  irregularities
• Serves as the liaison between the local schools
  and the DOE for test administration activities

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Pre ID Labels

• Purpose to make the data matching process more
  efficient
• Schools will be asked to provide information by a
  set date
• Check your LN for information and updates

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GKAP-R
Purpose The GKAP-R is used as one source of
information to determine readiness for first
grade. Kits are provided to all public schools,
one per kindergarten teacher/classroom. The test
must be administered by a certified teacher. All
examiners must be trained to administer the test.
Kits are secure instruments keep in locked
location when not in use.
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GKAP-R

• Testing Windows
• Window 1 The first 10 days of the student
  school year ten baseline activities are
  administered and submitted for scoring
• Window 2 Begins in early January and lasts into
  early February Reassessment of Window 1
  activities not accomplished by students and
  assessment of 14 new activities if not already
  accomplished
• Window 3 Begins in late February and ends five
  weeks prior to the end of the school year
  reassessment of any Window 1 and Window 2
  activities not accomplished and eight new
  activities if not already presented and
  accomplished

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GKAP-R

• Reports For Spring administration
• The Student Report (for the permanent record)
  provides the students status on each of the 32
  activities and gives the readiness score
• The Parent Report provides the same activity
  information but does not include the readiness
  score
• Group Reports Aggregated reports are produced
  for classrooms, schools, systems, and the state

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GKAP-R
Should retained students be re-assessed in the
fall? Teachers have the option of reassessing or
using the information from the spring testing
reported on the Progress Profile in the students
permanent record.
How can I find out what is tested on the
GKAP-R? The GKAP-R assess the QCC for
kindergarten. These objectives can be accessed
from the DOE Web site by clicking on the Georgia
Learning Connections (GLC) link.
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GKAP-R
If a student arrives after the initial baseline
assessment, how should he/she be assessed for
baseline information? If a student enters after
the baseline window, the teacher should assess
the student during his/her first ten days in the
classroom and document the results in the
Progress Profile. The teacher can monitor
progress through the year using this information.
How are LEP students assessed if they cannot
speak English? Teachers are assessing readiness
for an English-speaking first-grade classroom.
Teachers should administer the GKAP-R in English
only and student responses should be in English.
Students should be coded in the SRC section if
applicable.
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GKAP-R

• Changes
• All students will receive a pre-printed label for
  the test administration in the spring.
• Information on the label should be carefully
  verified. If the information is incorrect, do
  not use the label. Use a new scannable and
  complete the information accurately by hand.
• In the spring, teachers will need to provide any
  information not included in the label (i. e.,
  preschool experience). The Update letter will
  clearly identify what information needs to be
  bubbled by the teachers.
• Accuracy of student information is essential.

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GKAP-R

• Scoring range From 100-200
• 161 and above indicates Ready for First Grade
• 148-160 indicates Ready for First Grade with
  Instructional Assistance
• Below 148 indicates Not Ready for First Grade
• This information should be used in conjunction
  with teacher input and progress during the school
  year.
• Title I Reading (16) and Title I Math (17) should
  be bubbled only for students who are receiving
  these services and are not in a schoolwide Title
  I program.

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GKAP-R

• Administration issues
• Teachers do not completely fill out the
  scannables for a student. This may result in No
  Score for the student.
• Reports indicating No Score have been through a
  scanning process to detect errors.
• Teachers fail to code the SRC section of the
  scannable. This cannot be added after the
  scoring has been done.
• Missing reports for students check to see if
  you received the same number of score reports
  that you sent to be scored. If this number does
  not match, contact Linda Calhoun. Please have the
  students name/FTE, system, school, and
  teachers name available when you call.

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Writing Assessments
Writing today is not a frill for the few, but an
essential skill for the many. The National
Commission on Writing in Americas Schools and
Colleges (April 2003)
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Writing Assessments
Writing assessments are administered in grades
3,5,8, and 11 Grades 5 and 8 (Middle Grades) are
administered in January. Grade 3 writing pieces
are rated by teachers beginning in March. Grade
11 (GHSWT) is administered three times during the
year Main administration is in the fall,
Retests are administered in March and July.
Grades 3 and 5 are scored holistically grades 8
and 11 are scored analytically. Information on
all writing assessments is available on the DOE
Web site. The instructional guides for each
level may be downloaded from the DOE Web site.
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Writing Assessments

• Students eligible to take the GHSWT
• Students who are in the 11th grade in the fall
  should take the test for the first time.
• Students in grades 11 and 12 who have not passed
  the test. These students should preregister for
  the test.
• Students who are new to the school/system, in
  grade 11 or 12, and who have not taken/passed the
  GHSWT should take the test. (Students who move
  into the system after the March administration
  and who need the test to graduate may qualify for
  a special administration.)
• Students who are not currently enrolled in high
  school who need to the test to earn a diploma may
  take the test.

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Writing Assessments

• Administration issues
• Broken fingers, arms, etc. For the GHSWT, the
  student should test at the next available
  administration for grades 5 and 8, professional
  judgment is required.
• Word processors All assistive devises must be
  clearly documented in an IEP or IAP and should be
  part of the students regular instructional
  program. Spell check and grammar check must be
  disabled.

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Writing Assessments

• Accommodations for special education students and
  LEP students are found in the examiners manual
  for each test.
• Nonstandard administration of the GHSWT will be
  allowed for the fall 2003 Main Administration
  Local Use area will be bubbled 66 for coding any
  student who receives a nonstandard administration
  (for students who are not pursuing a regular
  diploma only)

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Writing Assessments

• Prompts may not be used for practice following
  test administrations.
• The System Test Coordinator may enlarge the
  prompt when a large print version is needed.
• Training information is available on the GLC Web
  site.

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• Administering the Norm-Referenced Test

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Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/A

• The Complete Battery takes approximately
• 6 ½ hours to administer--5 hours and 26 minutes
  of which is actual working time.
• Continuous student working time never exceeds
  30minutes on any test.

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Testing Window

• There is no DOE imposed testing window.
• Local systems may administer the ITBS/A in fall,
  mid-year, or spring.
• Riverside Publishing interpolates norms to the
  week of testing.

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Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/A

• Grade 3 Level 9 Blue
• Grade 5 Level 11 Green
• Grade 8 Level 14 Teal
• Questions are in Multiple-Choice format with four
  or five options each
• Directions for Administration is manual for
  complete battery

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DEFINITIONS

• NORM-REFERENCED TEST (NRT)
• Scores from an NRT are used to compare the
  performance of our students with the performance
  of other students in the same
• grade who took the test at the same point in the
  school year.

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THE NEED FOR STANDARD PROCEDURES

• The test administration procedures and directions
  included in the Directions for Administration are
  the same as those followed in the standardization
  program from which norms were obtained.
• The directions specify what to say, when to say
  it, what to do, and when to do it.

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THE NEED FOR STANDARD PROCEDURES

• Familiarize yourself with the directions for
  separate tests in the battery prior to test day.
• Please follow these directions exactly!
• Adhering to standard procedures ensures valid,
  usable results.

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PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENTS

• Class sized groups are preferable
• Comfortable, familiar conditions in the classroom
• Remove displays, charts, diagrams, posters
• Prepare a seating chart

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GENERAL DIRECTIONS

• Materials (DFA, test books, answer folders)
• Distributing and Collecting Materials
• Students should keep same seats throughout
  testing period
• Distribute test booklets in same prearranged
  order each time
• Collect booklets in the exact reverse of this
  order each time
• Timing the Tests
• Guessing

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PREPARING ANSWER FOLDERS FOR SCORING

• Verify that one answer folder has been returned
  for each student tested.
• Check each answer folder for the following
• Completion of all tests administered ( a make-up
  may be needed)
• Correct gridding of the test form and each
  students name birth date, and gender
• Complete erasures of all stray marks and changed
  answers

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TEST SECURITY

• The NRT and all of the materials associated with
  these tests are SECURE materials.
• Under no circumstances should a student(s) have
  access to the tests prior to administration.
• Prior exposure would invalidate scores.

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TEST SECURITY

• Test materials may not be photocopied or
  reproduced in any manner.
• Materials should not be provided to anyone other
  than persons conducting the test or to those
  being tested.
• Test questions may not be taught in part or in
  whole to students before, during, or after
  testing.
• Answers may not be erased or altered by anyone
  other than the student during the course of the
  test.

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• GHSGT
• GHSGT has not been replaced by EOCT
• The GHSGT will become the states
  accountability instrument under NCLB.
• In spring 04, the math and Eng/LA portions of
  the GHSGT will include additional items.

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• GHSGT
• Spring 04 Answer Documents will include a
  bubble for nonstandard administration
• Accommodations for nonstandard administration
  chart page 136 in SAH

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• GHSGT
• Examiners and Proctors must be thoroughly
  trained
• Test security must be enhanced
• Missing deadlines may prove costly

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PSAT

• DOE will continue to fund PSAT for Sophomores
• Juniors may be added
• SOA workshops available through CI
• Contact Charlotte Robinson 404-656-6854

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AP Exams

• Funding formula will change for the May 04
  administration
• DOE will fund only 1 AP exam per regular
  education student

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End-of-Course Tests

• EOCT are developed and administered to students
  in assigned EOCT courses, to provide individual
  students, classroom teachers, parents,
  educational administrators, and other community
  members reliable and valid test results. These
  results are meant to be in a format that will be
  beneficial to

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EOCT

• Students to identify strengths and weaknesses
  of mastered knowledge and skills
• Parents to know if their children are acquiring
  the knowledge and skills needed to succeed

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EOCT
Teachers to know if students have mastered the
required knowledge and skills and to identify
instructional strengths and weaknesses
and Others to know if students in Georgias
schools are receiving the required curriculum and
mastering of knowledge and skills needed for
future success.
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EOCT

• ADMINISTRATION ISSUES
• Paper administration for first operational
  winter 2003 (December 1-19)
• Collection for winter enrollments Pearsons
  Schoolhouse web site (check testing calendar for
  enrollment dates)
• Systems determine EOCT administration sequence
  and testing sessions (one-day or two-day)

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EOCT

• ADMINISTRATION ISSUES
• Calculators will be allowed during the winter
  2003 Algebra I administration due to
  re-calibration of test forms (EXCEPT for
  graphing/storing calculators)
• Receive shipments of testing materials
  beginning November 10, 2003. Shipments are sent
  to System Test Coordinator but boxed by schools.
  Manuals will also be shipped with materials.

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EOCT

• Winter 2003 Reports systems will not receive
  any reports until standard setting procedures are
  complete and results are state board approved
• Spring 2004 Reports System test coordinators
  will have access to system Class Roster Reports
  ONLY (student information with EOCT score)
  through the web immediately after scanning is
  complete. All additional reports will come at a
  later date.
• Types of reports Individual Student Report,
  Class Summary, School Summary, System Summary,
  and State Summary.

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EOCT

• Information to come
• Study Guides for each EOCT October on DOE web
  site
• EOCT Brochure information (up-dated) on DOE web
  site
• Spring and summer 2004 EOCT administration dates
  are forthcoming
• Spring 2004, EOCT scores will count toward the
  students final grade in the course

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EOCT

• EOCT specific resources (DOE web site)
• Content Descriptions
• Sample Tests Items
• Information Brochure

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Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT)
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2003 CRCT

• Back on track
• Answer documents issue resolved at scoring
• Exposed items identified (not scored)
• Item bank being cleaned as we speak
• Results are Coming in
• CDs and paper copies
• QCC-Item mapping

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2004 CRCT

• New Contractor for CRCT
• All Grades and Content Areas
• Grades 1 and 2 (Reading, ELA, Math)
• Grades 3-8 (Reading , ELA, Math, Sci, SS)
• New Contractor for ODS (Practice Item Bank)
• Available in January (at the latest)
• More teacher friendly

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Item Development

• Field Test in December
• Item review committees
• Populate ODS Better
• Separate Forms for Make-ups and Retests
• Grade 3 Reading retests in June - July

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CRCT Team

• Project Manager
• James Demery (404) 6565-2589
• Development/Psychometrics
• Marian Dabney [phone]
• Chris Domaleski [phone]
• Technology/ODS
• Lloyd Komatsu [phone]

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National Assessment of Educational Progress - NAEP

• The National Assessment of Educational Progress
  (NAEP) is the only ongoing assessment to obtain
  comprehensive and dependable achievement data on
  a national basis. It is commonly known as the
  Nations Report Card.
• The primary purpose of NAEP is to document
  patterns and trends in student achievement and to
  inform education policy by collecting descriptive
  background information from students, teachers
  and administrators.

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ADMINISTRATION

• NAEP is required by law to conduct assessments at
  least once every two years in reading and
  mathematics in grade 4 and 8. NAEP may also
  conduct assessments in reading and mathematics in
  grade 12.
• NAEP may conduct assessments in grades 4, 8 and
  12 in additional subjects including writing,
  science, history, geography, civics, economics,
  foreign language and the arts. These assessments
  will be administered to the extent that time and
  budget allows.

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ADMINISTRATION

• In addition, NAEP administers long-term trend
  assessments every four years to students aged 9,
  13, and 17. This assessment produces trend data
  that is used to anchor the assessment so that
  todays student performance can be compared with
  students of the past.

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SAMPLING OF SCHOOLS

• The selection of schools is a random sample
  within similar characteristics. Some schools or
  districts may be selected for each assessment
  cycle if they are unique in the state. For
  example, a district may have the majority of a
  minority population in the state or a school may
  have more than 1 of the enrollment in the grade
  being assessed.

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SAMPLING OF STUDENTS

• Students are also randomly selected and their
  names are not collected or reported. Typically,
  30 students per subject per grade are selected
  randomly in each sample school. Students with
  disabilities or limited English proficient are
  included in the sample if their IEP allows for
  the assessment. Accommodations are allowed.

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2003-2004 NAEP ASSESSMENTS

• There will be a total of 65 schools representing
  29 districts in the state that have been selected
  for the samples.
• Schools will only administer one of the
  assessments with the exception of those high
  schools with grades 8-12. If the high school is
  selected for the Long-Term Trend Assessment,
  there could be two assessments.

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2003-2004 NAEP ASSESSMENTS

• LONG-TERM TREND ASSESSMENT
• FOREIGN LANGUAGE PILOT
• FIELD TEST FOR 2005

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LONG TERM TREND ASSESSMENT

• This assessment provides information on trends in
  student performance since 1969. This instrument
  does not evolve based on changes in curricula or
  practices. The Long Term Trend Assessment
  will be administered to students at ages 9, 13,
  and 17 in reading and mathematics.

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LONG TERM TREND ASSESSMENT

• Age 13
• October 6 December 12, 2003
• Age 9
• January 5 March 12, 2004
• Age 17
• March 15 May 21, 2004

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE PILOT

• The Foreign Language Pilot Assessment will focus
  on Spanish and will involve grade 12 students
  only. The results will report how well grade 12
  students who have learned Spanish in a variety of
  ways and for different lengths of time can
  communicate in Spanish.
• October 6 December 12, 2003

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FIELD TEST FOR 2005

• A Field Test for 2005 will be conducted in
  mathematics, reading, and science in grades 4, 8,
  and 12, in preparation for the 2005 NAEP
  assessment.
• January 26 March 5, 2003

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COMMUNICATION

• Schools that are selected will receive an
  information packet explaining the NAEP
  assessment. Principals will be asked to submit
  the name of the schools test coordinator who
  will oversee the assessment. A NAEP
  representative will contact the school and will
  work closely with the schools test coordinator.
  Superintendents and Testing Directors will also
  receive an information packet and a list of the
  schools in their district selected to participate
  in the NAEP assessments.

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LEGISLATION

• Based upon the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001,
  NAEP participation in the biennial assessment in
  reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 is
  required by any state that wishes to receive a
  Title I grant. ESEA HR1 Title 1 Part A, Sec.1111
  and HR 1 Title VI, Part A.
• The State Board of Education, rule 160-3-1-.07
  and Georgia State law, O.C.G.A. Section 20-2-281,
  also mandate participation in the NAEP
  assessment.
• There are no rewards or sanctions to states,
  local education agencies, or schools based on
  state NAEP results.

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RESULTS

• NAEP provides state-level results about
  subject-matter achievement, instructional
  experiences, and school environment and reports
  these results for populations of students and
  subgroups of those populations. NAEP does not
  provide individual scores for the schools or
  students assessed

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RESULTS

• Results are reported in two ways
  Scale Scores and Achievement Levels
• Scale Scores are numeric and provide information
  about what students know and can do.
• Achievement Levels are used to report results in
  terms of a set of standards for what students
  should know and should be able to do. Levels are
  categorized as Basic, Proficient, and Advanced.
• State results are released six months after the
  administration of the NAEP assessment

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UTILIZING RESULTS

• NAEP results provides descriptions of students
  strengths and areas of improvement in basic and
  higher-order skills comparisons of achievement
  by subgroups of populations and trends in
  performance across the years. It also describes
  relationships between achievement and student
  background variables.
• NAEP frameworks present and explain what experts
  in a particular subject consider important. This
  may give teachers and curriculum planners new
  perspectives about their fields. It can also be
  useful when a state revises its curricula.

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UTILIZING RESULTS

• After each assessment, NAEP releases nearly 1/3
  of the questions to the public. The package
  contains the released questions, answer keys,
  content and process descriptions, and information
  about the percentages of students who answered
  questions correctly.
• Released questions often serve as models for
  teachers who wish to develop their own classroom
  assessments. Schools and districts have used
  this information to provide staff development in
  the design and construction of assessments.

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UTILIZING RESULTS

• States can monitor their own progress over time
  in the selected subject areas and compare the
  knowledge and skills of their students with
  students in other states and the nation.

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MORE INFORMATION

• NAEP web site
• www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard
• NAGB web site
• www.nagb.org
• Department of Education
• www.doe.k12.ga.us
• Jeff Barker
• jbarker_at_doe.k12.ga.us
• 404-657-4122

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Limited English Proficient (LEP)

• NCLB prohibits the systematic exclusion of any
  group of students from state assessments.
• The one year deferment for LEP students is no
  longer allowed.
•  

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Limited English Proficient (LEP)

• Every student must be tested even if the student
  arrives at the school on the day of testing.
• LEP/TPC teams should revise students LEP/TPC
  forms to include accommodations see sample in
  SAH

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Georgia Alternate Assessment - GAA

• DOE must assess 95 of 11th graders NCLB
  requirement
• 2003-2004 - All 11th grade students will either
  participate in the Georgia High School Graduation
  Tests or the Georgia Alternate Assessment

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GAA

• The GAA should be written into the IEP for each
  high school student assigned to the 11th grade if
  the student is not participating in the GHSGT.

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GAA

• Students who are seeking a regular diploma must
  take the GHSGT without accommodations, or with
  standard accommodations.
• Nonstandard accommodations will be identified for
  the GHSGT prior to spring 2004.
• Students seeking a special education diploma or a
  certificate of attendance may receive either
  standard or nonstandard accommodations.

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GAA

• All testing accommodations, both standard and
  nonstandard, must be specified in the student's
  IEP and must be compatible with instructional
  accommodations.
• Only students who are taught a functional
  curriculum are eligible for the GAA. NCLB
  regulations limit alternate assessment
  participation to not more than one percent of the
  number of students at a grade level.

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