Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program

1. Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program

2. Note on content: • This power point was created using, for the most part, information directly taken from the Arkansas Department of Education website – arkansased.org

3. Smart Arkansas • Smart Start (K – 4 ) • Smart Step (5 – 8) • Smart Future (9 – 12)

4. In 2008, more than 50 percent of Arkansas' public school students at all grade levels scored at grade level or above on the Arkansas Benchmark Exams. • The achievement gap between majority and minority students narrowed for the second year in a row on the 2008 Arkansas Benchmark Exams.

5. Arkansas Definitions

6. Accountability • Accountability concerns the obligation of comprehensive school improvement planning, reporting, explaining, or justifying standards, making them responsible, explicable and answerable

7. Assessment • This term refers to any test instrument or other student achievement evaluation method used to measure student learning and performance.

8. Benchmark Exams • This term refers to the six criterion-referenced tests that are administered to students in Grades 3-8.

9. Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) • A criterion-referenced test (CRT) is an assessment instrument customized around the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks. The Benchmark Exams are CRTs. In Arkansas, the test items are based on the academic standards in the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks and are developed by committees of Arkansas teachers, with support from the Department of Education and the testing contractor. CRTs are administered in Grades 3-8, End-of-Course Exams in Algebra I and Geometry, and a Literacy Exam at Grade 11.

10. Norm-Referenced Test • A norm-referenced test (NRT) is a test where the test items are built around a vendor's set of curricular objectives. The test provides information that compares the performance of students against the performance of a sample of students from across the country. The Iowa Tests are currently given to Arkansas students in Grades K-9.

11. Performance Assessments • A performance assessment requires the students to use knowledge and skills to act directly in a way that reveals the student's level of accomplishment and expertise. … differs from a conventional paper-and-pencil test in the same way that a driving test for one's license differs from the written test. In the former case, the test is meant to realistically simulate driving "performance" - to replicate some typical "tests" that arise in daily driving. In the latter case, the learner is tested for knowledge of driving facts and rules, not whether the student knows how to employ them in performing the act of driving.

12. SMART START • Kindergarten – Qualls Early Learning Inventory (QELI) • (also 1st graders never in school before) • Norm referenced test • K – 2 (SAT 10 ) • Criterion referenced test • 3 – 8 (Stanford and Benchmarks called Augmented Benchmark)

13. Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 10) • Information from publisher is here: • http://pearsonassess.com/haiweb/cultures/en-us/productdetail.htm?pid=SAT10C • Example of a home report: pearsonassess.com/hai/Images/dotCom/sat10/sat10_home_report.pdf • Example of individual student report: pearsonassess.com/hai/Images/dotCom/sat10/sat10_student_report.pdf • Example of group report: pearsonassess.com/hai/Images/dotCom/sat10/sat10_group_report.pdf

14. QELI Slides 13 – 45 copied directly from the ADE web site

15. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company

16. QELI • Screen all children entering kindergarten • Include special education and LEP students • Screen all first grade students who are attending a public school for the first time

17. Educators of primary-grade children citeschool readinessas among the most serious challenges they face in achieving the educational and developmental goal they have for their students. Peter D. Hart Research School Readiness

18. School Readiness • Children must be ready to make the transition from home or child care to formal education. • Just as important, schools must be prepared to help ease that transition for children. Education Commission of the States

19. Overview The Qualls Early Learning Inventory is an assessment tool for use in the primary grades (Pre-K, K, and 1) to identify student development in six behavioral characteristics related to school learning. The Inventory assesses developing behaviors, so it can be used to inform classroom instruction. The QELI is not language dependent and can be used to assess children who are emerging speakers of English. A Pre-K version of QELI is available.

20. QELI Supports Best Practices NAEYC calls for: QELI National Association for the Education of Young Children Position Statement on Curriculum and Assessment, November 2003

21. Description of the Inventory • Suitable for Pre-K, Kindergarten and early First Grade students • 4-page Inventory booklet • One for each child observed • Teacher’s Directions and Interpretative Guide • One for each teacher

22. Description of the Inventory • General Knowledge—the extent to which the student possesses general information and facts expected of children at this age • Oral Communication—how well a student communicates ideas, describes what has been seen or heard, or asks about things • Written Language—the extent to which the student recognizes and writes letters or simple words

23. Description of the Inventory • Math Concepts—how well a student understands and uses beginning mathematical ideas and processes • WorkHabits—the extent of a student’s persistence, resourcefulness, and independence in completing tasks • Attentive Behavior—the student’s ability to sustain focus on classroom activities

24. Appropriate Uses • To describe the developmental level of a child in behavioral terms • To help identify those students who might be at risk due to delayed development • To report initial status and progress to families • To enhance communication between Pre-K programs, Kindergarten teachers, and staff

25. Inappropriate Uses • To select students for Kindergarten • Low scores are not necessarily an indication of a disability or deficiency • Remember: Documents learned behaviors • Calls attention to skills that can be developed with proper instructional intervention • To retain students • To place students in special education

26. QELI Results • May be used as a Communication and transition tool for PK teachers • Data results should be a “tool” to: • Help guide instruction for the PK and K student • Share results with all staff • Share with PK teachers • Strengthen the K and PK teachers knowledge of the areas of student’s strengths and weaknesses • Assist in long range planning

27. QELI • It is NOT a reflection of the school • It is NOT a tool to “discourage” the child from entering Kindergarten • It IS a “snapshot” of the child • It IS a tool that will provide the teacher and parent a “quick” observational overview of the child

28. Score Reports

31. Progress is compared to a sample of Arkansas Kindergarten students. State State State

32. Putting QELI Data To Work

33. 18% of my class is delayed in the area of Work Habits Step 1: Look At “Big Picture”

34. Step 2: Find Individuals in Need

35. Step 3: Focus On Specifics

36. Preparing Arkansas Teachers and Students for the Qualls Early Learning Inventory

37. Arkansas Kindergarten Teachers • Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist (KRIC) • Getting Ready for School Calendar • Getting Ready for School Teacher’s Guide • ADE and DHS Benchmarks and/or Frameworks • Qualls Early Learning Inventory (QELI) • LINK For Teachers http://arkansased.org/parents/readiness_indicators.html

39. Implementation Fall 2008

40. Completing the Inventory • Generally completed by classroom teacher • Approximately 10 minutes per child • Based on multiple, recent observations of a child in a typical school setting

41. Which Students Should Be Included? • Suitable for all children • Can be used regardless of language background • Useful for students with special needs

42. Prior to Completion • Read the entire Inventory • Pay attention to wording of statements to accurately document students’ readiness skills • Focus on how frequently you observe a behavior • Use the same standard for all students • Come to consensus with other teachers on meanings of terms like “rarely” and “sometimes”

43. Rubric Response • Rarely – The skill is observed once in a while. Skill must have been observed at least one time. • Sometimes – The skills has been observed consistently or on a regular basis • Often – The skill has consistently been demonstrated.

44. Rubric Responses cont. • Some – The skill has been observed but not observed consistently or on a regular basis. • Most – The skill has consistently been demonstrated.

45. Decide What Is Appropriate For some behaviors, it is more important to consider your most recent observations… In these examples, a child’s most recent attempts are more relevant than total attempts since the beginning of the school year.

46. Decide What Is Appropriate However, some behaviors should be considered based on multiple observations over time. Certain questions also require thought about how appropriate a child’s response is, not just the frequency. In this example, if the child often uses a complete sentence, but the sentence is seldom relevant to the overall conversation, then “Rarely” describes the behavior more accurately than “Often.”

47. FYI:Iowa Test of Basic Skillshas been replaced!