1 / 22

MCAS-Alt: Alternate Assessment in Massachusetts Technical Challenges and Approaches to Validity

MCAS-Alt: Alternate Assessment in Massachusetts Technical Challenges and Approaches to Validity. Daniel J. Wiener, Administrator of Inclusive Assessment. University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007.

chester
Télécharger la présentation

MCAS-Alt: Alternate Assessment in Massachusetts Technical Challenges and Approaches to Validity

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. MCAS-Alt: Alternate Assessment in Massachusetts Technical Challenges and Approaches to Validity Daniel J. Wiener, Administrator of Inclusive Assessment University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  2. Participation: Thinking Differently About Who Needs an Alternate Assessment • MCAS-Alt is intended for • Students with significant cognitive disabilities AND • Students who focus on attaining grade-level achievement standards, but who cannot fully demonstrate knowledge and skills on the test, even with accommodations • State has aligned instruction from lowest level of complexity to grade-level expectations • Implications for scoring and reporting results • Alternate achievement standards • Grade level achievement standards University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  3. Warning (Failing at Grade 10) Needs Improvement Proficient Advanced Awareness Emerging Progressing Needs Imp. Prof. Adv. Reporting Results • Meaningful performance levels reported for MCAS-Alt, while acknowledging performance is below grade-level expectations • A student can attain real proficiency through the alternate assessment based on grade-level achievement standards Performance Levels MCAS Test: MCAS-Alt: University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  4. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% % Accuracy % Independence 12/1/06 12/2/06 12/3/06 12/4/06 12/5/06 MCAS-Alt: A “structured portfolio” • Work samples/video/photo evidence (performance), and data charts (progress) are compiled in an annual portfolio • Evidence shows complexity of tasks, and student’s accuracy and independence in performing tasks aligned with required subjects/strands/standards Data chart 4

  5. Sometimes, It Seems Like This…. University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  6. Learning Standards …It Could Be More Like This… Entry Points University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  7. Scoring Criteria Used to calculate the Performance Level: • Completeness of portfolio • Level of Complexity (difficulty of standards) • Demo of Skills and Concepts (accuracy) • Independence (cues/prompts/assistance) Plus, • Self-Evaluation (monitor, self-correct, reflect) • Generalization (varied instructional approaches) University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  8. MCAS-Alt Scoring Rubric:Demonstration of Skills and ConceptsHow accurate were the student’s responses? University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  9. MCAS-Alt Scoring Rubric:IndependenceTo what degree were prompts used; How independent were the student’s responses? University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  10. Setting Performance Levels • Use score combinations to describe characteristics of student’s performance: Reasoned Judgment Example: LC=3, Acc=4, Ind=3 shows student’s performance is primarily accurate and independent, although below expectations for grade level. Example: LC=3, DSC=2, Ind=2 shows student’s performance is limited/inconsistent and student requires frequent prompting/assistance. University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007 11

  11. 1 2 3 4 Demo of Skills: 1 Aw Aw Aw Aw (0 - 25%) 2 Aw Aw Em Em (26 - 50%) 3 Aw Em Pg Pg Independence: (51 - 75%) 4 Aw Em Pg Pg (76 - 100%) Score Combination Tables • Level of Complexity=2 • Level of Complexity=3 Demo of Skills: University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007 2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity 12

  12. Demo of Skills: Independence: Score Combination Tables (continued) • Level of Complexity=4 • Level of Complexity=5 Demo of Skills: University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007 13

  13. Technical Validity and Reliability: Some Tricky Areas for MCAS-Alt • “Test item inter-relationship” • But, tasks are selected and/or designed by teachers, and • There is little standardization across portfolios • “Assessment reflects full range of content standards” • But non-regulatory guidance says these students won’t necessarily access all the standards, and • Portfolios cannot cover all the standards, only those that were taught • Validate that targeted skills shown in the evidence are based on grade-level content standards • Is an external alignment study necessary? • “Reliability of scores” when responses are so diverse • One purpose of MCAS-Alt: Instructional improvement • How to document that this occurred? University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  14. “Did the MCAS-Alt Meet Its Intended Purposes?” • Tell our story: • Did the assessment do what we said it would do? • If not, how did we fix it? This criterion allowed us to document… • Whether the student was provided access to curriculum • Whether new, challenging skills were taught • How well student learned new skills, concepts, content • Whether teaching and learning improved as a result of MCAS-Alt University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  15. Document What Happened: Validating the Development Process • We tried to get the right people at the table • We carefully documented all decisions: • Determine purpose(s) of the alternate assessment • What we want to measure (scoring rubric) • Describing the student’s performance (descriptors) • Calculating a score (scoring rules) • Translating scores into performance levels (standard setting) • Where one PL ends and another begins (cut scores) • Aligning content and validating the alignment • Continuous improvements to the system University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  16. Who Contributed to the Validation Process? • Curriculum Framework writers served on panels to develop the Resource Guide to the Frameworks for Students with Disabilities • Content specialists defined the “essence” of standards and “entry points” at various levels of complexity • Special educators pushed them to go lower • Diverse stakeholders shared their perspectives • Technical advisors helped set performance standards, using reasoned judgment of each “score combination” • Contractors told us what others had tried, and what might work • Scorers linked the portfolio evidence to the required standard using the Resource Guide, with 94% IRC University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  17. Resources MA Department of Education (781-338-3625) • Dan Wiener – dwiener@doe.mass.edu • MCAS-Alt Website: www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/alt University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  18. MCAS-Alt:The Evolution of a Validity Argument Charles A. DePascale National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  19. The Evolution of a Validity Argument • Defining the purposes of the assessment • Identifying the multiple uses of the assessment and the populations of students • Specifying the inferences that would be supported by the assessment • Determining that one “set of rules” and procedures would not be sufficient University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  20. The Evolution of a Validity Argument • Designing the system • Building checks and balances into the system • Documentation: • Understanding the extent to which documentation is the system • Understanding the importance of documentation of the system University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

  21. The Evolution of a Validity Argument • Flexibility and Standardization (Gong & Marion, 2006) • Making decisions about where to be flexible and where it is necessary to standardize. • Making adjustments to enhance validity • Adopting an continual improvement approach • Determining when and how to make changes to improve the system. University of Maryland – Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

More Related