Middle Level Liaison’s Meeting

1. Middle Level Liaison’s Meeting October 27, 2011

2. David AbramsTesting Program Update • 2001-2012 Testing • Calendar • Security and Storage management • i.e. Issues with answers being changed by scorer and changed to the wrong answer • A teacher made a study guide from a field test • Administration- Shorter Testing Window, • Opinion- better for the schools • Improves validity of the administrations locally, regionally and statewide • 2012-2013 Teachers will not be able to score their students’ assessments.

3. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Testing and the effects on accountability • Proctoring of Assessment: teachers not proctoring their assessments • Teachers telling student to check a certain answers • Scoring Training critical for proper scoring and eliminate bias from scorers • What do we do with struggling middle level education students?

4. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Legal-sign-off from teachers and administration for scoring training • Eraser Study of answer sheets for all assessments • One-to-One computing for Assessment Administration in 1-3 years • Can improve validity of the assessment • Provide better analysis of student performance • Cost to districts? Funding for 1-1 computing • Computer System to handle HUGE amount of online activity at one time!

5. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Concerns for Computer Based Testing • Students have both technology and curriculum skills and knowledge base for both • i.e. Keyboarding skills, computer skills and writing process difference from paper to computer • Assessment Schedule for Regents will need to moved earlier in June • Ensure that scoring is done thoughtfully and carefully • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/apda/ac-general/2011/new-scoring-policy-611.pdf

6. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Frequency of students failing with 63 and 64 or passing with 65 and 66 on a second scoring • Auditing of scoring Regents Exams • Errors this past year of scoring Regents Exams was not called for! (#1 Reason- Human) • “Just in time Scanning”- Mr. Abrams will meet with RICs • Costs for scoring? Who picks it up? Locally or SED • Increase of the appeals for failing Regents Exams with 63-64. (Get familiar with Appeals process)

7. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Amend regulations to allow more sequences for Regents with Distinction • Achieve survey for Voters and Teachers • PRACC.org • Using scores for teacher rating: 37% thought it was totally acceptable and 75% thought it was totally/mostly acceptable • Amongst teachers, 6% thought it was totally acceptable and 39% it was totally/mostly acceptable

8. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Increasing discussion of teacher quality for teaching classes by using assessment data • i.e. Who do we have teaching AP and Regents class? • Improving discussions on teacher quality • How does teacher quality have impact on assessment scores and learning? • Public is saying don’t look at test scores and say it does not measure teacher quality.

9. David AbramsTesting Program Update-NCLB Waiver • Accountability: NCLB Waiver • Liaison’s Group contact Mr. Abrams with ideas for administration and accountability • Modified Growth model that will work from school districts of 100 to 1 million. • Psychometric architect is complicated to reach a standard of growth to align with achievement standards • Special interest groups voiced concern that is will water down the accountability

10. David AbramsTesting Program Update • Subgroups could then be underserved from an improperly designed growth model • “Empirically” show evidence that what you are doing is working • Closing comment: • Encourage Middle Level Liaisons to intersect with Mr. Abrams on the process of administration and security for assessment

11. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Key Updates: • Animate the regents reform agenda • Data system rich and robust • Good resource is Board of Regents minutes at NYSED Regents webpage • National Art Standards being looked for guide NYSED decisions • Splitting the Social Studies Global Studies Regents in 9th and 10th grade • Next Generation Science Standards coordinated by Achieve Inc.

12. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Key Points continued: • Learning technologies in the Libraries and program evaluation • Online learning initiative: increasing standards, increase access and approved online • Blended learning credits for graduation(Approved in June)

13. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Key Points continued: • National Standards for Quality for Online Courses (iNACOL) • Things to think about locally • Funding • BOE Policies

14. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Next Steps: • Race to the Top Funding • Growing the statewide learning network • NYS Online and Blended Learning Standards • Instructional Materials Aid: Flexibility to use money for online learning programs and resources • Internet Safety and Cyber-bullying: toolkit for educators to address • Internet Safety Program Evaluation Rubric for school self evaluation

15. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Key Ideas continued: • Online literacy for students • Field Guidance for schools to deal with online/cyber-bullying • Informational Brief on Social Networking in Education

16. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Dignity for All Students Act: (DASA) • Creating a positive learning environment for all students • Define terms and language to address DASA • Collecting and Reporting information on bullying • Adopting the 7 Essential Elements into the field guide • Sample Lesson/template plans for teachers in various classroom, i.e. Math, Technology etc.

17. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction Regents Reform Agenda and CCLS • New slide on Engage NY to outline RRA and CCLA • Focus of the CCLS: Rigorous International Standards

18. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction • Math CCLS shifts: • Focus- deeper on fewer concepts with greater comprehension • Coherence- sequencing year to year-Essential curriculum for students narrowed, but related to the next concept • Fluency- frequent practice with intensity • Deep understanding- mastery of material at a deep level • Application- apply in other content areas, real world experiences • Dual Intensity- (shifts: S3 + S5 = S6), application on novel situations

19. Dr. Larry Paska, NYSED Interim Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction • How do other teachers than Math/ELA help make the shifts? • 2011-2012 Implementation Year…. • Organize Initiatives into 3 Areas this year: • CCLS • Data Driven Instruction • Teacher/Leader Effectiveness

20. Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instruction • CCLS • Alignment P-16 • Timeline • 2011-2012 One unit design per semester (examples on www.engageNY.org • 2012-2013 50% of ELA and math Modules with additional training • 2014-2014 PARCC assessments

21. Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instructional Why Common Core State Standards: • Preparation- college or career readiness • Competition- internationally • Equity- accessible to all • Clarity- • collaboration

22. Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instructional ELA P-12 • 34 Anchor standards for career and college readiness • Grade specific standards Main Strands Reading, Writing, listening, speaking

23. Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instructional 6 Shift in ELA • Balance informational and literary text is = • Building Knowledge in the Disciplines = shared responsibility across disciplines/courses • Staircase of Complexity = reading and re-reading for further understanding and at their own level to encourage joy of reading • Text-based Answers = support their answers written or orally from the text with evidence • Writing from Sources = increase informational writing, less time on personal narrative writing, make an argument rather than the personal narrative and other forms of decontextualized prompts • Academic Vocabulary = associating words with other words, instead of learning words individually • Academic words that transcend over courses/disciplines • Highly domain words specific to curriculum • Google or You tube: Hunt Institute CCLS videos • www.engageNY.org

24. Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instructional • Eris Sweet- NYSED Associate in ELA Office of Curriculum and Instructional • Email: esweet@mail.nysewd.gov • Phone: 518-474-5922

25. Data systems update Jeff Baker- NYSED Office of information and reporting services Teacher Evaluation • Overall composite score- • 20% State Assessment • 20% Local Assessment • 60% other • 2011-2012 • Teacher of record ELA and Math • 2012-2013 • All teachers evaluated with new APPR

26. Data systems update Jeff Baker- NYSED Office of information and reporting services Teacher of Record Questions: • Co-teachers (Teacher of record will be the Core teacher 2011-2012) (weighted equally 2012-2013) • Push-in teachers • Pull-out teachers • Multiple teachers assigned to a section • Teacher-student linkage to be expressed as proportions to reflect changes over time: • Time student enrolled in the class with teacher • How often student attends that course • Duration of the course up to the assessment • Teacher-student linkage start and end dates • Teacher-student instructional weighting • Weighting examples: student in with Reading teacher 50% of the time • Student excluded flag, i.e. home bond instruction student

27. Data systems update Jeff Baker- NYSED Office of information and reporting services • Evaluation Time Start and end dates • Proportion between enrollment date and proportion of time student is in class Linkage Issues: • State data system • Vendor capacity • Fidelity of student management system extracts • Human resources management system • LEA capacity • Roster verification • Daily attendance verification vs. • End of the year verification • Auditing of extract

28. Data systems update Jeff Baker- NYSED Office of information and reporting services • Data sent in from Level 0, 1, 2, • Bring in data from SUNY/CUNY and in the future Universities to be stored all part of the RTTT. • Shared Learning Infrastructure (SLI) • Shared with NY, MA, NC, IL and CO • Sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates • HUGE DATA WAREHOUSE • LRMI = meta tagging of curriculum/instructional resources, aligned with CCLS • NYS Portal scheduled to go 2013-2014 • Teacher view = class roster, student information • Parent view = student information and course information • Teacher Collaboration = online space for teachers

29. Data systems update Jeff Baker- NYSED Office of information and reporting services • 3-8 Assessments Scores are due June 13, 2011 • NYSED DATA SYSTEM Portal • Look at it as APP store for education • Standardized Data warehouse to work with various student management systems • Certifying Organization (RFPs where sent out this month) for various Student Management Information System/Program companies.

30. Teacher evaluation/apprandygreene Candlewood Middle school- half hallow hills ny • A Framework for Teaching, Charlotte Danielson • They use the rubric as an observation tool; highlight sentences but do not assign a level. • Every teacher writes a year end reflection. Evaluator writes a short summary to attach to their reflection. • The power of the process is in the teacher doing the reflection. • See his handout

31. Essential Elements/Schools to Watch – Hugo Newman College Prep, Harlem, NY • Focus of improvement – comprehensive PD, hiring best teachers, empowering teachers to be situational leaders when needed, partnership with colleges and businesses. • Partnership Priorities – Shared Vision, reciprocity, focus on a specific area and are long term. • Focus on values and building the community of parents.

32. Jim Collins, Director of Professional Development for SAANYS and Don Nickson, Deputy Executive Director of SAANYS • State Ed has approved the Val Ed model without the use of the 360 survey. • The State and administrator units have agreed to accept the same language from the teacher court decisions. • Be careful of allowing teachers to get all 60 points easily; it will take your control away around teacher improvement needs. SAANYS think the State Ed department will start to monitor District’s overall teacher ratings with the State Assessment results to ensure District’s are implementing the full intention of the APPR process.

33. Middle Level Updates • Marybeth handles the unit of study and unit of credit concerns from the field. • Earning credit can begin in 8th grade, not 7th, but the student must pass BOTH the class and the Regents exam in order to earn the unit of credit. • Students accelerated prior to grade 8 may fulfill exam requirements but not earn units of diploma credit except for in LOTE • Whole cohort acceleration is discouraged and the regs don’t support it. • LOTE – students in grade 8 and below must pass both units of study (or one accelerated unit in Grade 8 only) and the locally developed Checkpoint A exam to earn diploma credit. • LOTE may be reduced but not eliminated in order to provide AIS services. LOTE can therefore begin in grade 9 if a student requires AIS.