AMATYC Conference 2008 A Monumental Place for Mathematics Achieve s ADP Assessment Consortium: Algebra II End-of-Cou

2. About Achieve Achieve, Inc., was created by the nation’s governors and business leaders in 1996 following the first National Education Summit. Achieve is a bipartisan, non-profit organization that helps states raise academic standards, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability to prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work, and citizenship. Achieve currently is working with 34 states through the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network to design and implement policies that aim to close the expectations gap.

3. Today’s Topics History of America Diploma Project (ADP) ADP Algebra II Assessment Research Agenda ADP Algebra I Assessment Questions?

5. An Expectations Gap Historically, we haven’t expected all students to graduate from high school college- and career-ready State standards reflect consensus about what is desirable, not what is essential Few states required advanced math for graduation State tests measure 8th and 9th grade knowledge and skills High school accountability rarely focuses on graduation rates or on college- and work-readiness

6. The Majority of Graduates Would Have Taken Harder Courses, Particularly in Mathematics

7. American Diploma Project The American Diploma Project (ADP) was created to ensure all graduates leave high school ready for college and careers. Early research by ADP sought to identify “must-have” knowledge and skills graduates will need to be successful in college and the workplace.

8. American Diploma Project Found a convergence between the skills that high school graduates need to be successful in college and those they need to be successful in a job that supports a family and offers career advancement. Developed ADP benchmarks that include the core content and skills in mathematics and English all students should have when they graduate high school.

9. Key findings In mathematics, graduates need strong computation skills, ability to solve challenging problems, reasoning skills, geometry, data analysis, statistics, and advanced algebra. Essentially, they need the knowledge and skills typically taught in courses such as Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry, as well as data analysis and statistics.

10. Key findings In English, graduates need strong reading, writing and oral communication skills equal to four years of grade-level coursework, as well as research and logical reasoning skills.

11. The ADP Benchmarks: Challenging Content for All Students In Mathematics: A rigorous four-year course sequence Content* equivalent to a sequence that includes Algebra I and II, Geometry, and Data Analysis & Statistics *can be taught via different pathways In English: Four courses Content equivalent to four years of grade-level English or higher with a strong focus on oral and written communication skills and considerable research and analysis

12. Closing the Expectations Gap: ADP Policy Agenda In 2005, Achieve launched the ADP Network, a group of states committed to taking four college and career readiness action steps: Align high school standards with college and career expectations. Require all students to take a college- and career-ready curriculum, aligned with standards, to earn a diploma. Build “college-ready” measures, aligned with state standards, into high school assessment systems. Hold high schools accountable for graduating students college- and career-ready, and hold postsecondary institutions accountable for student success. 

13. ADP Network launched at 2005 Summit: 13 states committed to improving student preparation At the close of the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, Achieve, Inc., announced that a group of 13 states — which together educate more than one-third of all U.S. students — had agreed to form a new coalition to improve high schools. Twenty-six additional states have since joined, bringing the number of states in the network to 29. These states are committed to significantly raising the rigor of their high school standards, assessments and curriculum to better align them with the demands of postsecondary education and work. The states also will hold high schools and postsecondary institutions accountable for improved performance.At the close of the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, Achieve, Inc., announced that a group of 13 states — which together educate more than one-third of all U.S. students — had agreed to form a new coalition to improve high schools. Twenty-six additional states have since joined, bringing the number of states in the network to 29. These states are committed to significantly raising the rigor of their high school standards, assessments and curriculum to better align them with the demands of postsecondary education and work. The states also will hold high schools and postsecondary institutions accountable for improved performance.

14. ADP Network today: thirty-four states now committed to improving student preparation

16. ADP Algebra II End-of-Course Exam In 2005, ADP states began to explore possibility of collaborating on common assessment goals: To measure “college-ready” content To ensure consistent content and rigor in Algebra II courses within and among states To enable comparisons in performance among the states To reduce test development costs by working together To indicate readiness for entry into credit-bearing mathematics courses

17. ADP Algebra II End-of-Course Exam Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island Ohio acted as “lead state” in unprecedented multi-state procurement arrangement Vendor (Pearson) selected in Feb, 2007 Since the consortium began, six additional states have joined: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington

18. ADP Algebra II End-of-Course Exam States worked together to agree on test content and design specifications Involved high school teachers and higher education mathematics faculty Content aligned with ADP mathematics benchmarks, which represent what students should know to be prepared for postsecondary success Performance levels will be common across states Consortium cross-state report will be published each year

19. How is Higher Education Involved? Creation of ADP Algebra II End-of-Course Exam Content Standards Algebra I and Algebra II Content Committees Item Content Review Rangefinding Data Review Other Higher Education Involvement Validity Studies Research Alliance Standard Setting

21. State Usage Varies Some states require all students who take Algebra II to take the exam Most states allow districts to make decisions about whether to require exam Some states make the exam part of certain state initiatives

22. Spring 2008 Administration:Who Took the Exam?

23. 2008 Results:How Did Students Perform? Interpretation challenges in 1st year the number of test takers varied significantly across the states performance standards or “cut scores” have not yet been established Although scores cannot yet be used to compare one state’s performance to another, the results of the first administration provide some interesting insight when taken in aggregate.

24. 2008 Results:How Did Students Perform?

25. Achieve Annual Cross-State Report Findings Student performance was low across all states and in all content strands Constructed response items are a particular challenge for students Students who take Algebra II in earlier grades tend to perform better

27. Now What? Validity studies are under way to help inform standard setting Judgment Studies Concurrent Validity Studies Cross-Sectional Validity Studies Standard Setting: Summer 2009

28. Next Steps for Higher Education What do the results indicate about the incoming students to your institution? How can this exam be used to provide information to your institution? How can higher education institutions in your state help inform the K-12 system of student successes?

30. Algebra I End-of-Course Exam A subset of states expressed an interest to create an Algebra I End-of-Course Exam. Its goals support the Algebra II goals: To improve curriculum and instruction. To help high schools determine if students are ready for a rigorous Algebra II course and higher level mathematics. To compare performance and progress among the participating states. Current states involved in development: Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky

31. Algebra I End-of-Course Exam Content The Exam Standards were created in the same spirit of the Algebra II Exam Standards. Four standards are assessed on the Algebra I Exam: Operations on Numbers and Expressions Linear Relationships Non-linear Relationships Data, Statistics, and Probability

32. www.achieve.org

33. www.achieve.org/ADPAssessmentConsortium Fact Sheets ADP Calculator Policy Exam Standards Released Items and Commentaries Expected Knowledge Documents Test Blueprints Notation Documents

34. Questions???Laura Slover: lslover@achieve.orgTracy Halka: thalka@achieve.org