Illinois State Board of Education

A New Vision for Illinois Assessment:Problems Worth Solving

Tests Worth Taking

October, 2013

What Is PARCC?

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers: Made up of 19 states + DC and US Virgin Islands

KY and PA are participating states Developing common, high-quality math and English

language arts (ELA) tests for grades 3–11Computer-based and linked to what students need to

know for college and careersFor use starting in the 2014–15 school year

The Common Core State Standards are here and better standards require better tests.

Unlike many current tests, PARCC tests will be engaging and will test the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills

students need to succeed in school and life.

Validity of interpretation for large-scale assessment data rests squarely on the close alignment of assessment items with curriculum.

Why New Assessments Now?

PARCC is designed to reward quality instruction aligned to the Standards, so the assessment is worthy of preparation rather than a distraction from good work.

PARCC’s Fundamental Advance

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PARCC Assessment Priorities

1. Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or on track

2. Compare performance across states and internationally

3. Assess the full range of the Common Core Standards, including standards that are difficult to measure

4. Measure the full range of student performance, including the performance of high and low performing students

5. Provide data during the academic year to inform instruction, interventions and professional development

6. Provide data for accountability, including measures of growth

7. Incorporate innovative approaches throughout the system

• Focus: PARCC assessments will focus strongly on where the Standards focus. Students will have more time to master concepts at a deeper level.

• Problems worth doing: Multi-step problems, conceptual questions, applications, and substantial procedures will be common, as in an excellent classroom.

• Better Standards Demand Better Questions: Instead of reusing existing items, PARCC will develop custom items to the Standards.

• Fidelity to the Standards: PARCC Evidence Statements are rooted in the language of the Standards so that expectations remain the same in both instructional and assessment settings.

PARCC’s Core Commitments to Mathematics Assessment Quality

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What Are the Shifts at the Heart of PARCC’s Design?

1. Focus: The PARCC assessment will focus strongly where the Standards focus.

2. Coherence: Think across grades and link to major topics within grades.

3. Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application.

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• Some material has been removed from the original PowerPoint. (modified by Jim Olsen)

Research Strategy for Validation of College and Career Ready Scores

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A College and Career Ready Determination on the PARCC assessments indicate:

• Mastery of the core competencies in the Common Core State Standards identified by postsecondary education faculty as prerequisites for and key to success in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in English and mathematics

• Readiness for placement into entry-level, credit-bearing courses in ELA and mathematics

A College and Career Ready Determination will not:

• Determine admission to college or university

• Replace college/university tests to place students into higher level mathematics and English courses

• Address non-traditional students who delay enrollment

CCRD: Placement NOT Admission

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AssessmentsELA/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3–11

Beginning of School Year

End of School Year

DiagnosticAssessment

Mid-Year Assessment

Performance-Based

Assessment

End-of-Year Assessment

Speaking and Listening

Assessment

Optional Required

Key:

Flexible administration

Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) for the PARCC Assessments

ClaimsDesign begins with the inferences (claims) we want to make about students

Evidence

In order to support claims, we must gather evidence

Tasks

Tasks are designed to elicit specific evidence from students in support of claims

ECD is a deliberate and systematic approach to assessment development that will help to establish the validity of the assessments, increase the

comparability of year-to year results, and increase efficiencies/reduce costs.

Sub-claim A: Students solve problems involving the

major content for their grade level with connections to

practices

Sub-Claim B: Students solve problems involving the

additional and supporting content for their grade level

with connections to practices

Sub-claim C: Students express mathematical

reasoning by constructing mathematical arguments and

critiques

Sub-Claim D: Students solve real world problems

engaging particularly in the modeling practice

Sub-Claim E: Student demonstrate fluency in areas set forth in the Standards for

Content in grades 3-6

Claims for Mathematics

Master Claim: Students are on-track or ready for college and careers

Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) for the PARCC Assessments

Claims

Design begins with the inferences (claims) we want to make about students

EvidenceIn order to support claims, we must gather evidence

Tasks

Tasks are designed to elicit specific evidence from students in support of claims

ECD is a deliberate and systematic approach to assessment development that will help to establish the validity of the assessments, increase the

comparability of year-to year results, and increase efficiencies/reduce costs.

Several types of evidence statements are being used to describe what a task should be assessing, including:1. Those using exact standards language2. Those transparently derived from exact standards language,

e.g., by splitting a content standard3. Integrative evidence statements that express plausible direct

implications of the standards without going beyond the standards to create new requirements

4. Sub-claim C & D evidence statements, which put MP.3, 4, 6 as primary with connections to content

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Evidence Statement Tables:Types of Evidence Statements

• The Common Core State Standards (themselves)

• PARCC Model Content Frameworks

• The Evidence Tables (under Assessment Blueprints and Test Specifications)

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What I consider:

The BIG THREE

Source: Appendix D of the PARCC Task Development ITN on page 17

• The PARCC assessments for mathematics will involve three primary types of tasks: Type I, II, and III.

• Each task type is described on the basis of several factors, principally the purpose of the task in generating evidence for certain sub claims.

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Overview of Task Types

Source: Appendix D of the PARCC Task Development ITN on page 17

Overview of PARCC Mathematics Task Types

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Task Type Description of Task Type

I. Tasks assessing concepts, skills and procedures

• Balance of conceptual understanding, fluency, and application• Can involve any or all mathematical practice standards• Machine scorable including innovative, computer-based formats• Will appear on the End of Year and Performance Based Assessment components• Sub-claims A, B and E

II. Tasks assessing expressing mathematical reasoning

• Each task calls for written arguments / justifications, critique of reasoning, or precision in mathematical statements (MP.3, 6).

• Can involve other mathematical practice standards• May include a mix of machine scored and hand scored responses• Included on the Performance Based Assessment component• Sub-claim C

III. Tasks assessing modeling / applications

• Each task calls for modeling/application in a real-world context or scenario (MP.4) • Can involve other mathematical practice standards• May include a mix of machine scored and hand scored responses• Included on the Performance Based Assessment component• Sub-claim D

For more information see PARCC Task Development ITN Appendix D.

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Type I

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Type II

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Type III

Algebra II/Math III Sample Task

Algebra II/Math III Sample Task

Algebra II/Math III Sample Task

Master Claim: On-Track for college and career readiness. The degree to which a student is college and career ready (or “on-track” to being ready) in mathematics.

Sub-Claim A: Major Content1

with Connections to PracticesSub-Claim B: Additional & Supporting Content2 with Connections to Practices

Sub-Claim E: Fluency in applicable grades (3-6)

Claims Structure: Mathematics

Sub-Claim C: Highlighted Practices MP.3,6 with Connections to

Content3 (expressing mathematical reasoning)

.

Sub-Claim D: Highlighted Practice MP.4 with Connections to Content (modeling/application)

Total Exam Score Points:

82 (Grades 3-8), 97 or 107(HS)

12 pts (3-8),18 pts (HS)

6 pts (Alg II/Math 3 CCR)

~37 pts (3-8),~42 pts (HS)

~14 pts (3-8),~23 pts (HS)

14 pts (3-8),14 pts (HS)

4 pts (Alg II/Math 3 CCR)

7-9 pts (3-6)

PARCC Information Release

July 2013 Summative assessment cost estimates Final English Language Learners policy Final accommodations manual for students with disabilities Final performance level descriptors for all grades/courses in

ELA/literacy and mathematics August 2013 Additional sample items Specific information about windows for traditional and block

scheduling, when assessment components will be available within the window, models of what PARCC will look like in schools, and proctor requirements

Questions

Heather Brown – hedi0201@me.comJennie Winters – jwinters@lake.k12.il.us

For “End-of-Course” Questions, email Rachel Jachino, rjachino@isbe.net

Any publicly released assessment policies, item prototypes, PARCC Model Content Frameworks, and other valuable

resources can be found at www.PARCConline.org

www.facebook.com/ilmathcommoncore

Contact

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