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ERIC Number: ED603319
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr-28
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Developing and Implementing an Online System for Reporting State Assessment Policies in Mathematics and Science
Blank, Rolf K.
AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Antonio, TX, Apr 27-May 1, 2017)
Objectives: A team of education researchers is leading a three-year project to develop and implement an online system for reporting and research on state student assessment policies across all states (Indicator 12). Theoretical Framework In the past five years as more rigorous standards have been adopted by many states, a key issue for state policy-makers is how to support an assessment system that is consistent with the standards, and will include assessment instruments that provide for reliable public accountability as well as information useful to teachers and leaders for guiding curriculum and instruction. Historically, content analyses of state achievement tests have yielded concerns about their academic rigor, as the items tend to assess lower-level cognitive skills (such as recall, recognition, and application of procedures) as opposed to higher-level cognitive skills (such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of ideas) (Darling-Hammond, et al., 2013; Resnick, et al., 2003). Even in the NCLB era, with its emphasis on accountability, researchers have found state tests generally assess lower-level cognitive skills. The lack of testing instruments and items assessing more advanced analysis and knowledge were one of the key drivers toward the policy reforms in state content standards and assessments, with the most prominent reform being the CCSS-M and NGSS. Methodology for Reporting System: A key issue for the design study was how to track states use of innovative features of the assessments being provided through the multi-state consortia-Smarter Balanced and PARCC, including performance tasks (with multiple steps and explanation of work), measuring student learning of content and math practices, use of adaptive testing, benchmark testing, and formative classroom assessment. A detailed list of the policy measures and system characteristics planned for the online reporting system was outlined in a Design Paper in 2015 and reviewed with advisers. A second key step in the methodology was engaging state education department leaders to participate in the project. Data and Analysis: In the 2015-16 school year, the state policies reporting system was implemented with 23 states participating. Key advantages of the online system are ease of access and completion for multiple respondents, maintaining an ongoing reporting function and updates, and greater efficiency in reporting, editing, and displaying information including access to a variety of users. The two tables at the end of the paper demonstrate two examples of measures and types of cross-state data on state policies that are being reported and disseminated from the project. Results of Research Included in the analysis and reporting on policies are indicators of content topics by grade and subject, levels of cognitive demand included across grades, grade-level progression of topics and analysis of types of assessment items. Scientific and Scholarly Importance: In succeeding years, the state policies online system and database will be used to measure change in policies. The system will provide state-by-state and national analyses and will be the primary source for track state policies on student assessments. A public website will provide access to annual reports, trends analysis, and information for requesting the database for users.
AERA Online Paper Repository. Available from: American Educational Research Association. 1430 K Street NW Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-238-3200; Fax: 202-238-3250; e-mail: subscriptions@aera.net; Web site: http://www.aera.net
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A