Message: QA for Districts

QA for Districts
FromNeale, ChrisDate  Wednesday, August 23, 2017 7:14 PM
To
Potter, Sarah;Strand, Jocelyn
Cc
SubjectQA for Districts

My $ .02. Thanks for your work.

 

We should have an APR doc through the editing process in the morning. You may want some material from that, too

 

C



August 23, 2017


EOC Questions & Answers for Schools 

At its August 18 meeting, Missouri’s Technical Advisory Committee for state assessments recommended that the state not use the End-of-Course assessment scores for Algebra I and English II for accountability purposes due to year-to-year comparability issues. This group of assessment experts determined that the 2017 EOCs are not comparable to tests from previous years. Therefore, the 2017 EOC district and statewide results will not be released in those subjects. 

What will happen with the growth measures without these EOCs?

The growth metric will remain in place for the 2017 Annual Performance Reports. Algebra I will not be used for status or progress points, but it will be used for the individual student growth measure.

Algebra I and English II will be included in the growth calculation. This metric is not significantly affected by the comparability problem. However, data from those assessments will be excluded from status and progress calculations.

How will the state handle the APR calculations moving forward?

The state will not use the 2017 EOCs for Algebra I or English II in APR calculations this year or in future years.

How will this change affect ESSA determinations for Title I schools?

We do not expect the exclusion of these tests to have a big impact on many Title I schools. The assessments primarily affect high schools. Only 69 high schools are Title I schools, about 5% of all Title I schools. Further the exclusion of these data could affect these schools in only two ways, exit from current identification or prevention of future identification. Because we are in the last year of NCLB and Missouri’s flexibility waiver, we are nearing the exit of this program entirely. Secondly, the ESSA identification process allow for the use of up to five years of data. When the spring 2018 assessments are given, schools could be identified using 2018, 2016, and 2015 data. There is a very small percentage (%?) of schools that could be affected.

How should districts handle individual students’ EOC scores?

Most school districts have already delivered EOC test results to students. We do recommend that students receive their results for Algebra I and English II. Consistent with previous guidance from DESE, We do encourage educators to look at raw scores on all assessments instead of the cut scores of achievement levels; below basic, basic, proficient and advanced.

What about students that need proficiency in Algebra I for the A+ scholarship?

Since districts certify students’ A+ eligibility, we encourage districts to Students may continue to use the 2017 Algebra I test to qualify for the A+ scholarship.