Message: DTC Memo 2017-09-06

DTC Memo 2017-09-06
FromSchellman, SteveDate  Wednesday, September 6, 2017 11:23 AM
To
Bates, Shaun;Linkon, Drew;Jarrett, Joan
Cc
SubjectDTC Memo 2017-09-06

Please review this DTC Memo ASAP so we can send out today.

Thanks.

 

Steve Schellman, M.Ed.

Assistant Director

Office of College and Career Readiness | Assessment

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Office: 573-526-4295

dese.mo.gov

 


TO: District Test Coordinators (DTCs)

FROM: DESE Assessment

DATE: September 6, 2017

SUBJECT: End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment Information

Dear <Last Name> <First Name> at <School District>,

EOC Information:

During the “EOC Q & A with Commissioner Vandeven” webinar on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 it was recommended that the Department provide a letter of explanation for parents of students who took the Algebra I and/or English II End-of-Course assessments during the 2016-2017 school year. Attached is the parent letter from the Department.

Please note we are providing this letter to assist you with your communication with parents. Its use is optional.

The following are the links to the webinars:

Wednesday morning webinar: http://desemo.adobeconnect.com/pp36r26ljhty/

Wednesday afternoon webinar: http://desemo.adobeconnect.com/p0h03fdqlvz1/

We are still working on compiling responses to the questions that we received during the webinars, and will forward the FAQ once it is complete.

We have also attached updated talking points for your use in discussions with your community.

Nextera Webinars Postponed:

On August 24, a memo was sent to all DTCs regarding training webinars on Nextera that were originally scheduled for Sept. 6 and 7. Those webinars have been postponed until Sept. 13 and 14. An official invitation to the webinars from Questar with more information was sent to DTCs this morning.

Also, the August 24 memo was sent with the incorrect phone number for Questar’s Customer Service. The correct phone number is 800-571-2545. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

EOC Precode Now Available:

Lastly, please note that the End of Course Precode for the first fall testing window is now available in the MOSIS Data Collection System. This collects information to pre-populate the online testing system for students being tested between October 2, 2017 and January 19, 2018. This submission is due on Friday, September 15, 2017. If you have questions, please contact DESE Accountability Data at 573‐526‐4886 or Core Data/MOSIS at 573-526-5287.

Thanks for all you do.

DESE Assessment Staff


September 1, 2017 Dear Parents: A top priority of educators is to help prepare Missouri children for success, not only in school but also for life after graduation. We know you are proud of your children, and we are too. We want to inform you about some developments resulting from the 2017 End-of-Course assessments in Algebra I and English II. The technical advisory committee (TAC) retained by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to review assessment results each year determined that the 2017 Algebra I and English II assessments are not suitable for establishing assessment performance trends. Upon the recommendation of the TAC, DESE will exclude data from these assessments in school district and charter school annual performance reports (APRs). The APRs that we provide to school districts and charter schools look at multiple factors, including state assessments in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies; a host of college and career readiness indicators; attendance rates; and graduation rates. For each of these indicators, multiple years of data are used. Your child’s class grades and any local decisions about A+ eligibility, as it pertains to these two assessments, are not at risk. I appreciate your understanding as we work through this unfortunate event. Thank you for supporting Missouri public education and your local school district. Sincerely, Margie Vandeven Commissioner of Education
August 31, 2017 1 Talking Points for 2017 EOCs Main Message: The results of the 2017 EOCs in English II and Algebra I do not produce year-to-year comparable results. The department doesn’t plan to release statewide results from these particular assessments. We will hold the testing vendor, Questar, accountable for not producing usable assessment results.  DESE’s TAC – Technical Advisory Committee – concluded that the results of the Algebra I and English II tests do not produce year-to -year comparable results.  School districts and charter LEAs have already received Questar’s individual student reports (ISRs). Consistent with previous guidance from DESE, educators should use raw scores from those assessments. Accordingly, student record labels may be used as appropriate.  Districts may also use student End-of-Course (EOC) scores for determining A+ scholarship eligibility.  For students who took the Algebra I and English II EOCs, the participation requirement has been met. Students do not need to retake these tests.  We are extremely frustrated with our vendor’s inability to deliver usable results. Our students and teachers work hard throughout the year, and they are counting on us to get this right.  We are working with our attorney to pursue our legal options. Timeline of Events  When the department received 2017 statewide assessment results in late July, staff immediately alerted Questar, Missouri’s EOC test vendor, about unexpected changes in the results compared to test administrations in previous years.  DESE staff then convened the state’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) – made up of nationally recognized experts in assessment – to review the results.  At its August 18 meeting, the TAC concluded that there were year-to -year comparability issues for the EOCs for Algebra I and English II. The TAC did not express concern about any other EOCs.  These tests have now been retired. Missouri educators have been developing mathematics and English language arts assessments—both Grade-Level Assessments and EOCs—that will be administered beginning this year. APR Talking Points  In developing the APR, DESE will take the following steps to identify the best solution for this challenging situation: August 31, 2017 2 o District APRs will not include Algebra I and English II EOCs in the status and progress calculations. o Status targets and progress calculations will be adjusted to accommodate the loss of the two EOCs. o Priority is on district and charter LEA APRs. Decisions regarding building-level APRs will be made at a later date. Timeline The department’s next steps will include the following: 1. MSIP TAC will convene on September 12. 2. Comprehensive Guide revisions will be made during the week of September 18. 3. Public Hearing on MSIP Comprehensive Guide will be held on October 4. Event Date Achievement data to school districts and charter schools during week of 9/5 Appeals and data corrections window closes for EOCs 9/22 Further timeline information will be published as soon as it is available. What are the department’s next steps regarding assessments? We will convene a work group to review and make recommendations regarding ways to improve test administration and delivery of results. Topics will include such things as  a timeline for the release of scores to districts,  the length of testing windows, and  technology variations among districts and charter LEAs.