1 of 21

PARCC RESULTS: �YEAR ONE��Burlington Township School District�December 2015

Measuring College and Career Readiness

2 of 21

IMPROVING�STUDENT�ASSESSMENT

2015: New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.

A System of Aligned Assessments

“Replace HSPA with a series of end of course assessments in math… and a proficiency exam in language arts literacy that are aligned with the expectations of higher education and the workplace.” (HSRSC - 2008)

Current tests should be “replaced with a system of end-of-course assessments.” (CCRT - 2012)

3 of 21

NEW JERSEY’S STATEWIDE �ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

In 2015, New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to replace HSPA and previous assessments in the elementary and middle school in language arts and mathematics.

Students took PARCC English Language Arts and Literacy Assessments (ELA/L) in grades 3 – 11.

Students took PARCC Mathematics Assessments in grades 3 – 8 and End of Course Assessments in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.

4 of 21

PARCC PERFORMANCE LEVELS

Level 1: Not yet meeting grade-level expectations

Level 2: Partially meeting grade-level expectations

Level 3: Approaching grade-level expectations

Level 4: Meeting grade-level expectations

Level 5: Exceeding grade-level expectations

In PARCC, student outcomes are divided into five performance levels. Level One describes student work in the assessment that does not yet meeting the grade-level expectations or the course expectations. Level Two describes student work that is partially meeting grade-level expectations. Level Three describes student work that is approaching grade-level expectations. Level Four describes work that meets grade-level expectations. Level Five describes work that exceeds grade-level expectations.

It’s important to recognize however that while PARCC is a meaningful assessment of student learning that provides useful information about a student, that New Jersey has been and remains committed to using multiple metrics in assessing student progress and attainment. Decisions about student placement in the next grade level or course have always been made by school districts and should always be fully informed by multiple sources of information, including teacher recommendations and parent input.

5 of 21

NEW JERSEY’S 2015 PARCC OUTCOMES�ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/LITERACY

	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectations (Level 5)	% >= Level 4
Grade 3	15%	18%	24%	39%	5%	44%
Grade 4	8%	15%	27%	39%	12%	51%
Grade 5	7%	15%	26%	45%	6%	52%
Grade 6	8%	16%	28%	40%	9%	49%
Grade 7	11%	15%	23%	34%	18%	52%
Grade 8	12%	15%	22%	39%	13%	52%
Grade 9	18%	19%	24%	30%	10%	40%
Grade 10	25%	18%	20%	26%	11%	37%
Grade 11	17%	19%	24%	30%	11%	41%

Note: Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

6 of 21

NEW JERSEY’S 2015 PARCC OUTCOMES� MATHEMATICS

	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectations (Level 5)	% >= Level 4
Grade 3	8%	19%	28%	37%	8%	45%
Grade 4	7%	22%	30%	36%	4%	41%
Grade 5	6%	21%	32%	35%	6%	41%
Grade 6	8%	21%	30%	35%	6%	41%
Grade 7	8%	22%	33%	33%	4%	37%
Grade 8*	22%	26%	28%	23%	1%	24%
Algebra I	14%	25%	25%	33%	3%	36%
Geometry	12%	36%	30%	20%	3%	22%
Algebra II	32%	25%	20%	22%	2%	24%

* Note: Approximately 30,000 New Jersey students participated in the PARCC Algebra I assessment while in middle school. Thus, PARCC Math 8 outcomes are not representative of grade 8 performance as a whole.

Note: Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

And here are the statewide results of the first year of the PARCC math outcomes.

There are some important things to note. As mentioned above, students took the assessment most closely aligned with their content in middle school. Thus, New Jersey’s eighth grade outcomes are not representative of eighth grade as a whole. Approximately 30,000 middle school students took the Algebra I assessment instead of the grade level assessment. Therefore, eighth grade math outcomes are artificially low as more advanced students were tested in Algebra I.

Also important to note is that as a state, we do see stronger performance in our earlier grades. This is a positive outcome as much of math skills and knowledge builds upon the prior years. Thus, it is not surprising to see weaker outcomes in our higher grade levels who have not benefitted from many years of full implementation of our new standards. Also important to keep in mind that we’ve never tested the course content of geometry and Algebra II statewide before. Thus, our math supervisors and educators have not had a tool to judge the alignment of advanced math courses to our standards before.

7 of 21

PARCC OUTCOMES IN CONTEXT

2015 SAT: 44% met College and Career Ready Benchmark

2015 ACT: 43% met College and Career Ready Benchmark.

2015 PARCC ELA/L Grade 4	51%
2013 NAEP Reading Grade 4	42%

2015 PARCC Math Grade 4	41%
2013 NAEP Math Grade 4	49%

2015 PARCC ELA/L Grade 8	52%
2013 NAEP Reading Grade 8	46%

2015 PARCC ELA/L Grade 11	41%
2013 NAEP Reading Grade 12	41%

2015 PARCC Algebra I	36%
2011 ADP Algebra I	35%

NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

ADP: American Diploma Project http://www.achieve.org/adp-network

In the first year of a new assessment, there is always a tendency to want to compare it to the prior assessment. But those comparisons are inappropriate. As mentioned above, our old assessment was not measuring college and career readiness while the PARCC assessments are designed to. Thus, comparing PARCC to HSPA is like comparing apples to oranges. PARCC is a new baseline. It’s a new starting point from which we will measure our growth.

However, there are a few third-party, independent assessments that have been validated against college and career readiness that New Jersey students have participated in in the past. The SAT for instance has established a composite score of 1550 as its college readiness benchmark. In 2015, 80% of New Jersey’s seniors took that assessment and 44% met that benchmark. In 2015, 43% of the student who took the ACT met its benchmark. In the red boxes, you’ll see that 41% of New Jersey’s seniors met the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the NAEP assessment) benchmark.

And in the blue box, you’ll see the outcome of New Jersey’s old Algebra I test, given as part of the American Diploma Project. In 2011, 35% of New Jersey’s students met the expectation of that assessment, compared with 36% of the students who took the PARCC assessment in 2015.

When compared against these external tests, we think that New Jersey’s first year of PARCC results trends appropriately and has resulted in an accurate first year measure of New Jersey’s college and career readiness. We fully expect the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations to rise in 2016 as students and educators become more fully informed about the format of the test and as educators align their curriculum and instructional practices more closely with the standards.

8 of 21

END-OF-COURSE MATH OUTCOMES, �% MEETING/EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

	ADP Algebra I (2011)		PARCC Algebra I (2015)		PARCC Geometry (2015)		PARCC Algebra II (2015)
	Count	%	Count	%	Count	%	Count	%
Grade 6	39	79%	66	92%
Grade 7	3,001	94%	3,536	93%
Grade 8	29,715	70%	27,498	72%	2,973	92%	459	73%
Grade 9	61,177	21%	53,656	18%	20,279	47%	4,720	70%
Grade 10	8,969	5%	5,542	4%	41,930	8%	20,710	39%
Grade 11	2,182	4%	1,398	4%	5,895	2%	32,092	7%

Before turning to our specific district results, I’d like to discuss some important disaggregation of data that the New Jersey Department of Education has done regarding grade-level outcomes for the end-of-course math assessments. The first set of columns presents the outcomes from the 2011 administration of the Algebra I test. The count column contains the number of testers. The percent column contains the percentage of students who met the expectations. In 2011, in grade 8, approximately 30,000 students took the old Algebra I test and 70% of them met expectations. In 2015, in the PARCC assessment, the outcomes are roughly the same – approximately 28,000 students took the PARCC assessment in grade 8 and 72% of them met expectations. In fact, the 2015 PARCC Algebra I outcomes are remarkable in their near consistency to the old Algebra I assessment at each grade level. A key takeaway is that New Jersey seems to be appropriately identifying students who are capable of taking advanced math in middle school.

But of particular concern is that only 18% of the nearly 54,000 students who took PARCC Algebra I in ninth grade met expectations. This suggests a need for a more concerted effort to ensure that freshman year math courses are fully aligned with the content of the Algebra I standards.

9 of 21

ALGEBRA I PARCC OUTCOMES AND COURSE GRADES

	PARCC Algebra I (2015)		Percent “C” or higher in Algebra I course AY1415
	Count	% Meeting or Exceeding	Count*	% >= C
Grade 6	66	92%	62	100%
Grade 7	3,536	93%	3,305	95%
Grade 8	27,498	72%	24,944	92%
Grade 9	53,656	18%	44,923	75%
Grade 10	5,542	4%	3,170	59%
Grade 11	1,398	4%	623	53%

* Based on an overall 84% match rate at a student-level between NJSMART course roster collection and PARCC Algebra I assessment data.

Looking for mismatches between outcomes and expectations is an important first step, i.e., roughly 18% of freshman met or exceeded expectations in PARCC Algebra I yet 75% received Cs or better in their course.

Drilling down a bit further. This chart has linked the PARCC Algebra I outcomes to course grades that districts provide to the Department. The grades of roughly 84% of the students who took the Algebra I assessment in 2015 could be linked to the assessment data. The first columns of this chart are repeated from the previous slide and show that approximately 18% of the students who took Algebra I in freshman year met or exceeded the expectations of the assessment, while approximately 75% of the freshman received a C or better in their Algebra I course. Again, this underscores the need for us to evaluate the content of our Algebra I courses, the expectations that we have for student competency, and the alignment of our instruction and instructional resources.

10 of 21

BTSD SUMMARY OF PARCC RESULTS

BTSD PARCC District Performance

11 of 21

CYCLE 1 BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT�2015 PARCC GRADE-LEVEL OUTCOMES�ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/LITERACY (counts)

	Count of Valid Test Scores	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectations (Level 5)	District % >= Level 4	NJ % >= Level 4
Grade 3	255	27	47	62	114	6	47%	44%
Grade 4	279	11	47	108	98	15	41%	51%
Grade 5	300	11	46	94	136	13	50%	52%
Grade 6	248	12	26	95	108	7	46%	49%
Grade 7	314	29	58	65	125	37	52%	52%
Grade 8	261	24	48	72	102	15	45%	52%
Grade 9*	193	26	38	47	58	24	43%	40%
Grade 10*	143	31	20	29	39	24	44%	37%
Grade 11*	165	25	36	57	40	8	29%	41%

* PARCC was not available for block 1 administration. Due to block scheduling, BTSD administered tests only to semester 2 and year long students.

12 of 21

CYCLE 1 BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT�2015 PARCC GRADE-LEVEL OUTCOMES�ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/LITERACY (%)

	Count of Valid Test Scores	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectations (Level 5)	District % >= Level 4	NJ % >= Level 4
Grade 3	255	11%	18%	24%	45%	2%	47%	44%
Grade 4	279	4%	17%	39%	35%	6%	41%	51%
Grade 5	300	4%	15%	31%	46%	4%	50%	52%
Grade 6	248	5%	10%	38%	44%	3%	47%	49%
Grade 7	314	9%	18%	21%	40%	12%	52%	52%
Grade 8	261	9%	18%	28%	39%	6%	45%	52%
Grade 9*	193	13%	20%	24%	30%	13%	43%	40%
Grade 10*	143	22%	14%	20%	27%	17%	44%	37%
Grade 11*	165	15%	22%	35%	24%	5%	29%	41%

* PARCC was not available for block 1 administration. Due to block scheduling, BTSD administered tests only to semester 2 and year long students.

percents may not total 100 due to rounding

13 of 21

CYCLE 1 BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT�2015 PARCC GRADE-LEVEL OUTCOMES�MATHEMATICS (counts)

	Count of Valid Test Scores	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectation (Level 5)	District % >= Level 4	NJ % >= Level 4
Grade 3	257	17	48	73	103	16	46%	45%
Grade 4	279	13	70	95	101	0	36%	41%
Grade 5	299	16	72	110	94	7	34%	41%
Grade 6	247	15	42	91	97	2	40%	41%
Grade 7	315	19	61	96	124	15	44%	37%
Grade 8*	147	37	38	53	19	0	13%	24%
Algebra I MS	112	0	6	30	72	4	68%	72%
Algebra I HS (9-11)**@	140	36	64	39	1	0	1%	@
Algebra II**	224	115	67	31	11	0	5%	24%
Geometry**	146	14	69	33	27	3	21%	22%

** PARCC was not available for block 1 administration. Due to block scheduling, BTSD administered tests only to semester 2 and year long students.

@ NJ % is 18% for grade 9, 4% for grade 10 and 4% for grade 11

* Note: Approximately 30,000 New Jersey students participated in the PARCC Algebra I assessment while in middle school. Thus, PARCC Math 8 outcomes are not representative of grade 8 performance as a whole.

14 of 21

CYCLE 1 BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT�2015 PARCC GRADE-LEVEL OUTCOMES�MATHEMATICS (%) percents may not total 100 due to rounding

	Count of Valid Test Scores	Not Yet Meeting (Level 1)	Partially Meeting (Level 2)	Approaching Expectations (Level 3)	Meeting Expectations (Level 4)	Exceeding Expectation (Level 5)	District % >= Level 4	NJ % >= Level 4
Grade 3	257	7%	19%	28%	40%	6%	46%	45%
Grade 4	279	5%	25%	34%	36%	0%	36%	41%
Grade 5	299	5%	24%	37%	32%	2%	34%	41%
Grade 6	247	6%	17%	37%	39%	1%	40%	41%
Grade 7	315	6%	19%	30%	39%	5%	44%	37%
Grade 8*	147	25%	26%	36%	13%	0%	13%	24%
Algebra I MS	112	0%	5%	27%	64%	4%	68%	72%
Algebra I HS**	140	26%	46%	28%	1%	0%	1%	@
Algebra II**	224	51%	30%	14%	5%	0%	5%	24%
Geometry**	146	10%	47%	23%	18%	2%	21%	22%

**PARCC was not available for block 1 administration. Due to block scheduling, BTSD administered tests only to semester 2 and year long students.

@ NJ % is 18% for grade 9, 4% for grade 10 and 4% for grade 11

* Note: Approximately 30,000 New Jersey students participated in the PARCC Algebra I assessment while in middle school. Thus, PARCC Math 8 outcomes are not representative of grade 8 performance as a whole.

15 of 21

NEXT STEPS TO GUIDE PARCC DATA REFLECTION

How will we use PARCC data to identify strengths and gaps that exist in curriculum and instruction?
How will we use PARCC data to inform the conversations of our educators?
What can we learn about where additional professional resources are needed to meet the learning needs of all students?
How can we disaggregate data to analyze it more closely?

District and School Level Data: Math, ELA, reading and writing, and also by grade levels
Disaggregated data, by subgroups
Disaggregated data by categories, (i.e., standards sub-claims)
Item analysis
Student-level analysis

In the next several months, we as a district will undertake an effort to learn what we can from the first year PARCC results. Of most importance is using this data to inform our understanding of our strengths and gaps in our curriculum and instructional practices. We’ve been working to implement our new standards in earnest for approximately two to three years and this is the first set of assessments that are aligned to those standards. Unlike our prior assessments, PARCC will provide the district with the ability to analyze our students’ outcomes at standards level. Thus, we’ll be able to reflect on our particular strengths and weaknesses.

Also new in the PARCC assessment is the release of real test questions with real student work that has been annotated by the scores. Thus, for the first time, we can look at the test questions, review student work together and understand how the student work met or did not meet the expectations. Using these test questions will help our teachers understand the standards for students more fully. For many teachers, seeing how their students are assessed brings great clarity to what the standards actually mean.

Finally, a central goal will be to think about the types of supports that our educators need… what types of professional learning opportunities, what types of instructional resources are needed.

We believe that doing this work well will likely take us many months as we will engage teachers, supervisors, principals and others.

As the district unpacks the PARCC data, we’ll undertake several explorations into the data. Obviously the first we’ve begun tonight in talking about our results at grade level in math and language arts.

We will also be able to look at our student performance in reading and writing separately for the first time with what are called sub-scale scores.

Next, we’ll disaggregate our outcomes by various subgroups to understand the performance of students with different learning needs.

We’ll also be able to look at our outcomes in different categories, such as how our students did in analyzing fiction versus non-fiction. Those are called the subclaims in the standards.

We may consider conducting an item analysis as well. An item is a test question. Drilling down and looking at district, school, and even student-level results on individual test questions can help us identify what we’re doing well and where we can grow.

Finally, we’ll be able to look at the performance of individual students to note their individual strengths and areas to grow.

16 of 21

RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

http://understandthescore.org/

17 of 21

VIDEO: UNDERSTANDING THE SCORE REPORT

http://understandthescore.org/

18 of 21

PARENT GUIDE TO THE SCORE REPORTS

http://www.parcconline.org/resources/educator-resources

19 of 21

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD

http://understandthescore.org/

20 of 21

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

http://understandthescore.org/

21 of 21

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

BTSD will include these and other resources on our district PARCC information website also.

https://sites.google.com/a/burltwpsch.org/parcc-information/