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Parent Information Night for State Assessments�

Spring 2019

Danni

Welcome parents to tonight’s presentation and share goals for the evening:

To view sample PARCC and NJSLA-S tasks and begin to see connections/similarities between the type of instruction that occurs on a regular basis in the classroom and this assessment;
To provide an overview of state standardized assessments, clear up any misconceptions about testing, and answer common questions;
To share what we as a district are focusing on in our classrooms; and
To provide additional resources related to assessments

(This is not a night to debate the merits or value of standardized testing, but rather given the district’s obligation to partake in state testing, along with current high school graduation requirements, ensure parents are aware of our beliefs and intentions to provide the best testing experience for their child and utilize the information as one of many measures that assists us in getting to know their child’s strengths and needs.)

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Agenda

Standardized Assessment History

NJSLA-ELA & Mathematics (PARCC) Overview

NJSLA-Science Overview

Student & District Implications

ETSD Focus Areas

Tips & Additional Resources

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Year	New Jersey History
1988	Federal and state law requires eighth graders to be administered the Early Warning Test (EWT) annually, later became Grade Eight Performance Assessment (GEPA) in 1998 and NJASK in 2008.
1997	Requirements added to include fourth grade annual assessment, Elementary School Performance Assessment (ESPA), became NJASK in 2004.
2004-2006	NJASK 3, 5, 6 & 7 were designed and became required annual assessments through NCLB.
2015	NJASK Science assessment continues in grades four and eight.
2015	Transition to PARCC electronic assessments in multiple states, spring 2015 full-implementation. Over 800,000 students in NJ took the PARCC for the first time.
2016	ESSA, federal law, continues to require statewide assessments in grades three to eight and high school. NJ study commission confirms continued implementation of PARCC Assessment. Several independent studies confirm PARCC is a high-quality, comprehensive assessment tool. State adopts guidelines for PARCC as high school graduation requirement.
2017	NJASK Science assessment changed to NJSLA - Science for Spring 2018, administered as a field test in grades five and 8.
2018	PARCC Assessment name changed to NJSLA - ELA and Mathematics for Spring 2019 NJSLA Science is being fully implemented in grades 5 and 8.

Federal & State Updates

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NJSLA-ELA

Focus on reading comprehension and effective writing in response to analyzing text

Reflect the balance between literary and informational texts

Writing task in each unit

Maintain various question types

Evidence-Based Selected Response (multiple choice)
Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response (eg. drag and drop)
Prose Constructed Response (longer written response)

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NJSLA-Mathematics

Emphasis on demonstrating conceptual understanding and mathematical fluency from major content within the current grade level, as well as all content from previous grade levels

Applying math skills, concepts, and understandings to solve multi-step problems

Integration of math practice standards (abstract reasoning, modeling precision)

Maintain various question types

Concepts, skills and procedures (e.g. multiple choice, “drag and drop”)
Expressing mathematical reasoning (e.g. typing an argument, critiquing reasoning)
Modeling applications (real-world contexts)

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NJSLA-Science

Emphasis on demonstrating conceptual understanding of the Disciplinary Core Ideas in Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Life Science and Engineering Design

Integration of Science and Engineering Practices (analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence)

Interactive Assessment Tasks

Videos and simulations
Authentic scenarios
Performance tasks

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Grade	Testing Dates							Make Up Dates	Total # of Testing Days
3 ELA	May 6 ELA 1	May 7 ELA 2						May 15-24	5
3 Math			May 8 Math 1	May 9 Math 2	May 10 Math 3			May 15-24	5
4 ELA	May 6 ELA 1	May 7 ELA 2						May 15-24	5
4 Math			May 8 Math 1	May 9 Math 2	May 10 Math 3			May 15-24	5
5 ELA	May 6 ELA 1	May 7 ELA 2						May 15-24	7
5 Math			May 8 Math 1	May 9 Math 2	May 10 Math 3
5 Science						May 13 Units 1 and 2	May 14 Units 3 and 4

2018-2019 NJSLA TEST ADMINISTRATION: Grades 3-5

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2018-2019 NJSLA TEST DATES Grades 6-8

Grade	Testing Dates					Make Up Dates	Total # of Testing Days
6 ELA			May 15 ELA 1 Math 1	May 16 ELA 2 Math 2	May 17 Math 3	May 20-24	3
6 Math
7 ELA			May 15 ELA 1 Math 1	May 16 ELA 2 Math 2	May 17 Math 3	May 20-24	3
7 Math
8 ELA			May 15 ELA 1 Math 1	May 16 ELA 2 Math 2	May 17 Math 3	May 20-24	5
8 Math
8 Alg			May 15 ELA 1	May 16 ELA 2 Math 1	May 17 Math 2	May 20-24
8 Science	May 13 Units 1 and 2	May 14 Units 3 and 4				May 20-24

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Unit Test Times for ELA - Updated

ELA/L	Unit 1	Unit 2	Total Test Time for Non-Field Test Schools
Grade 3	75 minutes	75 minutes	2 hours 30 minutes
Grades 4 and 5	90 minutes	90 minutes	3 hours
Grades 6 through 11	90 minutes	90 minutes	3 hours

Note: Unit times do not include 25 to 30 minutes for logging on students, reading directions, and closing out students.

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Unit Test Times for Mathematics - Updated

Mathematics	Unit 1	Unit 2	Unit 3	Total Test Time
Grades 3 through 5	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes	3 hours
Grades 6 through 8	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes	3 hours
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II	90 minutes	90 minutes	N/A	3 hours

Note: Unit times do not include 25 to 30 minutes for logging on students, reading directions, and closing out students.

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Unit Test Times for Science - Updated

Spring 2019 District Test and Technology Coordinator Training

Science	Unit 1	Unit 2	Unit 3	Unit 4	Total Test Time
Grade 5	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	3 hours
Grade 8	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes	3 hours

Note: Unit times do not include 25 to 30 minutes for logging on students, reading directions, and closing out students.

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Student Implications

Data is used in conjunction with district-wide measures to get baseline on students strengths & needs for classroom instruction.

Data is not utilized in determining report card grades, grade level advancement, high school acceptance, etc.; however, NJSLA is currently a requirement for high school graduation for the Classes of 2019 and 2020.

Data is used in conjunction with additional measures to identify additional supports (ie: Study Skills Club, Title I Tutoring, Accelerated Math).

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District Implications

Federal/state requirements for NJSLA are linked to required 95% participation rate. District/school corrective action plans are required for non-compliance.

Data is used to identify strengths & needs in district-wide programs.

Data is analyzed for targeted professional development.

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ETSD Focus

All Content Areas

Enhance support of the application of specific and goal-oriented feedback.
Continue to emphasize establishing and maintaining purpose throughout the lesson, including closure.
Increase opportunities for reading and writing in the content areas.
Continue to support the use of argument protocols for student critique of others’ work.

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ETSD Focus

Language Arts

Continue to focus on reading and thinking across multiple texts at all grade levels.
Support implementation of a structured Reader’s Workshop model that includes read aloud/modeling of strategy, sustained reading & conferring time, and sharing.
Increase opportunities for conferring in writing focused on elevating the proficiency of the writer.
Identify text structure and recognize how structure impacts determining importance.

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ETSD Focus

Mathematics

Increase integration of authentic problem solving to support generalization and transfer of knowledge.
Increase emphasis on grade level major and supporting content, including fractions, data and measurement.
Increase opportunities to work with real world data and measurement including statistics at middle school.
Increase opportunities for differentiation through implementation of a math workshop model.

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ETSD Focus

Science

Continue to increase opportunities for connections between and among science disciplines (e.g. Earth/Space, Life, and Physical).
Integrate the Science and Engineering Practices, with a particular emphasis on justifying a response and critiquing the reasoning of others.
Focus on phenomenon and crosscutting concepts while “doing” science.
Integrate opportunities for three-dimensional assessments.

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Whether taking teacher-made or standardized tests, you can do several things to support a positive test-taking experience:

Encourage your child to work hard every day in class.
Explain that stress is normal and encourage your child to relax. Teach quick ways to reduce stress such as counting or taking a deep breathe.
Remind your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions.
See that your child gets his/her regular amount of sleep before the test and is well-rested.
Make sure that your child eats his/her usual breakfast on the day of the test.
Encourage your child to do his/her best.
Explain that it is normal to feel a little stressed at times, but encourage him/her to express those concerns and worries.
Build your child’s self esteem every day.
Model by example.

General Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for Testing

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Additional Resources

New Jersey State Assessments (http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/)

New Jersey Student Learning Assessment for Science (NJSLA-S) (http://measinc-nj-science.com/ )

General PARCC Website (http://parcc-assessment.org)

Myths and Facts About Assessment and PARCC (http://www.state.nj.us/education/archive/sca/toolkit/pass2/12PASS.pdf)

Understand the Score (http://understandthescore.org/help-your-child/resources-for-parents/)