MEMORANDUM NO. 047-16M ASI

Page 1

September 13, 2016

September 13, 2016( ) Action Required

( X )Informational

MEMORANDUM NO. 047-16M ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT INFORMATION

TO:Educational Service District Superintendents

School District Superintendents

School Building Principals

School District Assessment Coordinators

Special Education Directors

FROM:Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

RE:Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement (WA-AIM)

CONTACT:Michael Middleton, Director of

Select Assessments/Business Enterprises

360-725-6434,

Agency TTY: 360-664-3631

The following information is intended to orient district and school administrators to decisions made and processes being adopted by theOffice of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) designed to support the 2016–17 administration of the Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement (WA-AIM).

High School Science Achievement and Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA) Cut Scores Set

In late spring a group of Washington educators came together as part of the process to set the achievement levels for High School(HS) WA-AIM Science. Further to this educator engagement, on May 31 the State Board of Education adopted the recommendations of this educator group and the agency recommendation for a CIA cut score for the purpose of graduation.

Achievement scores:

Level 1: 100–111

Level 2: 112–124

Level 3: 125–158

Level 4: 159–200

HS Science CIA Cut Score: 104

Change in WA-AIM Data Collection Platform for Spring 2016–17 WA-AIM Administration

For the spring WA-AIM administration we will be moving from Engrade to Data Recognition Corporation’s (DRC’s) eDirect System. The teacher user experience will remain similar in the system, however there will be differences in the student management and test set-up that address certain enhancements educators had been requesting. Training on using the eDirect system will be available in mid to late September.

Specific enhancements which will be implemented for the spring administration include:

  • The ability to move student assessment data between schools and districts reducing the manual re-entry of a new student’s assessment information.
  • Pre-population of teacher data entry from baseline to final, reducing the amount of time teachers spend re-typing student assessment information.
  • Automatic platform checks that require the Observer Attestation be complete before submission reducing the number of non-scorable assessments for this violation.
  • State-, District-, School-, and Teacher-level reports allowing district and building assessment coordinators easier access for monitoring submission progress.

Due to the timing of the administration and requirements for switching platforms, fall WA-AIM HS retakes will occur in Engrade. There have been no changes to the platform.

Testing Windows

Fall WA-AIM HS Retake Window: September 12–November 18, 2016 and spring WA-AIM Window: October 17, 2016–April 7, 2017. Teachers can begin working with students on the first day of the test window, but the eDirect platform will not be open for data entry until November 1.

Educator Recruitment

OSPI will be recruiting general and special educators for participation in the following activities supporting the alternate assessment.

Activity / Purpose / When / Anticipated Duration
Alignment Study / To review the current WA-AIM examples, Performance Tasks, and Access Points to ensure their alignment to our state learning standards. / Mid to late October / 2–3 days
Science Development-Performance Expectation Selection / To select the NGSS Performance Expectations to be used for the new WA-AIM Science aligned to NGSS. / Early October / 3 days
Science Development- Access Point Frameworks / To develop the Access Points and draft the Performance Task Requirements and Restrictions. / Early November / 3 days
Science Development-
Performance Task work / To write the example items and questions for the Performance Tasks. / Late January / 4–5 days
Science Development- Content and Sensitivity/Bias Review / To review the Performance Tasks and example items and questions for content, sensitivity and bias. / Mid to late Spring / 2–3 days

We wish to thank you in advance for allowing your educators to participate in any of the listed activities when possible; the involvement of state educators in the assessment development work makes for a stronger overall program. As appropriate, districts will be reimbursed for substitute costs and participants will be reimbursed for all travel and mealrelated expenses.

If you have any questions regarding this memorandum, please contact Toni Wheeler at 360-725-4970 or . The agency TTY number is 360-664-3631.

K–12 EDUCATION

Gil Mendoza, Ed.D.

Deputy Superintendent

ASSESSMENT & STUDENT INFORMATION

Deb Came, Ph.D.

Assistant Superintendent

Michael Middleton, Director

Select Assessments and Business Enterprises

RD:KR

OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a training dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-725-6162/TTY: 360-664-3631; or P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200; or .