The 2014 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is a primary forum for assessment practitioners to discuss what is happening in the world of educational assessment—what is new, what is going on at the state and federal levels, what works, and what does not. This year, NCSA is being held in New Orleans, LA on June 25-27. NCEO staff members are involved in several sessions (listed here by date).
Balancing Test Security and Accessibility on Next Generation Online Assessments
Sheryl Lazarus, Martha Thurlow, John Fremer, & Shelley Loving-Ryder, Presenters (Wednesday, June 25, 2014: 10:15 AM-11:45 AM)
Test security policies and procedures are needed to help ensure the integrity and validity of a test. In this era, when cheating on tests draws regular media attention, it is vital that there is thoughtful consideration of how possible test security measures may affect accessibility. For example, some accommodations that individuals with disabilities and English language learners may need to meaningfully access a test require someone other than the students to also see the test. The session will include information about how several sets of guidelines and standards address these issues. It will also include the perspectives of a state and a leader in the test security industry.
Beyond the PNP: Designing a Comprehensive State System for Systematically Monitoring Accommodations
Melissa Gholson & Brian Touchette, Presenters; Jan Sheinker, Discussant; Laurene Christensen, Moderator (Wednesday, June 25, 2014: 10:15 AM-11:45 AM)
The purpose of this symposium is to examine implications for states as they transition to next generation assessment systems in the area of addressing accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners. Two states will present their strategies for developing a comprehensive system for monitoring accommodations. Each state will share challenges and lessons learned around creating flexible electronic data systems, methods of data management, and evaluating/reporting of results. The discussant will provide feedback regarding these systems from the lens of meeting peer review requirements and best practices supported by current research. Broader discussions include considerations for all states as they approach transitioning to multiple assessment systems and address the changes in their monitoring systems, identification of available resources, and strategies and future recommendations for improvement 2014-2015 and beyond.
Enhancing the Validity of Kindergarten Assessments: Two States Experiences Developing Early Learning Standards-Based Assessments
Karin Change-Rios & Gail Tiemann, Presenters; Erin Arango-Escalante, Discussant; Laurene Christensen, Moderator (Thursday, June 26, 2014: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM)
Developing next generation assessments that are valid for kindergarten learners poses unique challenges due to the nature of this student population and their relative unfamiliarity with formal school settings. Common Core State Standards have raised expectations for this group as well, posing new challenges for validity. This presentation describes two states’ work in developing kindergarten assessments, with a focus on the validity challenges for these assessments.
Symposium: Next Generation Accessibility and Accommodations for Next Generation Students
Trinell Bowman, Margaret Ho, Deborah Matthews, & Joseph Amenta, Presenters; Cara Laitusis, Discussant; Laurene Christensen, Moderator (Thursday, June 26, 2014: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM)
As states work together in consortia to develop new assessments based on Common Core State Standards, the landscape of accessibility and accommodations has shifted dramatically. For both the general assessment and alternate assessment consortia, the standards are the same; however, each group has taken a different approach to defining accessibility and accommodations for the assessment. This presentation features state representatives from the four major assessment consortia in discussion of these key issues surrounding the new accessibility and accommodations policies and processes used to develop them.
Showcase: Online Professional Development for Improved Selection, Implementation, and Evaluation of Accommodations
Sheryl Lazarus, Michael Moore, & Nannette Pence, Presenters (Thursday, June 26, 2014: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM)
This session demonstrates innovative online accommodations training modules developed collaboratively by NCEO and the state of Alabama. The training includes a process that empowers teachers to make good decisions about accommodations for instruction and assessment. The training is interactive and multi-media. It includes a decision-making tool and case studies with video clips. The information in the training is not state specific, and can be used by other states. The training is available without charge, and is accessible from the NCEO website.
Symposium: Improving the Technical Quality of Alternate Assessments
Yi-Chen Wu, Adam E. Wyse, & Ming Lei, Presenters; Brian Touchette, Discussant; Liru Zhang, Moderator (Thursday, June 26, 2014: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM)
An important consideration when including students with significant cognitive disabilities in a large-scale assessment system is ensuring that the assessment possesses appropriate technical quality so that student achievement can be adequately evaluated. In this session, researchers from state educational agencies, a testing company, and a national organization, will discuss their studies on the technical issues, such as equating, standard setting, dimensionality, and student achievement over time, associated with alternate assessments. The findings and implications of these studies for improving the technical quality of alternate assessments will be discussed.
Plenary: Turning Theory into Reality—How the Six State Assessment Consortia Plans Changed During Development (and May Change During Implementation)
Laura Slover, Joe Willhoft, Neal Kingston, Rachel Quenemoen, Kenji Hakuta, & Tim Boals, Presenters; Scott Norton, Moderator (Thursday, June 26, 2014: 1:30 PM-3:00 PM)
When the six assessment consortia were funded to develop common assessments, the country embarked on a substantially different way for states to work together to develop and implement common assessment systems. Each consortium, in developing its proposal for funding and state support, laid out a vision for how student assessment could be developed that would support student learning and higher student achievement. Now as the consortia near the time of initial implementation, the question can be raised as to how this “theory of action” has remained the same or has changed, as well as whether it will change as states and districts get closer to implementation. Each consortium will report on its theory of action and how it has changed in the intervening years since funding was provided.
Developing and Implementing Research Based Accessibility Guidelines for CCSS Items
Jennifer Higgins, Lisa Famularo, & Vitaliy Shyyan, Presenters; Deborah Matthews, Discussant; Trinell Bowman, Moderator (Friday, June 27, 2014: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM)
The Guidelines for Accessibility of Assessments Project is an 18 state collaborative effort to develop, research, and implement guidelines that will be used to make assessment items and tasks developed using the Common Core State Standards accessible to students requiring spoken and signed representation of content. With the adoption of digital delivery of tests and tools such as APIP, there is an opportunity to develop nationwide consensus on best practices and for state assessment programs and assessment consortia to apply these practices in a consistent manner thus enabling greater access for students and increasing the validity of test score-based inferences about students’ academic proficiency.
While This May Be True, the Stepping Stones to Transition Are not Enough
Charlene Turner, Toni Wheeler, Audra Ahumada, & Judy Kraft, Presenters; Jacqueline Kearns, Discussant; Martha Thurlow, Moderator (Friday, June 27, 2014: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM)
The symposium will elucidate the experiences of National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) partner state leaders who are transitioning toward next generation standards and assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities. NCSC is working collaboratively with state leaders to overcome the challenges of implementing a new system of curriculum, instruction, and assessments. In this presentation, state leaders will provide information about strategies to address the transition to the next generation of standards and assessment—a transition that requires a necessary paradigm shift for all stakeholders to develop increased capacity to promote progress toward college, career, and community readiness for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
For more information about these and other sessions, please visit the NCSA website at http://www.ccsso.org/ncsa.html. We hope to see you in New Orleans in June!