Preparing Candidates for the GACE Content Assessment

Anne Marie Fenton, GaPSC

12-1-10

Agenda

• Why the GACE

• Development

• Preparation Materials

• Preparation Strategies

• Using Data

• Updates

Why the GACE?

I. Why do we have content assessment?II. Who should take the GACE?III. Who should not take the GACE?IV. Which GACE should educators take?

Why the GACE?

Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators™

(GACE™)

Program Purpose

• to assess the knowledge and skills of prospective Georgia public school educators;

• helps the PSC meet its goal of ensuring that candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job of an educator in Georgia public schools;

• aligned with state and national standards for educator preparation and with state standards for the P–12 student curriculum (Georgia Performance Standards).

Program Benefits

– Aligned with Georgia Standards

– Created by diverse representation of educators across Georgia who are experts in their respective fields

– No Georgia Tax Dollars

– Helps Ensure Educator Quality

Who Should Take the GACE?

Test Participation

• Georgia Educator Certification Only• Applying for Program Admission• Out-of-state Certification Applications

Types of AssessmentsBasic Skills

(Reading, Mathematics, Writing)

Exempt if:• Hold a current or expired clear, renewable professional teaching

certificate in Georgia or another state; or• Have a minimum combined verbal and mathematics score of

1000 on the SAT; or• Have a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1030

on the GRE; or • Have a minimum combined English and mathematics score of 43

on the ACT; or• Hold a masters level degree or above from an accredited

institution.

Types of Assessments

Pedagogy Assessment

One Year Supervised Practicum Candidates Only

Types of Assessments

Paraprofessionals

Available in Internet Based Test (IBT)and in written formats

Clear renewable certificate holders (teaching, service, and leadership) are HiQ to serve as paraprofessionals without holding a

paraprofessional certificate

Types of Assessments

GACE Content Assessments

Designed to measure content competency in the specific field of certification

Why the GACE?

Standards

PSC/NCATE 2008 Standards

1. Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions2. Assessment System and Unit Evaluation3. Field Experiences and Clinical Practice4. Diversity5. Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and

Development6. Unit Governance and Resources

Additional Georgia Standards

7. Georgia Special Requirements8. Program Content Standards

Application of Standards

PSC/NCATE Georgia Standardsapply to both the

Professional Education Unit and

Educator Preparation Programs

Standard 1

Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Dispositions

Standard 1

Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other school professionals know and demonstrate the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and skills, pedagogical and professional knowledge and skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

Standard 1.a

Content Knowledge of Teacher Candidates (Initial/Adv)

ACCEPTABLETeacher candidates know the content that they plan to teach and can explain important principles and concepts delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Eighty percent or more of the unit’s program completers pass the content examinations in states that require examinations for licensure. Candidates in advanced programs for teachers have an in-depth knowledge of the content that they teach.

Why the GACE?

Help candidates make the connection that:

•In order to award a certificate, the GaPSC must be ensured that:

– the educator has subject matter expertise in the certificate field and in all grade levels of the certificate, and

– the educator’s level of content knowledge of what is taught in Georgia’s classrooms is appropriate

•Program providers must show evidence that they are preparing candidates for the classroom with regard to content knowledge, which assures program quality and program alignment with Georgia content standards

Test Development Process

•Development of Frameworks and Assessment Specifications•Framework Review Conferences•Content Validation Surveys•Test Question Development•Test Question Review Conferences•Field Testing•Review of Field Test Results•Marker Response Selection Conferences•Passing Score Review

Available Website Materials

Test Design and FrameworkTest Framework WorksheetSample Selected Response Items Sample Constructed Response ItemsFaculty Resources

www.georgiastandards.org

www.georgiastandards.org

(http://www.gace.nesinc.com/)

ample Constructed Response ssignments

esources Provided:Constructed-response assignment directionsSample constructed-response assignmentsAssignment response sheetsAn example of a strong response to each sample assignmentScoring criteria that are used in evaluating responses to constructed response assignments

ypes of Reports

GACE Data After Each Administration•Program Provider Alphabetical Roster of Examinees •Program Provider Roster Report by Test

Annual Program Provider Summary Reports

nnual Institution Summary Report

our Sections– Annual Results by Test– Annual Results by Assessment– Annual Summary Results for All Content

Assessments– Historical Summary Results for All

Content Assessments

nnual Results by Test

nnual Results by Assessment

nnual Summary Results for All ontent Assessments

storical Summary Results for All ontent Assessments

ssessment Advisory Panel

Purpose

To make a positive contribution to the quality of educators in Georgia by ensuring the quality of Georgia’s educator assessment program.

ssessment Advisory Panelhe advisory group will examine and make recommendations

egarding:

ACE data including•aggregate examinee performance on the GACE; •data for each GACE Test; •GACE data access; •score setting revisions, including if/when to raise standards;

tle II/Higher Education Act Reauthorization (HEOA) data including•data collection processes; •assurances in special education, use of technology, and other areas; •annual recruitment goals and strategies to build capacity; •data dissemination; •using data to guide program improvement;

ssessment Advisory PanelPreparation Program and Teacher Quality issues including, but not mited to

•Linking GACE data to preparation program quality; •Linking GACE data to teacher performance;

AndStreamline data collection and reporting efforts;

Guide practice and/or policy for improvement to GaPSC’s educator reparation division data-related processes, including the ertification assessment program.

ACE Updates

BT – Registration begins 12-28-10

•Secondary Science•Middle Grades Science•Reading•Pedagogy•Special Education General •Special Education Adapted

Thank you for your participation!

annemarie.fenton@gapsc.com