MCAS-Alt Update:What’s New for 2018?

Dan WienerAdministrator of Inclusive Assessment

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Schedule for the Day

Teachers with no recent or prior MCAS-Alt experience should attend: Introduction to MCAS-Alt (8:30 am—12:30 pm)

Teachers with MCAS-Alt experience (8:30 am—12:30 pm) should attend MCAS-Alt Update (What’s New for 2018?)Plus, as many of these mini-sessions as you wish: Setting the Stage: Measurable Outcomes ELAWriting: Text Types, Communication Systems, and Using the

Scoring Rubric Raising the Bar/Debunking Myths: Scoring and Data Charts Competency and Grade-level Portfolios: Portfolios for

students working at or close to grade-levelMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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MCAS-Alt–What’s New for 2018? Flash drives and other handouts Teacher Survey Results 2017 MCAS-Alt Statewide Results

Overall Scores and Trends ELAWriting: Improvements

What We Observed at the Scoring Institute New and Notable2018 Educator’s Manual (pp. 3-4) Updated Resource Guides (Fall 2017)

● ELA/Math: refinements to standards● Science and Tech/Eng: new Resource Guide in Fall 2018

ESSA and MCAS-Alt Technology and MCAS-Alt (Demonstration)

Online Forms and Graphs Digital evidence E-newsletter Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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2017 MCAS-Alt Teacher Survey: Responses

95% (2,357) of lead teachers (2,478) responded to survey. How many portfolios did each teacher submit?

85% submitted 1-6 61% submitted 1-3 (up 2% from 2015) 24% submitted 4-6

11% submitted 7-10 4% (93 respondents) submitted more than 10

24.2% did MCAS-Alt for the first time in 2017. 41% had help from other special educator; 49% from aide;

23% from student. 46.9% had classroom coverage or flex time. 98.9% teach standards-based knowledge and skills at times

other than portfolio creation. 96% used data collection methods for other instruction.

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MCAS-Alt Participation, Educator Training, and Score Appeals Summary

8,541 MCAS-Alt portfolios were submitted in 2017 (down 204 from 2016) 51,063 strands were scored

5,372 educators participated in 17 face-to-face training sessions last year.

409 MCAS-Alt score appeals submitted last June. 87 approved (21.3%); 322 denied (78.7%)

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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2015-2017 MCAS-Alt: Statewide Results(All Content Areas - All Grades)

2015

2016

201770.35%

20.46%

.14%1.22%

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

.83%

10.68%

12.40%

75.95%

.13%

Incomplete Awareness Emerging Progressing Partially Meeting Expectations/Needs

Improvement+

9.10%7.83%

1.31%

19.12%

70.37%

.10%

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English Language Arts:20152017 MCAS-Alt Results

(Year 2 of Writing Strand)

2015

2016

2017

5.37%

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12.60%

Incomplete Awareness Emerging Progressing

1.63%.72%

36.35%

11.37%

56.55%

75.00%

.11%.05%

5.05% 1.71%

32.40%

60.83%

.01%

Partially Meeting Expectations/Needs

Improvement+

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What We Observed at the Scoring Institute

Improvements noted:Scorers appreciated Use of divider tabs between strands Fewer page protectors, but still too many Comments (self-eval) and introductions from

students Generally well-organized portfolios

For digital evidence, flash drives worked better than CDs

More effective use of teacher-scribed work samples. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Example of Teacher-Scribed Work Sample

2017 MCAS-Alt Scorer Training

Brief descriptions of each activity, materials used, and student’s responses.

Measurable Outcome: Within 15 seconds after a teacher reads picture stories, student will give materials related to vocabulary acquisition (e.g., vocabulary cards) to another person with 80% accuracy and independence.

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What We Observed at the Scoring Institute

Improvements needed:Description of activities did not always match the

skill(s) in the measurable outcome.Dates were listed when school was not in session.Entry points sometimes were unmatched, altered

excessively, or could not be found in Resource Guide.Clarity on how the skill was assessed.Some percentages of accuracy and

independence were mathematically impossible. E.g., Student solved 4 problems, with 66% accuracy and

37% independence.Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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ELAWriting Observations Three different final writing samples with three pre-

scored rubrics required, but sometimes missing.

Teacher’s pre-scored rubric was sometimes scored too high and sometimes too low.● Review writing rubric descriptions for each score.

● Score only the student’s contribution to the work.

NEW for 2018:

A place to enter the student’s name, date, and percent independence have been added to the Writing rubric.

Only one baseline writing sample is required, regardless of writing types submitted.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Domain PK K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Counting and CardinalityOperations and Algebraic Thinking

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Number and Operations - Fractions

Ratios and Proportional Relationships

The Number System

Expressions and Equations

Measurement and Data

FunctionsGeometry

Statistics and Probability

Mathematics Domains (Pre-KGrade 8)

KEY= Assessed by MCAS-Alt

High School MathematicsNEW! Spiral Back to Earlier Domains

PK K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 High School

Domains Conceptual Categories

The Number System Number and Quantity

Expressions & Equations Algebra

Ratios and Proportional Relationships

Functions Functions

Geometry Geometry

Statistics and Probability Statistics and Probability

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Science and Technology/Engineering

New Science and Tech/Eng standards were approved in April 2016. STE Resource Guide will be revised for 2019 MCAS-Alt.

Use the current version for 2018. Fall 2017 STE Resource Guide (flash drive)

Other STE resources available at www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and MCAS-Alt

Beginning in 2017-2018, ESSA places a statewide cap of 1 percent of students eligible for MCAS on the number of students who take the MCAS-Alt (not including Grade-Level or Competency portfolios).

The Department is not asking IEP teams to “take students off the alternate assessment.”

This as an opportunity to revisit and refine decision-making regarding who takes the MCAS-Alt. Can student take standard MCAS assessments, especially

new online tests, with accessibility features and accommodations?

Can student submit a "grade-level" or "competency" portfolio instead? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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ESE has posted a Notice and Resources last March at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/alt/essa/This is also available on your flash drive: Commissioner’s Memo, guidance, and criteria for

designating students for MCAS-Alt, plus 2016 district data Annual presentation for training IEP teams (Powerpoint) A sample parent notification letter (Grade 4 and higher)

Parents must be notified that “participation in alternate assessment may eventually delay or affect student’s ability to earn a diploma.”

A request for justification to ESE if a district will exceed one percent in 2018; and assurances that Teams will be trained on the criteria. Students taking MCAS-Alt will be taught the general curriculum. Grade-level/competency portfolio, or online MCAS test, will be

considered. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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“Decision Tree”Decision-making tool to guide IEP teams in

determining who should take the MCAS-Alt. (Flash drive and Educator’s Manual for MCAS-Alt, p.12)

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Criteria that should not be used aloneto designate a student for MCAS-AltA student should not take MCAS-Alt based solely on whether he/she: has not been provided instruction in the general curriculum; has a specific disability (e.g., all students with intellectual

disabilities should not automatically take the MCAS-Alt); is placed in a program or classroom where it is expected that

students will take the MCAS-Alt; has taken an alternate assessment previously (since this is an

annual decision); has previously failed the MCAS test; is an English language learner (ELL); is from a low-income family or is a child in foster care; requires use of an alternative augmentative communication system attends a school in which the IEP team was unduly influenced to

designate the student for MCAS-Alt in order to receive more credit for school accountability. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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NOW AVAILABLE! Principal’s Manual for MCAS-AltPrincipal’s Manual for MCAS-Alt includes

information and guidance on: Supporting teachers and monitoring their progress

Procedures and deadlines for ordering, submission, score appeals, etc.

Timeline for storage and destruction of returned portfolios

Will be discussed at Administrators Overview sessions in October

Available on your flash drive in the Administrators folder

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Technology Update

Online Forms and Graphs

Digital submission of portfolio evidence

Electronic newsletter

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Dates to Remember Educator Training Sessions: Sept. 25, 26, Oct. 2, 3, 10, 11,

12, 17 (8:30 a.m.Noon)

Administrator Overview: Oct. 10, 11, 12, 17 (1:303:00 p.m.)

“Portfolios in Progress” (half-day review sessions): January 8 (Springfield), 9 (Marlboro), 17 (Taunton), 18 (Danvers)

Feb. 13 (Springfield), 14 (Marlboro), 27 (Taunton), 28 (Danvers)

Order MCAS-Alt materials: Jan. 819, 2018

Binders received in schools: last week in Feb.

Portfolios due: Thursday, March 29, 2018

Preliminary results: posted in mid-June

MCAS-Alt Score Appeals deadline: June 22

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MCAS Web Page

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MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education – Student Assessment (781-338-3625) Dan Wiener, Administrator of Inclusive Assessment Debra Hand – dhand@doe.mass.edu General Inquiries – mcas@doe.mass.edu

Measured Progress MCAS Service Center – 800-737-5103 Kevin Froton – froton.kevin@measuredprogress.org Terri Rippett – rippett.therasa@measuredprogress.org

Contact Information

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Questions?