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Quest for Perfection

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Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests and End-of-Course Assessments

FCAT 2.0 Reading Grades 3 – 10FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Grades 3 – 8 FCAT 2.0 Science Grades 5 & 8FCAT Writing Grades 4, 8 &10Algebra 1 & GeometryBiology Under development: U.S. History, Civics

Pervasive Quality Assurance

Built into every process from planning and designing, to executing

Process and outcome documentation Process and outcome audits Transparency Continuous refinement and redesign Discipline and vigilance; trust but

verify 3

Pervasive Quality Assurance

Design and Development

Test Construction

Document Quality

Test Security and Administration

Scoring

Calibration/Equating

Reporting

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Test Development Center Contracted center, staffed by educators Ensures educator involvement & content quality

Standing and Rotating Committees (e.g., Content Advisory, STEM Experts, College-ready Standards, …)Annual Report to District Superintendents District educators who served in past year District educators who are in database

(statewide ~4200) Request for nominations

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Test and Item Content Quality

Content Advisory

Committees

Test and Item Specs

Item Review Committees

Review and select field-test items

Items are field tested

Appropriate?Yes

Meet statistical criteria?

Yes

HS

HS

HS Handscoring

Standards AssessedClarificationsItem TypesExamples

Educator Involvement

Key

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Annual training conducted for Department and contractor staffTest Construction Specifications

Revised and enhanced annually Incorporates checklists Checklists follow documents during test

constructionRelentless focus on item quality, overall coherence of test content, statistical quality

Example: location of reading passages compared to prior location is strictly controlled

Test Construction

Document Quality

Test Development Center Editors Accommodations specialist Editorial and content checklists

Variety of staff take each test

Intense and synchronized process

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Test Administration

Annual “Test Administration Debrief” meeting

Review of all products against specifications, including shipment samples

Webinars for preparation and training on CBT

Tests are administered and monitored by certified educators.

Multiple equated core forms of CBT are randomly assigned within classrooms.

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Test SecurityExtensive and enhanced test security requirements

Test Security Statute, s. 1008.24, F.S.

Prohibited Activities Agreement

Seating charts, test group codes

Test materials chain of custody form

Student pledge

Data forensics on all grades and tests

Some student results automatically invalidated but have an appeals process.

Investigations, including Department of Law Enforcement and FDOE Inspector General

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Scoring and Data Quality

Specifications and checklists

Extensive planning and dry runs with mock data

Contractor site monitoring by FDOE

Document processing and equating audits

Triangulation with FDOE and multiple contractors

Additional assistance from FSU for data checking 11

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Handscoring Quality Assurance

Extensive quality assurance processes are utilized for FCAT Writing handscoring

FDOE and educators review, revise, and approve all training and qualifying materials.

FDOE staff provide on-site monitoring for training, qualifying, and first full week of scoring

One week of “pseudoscoring”

External audit and public reporting

Reporting Results

Statute (s.1008.22(c)14, F.S.) dictates testing and reporting timeframes.

Cross-agency planning team meets weekly for several months prior to reporting.

Hire seasonal data checkers to verify files/paper reports.

Choreographed file transfers (contractor, FDOE, web team, data warehouse), version control, analyses, and briefings

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Pervasive Quality Assurance

Built into every process from planning and designing, to executing

Process and outcome documentation Process and outcome audits Transparency Continuous refinement and redesign Discipline and vigilance; trust but

verify 14

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More information

Websites:

fcat.fldoe.org/default.asp

www.floridapathtosuccess.org/

Technical: fcat.fldoe.org/fcatpub5.asp

: @EducationFL

Florida Department of Education

FL Department of Education