Out with the Old, In with the New: Out with the Old, In with the New: NYS Assessments “Primer”NYS Assessments “Primer”

Out with the Old, In with the New: Out with the Old, In with the New: NYS Assessments “Primer”NYS Assessments “Primer”

Basics to Keep in Mind & Basics to Keep in Mind & Strategies to Enhance Student Strategies to Enhance Student

AchievementAchievementMaria Fallacaro, MORICMaria Fallacaro, MORICmfallacaro@moric.orgmfallacaro@moric.org

Design of ELA Tests How they are the SAME:• Assesses ELA Standards 1, 2, 3• Skills: Reading, comprehension, vocabulary,

writing, test-taking ability• Types of items: MC, listening selection,

constructed response, extended response• Length of tests comparable for grades 4/8

and 4, 6, & 8• “Item Response Theory” model – varying

difficulties of all items known in advance of the administration of the test

How they are different:ELA 4/8:• Assesses

content/skills acquired by students through Grade 4/8

ELA 3-8:• Assesses grade-

level specific content/skills

• Skills also include error analysis

• Editing paragraph, 2 paired passages

• Shorter length for grades 3, 5, 7

Weight of Emphasis by ELA Standards

Grade*ELA

Standards

Grade**

4 8 3 4 5 6 7 8

50%

45% 1 33% 36% 43% 36% 39% 39%

35%

35% 2 47% 44.5% 36% 44.5%

39% 39%

15%

20% 3 20% 19.5% 21% 19.5%

22% 22%

* Multiple Choice items (28 out of possible 42/43 points available on test)** Source: NYSED web site: Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics

Design of Math TestsHow they are the SAME:• Assesses MST Standard 3• Greater emphasis on procedural & conceptual

knowledge than on problem solving• Types of items: multiple choice & extended

response• Length of tests comparable for grades 4/8

and 4, 6, & 8• “Item Response Theory” model – varying

difficulties of all items known in advance of the administration of the test

How they are different:Math 4/8:• Assesses

content/skills acquired by students through Grade 4/8

• Assesses 7 math key ideas

Math 3-8:• Assesses grade-

level specific content/skills

• Constructed response

• Assesses 5 math strands

• Shorter length for grades 3, 5, 7

Weight of Emphasis by Math Key Ideas

** Source: NYSED web site

Key Idea 4 8

Mathematical Reasoning

10-15% 10-15%

Number & Numeration 15-25% 10-15%

Operations 20-25% 15-20%

Modeling/Multiple Representation

5-10% 15-20%

Measurement 15-20% 10-20%

Uncertainty 5-10% 5-10%

Patterns/Functions 10-15% 20-25%

Weight of Emphasis by Math Strands

** Source: NYSED web site: Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics

Strand 3 4 5 6 7 8

Number Sense & Operations

48% 45% 39% 37% 30% 11%

Algebra 13% 14% 11% 19% 12% 44%

Geometry 13% 12% 25% 17% 14% 35%

Measurement 13% 17% 14% 11% 14% 10%

Probability & Statistics

13% 12% 11% 16% 30% 0%

Design of Social Studies Tests

Social Studies 5• Assesses Standards 1-

5 • K-4 Social Studies

curriculum• Most emphasis on:

-US & NY History-Geography-Economics

Social Studies 8• Assesses Standards 1-

5• 5-8 Social Studies

curriculum • Most emphasis on:

-US/NY History-Civics,

Citizenship & Govt. (very distant 2nd)

Assessment Basics:“Item Response

Theory”• Test items have unequal difficulties

known in advance of the construction of the test which were determined through field testing

• Items discriminate between Levels 2, 3, and 4 students

• “Guessing” parameter

Assessment Basics:“Item Response

Theory”• “Basic Information” all students

should know; items easily answered by Level 2 students

• “Mastery Information” difficult for all but higher Level 4 students

“Number-Correct” Scoring

• Used since 2002 assessments• Considers only how many questions

correctly answered• Allows for conversion of raw scores to

scale scores• One point on a MC item = one point on

a CR. Student scale scores are based on unweighted raw scores.

“Signal Words”Words and phrases which have appeared

repeatedly on the NYS Assessments within the multiple choice and constructed response questions, as well as in the answer choices. Signal Words provide clues:

- to what the question is specifically asking- identifying the skill being assessed- about the mental task necessary in order

to select/construct a successful answer

“SIGNAL WORDS”from the NYS Assessments

Best describesCompareFirst timePhraseBest characterizesDescribedContrastBetweenExpressesAccording to the articleExamineAccording to the authorReasonably conclude

Next toBest showsEventuallyPoint of viewMain themeIfSymbol ofWhatSummarizeConcludeThink aboutReflect upon

ELA & Social Studies

EffectWhich factPassageLeast usefulMostly aboutContextSuggestingIn order to

“SIGNAL WORDS”from the NYS Assessments

SolveLowestRatioProbabilityEstimateHow longExcerptFunctionFormMeasureRiskChanceAnswer

How MuchWhichWhich stepSmallest numberAccordingMaximumExpressionApproximatelyClosest to

Math, Science, & Technology

How longWhat percentRelationshipsWhich statementWhich equationWhich expressionWhich drawingNext numberAverage speedHow many

“Signal Words” Activities for Teachers & Students

• Use a copy of last year’s assessment and highlight all the signal words you find in the questions and the answer choices.

• Identify how the signal words relate to the ELA or Social Studies Standards; or to the Math or Science Key Ideas.

• Investigate how individual signal words provide clues as to the specific type of problem or skill being tested.

• Use the item map for a specific assessment to identify other signal words that appear more than twice in the same standard or key idea.

“Error Analysis” Exercise (2004 Math 4, Q20)

“Mr. Conway bought 73 rolls of film. He can take 24 pictures with each roll of film. What is the total number of pictures he can take with 73 rolls of film?”

• A) 1,642• B) 1,652• C) 1,742• D) 1,752

Question 1:• What is this question asking

students to know and be able to do?– What content and skills are we

currently providing students, which would enable them to be successful with this type of question?

Question 2: • What are the reasons this was a

difficult question for our students to answer successfully? – Which students had difficulty?– Was it because of the content/skill

being assessed, lack of employing effective test-taking strategies, specific distracters, or other factors?

Question 3:• What can I/we do differently in the

future to ensure students will be more successful in the future?– What additional content/skills will enable

our students to be more successful in the future with similar questions (curriculum)?

– What are the implications for instruction and what opportunities for practice will I provide my students (instruction)?

– How will I know when students have learned this (classroom assessment)?