TESTING AND THE NEW FLORIDA STANDARDS New Florida Standards Florida Standards Assessment End of Course Assessments When are FSA & EOCs administered? How families can help students succeed
THE NEW FLORIDA STANDARDS
Why new standards? The new standards were created based on the Common Core State Standards To bring consistency in what students are learning across districts and schools by providing a clear set of standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. To insure that all students are College Ready Students are prepared to enter college without having to take remedial courses. Career ready Students are prepared to enter the workforce and access promotion opportunities.
The Florida Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts Were approved by the Florida State Board of Education in February 2014. Will be fully implemented in grades K-12 in the 2014-2015 school year. All Florida schools will teach the Florida Standards. New assessments have replaced the FCAT 2.0. They will measure students learning of the New Florida Standards.
Benefits of Florida Standards Prepare students for college and the workplace. Emphasize higher-order skills instead of knowledge and recall. Are influenced by internationally-benchmarked standards. Ensure that our students are prepared to be competitive in the global job market. Are focused, coherent, and clear. Everyone knows what is expected of our students. Provide a foundation for teachers across districts to collaborate and share best practices.
Pedagogical Shifts in Language Arts 1. Balancing Informational & Literary Text Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts. 2. Knowledge in the Disciplines Students build knowledge about the world (domains/ content areas) through TEXT. 3. Staircase of Complexity Teachers are patient, create more time and space and support in the curriculum for close reading. 4. Text-based Answers Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations about text. 5. Writing from Sources Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an argument. 6. Academic Vocabulary Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they need to access grade level complex texts.
Pedagogical Shifts in Mathematics 1. Focus Teachers focus more deeply on fewer topics, which are prioritized in the standards. 2. Coherence Students can build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years. 3. Fluency Speed and accuracy with simple calculations; Students memorize through repetition, core functions. 4. Deep Understanding Students learn more than the trick to get the answer right. They learn the math. 5. Application Students are expected to use math and choose the appropriate concept for application. 6. Dual Intensity Students are practicing and understanding.
THE FLORIDA STANDARDS ASSESSEMENT FSA
Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to develop and administer new statewide assessments. These assessments will provide parents, teachers, policy makers and the general public with information regarding how well students are learning the Florida standards. The following Florida Standards Assessments will be administered for the first time in Spring 2015: Grades 3 11 English Language Arts (Writing in grades 4 11) Grades 3 8 Mathematics
The new test Provides a more authentic assessment than traditional tests because it includes more than multiple choice questions. Students are asked to create graphs interact with test content write and respond in different ways New question types assess students higher-order thinking skills in keeping with the higher expectations of the Florida Standards.
Test items for the FSA ELA include Editing task items. Multiple Choice Items Multi-Select Items Hot Text Items Open Response Items Graphic Response Items (GRID) Evidence-based Selected Response items
Results Spring 2015 FSA results will be reported on the existing FCAT 2.0 scale as FCAT Equivalent Scores because the new scale and Achievement Levels are not available this school year. FCAT Equivalent Scores enable consistent student expectations to be maintained during this transition year. The new FSA score scale and achievement levels will be available in 2015-2016.
Text-based Writing
Editing Task Item
Text with a Series of Questions
Text with a Series of Questions
Audio Multiple-Choice Item
Multi-Select Items
Two-Part Items
Hot Text Items
Graphic Response Item (GRID)
Open Response Item
END OF COURSE EXAMS (EOC)
End Of Course Exams (EOC) are computer-based and criterion-referenced. They measure the Florida Standards (FS) for specific courses, as outlined in their course descriptions. All students completing applicable Algebra 1 or Geometry courses in 2014-15 and beyond will take the FSA EOC. The NGSSS-aligned Algebra 1 will be administered through summer 2017 for the cohort of students who initially took the NGSSS course and have yet to pass the EOC assessment. Biology 1, Civics, and U.S. History EOCs (NGSSSaligned assessments) continue to be administered for students completing applicable courses.
Scores Students will receive two performance indicators: The T score is a score on a scale of 20-80 with approximately 50 as the statewide average. The percentile rank, showing how they performed on each grade level/subject area test compared to all other students in Florida who took the same test. Student success will also be described by Achievement Levels that range from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), and Level 3 indicating satisfactory performance. The level of performance required to score in each achievement level will be established prior to the spring 2016 administration.
FSA/EOC AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
STANDARD DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS English Language Arts (ELA) 4 credits required in ELA I, II, III, and IV Students must pass the 10 Reading, or ELA assessment, or earn a concordant score. Mathematics 4 credits required, including 1 credit in Algebra I, and 1 credit in Geometry. Algebra I and Geometry EOCs constitute 30 % of final course grade. Students must pass the Algebra I EOC assessment, or earn a comparative score. Same for Algebra II for students who are taking that course.
STANDARD DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS Science 3 credits required - One must be in Biology I. Biology I EOC assessment constitutes 30% of final course grade. Social Studies 3 credits required: 1 in US History; 1 in World History; 1/2 in economics, and 1/2 in US Government. US History EOC constitutes 30% of the student s final course grade. Additional requirements apply. They will be discussed in another presentation.
TESTING SCHEDULE
MDCPS Testing Calendar Logon to http://www.dadeschools.net/ Clik on Calendars > Testing Calendar
1. Scroll down to relevant period or grade level. 2. Link to a test abbreviation to learn more about the test.
Coming up for itech Students ELA Writing on the March 5 & 6 CELLA on the 11 th Retake Algebra EOC March 17 & April 7 ELA Reading April 21 & 22 Biology April 28th
RESOURCES
Finding Resources Families are encouraged to take advantage of the information and resources available on The Florida Standards Assessments portal: www.fsassessments.org the FDOE website : www.fldoe.org More resources will be made available throughout the 2014 2015 school year, so parents and students should check these websites regularly for updates.
Training Tests Prior to testing, students are required to participate in a training test session at school. Training tests allow students to become familiar with the system, functionality, and item types that will be encountered on the FSA. Teachers, parents/guardians, and students can review the FSA EOC computer-based training test online.
Training Tests continued Descriptions and response instructions are included in the Training Test User Guide that may be accessed in the Resources pages of the FSA portal. Answer keys for the training tests list the item, correct answer, and grade level/subject each item also located in the Resources pages of this portal. If students have difficulty with some of the content, encourage them to experiment with the tools, choose the best answer and move on to the next item. Computer-based accommodations for students with disabilities will be available for student practice this fall.
SO LET S PRACTICE!
Logon to www.fsassessments.org Clik on... 1. Students and Parents 2. Training Tests 3. Take the Computer-Based Training Test
PROMOTING SUCCESS AND FAMILY SUPPORT
Parents can promote student success by Staying involved in their child s education Offering positive support and feedback Encouraging them to relax and do their very best. Staying connected with their student s school and teachers Taking advantage of online resources, such as school websites and portals. By staying informed, parents will be best equipped to meet the needs of their students at home.
Thank you for your participation! Thank you for your participation! For more information about FSA and EOC, please visit our school, or call us at 305-762-5000