Pennsylvania Standards and Assessment Regulations

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Pennsylvania Standards and Assessment Regulations
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PDE Home Page is www.pde.psu.edu
Good Stuff!
Pennsylvania department of Education
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WHAT ARE ACADEMIC STANDARDS?

• Academic Standards define content and skills
  students should learn in each subject area by
  designated grade levels.

Standards Science, technology, environment and
ecology
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Academic Standards

• Define expectations that students need to know
  and be able to do
• Reflect measurable aspects of learning
• Cross-reference with other content standards
  where applicable

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Pennsylvania Academic Standards are...

• Challenging
• Measurable
• Applicable
• Clear

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Participants in STEEP Standards
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Performance Levels

• Express the degree of achievement on
  standards-based assessments.
• Levels are advanced, proficient, basic and
  below basic.

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Performance Level Setting (4.51)

• In consultation with educators, students,
  parents and citizens, the Department will develop
  and recommend to the Board for its approval
  specific criteria for advanced, proficient, basic
  and below basic levels of performance.

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Advanced Students(Classroom Connections, 1998)

• Demonstrate a broad in-depth understanding of the
  complex concepts and skillsmake abstract,
  insightful, complex connections..extensive
  evidence for inferencesapply knowledge and
  skills effectively and independently communicate
  effectively and thoroughly with sophistication

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Proficient Students(Classroom Connections, 1998)

• general understanding make meaningful, multiple
  connections among important concepts supporting
  evidence for inferences apply concepts and
  skills to solve problems using appropriate
  strategies communicate effectively

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Basic Students(Classroom Connections, 1998)

• Demonstrate partial understanding and
  interpretationsimple connections.. Limited
  support routine problem-solving limited
  communication ability

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Below Basic Students(Classroom Connections, 1998)
Demonstrate minimal understanding of rudimentary
concepts and skills provide minimal evidence or
support for inferences and solutions have
difficulty applying basic knowledge and skills
communicate in an ineffective manner
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Graduation Performance Standard (4. 24)

• School District establishes local requirements in
  its strategic plan.
• All students shall demonstrate proficiency in
  reading, writing and mathematics on either state
  assessment or local assessment aligned with
  academic standards at the proficient level or
  better.

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Graduation Performance Standard (4. 24)

• Students who score proficient or advanced on
  State PSSA will have a seal affixed to their
  diplomas. (Begins SY 2002-3)
• Culminating project that assures student ability
  to apply, synthesize and evaluate information and
  communicate significant knowledge and
  understanding.

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Implementation TimelinesCall PDE for updates

• 4.51- annual testing of reading in 5, 8, 11 math
  in 5, 8, 11 to assess the standards beginning in
  1999
• (e) Students not proficient in initial testing
  get one more chance in grade 12
• (f) Expansion of testing via revision of chapter 4

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Nature of State Assessment Instruments (4.51b)

• Standards based
• Criterion referenced
• Essay or open ended response in addition to
  selected response
• Various proportions depending on grade
• Do NOT require particular beliefs, attitudes or
  values

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Planned Instruction (4.11h)

• Standards and objectives
• Measurement of meeting the standard
• Content, activities, materials, time

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Standards Based Assessment

• LESS emphasis on
• Discrete knowledge
• Achievement
• External Assessment

• MORE emphasis on
• Rich well-structured knowledge
• Achievement and opportunity to learn
• Internal and teacher developed assessments

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Assessment? In general terms...

• Guides student learning
• Vital in evaluating school success
• Aligns with the academic standards
• Drives curriculum and teaching

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Pennsylvania Assessment Through Themes Project
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Pennsylvania Assessment Through Themes
Resources
Portfolio Guide
STEEP Assessment Handbook
Assessment Terms
Fairness Guidelines


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STEEP- Science, Technology, Environment and
Ecology Processes

• Grade 4, 7, and 10
• Selected response items
• Constructed response items
• Performance Tasks
• Rubrics
• Anchor papers
• STANDARDS BASED FOR LOCAL USE

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Participation

• 18 Intermediate Units
• 13 Universities / Colleges
• 50 School Districts
• 5 Private Schools
• 11 Other Organizations

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Relating S/T/EE Disciplines
Models
Systems
Patterns
Scales
EE
Students
TECH
SCI
Interdisciplinary
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THEMES

• Patterns
• Models
• Systems
• Scale

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PATTERNS

• Repeated processes exhibited in a wide variety of
  ways
• Identifiable recurrences of element and / or form

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MODELS

• Simplified imitation of something that can help
  us understand it better.
• Physical Models
• Conceptual Models
• Mathematical Models

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SYSTEMS

• Related objects that work together to achieve a
  desired result.
• Open Loop Systems Do not have feedback,
  therefore can not modify themselves
• Closed Loop Systems Have feedback, therefore the
  system can modify itself

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SCALE

• Relates concepts and ideas to one another by some
  measurement.
• Can be quantitative and numerical.
• Abstract and ideological.
• Provides a measure of size and / or incremental
  change.