TAAS II

1
Just for a moment recall everything you know
about the TAAS reading and writing tests.
Remember the passages, the item stems, the
purposes and modes, the formulas, and all of the
TAAS-prep worksheets and workbooks. Now find a
vault way in the back of your brain, gather up
all of those TAAS memories, quickly throw them
into the vault, and lock them away forever. .
2
WHY? TAAS II is taking statewide assessment in
reading and writing in a new direction
3
New Vision for TAAS II Reading and Writing

• Reflection of actual classroom practice
• Focus on teaching the TEKS
• TAAS II preparation materials unnecessary

4
Model English II EOC

• Content
• Integrated reading and writing test
• Published literary pieces
• Open-ended and multiple choice items
• Writing prompt thematically linked to but not
  dependent upon the reading
• Results (same students as exit level TAAS)
• More interesting, less formulaic responses
• Better application of writing conventions

5
Grades 10 11 English Language Arts (reading
section), Grade 9 Reading

• Objective 1
• Basic understanding of the text
• Objective 2
• Knowledge of literary elements and techniques
  as used in texts
• Objective 3
• Critical analysis and evaluation of texts and
  visual representations

6
Grades 10 and 11 English Language Arts
(integrated reading and writing test ) Grade 9
Reading

• Published literary work (short story, excerpt
  from novel, memoir)
• Published expository piece (newspaper or magazine
  article, essay)
• Created visual representation (advertisement, web
  page, table/chart/graph)
• Three selections linked by a theme
• Longer but fewer selections
• Numbered paragraphs
• Photographs, illustrations
• Open-ended items (text selections only) as well
  as multiple-choice items

7
Improved Wording of Items in Reading

• Make very clear what is being asked
• Include references to specific portions of the
  text (when applicable)
• Criteria
• Is this the way a teacher would ask this question
  in the classroom?
• Will second language learners and struggling
  readers understand what is being asked?

8
Grades 10 and 11 English Language Arts
(writing section)

• Objectives 4 and 5
• Composition
• Objective 6
• Revising/Editing

9
Grades 10 11 English Language Arts - Writing

• Composition
• Prompt thematically related to reading selections
• Composition may be developed using selections,
  personal experiences, movies, television, etc.
• Revising and editing (multiple-choice)
• Samples of student writing/peer editing
  (approximately one page in length, may have
  photograph or illustration)
• Numbered sentences
• No isolated assessment of skills

10
Grades 10 11 English Language Arts - Writing

• Revising and Editing
• Editing items -- What change, if any, needs to be
  made in Sentence 5?
• Standard grammar and usage (subject/verb
  agreement, parallelism, homonyms)
• Spelling, capitalization, punctuation
• Revision items
• Effective sentence construction (fragments,
  run-ons, sentence revision, sentence combining)
• Organization/Elaboration (adding, moving,
  deleting a sentence choosing appropriate
  transitions)
• Word choice (replacing an indefinite reference
  with a specific noun or noun phrase)

11
Preliminary Ideas about Scoring Criteria

• Responsiveness to prompt (how connected, how
  appropriate)
• Focus and coherence (within and across
  paragraphs)
• Depth of development and degree to which ideas
  are interesting and not contrived
• Logical progression of ideas (focus both on
  paragraphing and sentence-to-sentence movement)
• Sustained voice (a sense of the writer)
• Overall strength of conventions (holistic, not
  based on number of errors)

12
Grades 3-8 Reading

• Objective 1
• Basic understanding of texts
• Objective 2
• Knowledge of literary elements and techniques
• Objective 3
• Use of strategies to understand and analyze
  texts
• Objective 4
• Critical analysis and evaluation of texts

13
Grade 3 8 Reading

• Not published but more authentic
• Narrative, expository, and functional selections
• Longer but fewer (students will likely need to
  turn at least one page)
• Paired selections (except at grade 3) on facing
  pages, read together
• Paragraphs numbered where appropriate
• Photographs, illustrations
• Clear, focused questions and statements in items

14
Grades 4 7 Writing

• Objectives 1 and 2
• Composition
• Objectives 3, 4, 5, and 6
• Revising/Editing

15
Grades 4 7 Writing

• Composition
• No unique purposes for writing
• Open-ended prompts
• Student able to choose the approach that best
  expresses his/her ideas about the topic
• Revising and editing (multiple choice)
• Samples of student writing/peer editing
  (approximately one page in length, may have
  photograph or illustration)
• Numbered sentences
• No isolated assessment of objectivesall four
  objectives will be assessed together

16
Grades 4 7 Writing

• Revision and Editing
• Editing items -- What change, if any, needs to be
  made in Sentence 5?
• Standard grammar and usage (subject/verb
  agreement, homonyms)
• Spelling, capitalization, punctuation
• Revision items
• Effective sentence construction (fragments,
  run-ons, sentence revision, sentence combining)
• Organization/Elaboration (adding or deleting a
  sentence, choosing appropriate transitions)
• Word choice (replacing an indefinite reference
  with a specific noun or noun phrase)

17
How can districts/schools prepare for TAAS II?
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TEACH THE TEKS!
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Vertical Alignment(Articulation)

• Learning is connected across the grade levels
• Cumulative, coherent, comprehensive, increasingly
  complex sequences of learning experiences are
  built
• Seamless education Pre K-12 is created
• Systems thinking is applied

20
Suggested Vertical Teams

• Reading
• Pre K 3
• 3 8
• 8 11

• Writing
• Pre K 4
• 4 8
• 8 11

21
Instructional Implications

• What changes in instruction should occur in our
  district, school, or classroom based on what
  weve learned about the new objectives, TEKS
  expectations, and format for
• TAAS II Grade 9 Reading and Grades 10 11
  ELA?
• TAAS II Grades 3-8 Reading?
• TAAS II Grades 4 7 Writing?
• What professional development does our staff need?

22
Resources

• www.tea.state.tx.us
• ELA-Reading listserv
• Assessment listserv
• Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts
  www.texasreading.org
• Education service centers
• Professional organizations (NCTE, IRA, TCTE,
  TSRA, CREST)
• Critical Issues Report 1 Texas Mentor School
  Network

23
TEA Contacts

• Assessment 512-463-9536
• Victoria Young
• Joan Mims
• Barbara Tutt
• Curriculum 512-463-9581
• Muffet Livaudais
• Casey McCreary