Why can we Why should we

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Keeping Our Focus, Expanding Our
Vision, Finding the Balance.
Why can we? -- Why should we?
George Wood george.wood_at_earthlink.net Chris
Gallagher cgallagher2_at_unlnotes.unl.edu Oc
tober 2008
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Keeping Our Focus, Expanding Our
Vision, Finding the Balance.
What do we have to do?
Brian Halstead brian.halstead_at_nebraska.gov Pat
Roschewski pat.roschewski_at_nebraska.gov Oct
ober 2008
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What Does The Law Say We Must Do?

• Quality Education Act 79.757 79.762
• Amended by LB 653 (2007)
• LB 1157 (2008)
• Requires
• Revision of Content Standards
• Reading by July 1, 2009
• Mathematics by July 1, 2010
• Science by July 1, 2013
• Social Studies by July 1, 2013

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Requires

• Development of State Tests for accountability
  reporting grades 3-8, high school
• Reading by 2009-10
• Mathematics by 2010-11
• Science by 2011-12
• State board has selected Grade 11

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Requires

• State Board to recommend national tests for
  reporting scores and subscores to begin in
  2009-2010.
• State Board has made the following
  recommendations

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Recommended
The NDE will develop reporting procedures for
scores and subscores.
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Requires

• The Governor to appoint a Technical Advisory
  Committee to be approved by the Legislature. The
  TACs purpose is to
• Review the statewide assessment instruments and
  advise the Governor, the State Board, and the
  State Department of Education on the development
  of statewide assessment instruments and the
  statewide assessment plans.

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What can Nebraska districts expect?
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Nebraskas Focus is still on Student Learning,
State Department of Education - Legislature
Boards of Education
Administrators
Student Learning
Higher Ed
ESUs
Not just on Tests.
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What can districts expect? Revised Standards
http//www.nde.state.ne.us/read/Standards/Standard
sDraftLinear7_30_08.pdf
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What can districts expect? New State
Tests Reading NeSA-R 2009-10 Mathematics N
eSA-M 2010-11 Science NeSA-S 2011-12 Alterna
te Tests for students with disabilities under
development
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Reporting Schedule 2008-2012 Includes Alternate
and Tests for Students with Disabilities

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(No Transcript)
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Everything is Under Development Under
Discussion Under Way
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The Latest Information

• New RFP for Contractor
• Item Development Continues
• Performance Level Descriptors (PLD)
• Tables of Specifications
• January Information Release

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What do Nebraskans need to do in the meantime ?
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Work Toward a Balanced Assessment System
Classroom-Based
NeSA
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Each tool has a different purpose and provides
different data.
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Each tool has a different purpose and provides
different data.
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The Key is Balancing the Tools. Each district
needs to plan for a proper balance.
National and State Tests Summative
Local Tools Formative
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What Should Every District Do?
Examine the new standards documents. -Alignment
to curriculum -Alignment with current local
assessment Involve all staff. Examine all
local assessments and their uses. Which are
critical?
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What Then?

• Develop an integration planinclude all staff
• Which assessments and when?
• Which assessments scaffold up to assessed
  standards?
• Which assessments focus on real learning?

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How Do Nebraskans find strategies to do this?

• The sessions today.
• Analyze Data from Multiple Sources
• Organize for Professional Development
• Align K-12 Curriculum
• Communicate to Stakeholders
• Involve All Staff in a Continuous Improvement
  Process
• Prepare for Online Assessment

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• The planning session tomorrow.
• Use the rubric designed for this process
• Collaboratively discuss your next steps
• Draft ideas for initial plan
• Plan strategies to include all staff
• Integrate into the CIP

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The Continuous Improvement Process should include
data from all student performance tools.
Its all about the Continuous Improvement
Process...
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If We in Nebraska . . .

• Keep our focus On Student Learning, not
  just tests,

Expand our vision By understanding what the
new tests do and how they fit,
Find the balance By including all staff in
CIP strategies,
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All of Our Children will be
Winners!


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How will You contribute to meeting the
challenge?
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Keeping Our Focus, Expanding Our Vision, Finding
the Balance
http//www.nde.state.ne.us/assessment/