Meeting of the Board of Regents | October 2003
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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 |
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TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
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FROM: |
James A. Kadamus |
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COMMITTEE: |
EMSC-VESID |
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TITLE OF ITEM: |
Grade-by-Grade testing required under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act |
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DATE OF SUBMISSION: |
October 1, 2003 |
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PROPOSED HANDLING: |
Discussion |
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RATIONALE FOR ITEM: |
Update on key initiative |
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STRATEGIC GOAL: |
Goals 1 and 2 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
SUMMARY:
The attached report describes actions being taken by the Department to comply with the NCLB requirements for curriculum and assessment, including the requirement for grade-by-grade testing in English and mathematics in grades 3-8.
Attachment
PLAN TO PROVIDE GRADE-BY-GRADE TESTING AS REQUIRED UNDER THE NCLB ACT
In January 2002, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act established a revised framework for New York State and schools that is closely aligned with our current policies and our State reform agenda for standards, assessment, accountability and school improvement. Specifically, the NCLB:
- Requires the development of science standards by the 2005-06 school year.
- Maintains 1994 ESEA requirement for assessments in reading and mathematics at three grade spans (3-5, 6-9, 10-12) through the 2004-2005 school year.
- Requires annual assessments in reading and mathematics for grades 3-8 beginning in the 2005-2006 school year, with the addition of science assessments in the 2007-2008 school year (but only in the same three grade spans as the 1994 law).
- Requires reading assessments using tests written in English for any student who has attended school in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) for three or more consecutive years, with district discretion to use tests in another language for up to two additional years. Also, states must annually assess English proficiency for all LEP students beginning with the 2002-03 school year.
- Requires, beginning in the 2002-03 school year, biennial State participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics assessments for 4th and 8th graders as long as the USDOE funds the administration of the assessments.
STATUS OF NEW YORK STATE�S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NCLB ACT REQUIREMENTS
- Science Standards and Assessments (related to Items 1 and 3 above)
New York State has established the necessary standards and assessments in science (Grade 4 science assessment, Grade 8 science assessment and four Regents science examinations).
- Elementary, Intermediate and Commencement Assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics (related to Item 2)
New York State has established the necessary standards and assessments in English language arts and mathematics (Grade 4 and Grade 8 English language arts assessments, Comprehensive English Regents examination, Grade 4 and Grade 8 mathematics assessment and Math A and Math B Regents examinations).
- Annual Assessment of English Proficiency (related to Item 4)
To meet this requirement, the Department developed the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) to measure the ELA proficiency of English language learners. The NYSESLAT tests at five grade levels: K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. For each grade level, listening, reading, writing and speaking are assessed. The assessment was given for the first time in May 2003 and will be administered annually.
- NAEP Participation (related to Item 5)
NAEP, also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. For the 2002-03 school year, 100 percent of New York State schools (approximately 320) that were selected by the United States Department of Education (USDOE) participated in the NAEP assessment. The results of NAEP 2003 for New York and the rest of the nation will be released by the USDOE in November 2003. Prior New York NAEP results (for which the participation was voluntary) are available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ nationsreportcard/states/profile.asp.
- Grade-by-Grade Testing (related to Item 3)
In order to develop the necessary assessment for grades 3-8, the Department is requesting proposals for the development of secure tests, linked to the State's approved learning standards, to assess the achievement of elementary and middle level students. The tests to be developed will be in English language arts and in mathematics for each grade, 3-8, and will include all the following tasks:
- Test development
- Research/data analysis
- Test administration, including preparation of assessments and scoring materials, training, and necessary translations
- Re-scoring a sample of operational tests, with associated training and manual development
- Project management for all aspects of the project in collaboration with a Department project manager
- The timeline for these activities would produce test samplers in spring 2004, a parallel form of the assessments in spring 2005 and the first administration of the assessments in winter/spring 2006
The Request for Proposals (RFP) allows any vendor to bid on these activities for English language arts, mathematics or both. The Department has scheduled its current contract for the preparation of Grade 4 and 8 operational tests to end prior to the 2005-06 school year. Awards will then be made for development of the English language arts and mathematics assessments for all grades.
It should be noted that the Department convened a panel of practitioners to review the RFP and the panel�s recommendations were considered during the RFP development process. The table below highlights some of the practitioners� key recommendations and how they have been addressed in the RFP:
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Recommendation |
RFP Requirement |
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Decrease length of examinations. |
Examinations will be shorter than those currently given in Grades 4 and 8. |
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Test development and score reporting should be requested in two separate RFPS. |
Two RFPs will be issued. |
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Tests across grades given at same time of year. |
All ELA assessments will be given at the same time across grades; all mathematics assessments will be given at the same time across grades. |
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All test questions to be owned by New York State and releasable to the public. |
The RFP includes this requirement. |
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Pilot tests should be provided so that schools can test items and formats. |
The schedule required by the RFP would make test samplers available in spring 2004, a pilot test in spring 2005 and the first required operational test in winter/spring 2006. |
The Department will hold a bidders� conference during October 2003. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded by January 2004.