Assessment & Accountability Announcements - Week of January 14, 2014

Assessment & Accountability Announcements - Week of January 14, 2014

There are FIVE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS below regarding: 1) MEAP, MEAP-ACCESS, and MI-ACCESS Update; 2) Spring 2014 Interim Assessment Pilot; 3) WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Material Update, 4) WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Online Field Test Opportunity; and, 5) MI-Access FI Social Studies Pilot – Registration Still Open.

1)      Important MEAP, MEAP-ACCESS, and MI-ACCESS Update

Please be advised that the MEAP and MEAP-ACCESS Student data file will not be available for review until the end of January, 2014. This also means that PDFs will not be available until mid-February and the public release of scores will be delayed until the beginning of March. The release of MI-ACCESS data will follow MEAP and MEAP-Access by two to three weeks.

2)      Sign Up Now for Spring 2014 Interim Assessment Pilot – Registration Ending Soon

Schools are invited to register to participate in the Spring 2014 Interim Assessment Pilot. Districts may have several schools participate but each school must register with a separate application. Interim assessments will be piloted in the content areas of English language arts (ELA) and mathematics for grades K, 1, and 2, and science and social studies for grades 3 through high school.

The ELA and mathematics interim assessments for grades K, 1, and 2 are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The science and social studies interim assessments are aligned to Michigan’s current Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) and High School Content Expectations (HSCEs).

Participation in this State of Michigan authorized pilot test opportunity counts toward satisfying district participation requirement #4 of the 22i Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG).

To participate in the Spring 2014 Interim Assessment Pilot, please complete the registration survey at http://tinyurl.com/s14-ia-pilot.

Additional important information:

• The registration deadline is Friday, January 31, 2014.
• The test window is March 24, 2014 through May 23, 2014.  Schools may administer the pilot assessments any time within this nine-week test window. 
• As with all assessment pilots, test results will not be provided.

More information about the Michigan Interim Assessments may be found at http://www.michigan.gov/interimassessments.

3)      WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Material Update               

• Initial Materials – Initial materials for the Spring 2014 WIDA ACCESS for ELLs will arrive in districts the week of February 3^rd. Materials will be coming directly from MetriTech (WIDA materials and scoring contractor). These materials were automatically ordered for districts based on Pre-ID information. Districts will receive a 10% overage of materials to accommodate any students who were added after the January 14^th Pre-ID deadline. 

• Additional Materials – After taking inventory of initial materials during the week of February 3rd, districts may still need additional materials during the testing window. Additional materials may be ordered directly from MetriTech via fax, phone, or email. Instructions on how to order additional materials will be included in the initial material shipment. 

• Barcode Labels – All students pre-identified to take the Spring 2014 WIDA ACCESS for ELLs by January 14^th will receive barcode labels with the initial materials. Students identified after January 14^th will not receive barcode labels. For students that do not receive barcode labels, demographic information must be hand-bubbled on the student test booklets. Instructions on how to hand-bubble demographic information on the student test booklets will be included in the initial material shipment. 

• Testing Window - The Spring 2014 WIDA ACCESS for ELLs testing window is February 10th to March 28th.

4)      WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Online Field Test Opportunity

The ACCESS for ELLs is field testing reading items in an online format this spring. Districts participating in this opportunity may use this to qualify for the Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant. Interested districts may go to http://assets.wceruw.org/implementation/fieldtest.aspx#faqs for additional information on the field test. Interested districts should contact Jennifer Paul at paulj@michigan.gov for more information or to confirm their participation. 

5)      MI-Access FI Social Studies Pilot – Registration Still Open!

The registration for the Spring 2014 MI-Access Functional Independence Social Studies Pilot Test is currently open. This pilot is open to any student who is assessed using MI-Access Functional Independence in any subject area in grades 5, 8 and 11. LEAs that are participating in the 22i Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG), may also use this testing event toward the participation requirements for that program.

The pilot test is based on the EGCLEs/EHSCEs released last year in Social Studies, and found on the MI-Access web site. Your participation is encouraged, as we are looking to collect information and feedback from staff and students in order to move forward with a quality assessment for Social Studies in the Spring of 2015. To register, please complete a quick survey asking for your district information and numbers of students at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MI-Access_FI_SS_District_Registration.

Have Other Questions?

For assessment questions, please email BAA@michigan.gov.

For accountability questions, please email MDE-Accountability@michigan.gov.

For phone assistance with assessment or accountability issues, call 877-560-8378 and select the appropriate menu option.