10-16-2015 | WDE Assessment Newsletter | Volume 3, Issue 34
 The WDE/ACT Performance Level Descriptor Development Workshop has been postponed due to new peer review requirements issued by the U.S. Department of Education. It is necessary to postpone this workshop to ensure that the ACT PLDs meet peer review guidelines. A new date will be announced in the near future. Please continue to watch the Assessment Newsletter for more information.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please contact the Assessment Team if you have any questions.
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The 2016 Spring ACT testing establishment window for Wyoming is now open. Test Coordinators should have received an email about establishment in their school for the 2016 test administration. The establishment deadline is October 23. If you need further information, please check out the following links:
If you have questions, please contact ACT at 1-800-553-6244 ext. 2800 or www.act.org/aap/state/contact.html.
 Click on photo to see video.
The WDE is offering a two-day professional development workshop in Cheyenne December 8-9. Participants will learn how to use the Wyoming Writing Rubric to systematically score writing samples in a group setting, encouraging quality writing instruction.
Selected Wyoming writing prompts must be administered to students beforehand, and their writing samples will be scored and normed. All identifiable student information must be removed before submission. Samples must be submitted before November 20, 2015.
Registration closes November 20, 2015.
 The Wyoming Department of Education is pleased to provide Assessment Literacy and Formative Assessment Resource Development Training, presented by Jan Hoegh of Marzano Research.
The training will include:
- Gaining an awareness of the research regarding classroom assessment.
- Understanding the difference between obtrusive, unobtrusive, and student-generated assessment, and how to use each in the classroom.
- Learn data analysis practices related to classroom assessment
PTSB or UW credit will be available for these sessions
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 ACT Aspire will be providing Tech Readiness and Infrastructure Training Webinars. WDE strongly recommends that district technology coordinators attend in order to ensure every school can successfully implement the new test in the spring Please select your preferred session(s) from the links below to register. After registration, you will receive a confirmation email. Please note: Course materials are available for this session and can be downloaded prior to the session. The deadline for registering is Friday, October 16.
Wyoming Technical Readiness Training - Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Session Password: Aspire
Wyoming infrastructure Trial Training - Duration: 1 hour
Session Password: Aspire
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Since Explore and Plan are now officially retired, they have been replaced by ACT Aspire, an online assessment in ELA, math, science, and writing. In order to ensure Wyoming high schools are ready to implement this new test, WDE has scheduled training in locations throughout the state. A successful online administration will require a thorough understanding of technology and implementation requirements. The training sessions will be a half day, and it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that every district assessment coordinator, district technology coordinator, and school assessment coordinator attend.
The final training date for ACT Aspire Training is on November 2, at 9 a.m. Space is limited.
Park County SD #1
Support Services Building
245 North Evarts Powell, Wyoming
NWEA and the Wyoming Department of Education Assessment Team are offering MAP Training in four locations around the state. These sessions are intended for teachers, instructional facilitators/coaches, curriculum directors, and principals. Attendees will learn how to use MAP data to plan instruction. Each session will be a day and a half in length.
Sessions will be held on:
- November 2 - 3 in Lovell, WY
- November 2 - 3 in Cheyenne, WY
- November 5 - 6 in Riverton, WY
- November 5 - 6 in Casper, WY
For more information, please contact Shelly Andrews: shelly.andrews@wyo.gov or 307.777.3781
 WORD OF THE WEEK
Scaling
Statistically transforming scores from one set of numbers (called a ("score scale") to another. Some types of scaling are used to make scores on different tests comparable in some way.The most common application of scaling is to make scores on different editions ("forms") of the same test comparable. Sometimes tests in different subjects are scaled to be comparable for a particular group of test takers. Sometimes tests at different difficulty levels (e.g., grade levels) in the same subject are scaled so that the scale scores on the tests at any two adjacent levels will reflect the same degree of proficiency in the subject; this type of scaling is called "vertical scaling."
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