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1) State Education Standards and Assessment Information
The Office of Standards and Assessment has received inquiries recently about what standards will be used for state assessments in 2014-15 and beyond, as well as what assessments will be used to measure state standards.
State Education Standards
Michigan’s education standards in English language arts and mathematics were adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in June 2010. Michigan’s standards in social studies and science were adopted by the SBE in 2007.
As you know, lesson plans and curriculum are developed locally by educators, building and district experts, and staff.
Michigan’s academic standards serve to outline learning expectations for Michigan’s students and are intended to guide local curriculum development. They should be used as a framework by schools for curriculum development with the curriculum itself prescribing instructional resources, methods, progressions, and additional knowledge valued by the local community.
These content standards provide a platform for state assessments, which are used to measure how well schools are providing opportunities for all students to learn the content outlined by the standards.
Information on all Michigan standards are located on the Michigan Department of Education website at www.michigan.gov/academicstandards.
Michigan’s extended state content standards for students participating in one of Michigan’s alternate assessments are located at http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-22709_28463---,00.html.
State Assessments
In June of 2014, legislation was passed requiring the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to develop a new one-year only summative assessment to replace the MEAP for use in spring 2015.
The budget language also includes a requirement for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to put out a Request For Proposal on September 1, 2014 to determine our future assessment system beginning in the 2015-16 school year.
The assessments given during the 2014-15 school year and beyond will be: aligned to current Michigan standards; administered in the spring; and, will measure current year student knowledge. State assessments will be given online with a paper/pencil option provided when necessary.
English language arts and mathematics will be assessed in grades 3-8 and 11. Science will be assessed in grades 4, 7, and 11; and social studies in grades 5, 8, and 11.
For more information on state assessments click the links below:
2) Opportunity to Participate in Interim Assessment Field Test for K-2 and High School
Schools are invited to register to participate in the Fall 2014 Interim Assessment Field Test (September 15-October 17, 2014). This field test is an important part of a high quality test development process and can be valuable to schools, students and teachers.
Reasons to Participate
- Prior to the state summativeassessmentto be administered in the spring 2015, participation in the Fall 2014 Field Test provides an opportunity for schools to test bandwidth capacity and to logistically schedule and move students through an online assessment experience.
- Students would have the benefit of taking an online assessment in a low-stakes situation. The test would offer students a chance to have an online experience and to practice commonly used online assessment tools.
- Teachers who offer the field test assessments will receive an invitation to participate in a focus group that will provide valuable feedback on the interim assessment reporting features.
Districts may have several schools participate in one or more subjects and grade levels. Each participating school must individually register. Content areas to be field tested include:
- English language arts (ELA) and mathematics for grades K, 1, and 2.
- High school science courses (Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
- High school social studies courses (US History & Geography, World History & Geography, Civics, and Economics).
Technology Considerations:
- Schools may use Windows or Mac desktops and laptops to administer the field test assessments.
- Additionally, MDE is seeking schools to administer the field tests on devices such as iPads, Chromebooks, and Windows 8 tablets (non-touch). Test window runs from October 20 - November 14, 2014. Additional information on testing with these devices will be provided during the next few weeks.
Details regarding the minimum requirements for each device type are provided in the Michigan Testing Device Requirements http://mtrax.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Michigan-Testing-Device-Requirements.pdf document.
Additional information regarding the Fall 2014 Interim Assessment Field Tests:
- The Michigan interim assessments are only available on-line.
- All interim assessments are aligned to Michigan’s education standards and assess students currently enrolled in the subjects selected.
- If Earth Science high school courses are offered to 8th grade students, schools may consider offering the Earth Science interim assessment to these 8th grade students.
- The field test window is September 15, 2014 through October 17, 2014. Schools may administer the field test assessments any time within this five-week test window.
How to Register
To participate in the Fall 2014 Interim Assessment Field Test, please complete the registration survey for each school at https://baameap.wufoo.com/forms/fall14-interim-assessment-field-test-registration/.
More information about the Michigan Interim Assessments may be found at http://www.michigan.gov/interimassessments.
3) Pre-identification for the Fall 2014 K-2 and High School Interim Assessments is Now Open on the Secure Site at https://baa.state.mi.us/BAASecure/Login.aspx.
There are three different methods for registered schools to pre-identify students on the Secure Site for the Interim Assessments. You can use one or a combination of these methods to identify students for testing.
a) Michigan Student Data System (MSDS) Early Roster Collection
1) The Early Roster file is submitted in MSDS by the authorized district MSDS person. This is usually the district pupil accounting person.
2) Data is pulled from MSDS into the Secure Site by the Division of Accountability Services (DAS).
3) This is the preferred method and will ensure students have a Unique Identification Code (UIC) which is required in the Secure Site.
b) Upload a Student Data File directly to the Secure Site
1) Students must have a UIC issued by MSDS before they can be entered in the Secure Site.
2) The file must be a .txt or .csv file and in our required format.
3) This file can usually be created by the district MSDS person who is usually often the district pupil accounting person.
c) Enter students one at a time
1) Students are entered directly on the Secure Site by any Secure Site user that has access above “view only”.
2) Students must have a UIC issued by MSDS before they can be entered in the Secure Site.
Camtasia videos with instructions for each of the pre-ID methods listed above and the Secure Site Procedure and User Manual can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-22709_57003---,00.html.
Students must be pre-identified on the Secure Site to be loaded to Data Recognition Corporation’s (DRC) (the contractor for Interim Assessments) eDIRECT system. The first pull of student data from the Secure Site by DRC will be August 22, 2014 and will continue daily through October 14, 2014.
Once students have been loaded into the eDIRECT system, users (Interim Assessment Building Coordinators) will need to assign students to a testing session. Instructions for creating testing sessions and adding students can be found in the Interim Assessment Building Coordinator Handbook found in the Documents section at https://mi.drcedirect.com (no login required). The handbook (along with other helpful training materials) will be available on the site beginning the week of 8/25.
Users will receive an email from DRC with their user ID and password to access the secure areas of eDIRECT on September 4 – September 5, 2014
4) New WIDA Assessment Coordinator Webinars available next week
The Office of Standards and Assessment would like to extend an invitation to New WIDA Assessment Coordinators to participate in two “New Assessment Coordinators” webinar that will be held on August 26, 2014 from 2-3pm and on August 27, 2014 from 9-10am. The purpose of these webinars is to instruct New Assessment Coordinators of the basic information about the WIDA Assessments as well as help you think about how best to plan for important assessment related activities.
To confirm your participation we are asking that you email Cristina Rodriguez at rodriguezc@michigan.gov on or before 5pm on August 25, 2014 for Day 1 and on or before 5pm August 26, 2014 for Day 2. Once your participation has been confirmed, you will receive an email with the log in information needed to participate.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call Cristina at 517-373-7559.
5) WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test Screener Cycle I Now Open in BAA Secure Site
The Screener Cycle I for the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) is open in the BAA Secure Site. Scores for any student who has been administered the W-APT must be entered into the BAA Secure Site regardless of how well they score. Please refer to the How to enter W-APT Scores document on Michigan’s WIDA website. Please note that entering W-APT scores into the BAA Secure Site does not automatically identify a student as an English Learner (EL). Designations for student demographics such as this are managed through the Michigan Student Data System (MSDS).
Please direct any questions regarding this communication to baa@michigan.gov or (877) 560-8378, option 8.
6) Education Entity Master (EEM) Contact Information
As the new school year is fast approaching, it is imperative to contact your district’s EEM specialist to add/update contact information in the EEM for your school if necessary.
7) REMINDER: Application to participate in the "Sending Scores Back" Policy for Shared Educational Entities (SEEs and S2E2s) is due Monday, August 25, 2014
If your ISD, consortium, or district operates in a school or program that is exclusively operated for one of the following purposes:
- Alternative Education
- Early/Middle College
- Gifted & Talented
- Special Education
. . . your ISD, consortium, or district may benefit by applying to participate in the "Sending Scores Back" policy for school accountability. Shared Educational Entities are entities that do not receive a Michigan School Accountability Scorecard (previously AYP), school accreditation grade, or Top-to-Bottom school ranking for operating as a "good deed" school or program for special interest educational services.
Shared Educational Entities (SEEs) and Shared Specialized Educational Entities (S2E2s) that participated in the Sending Scores Back program for the 2013-2014 school year will need to reapply to maintain their status as a SEE or S2E2 in the Sending Scores Back program for the 2014-2015 school year. Applications are due by Monday, August 25, 2014.
The 2014-2015 Sending Scores Back application and other informational resources regarding SEEs/S2E2s are posted at www.michigan.gov/sees.
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