Announcements from Assessment & Accountability -- located within the Division of Accountability Services (DAS) – Week of September 1, 2014.

Announcements from Assessment & Accountability -- located within the Division of Accountability Services (DAS) – Week of September 1, 2014. 

There are 3 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS below regarding:

1)      College Entrance and Work Skills Assessment Contract

2)      Smarter Balanced Recruitment

3)      WIDA Updates

1)      College Entrance and Work Skills Assessment Contract

MDE and the state Department of Technology Management and Budget (DTMB) are in the process of reviewing vendor bids for a three-year college entrance and work skills assessment contract that will begin in the spring of 2016. To allow DTMB and MDE to draw this state procurement process to completion, a one-year extension has been granted to the current contract with ACT (for the ACT and WorkKeys Assessments) for the Spring 2015.

2)      Smarter Balanced Recruitment

The Smarter Balanced Consortium is recruiting educators from around the country to provide feedback on the Smarter Balanced Assessments. The assessments, designed for students in grades 3 – 8 and 11, determine students’ progress in English language arts and Mathematics. Participants will share input through an online panel process in October.  The purpose of these voluntary panels is to recommend an achievement level score that demonstrates how much students should know, or be able to do, in order to be proficient at grade-level standards and to be on track for eventual career- and college- readiness. This process of setting achievement levels for this outside consortium will rely heavily on the professional judgment and experience of educators and administrators across the country in order to develop performance standards that are rigorous, fair, and accurate.

No travel is necessary for participation, but educators will need to have access to a computer with an internet connection. Educators and administrators will select a 2-day window of their choosing between October 6 and 17, 2014 for their participation. Anyone interested should register by September 19, 2014 by going to this link.

4)      WIDA Updates

WIDA ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Student Record Labels:

WIDA reports that were shipped to districts in June did not include WIDA student record labels.  WIDA does not produce student record labels and WIDA labels are not currently available on the Secure Site.  It is recommended that copies of the WIDA Teacher Report are kept in a student’s CA60. 

Screener (W-APT) Reminder:

Cycle I of the W-APT is now open. For more information regarding this required assessment intended to screen new enrolling students who may be eligible for Limited English Proficient (LEP)/English Learner(EL) can be found in the W-APT Frequently Asked Questions document at www.michigan.gov/wida.

EL Identification:

Once districts have identified students eligible for LEP/EL services those students must be identified as needing those services in MSDS. Districts must ensure that ONLY students who have been identified as needing LEP/EL services based on Michigan’s Entrance & Exit Protocol are identified in MSDS in this way. For students who may have never before been in Michigan’s K-12 system, this will mean ensuring that all proper screening is completed prior to identification as an EL in MSDS or districts may risk identifying students as an EL when the services are not necessary. Please contact CEPI at 517-335-0505 or cepi@michigan.gov for more information regarding correct procedures for ensuring this information is entered into MSDS.

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.