RECRUITMENT for Alternate Assessment Standard Setting Committees

The Ohio Department of Education currently is accepting applications for participants to serve on standard setting committees for the new Alternate Assessment for Students with Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD). Ohio’s educators, content specialists and other stakeholders play a vital role in the creation of valid and reliable assessments and fill this role by serving on our assessment committees.

Standard Setting Committees for Alternate Assessments

For each alternate assessment, there will be a standard setting committee that meets only one time to set the performance levels for the test using “cut scores” or threshold scores. Performance level setting is a process for determining the threshold score a student must earn on a test to have his or her performance classified into one of several performance levels. The Department will report the results of the alternate assessment according to five performance levels.

Standard setting panels must include Ohio educators from across the state who have expertise in the student population, extended standards content and grade levels for which they apply. Panelists will make independent judgments in the initial round of performance level setting and then will be given “feedback” in a second and possibly third round. Feedback takes the form of the judgments made by other panelists and/or data that indicates the percentage of students who would perform at each level if threshold scores were based on the current judgments of the panelists. When feedback is provided, panelists are given an opportunity to adjust their judgments. By the conclusion of each meeting, the panels will produce recommended threshold scores for each performance level of the alternate assessments in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

These meetings will be held in Columbus, Ohio on May 27-29, 2020.

Please note the following:

• For those meeting participants who are more than 45 miles from the meeting location, hotel accommodations will be provided;
• For all eligible meeting participants, costs for substitute teachers will be reimbursed directly to the school districts;
• All meeting participants will be reimbursed for mileage only within the state of Ohio ($.52 cents per mile);
• Meeting participants who are not being paid by their employers at the time of the meeting will receive a stipend of $75 per day attended.
• Expense forms and reimbursement guidelines will be distributed at the meeting. ­­

If you are interested in participating on one of the alternate assessment standard setting committees or wish to nominate someone else, you may complete the application here:     https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H7KF2C2

Applicants are asked to describe the nominee’s experience in education, including expertise with Ohio’s Learning Standards – Extended, in the appropriate content area and grade level for which he or she is applying. Please be sure to identify STANDARD SETTING COMMITTEE and ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT on the application. Applications for alternate assessment standard setting committees must be submitted by 4 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. Applicants selected to participate will be notified during the week of March 2, 2020. Please be sure to include an active email address for notifications. Applications MUST BE COMPLETED to be considered for participation on a committee. Partially completed applications will not be reviewed.

We hope you will apply or nominate a representative from your district or organization to serve on one of these alternate assessment standard setting committees.