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July 31, 2018
Dear Superintendent,
Tonight, you will receive access to district and
state-level results of the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) assessments
from spring 2018. As you recall, 2016-17 marked a total reset and established a new baseline year. The tests
from 2017-18 are a checkpoint to measure student performance relative to the
Oklahoma Academic Standards over the previous year. Overall, statewide scores
remain relatively stable.
These scores can be interpreted as a result of teachers
doing what they do best – focusing instruction on standards and children rather
than cramming test prep into the weeks leading up to state tests – even while
the state continues to endure a severe teacher shortage. Learning for the long
run provides a strong academic foundation that enables students to stay on
track for college and career.
Education Next has recently confirmed what teachers
have known since the beginning of the baseline year in 2016-17: Our new
academic standards, written by Oklahoma educators for Oklahoma students, are
among the strongest in the nation, rising from a rank of 47th and a grade
of D+ in 2015 to 17th and a grade of A in just two years.
Assessments, including state tests, are a snapshot of
learning and a checkpoint for instructional decisions. Student success is best
measured through sustained, long-term learning, not solely by performance on a test
or series of tests. The focus now is growth, in establishing deep roots
grounded in superior academic standards.
Below are a few important points as you begin conversations
with teachers, families and your community:
- In a system with a growth foundation, the most
important metric is the scale score.
The Oklahoma Performance Index (OPI) is the OSTP scale between 200-399 that
accounts for differences in difficulty across multiple test forms and content
areas. The scale score represents the same level of difficulty from one year to
the next. Using a scale is a more nuanced way of measuring student performance,
with 300 and above indicating college and career readiness. (The ACT scale of 1-36 and the SAT scale of 200-800 are comparable.) An identical year-over-year
OPI score indicates one year of growth.
- Another metric is performance levels, which is a more general measurement of student performance that communicates
readiness for the next grade level or course. Oklahoma’s performance levels
are:
*Advanced, which indicates that students demonstrate superior performance on challenging subject matter;
*Proficient, which indicates that students demonstrate mastery over appropriate grade-level subject matter and are ready for the next grade, course or level of education and are on track for college and career;
*Basic, which indicates that students demonstrate partial mastery of the subject matter and are not yet on track for college or career; and
*Below Basic, which indicates that students have not performed at least at the basic level.
- The Measured Progress portal includes an array of rich
information, performance levels and reporting categories that can be aggregated
to inform programmatic and instructional decisions.
As you
begin to study your students’ scores, please remind stakeholders that Oklahoma’s
new, growth-focused system of assessments is a testament to the commitment and
hard work of our teachers. From the development of stronger academic standards
to establishing complex assessments to measure them, this process has been
driven by educators who understand the importance of providing opportunity for
all children. I am confident that under this new system, our students will
graduate better prepared for future success.
We are available to provide support and clarification. Please join us for a webinar tomorrow, Aug. 1, at 1:30 p.m., where we will share resources and answer any questions you may have. Additional personnel, including District Test Coordinators, are encouraged to join us. Please register for the webinar here.
For
statewide results of the spring 2018 Oklahoma School Testing Program for each
grade level and subject, click here.
For assessment resources,
including OSTP Math and Science Data Guidebooks and the Role of State
Assessments in an Assessment System, click here.
If you are a new school leader,
please consult 2017 guidance as well.
Best regards,
Joy Hofmeister
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
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