Assessment Newsletter (Volume 5, Issue 30)

Update from the Wyoming Department of Education  |  view online |  website

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September 15, 2017  |  WDE Assessment Updates  |  Volume 5, Issue 30


SPOTLIGHT: WY-TOPP CALCULATOR TRAINING

Wyoming has the opportunity to learn about the DESMOS calculator through a webinar led by Dan Meyer. Please take advantage of this state-specific webinar training with a lead expert in mathematics to support students working with the calculators they will use on the state assessment. Please refer to this link to WDE's assessment training registration site to register for upcoming assessment training and/or find links to webinar trainings. 

Webinar Login Information

October 11 @ 4 p.m.

https://join.me/desmoscalculator or by phone +1.646.307.1990 Conference ID:  791-280-991 #.


WY-TOPP UNIVERSAL TOOLS

TUTORIAL- short video demonstrating how to respond to a question type
MARK FOR REVIEW - used to create an icon reminder to review a question
NOTEPAD - used to enter notes while thinking through questions
HIGHLIGHT SELECTION - used to highlight sections from prompts or passages
STRIKETHROUGH - used on multiple-select questions to cross out answer options
ZOOM IN/OUT - used to enlarge text and images on a test page
CALCULATOR (when applicable) 


DESMOS CALCULATOR QUICK GUIDE

The following are free resources for educators and students to learn and practice using the DESMOS calculators that will be provided online for the WY-TOPP state assessment. The links include a four function calculator for grade 6, the scientific calculator for grades 7-8, and the graphing calculator for high school. 

Desmos Calculator - High School Quick Guide

Desmos Calculator - Grade 7 and Grade 8 Quick Guide

Desmos Calculator - Grade 6 Quick Guide

Please contact Jill Stringer at 307-777-5036 or jill.stringer@wyo.gov with any questions regarding the webinar or calculators. 


WY-TOPP BLUEPRINT WEBINARS

Wyoming Department of Education content specialists will host blueprint webinars for the new ELA, Math, and Science WY-TOPP blueprints. To log in to the webinar, please select the appropriate link below by the webinar start time. 

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Math Blueprint Webinar dates

September 26, 4:00-4:30 p.m.
September 28, 7:15-7:45 a.m.
October 2, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

Science Blueprint Webinar dates

September 26, 12:00-12:30 p.m.
October 3, 7:15-7:45 a.m.
October 3, 4:00-4:30 p.m.

ELA Blueprint Webinar dates

September 26, 2017 - 7:15-7:45 a.m.
September 28, 2017 - 12:00-12:30 p.m.
October 2, 2017 - 4:00-4:30 p.m.

Please see the link to the WDE assessment training webpage to register for assessment trainings or for webinar login information. 


JAN HOEGH WITH MARZANO RESEARCH, LLC - PHASE I, II, AND III TRAINING

Phase I & II - Literacy and Formative Assessment

These trainings serve as foundational components within the comprehensive instructional framework that is further developed in Phase III -The Art and Science of Teaching. In this training educators will gain an awareness of the research regarding classroom assessment, understand the difference among obtrusive, unobtrusive, and student-generated assessments, and how to use each in the classroom, learn data analysis practices related to classroom assessments, and learn attributes of high-quality performance tasks.

  • January 22 - 23 in Casper
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Phase III - The Art and Science of Teaching Unit 1
Districts should send teams of 6 – 8 educators for both Unit 1 and Unit 2. The Art and Science of Teaching will span a total of four full days. Two days in the Fall and two days in the Spring. Teams will include district or building leaders, instructional facilitators, and classroom teachers. Smaller teams will work with others attending the training.

Unit 1

  • October 11 - 12 in Casper
  • October 18-19 in Green River

Unit 2

  • January 29 - 30 in Casper
  • February 1 -2 in Green River
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WYOMING STATE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

 The Wyoming Department of Education provides the following assessments to Wyoming students: 

  • WY-TOPP Modular, Interim, and Summative assessments (grades K-10)
  • ACT (grade 11)
  • ACT WorkKeys (grades 11 and 12)
  • WY-ALT Assessment (grades 3-11)
  • ACCESS for ELLs

For more information, please follow this link to WDE's assessment webpage.


*ACT Aspire is no longer the assessment for grade 9 and 10 students. Grade 9 and 10 students will participate in the WY-TOPP assessment this 2017-2018 school year. 


WY-TOPP REGIONAL TRAININGS

Mark your calendar! Regional WY-TOPP trainings will start the week of October 9 - 13. AIR will conduct half-day trainings during the week of October 9th. District Assessment Coordinators and Building Coordinators are encouraged to attend one of the regional trainings. 

Topics that will be discussed during the training include:

  • Wyoming Assessment Portal
  • Test Delivery System (TDS)
  • Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE)
  • AIR Ways
  • Online Reporting System (ORS)

    TRAINING LOCATIONS

    October 9, 2017 - 8:30-11:30-Cheyenne

    October 10, 2017 - 8:30-11:30-Green River

    October 11, 2017 - 8:15-11:15-Jackson

    October 11, 2017 - 4:00-7:00-Thermopolis

    October 12, 2017 - 8:30-11:30-Casper

    October 12, 2017 - 4:00-7:00-Gillette

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    IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

    • September 19: Casper - WIDA Online Screener Training 
    • September 21: Green River - WIDA Online Screener Training 
    • October 3: WY-TOPP Online TA Certification Course is open
    • October 3: WY-TOPP TIDE is open
    • October 9-13: WY-TOPP Regional Trainings 
    • October 11: DESMOS Calculator Webinar @ 4 p.m.
    • October 11-12: Casper - Phase III The Art and Science of Teaching, Unit 1
    • October 18-19: Green River - Phase III The Art and Science of Teaching, Unit 1
    • October 23: WY-TOPP Assessment Viewing Application is open
    • October 23: WY-TOPP AIR Ways Reporting is open
    • October 23: WY-TOPP Modular assessments are available (Grades 3-10)
    • October 23-November 17: WY-TOPP Fall Interim window (Grades 3-10)
    • January 16-February 9: WY-TOPP Winter Interim window (Grades 1-10)
    • January 22-23: Casper - Phase I & II Literacy and Formative Assessment Workshop
    • January 29-30: Casper - Phase III The Art and Science of Teaching, Unit 2
    • February 1-2: Green River -  Phase III The Art and Science of Teaching, Unit 2
    • February 26-March 28: WY-ALT testing window (Grades 3-11)
    • March 20: Option 1 - ACT paper test day
    • April 3: Option 2 - ACT paper test day
    • April 3-5 and 10-12: Option 3 - ACT online testing window
    • April 16-May 11: WY-TOPP Interim Spring window (Grades K-2)
    • April 16-May 11: WY-TOPP Summative testing window (Grades 3-10)
    • April 17-May 1: WorkKeys testing window (Grades 11-12)