FAQ's About the New Maine Educational Assessment by Smarter Balanced (SBAC)
Why is the state of Maine switching to a different annual assessment?
The annual school accountability assessments are designed to measure student progress toward meeting the Maine Learning Results (MLR) standards. When Maine changed the MLRs to include the Common Core standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, a new assessment that measured the Common Core standards was needed. This assessment, provided by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), is available for the first time this spring and will be used by the state to measure student and school progress.
What are the differences between the new Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) assessment and the old NECAP assessments?
First, here are the similarities:
What is the length of the assessment? How long will it take students to test?
Like the prior assessments, it will take a number of days for students to complete the entire test. Unlike the paper and pencil tests of before, this new MEA assessment will be given on a computer. For the assessment to work smoothly, the school buildings need robust bandwidth and a network that can handle a lot of internet "traffic". This is problematic at Coastal Ridge Elementary and York High School, both of which have limited network capabilities. As a result, we will have to limit the number of students who test at one time, and stretch out the administration of the assessment over a number of weeks. Unlike in the past, when the whole building was testing at the same time, for the new MEA, we will stagger administration and do it smaller chunks for classroom or team groupings. For students, this may be less stressful and disruptive, but for teachers and administrators, it will take a lot of coordination! We ask for your patience as we try out this new approach.
Our current planning includes starting the assessments immediately following the April school vacation for Grades 3-8, and completing testing by late May. Classrooms will test in 2 hour blocks over 4 days, most likely Monday through Thursday of a given week, for a total of 8 hours. Classroom teachers and the school administrators will update parents about the specific week their child's classroom will test during the 6 week testing period.
What is the benefit of these assessment scores to the school and my child?
Because these assessments are used by the state to measure the success of the school, having a participation rate in the assessments of less than 95% of the students may harm the school and the community. If less than 95% of the students take the assessment, the school may automatically drop a letter grade on the state report card system (all our schools received A’s in the past), and will not meet the state accountability targets. These scores are also used by various organizations to rate and rank our schools, so it may be detrimental to both our schools and community to have low school rankings. In addition, our teachers use the scores to help make instructional decisions and plans for students, and appreciate the student information that these assessments provide.
For over 10 years, students have taken yearly state mandated standardized assessments, and these, although delivered via computer, take no more time to administer and may be less disruptive than prior paper-pencil tests. The adaptive nature of the test (providing easier or more challenging questions to students depending on their prior answer) may actually make it less stressful for students, as they will be answering questions at an appropriate level of challenge for them.
As always, we strive to make these sort of assessments a routine part of the learning experience for our students, and to provide them with a minimum of disruption to classroom instruction.
Because it is given online, is there any change in how student data is shared with the State or Federal government?
Despite a new online testing format, there are no changes from the prior paper and pencil state tests in terms of student data collection. All student data is protected by State and Federal law, and no student level data is ever shared with the federal government or any corporations.
I've heard that the Common Core Standards are controversial. Should I be concerned?
The Common Core Standards have become politically controversial, but in the classrooms here in York, they have strong instructional benefits for our students. Unlike prior learning standards, the Common Core are designed backwards, starting with what students needed to be able to do at the end of their High School years to be ready for success in college and career, and working backwards to the skills that a kindergartener would need to meet that eventual goal. As a result, the standards are built with a strong learning progression, and are quite rigorous. Here is an example of how one ELA standard grows in complexity through a few of the grade levels.
KINDERGARTEN
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
4TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
8TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
11TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
This common language and strong progression allows York teachers to design curriculum and classroom instructional activities that build upon each other seamlessly. In addition, because the Common Core standards are used across the nation, York teachers now have access to many more instructional resources to support student learning. For our students here in York, the Common Core standards are appropriately challenging, and allow us to design curriculum and instruction that is coherent, high quality and focused on developing strong thinking skills in our students.
My older son took the SAT at YHS during his junior year. Now my younger son says he is taking both the SAT and the new MEA test this spring in his junior year. Why is that?
There is no way around the fact that in terms of testing, this year is challenging for High School Juniors. The SAT used to be the state accountability test for juniors and was mandatory, but with the switch to the new MEA, the SAT is no longer used for that purpose. However, the state offered to pay for the SAT administration for one more year, allowing juniors to take it as an optional assessment at no cost to families. York High School chose to offer the no-cost SAT to juniors on (the state determined administration date of) April 15th, but student participation is optional. The new MEA now becomes the mandatory test for juniors, and will be administered in April and May. Because so many states are administering the new MEA, it may be a score that colleges would like to see as part of the admissions process. High School juniors will also continue to take the Science portion of the MEA, as well as the Accuplacer assessment (for some students). Between AP exams and this other testing, it will be a busy spring for junior students. The administration and teachers at York High School are working hard to minimize the instructional disruption and stress for these juniors!
FAQ's About York's Switch to STAR Assessments
Why did the district switch from NWEA Assessments to STAR?
York Schools were an early adopter of the NWEA assessments, and had them in place for many years. But in recent years, other companies began to offer assessments that we believe were more effective than the NWEA, so we decided to make the switch. STAR assessments have a shorter administration time, so interfere less with classroom instruction, and give teachers better information about student achievement. In addition, STAR can be used more frequently to monitor progress for students who may be getting additional instruction.
How is STAR administered?
STAR is administered online, on an iPad or computer, just like NWEA. The assessment is adaptive, meaning that it changes by providing more difficult or easier questions, based on how a student answered the prior question. The benefit of this approach is that it can generate a more accurate picture of what a student knows and can do, both for students who are struggling with grade level material and students who have skills beyond the grade level material. This allows teachers to better differentiate classroom instruction and provide appropriately challenging learning activities for all students. All students will be assessed with STAR in the fall and spring, but many students will also be assessed in the winter or even more regularly, to chart their learning progress.
Who sees the results from the STAR assessments?
Like the NWEA, student results from STAR assessments are used by York teachers and administrators only to make instructional decisions. Teachers use the data to chart student progress, and to help inform the type of instruction that a student might need. Administrators use the data to help see any weaknesses in curriculum or instruction that may exist, so they can be addressed. Parents will get a copy of their student's STAR report at the end of the school year, with the final report card, but are welcome to ask their child's teacher for an interim report at any time.
My child said that he took the STAR assessment twice this fall. Why would he take it again?
Teachers are able to use the STAR assessment to chart student progress over multiple tests. For students who may have additional instructional activities (like literacy interventions) to accelerate their learning progress, STAR can provide information about the gains they might be making. Because the administration is short (less than 30 min), STAR can be a useful tool for teachers to help support student learning.
Why is the state of Maine switching to a different annual assessment?
The annual school accountability assessments are designed to measure student progress toward meeting the Maine Learning Results (MLR) standards. When Maine changed the MLRs to include the Common Core standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, a new assessment that measured the Common Core standards was needed. This assessment, provided by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), is available for the first time this spring and will be used by the state to measure student and school progress.
What are the differences between the new Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) assessment and the old NECAP assessments?
First, here are the similarities:
- The assessments are given to students in Grades 3-8 and Grade 11.
- The assessments measure student progress towards state determined learning standards.
- The results are used by Maine and the federal government to hold schools accountable for student academic achievement in Math and ELA.
- The assessments are lengthy, and given over a period of days.
- The NECAP was given in the fall, and the new MEA will be given in the spring (April and May).
- The new MEA will be administered almost entirely online, instead of a paper/pencil assessment.
- The new MEA is an adaptive assessment, meaning that the questions given to the student become harder or easier depending on how they answer the prior question, making it easier for all students to be challenged at their level.
- The new MEA will measure the Common Core learning standards instead of the NECAP Grade Level Expectations.
- The new MEA will assess writing at grades 3-8th and 11th, not just 5th and 8th grade.
- The new assessment will be given in 17 states across the nation, instead of just regionally, like the NECAP (NH, Maine, RI and VT).
What is the length of the assessment? How long will it take students to test?
Like the prior assessments, it will take a number of days for students to complete the entire test. Unlike the paper and pencil tests of before, this new MEA assessment will be given on a computer. For the assessment to work smoothly, the school buildings need robust bandwidth and a network that can handle a lot of internet "traffic". This is problematic at Coastal Ridge Elementary and York High School, both of which have limited network capabilities. As a result, we will have to limit the number of students who test at one time, and stretch out the administration of the assessment over a number of weeks. Unlike in the past, when the whole building was testing at the same time, for the new MEA, we will stagger administration and do it smaller chunks for classroom or team groupings. For students, this may be less stressful and disruptive, but for teachers and administrators, it will take a lot of coordination! We ask for your patience as we try out this new approach.
Our current planning includes starting the assessments immediately following the April school vacation for Grades 3-8, and completing testing by late May. Classrooms will test in 2 hour blocks over 4 days, most likely Monday through Thursday of a given week, for a total of 8 hours. Classroom teachers and the school administrators will update parents about the specific week their child's classroom will test during the 6 week testing period.
What is the benefit of these assessment scores to the school and my child?
Because these assessments are used by the state to measure the success of the school, having a participation rate in the assessments of less than 95% of the students may harm the school and the community. If less than 95% of the students take the assessment, the school may automatically drop a letter grade on the state report card system (all our schools received A’s in the past), and will not meet the state accountability targets. These scores are also used by various organizations to rate and rank our schools, so it may be detrimental to both our schools and community to have low school rankings. In addition, our teachers use the scores to help make instructional decisions and plans for students, and appreciate the student information that these assessments provide.
For over 10 years, students have taken yearly state mandated standardized assessments, and these, although delivered via computer, take no more time to administer and may be less disruptive than prior paper-pencil tests. The adaptive nature of the test (providing easier or more challenging questions to students depending on their prior answer) may actually make it less stressful for students, as they will be answering questions at an appropriate level of challenge for them.
As always, we strive to make these sort of assessments a routine part of the learning experience for our students, and to provide them with a minimum of disruption to classroom instruction.
Because it is given online, is there any change in how student data is shared with the State or Federal government?
Despite a new online testing format, there are no changes from the prior paper and pencil state tests in terms of student data collection. All student data is protected by State and Federal law, and no student level data is ever shared with the federal government or any corporations.
I've heard that the Common Core Standards are controversial. Should I be concerned?
The Common Core Standards have become politically controversial, but in the classrooms here in York, they have strong instructional benefits for our students. Unlike prior learning standards, the Common Core are designed backwards, starting with what students needed to be able to do at the end of their High School years to be ready for success in college and career, and working backwards to the skills that a kindergartener would need to meet that eventual goal. As a result, the standards are built with a strong learning progression, and are quite rigorous. Here is an example of how one ELA standard grows in complexity through a few of the grade levels.
KINDERGARTEN
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
4TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
8TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
11TH GRADE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
This common language and strong progression allows York teachers to design curriculum and classroom instructional activities that build upon each other seamlessly. In addition, because the Common Core standards are used across the nation, York teachers now have access to many more instructional resources to support student learning. For our students here in York, the Common Core standards are appropriately challenging, and allow us to design curriculum and instruction that is coherent, high quality and focused on developing strong thinking skills in our students.
My older son took the SAT at YHS during his junior year. Now my younger son says he is taking both the SAT and the new MEA test this spring in his junior year. Why is that?
There is no way around the fact that in terms of testing, this year is challenging for High School Juniors. The SAT used to be the state accountability test for juniors and was mandatory, but with the switch to the new MEA, the SAT is no longer used for that purpose. However, the state offered to pay for the SAT administration for one more year, allowing juniors to take it as an optional assessment at no cost to families. York High School chose to offer the no-cost SAT to juniors on (the state determined administration date of) April 15th, but student participation is optional. The new MEA now becomes the mandatory test for juniors, and will be administered in April and May. Because so many states are administering the new MEA, it may be a score that colleges would like to see as part of the admissions process. High School juniors will also continue to take the Science portion of the MEA, as well as the Accuplacer assessment (for some students). Between AP exams and this other testing, it will be a busy spring for junior students. The administration and teachers at York High School are working hard to minimize the instructional disruption and stress for these juniors!
FAQ's About York's Switch to STAR Assessments
Why did the district switch from NWEA Assessments to STAR?
York Schools were an early adopter of the NWEA assessments, and had them in place for many years. But in recent years, other companies began to offer assessments that we believe were more effective than the NWEA, so we decided to make the switch. STAR assessments have a shorter administration time, so interfere less with classroom instruction, and give teachers better information about student achievement. In addition, STAR can be used more frequently to monitor progress for students who may be getting additional instruction.
How is STAR administered?
STAR is administered online, on an iPad or computer, just like NWEA. The assessment is adaptive, meaning that it changes by providing more difficult or easier questions, based on how a student answered the prior question. The benefit of this approach is that it can generate a more accurate picture of what a student knows and can do, both for students who are struggling with grade level material and students who have skills beyond the grade level material. This allows teachers to better differentiate classroom instruction and provide appropriately challenging learning activities for all students. All students will be assessed with STAR in the fall and spring, but many students will also be assessed in the winter or even more regularly, to chart their learning progress.
Who sees the results from the STAR assessments?
Like the NWEA, student results from STAR assessments are used by York teachers and administrators only to make instructional decisions. Teachers use the data to chart student progress, and to help inform the type of instruction that a student might need. Administrators use the data to help see any weaknesses in curriculum or instruction that may exist, so they can be addressed. Parents will get a copy of their student's STAR report at the end of the school year, with the final report card, but are welcome to ask their child's teacher for an interim report at any time.
My child said that he took the STAR assessment twice this fall. Why would he take it again?
Teachers are able to use the STAR assessment to chart student progress over multiple tests. For students who may have additional instructional activities (like literacy interventions) to accelerate their learning progress, STAR can provide information about the gains they might be making. Because the administration is short (less than 30 min), STAR can be a useful tool for teachers to help support student learning.