January+PARCC+Bytes

January 2
We are wrapping up information about providing accessibility and accommodations for students on the PARCC Assessments.


 * Guidelines for Selecting Appropriate Accommodations and Accessibility Features for English Learners **

Because English learner status itself is transitional in nature, there are accommodations specific to English learners that provide different degrees and types of linguistic support to English learners as they progress through beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English language proficiency. Appropriate accommodations enable English learners to more effectively demonstrate their knowledge of the content.

The following process can be used to select accommodations for English learners:

1. The classroom teacher examines the types of support that help a student access the curriculum, and tries them out to determine whether they meet the student’s needs: Does the accommodation help the student overcome the barrier posed by his/her developing English language proficiency? Is the student comfortable using the accommodation or support? The student’s teacher should observe the student in the classroom (or range of classrooms/school settings) using the accommodation(s) and inform members of the team of educators selecting accommodations as to which accommodations are most appropriate and effective.

2. The teacher should document and provide information on a student’s use of linguistic accommodations during classroom instruction and assessment.

3. Once classroom information and data are compiled about the student’s background, instructional needs, and use of the accommodation(s), the educators selecting accommodations for the English learner can help the classroom teacher and student evaluate whether to continue using the accommodation and/or suggest additional accommodations, supports, or approaches that may be effective for use with the student.

Based on the accommodations used successfully in the classroom, and the list of Allowable Accommodations for English Learners on PARCC Assessments, educators can select appropriate accommodations for use on the PARCC assessments. The considerations shown below should also be used to match each English learner’s unique linguistic needs with PARCC English learner accommodations: Additional considerations for selecting accommodations are described below. When selecting accommodations for English learners, consider the student’s
 * 1) Level of English language proficiency (ELP) on the state ELP test
 * 2) a. Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced
 * 3) Literacy development in the native language
 * 4) a. Native language literacy
 * 5) b. Interrupted schooling/literacy background
 * 6) Background factors that impact effective accommodations use
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Grade/age
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">b. Affective filter (i.e., level of student anxiety/comfort with English)
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">c. Time in U.S. schools

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Below is an update from ISBE about the testing windows for next year:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">January 9 **

*Paper/Pencil administration should occur during the first two weeks of each designated testing window ||  ||
 * ||  || ** Spring Regular Administration of Computer-Based Testing **
 * **PBA** ||  || March 9, 2015 to April 3, 2015 ||   ||
 * **EOY** ||  || April 27, 2015 to May 22, 2015 ||   ||

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Notes and definitions: <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Additional Sample Items have been provided on the [|PARCC]. Below are new math examples.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At **<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **all grades**, **3-11**, there is a Performance-Based Assessment component and an End-of-Year or End-of-Course component. (It is called an End-of-Year component in grades 3-8 and an End-of-Course component in high school grades.)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) component will **include 3 parts for English language arts/literacy and 2 parts for Math.** All content that needs to be hand scored will be on the Performance-Based Assessment component.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The End-of-Year (EOY) or End-of-Course (EOC) component will include **2 parts for English language arts/literacy and 2 parts for Math.** All content on the End-of-Year / End-of-Course assessment is designed to be machine-scorable.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As has been previously announced, the length of the testing window for both the PBA and the EOY/EOC is a maximum of 4 weeks. This is designed to allow schools to set up a schedule where students can take each test part on a cycle with the minimum device count previously announced.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The length of the testing windows for schools/districts administering the paper-and-pencil test is a maximum of 2 weeks. These will be the first 2 weeks of the computer-based test window.
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not all students <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;"> will necessarily take each test part at the same time. ====
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">January 16 **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">January 16 **

**<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Elementary Math Example (3rd Grade) **




 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Middle School Math Example (7th Grade) **




 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">High School Math ****<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;"> Example **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">January 23 **

The Performance Based Assessment will include a Research Simulation Task in all assessed grades (3-11).

 * ==== Students begin by reading an anchor text that introduces the topic. ====
 * ==== EBSR* and TECR* items ask students to gather key details about the passage to support their understanding. ====
 * ==== Students read two additional sources and answer a few questions about each text to learn more about the topic, so they are ready to write the final essay and to show their reading comprehension. ====
 * ==== Finally, students mirror the research process by synthesizing their understandings into a writing that uses textual evidence from the sources. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">*EBSR (Evidence-Based Selection Response), TECR (Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response)


 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Research Simulation Task, Grades 3-11 **

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">The Research Simulation Task is an assessment component worthy of student preparation because it asks students to exercise the career- and college- readiness skills of observation, deduction, and proper use and evaluation of evidence across text types.

<span style="background-color: #ecece5; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">In this task, students will analyze an informational topic presented through several articles or multimedia stimuli, the first text being an anchor text that introduces the topic. Students will engage with the texts by answering a series of questions and synthesizing information from multiple sources in order to write two analytic essays.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> January 30 **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The PARCC Summative Assessments in Grades 3-11 will measure writing using three prose constructed response (PCR) items. In the classroom writing can take many forms, including both informal and formal. Since each PCR is designed to measure both written expression and knowledge of language and conventions, the audience and form for each PCR will necessitate that students use a formal register. In addition, PARCC seeks to create items that elicit writing that is authentic for the students to be assessed. The list below represents a sample of the forms which may be elicited from students in response to PARCC Summative Assessment PCRs. This list is not designed to be exhaustive either for the PARCC assessments or the classroom. Item writers will not use the list as the definitive list of forms that can be elicited on PCRs, and teachers should not plan to use the list as a checklist of forms to be taught. Instead, the list is provided to demonstrate the wealth of forms for writing that may be used to elicit authentic student writing.
 * <span style="color: #6f2f9f; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Writing Forms for PCR Items: **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Satires <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Spoofs <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Testimonials
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In grades 3-5, students may be asked to produce: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Adventure stories || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Autobiography || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Biography ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Book reviews || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Brochures || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Character Sketches ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Descriptions || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Diaries || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Encyclopedia or Wiki entries ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Endings || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Essays || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Explanations ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Fables || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Fantasy stories || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Fiction ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* How-to-do-it articles || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Humorous stories || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Legends ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Letters || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Magazine articles || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Myths ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* News articles || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Pamphlets || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Persuasive letters ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Reports || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Reviews || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Scenes (from a play) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Short stories || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Science articles || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Science fiction stories ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Sequels || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Speeches ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In addition to those forms listed for grades 3-5, students in grades 6-8 may be asked to produce: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Anecdotes || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Apologies ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Complaints || <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Editorials ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Interviews ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In addition to those forms listed for grades 3-8, students in grades 9-11 may be asked to produce: **