Schools

Avon Superintendent Sheds Light on Smarter Balanced, CMTs & CAPT

The superintendent said there were inaccuracies circulated among students and possibly parents and he wanted to provide the available facts. What are your thoughts on Smarter Balanced?

Avon Superintendent Gary S. Mala posted the following message on the Avon CT Board of Education Facebook page on Thursday, March 13.

March 12, 2014

Dear Parents, Staff and Concerned Citizens:

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It has been brought to my attention that a number of inaccuracies are circulating among the students at Avon High School and possibly among parents via social media and others means regarding the state-wide standardized assessments being scheduled for administration in the very near future. This information regarding administration was made known to the district within the last ten days and required full analysis before issuing this type of summary communication. I apologize for what some may consider a delay in communicating to you but as you know, public education in our state is in the throes of much reform. With this said, there has been changing information being made available to local school districts which unfortunately is not yet complete at the time of the communication.

The purpose of this communication is to provide you facts regarding the newly mandated, state-wide standardized assessment known as Smarter Balanced and what portions remain from the soon to be past state-wide student assessment measures known as CMT & CAPT.

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What is Avon’s testing window?

CMT/CAPT

March 10th – March 26th Science for grades 5, 8 and 10

SMARTER BALANCED

April 28th – May 16th English Language Arts for grades 3 – 8, 10 and 11

April 28th – May 16th Math grade 10

May 19th – June 6th Math for grades 3-8 and 11


Why is Avon’s testing window different from Simsbury’s (other districts)?

For the Smarter Balanced assessments, districts were provided four different testing windows from which to choose to administer the assessment.

Can I request to have my child exempt from participating in state-wide standardized assessments?

Connecticut education law states that “Each student enrolled in any public school shall annually take a statewide mastery examination.” While recent press coverage in other Connecticut communities may have led to mixed messages regarding whether or not parents may request to have their children not participate in these assessments, no opt-out language is present in state or federal law governing assessment.


What testing is required?

All districts are required to administer the Science CMT in grades 5 and 8 and the Science CAPT in grade 10.

Districts were given three student assessment options for English Language Arts and Math for the 2013-2014 school year:

1.Administer CMT English Language Arts and Math in grades 3-8 and CAPT in grade 10.

2.Administer Smarter Balanced Field Test English Language Arts and Math in grades 3-8 and 11 (with the option to add  grades 9 and 10).

3.Administer both CMT English Language Arts and Math in grades 3-8 and CAPT in grade 10 plus Smarter Balanced Field Test English Language Arts and Math in grades 3-8 and 11.

Avon chose to administer the Smarter Balanced Field Test for the required grades and to add the 10th grade option.


Why did Avon chose to begin to administer Smarter Balanced?

The statewide mastery examination is required to move from CMT/CAPT to Smarter Balanced for English Language Arts and Math.

In 2014-2015, all students will be required to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

Participation in the field test provides us with an opportunity to:

1.Have students experience the on-line assessment for the first time in an environment that is as “stress free” as possible and where their results won’t be part of their  academic record.

2.Have teachers administer and experience the on-line assessment for the first time in a low stakes environment plus have the opportunity to see the actual assessment in order to identify and embed the required tasks and technology requirements into the curriculum so students have exposure to, and become comfortable with, the Smarter Balanced assessment format.

3.Provide us with the opportunity to formally assess that our technology is fully capable of handling the demands of the assessment.

4.Assist with validating the test items to ensure they are a fair and accurate representation of the grade level content, skills and knowledge for future assessments of our students.


How is the Smarter Balanced administered?

The Smarter Balanced Assessment is a computer based, untimed test. The test is designed to calibrate the level of questions to the accuracy of each student’s response. This results in a completely individualized testing experience for each student. For the field test in 2013-2014, the test will not be adaptive.

The estimated total amount of testing time is 7 to 8 ½ hours per student.


How will the results of Smarter Balanced be reported?

Individual student results will be received for the Science CMT/CAPT but not for the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts or Math.

Aggregate data reporting to districts has not yet been determined by the State Department of Education.

This year the District will be ranked by the State Department of Education on our participation rate and Science CMT/CAPT scores and these ratings are used by others to compare school districts. Participation levels impact what is referred to as SPI (School Performance Index). SPI is a significant data point and used to impact school ratings and teacher and administrator evaluation benchmarks.


What steps are being implemented to prepare for the state-wide standardized assessments?

A full day training session for building test administrators is scheduled on March 18th to review the assessment administration protocols.

Test schedules will be developed at the building level with specific attention to minimize or eliminate any conflicts with other student assessments and activities (e.g., Advanced Placement).

Practice sessions for students will be scheduled in each school’s computer labs.

A final review of all technology needs and a complete test of each school’s technology infrastructure will be completed.

Should you have any questions after reading this summary, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s principal or the Office of the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Donna Nestler-Rusack, Ed.D. at (860) 404-4700 or drusack@avon.k12.ct.us.

In closing, I wish to thank you for your continued support.

I remain very truly yours,

Gary


Gary S. Mala

Superintendent of Schools

Avon Public Schools

gmala@avon.k12.ct.us

What are your thoughts on the superintendent's letter and Smarter Balanced?


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