2. “ We have wide range of complex achievement targets to assess. We need all the tools we have at our disposal to do this job. We can not afford to throw any-including standarized tests-away. Our challenge is to find ways to use all the tools well and use them in balance…” Stiggins, R.J. (1985, October) Improving assessment where it means in the most: in the classrooom. Educational Leadership, pp 69-74.
21. How would you respond to the following statement? Visible Thinking Protocol http://www.pz.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03c_Core_routines/UsedToThink/UsedToThink_Routine.htm
22. I used to think…about OAKS assessment Visible Thinking Protocol http://www.pz.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03c_Core_routines/UsedToThink/UsedToThink_Routine.htm But now, I think…
Notes de l'éditeur
Key terminology in education and specifically assessment is a language of acronyms or EDUSPEAK. We hear the words every day, used in the media,in questions from parents, and even with students. We all carry a working definition of the terms, but what do these terms mean? And more importantly, how to we explain these concepts to others?
We use OAKS as one piece of the whole child snapshot. It can inform our team. Let’s look at how it does, and how it does not !
Key terminology in education and specifically assessment is a language of acronyms or EDUSPEAK. We hear the words every day, used in the media,in questions from parents, and even with students. We all carry a working definition of the terms, but what do these terms mean? And more importantly, how to we explain these concepts to others? For a moment, I want you to put on the hat of the student. You are a student in your
Informational slide— Additional Background: accountability exams designed to be used summatively. Limited because in development these exams usually have to balance time for administration (limited) with purpose of getting a valid and reliable score for accountability or evaluation. Most state CRTs were developed due to a call from educators for accountability exams that are built to their state standards (as opposed to the perception that NRTs are not). A CRT by definition is designed to be a deep test of content specific learning objectives. In theory, a CRT is designed to provide information at a deep level to determine students’ level of mastery on specific content, skills and subskills. In reality, due to time and money constraints, state CRTs generally don’t have enough items on any single skill or learning objective to provide the in depth information intended by a CRT. Therefore, the score information at a subscore level is not deep and not intended to diagnose student learning needs. Rather, state CRT scores can be used to classify students and give broad strengths and weaknesses that can be explored through further assessment activities.
Living Likert, activity we use to jump start conversation around our existing conceptions and experience with a particular topic. It is like an anticipatory set that we’ll use to informally assess where we are starting from for the concepts and objectives of this event. Stress Why we are doing this….pre-assess, get a sense of perceptions and misconceptions of participants with regards to topic. How does this apply in your practice? Have poster board or chart paper with Strongly agree at one end and strongly disagree at the other end of the room. Make sure there is room to have the group line up on the continuum. This is a process tool that you can use as a leader or even as a classroom teacher to get staff or students to think about what they know and believe about a concept, an opinion, etc. In this case, we’re going to start with a big concept around use of assessments. Talk to each other as you arrange yourself on the continuum. Be prepared to share out why you are standing in the position you are standing relative to the two extremes.
OAKS stated purpose is definitive and provided by ODE in numerous locations in print and on the web-based materials.
Explain where RIT comes from in terms of the acronym. Rasch unit based on the Rasch scale created using a Rasch model.
Oregon reports test results in RIT scores. These are scale scores designed to provide improvement information, specifically, these scores can be used to measure student growth over time in each academic area. These scores can also be averaged and the changes in average performance over time can be viewed. As Oregon settles on a growth model, there will be more opportunity to discuss the difference between measures of improvement and measures of growth.
Determine a student’s intervention needs. OAKS is a broad pointer stick. It is designed for accountability. It can give you a direction to further explore to uncover deeper learning and intervention needs.
From technical manual: The term RIT score is short for Rasch Unit, a scoring scale named for Georg Rasch, a Danish mathematician. The RIT scale ranges from 150 - 300 and is similar in design to the scale used by the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) college entrance exams. Since Oregon’s tests are vertically scaled, RIT scores, unlike raw scores, allow student growth to be measured over time. Rasch IRT calibration provides standardization of the item difficulties and a bias correction (Wright& Stone, 1979), while linking new items to the same scale as previously administered items. The RIT scale has a mean of 200 and a standard deviation of 10, and these RIT scores are comparable within the same content area and grade across administrations. A RIT score of 250 from one administration indicates the same level of examinee ability as a score of 250 from another administration. What does it mean to have scores that are vertically scaled? Think about your curriculum standards first. They are developed to represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity (cognitive domain) as students move from K-12. Now think about what we said was the purpose of the OAKS—to measure the extent to which students are learning the curriculum established in the Oregon Academic Content Standards. If we are accountable for students’ learning the content standards, and those standards represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity, then ideally we want a scale that reflects a measure of progress along that continuum. That is what a vertically scaled exam is designed to do, to measure progress along that continuum and communicate that progress in a scaled score so you can understand the magnitude of the change. RIT scores are vertically scaled. When a student increases in his/her scaled score, you can say that growth has occurred. However, what you can’t say is in what particular set of skills/subskills the student has grown. The score reporting categories give you a general point, but you will need more info for specific areas of growth.
From technical manual: The RIT scale ranges from 150 - 300 and is similar in design to the scale used by the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) college entrance exams. Since Oregon’s tests are vertically scaled, RIT scores, unlike raw scores, allow student growth to be measured over time. Rasch IRT calibration provides standardization of the item difficulties and a bias correction (Wright& Stone, 1979), while linking new items to the same scale as previously administered items. The RIT scale has a mean of 200 and a standard deviation of 10, and these RIT scores are comparable within the same content area and grade across administrations. A RIT score of 250 from one administration indicates the same level of examinee ability as a score of 250 from another administration. What does it mean to have scores that are vertically scaled? Think about your curriculum standards first. They are developed to represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity (cognitive domain) as students move from K-12. Now think about what we said was the purpose of the OAKS—to measure the extent to which students are learning the curriculum established in the Oregon Academic Content Standards. If we are accountable for students’ learning the content standards, and those standards represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity, then ideally we want a scale that reflects a measure of progress along that continuum. That is what a vertically scaled exam is designed to do, to measure progress along that continuum and communicate that progress in a scaled score so you can understand the magnitude of the change. RIT scores are vertically scaled. When a student increases in his/her scaled score, you can say that growth has occurred. However, what you can’t say is in what particular set of skills/subskills the student has grown. The score reporting categories give you a general point, but you will need more info for specific areas of growth.
From technical manual: The RIT scale ranges from 150 - 300 and is similar in design to the scale used by the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) college entrance exams. Since Oregon’s tests are vertically scaled, RIT scores, unlike raw scores, allow student growth to be measured over time. Rasch IRT calibration provides standardization of the item difficulties and a bias correction (Wright& Stone, 1979), while linking new items to the same scale as previously administered items. The RIT scale has a mean of 200 and a standard deviation of 10, and these RIT scores are comparable within the same content area and grade across administrations. A RIT score of 250 from one administration indicates the same level of examinee ability as a score of 250 from another administration. What does it mean to have scores that are vertically scaled? Think about your curriculum standards first. They are developed to represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity (cognitive domain) as students move from K-12. Now think about what we said was the purpose of the OAKS—to measure the extent to which students are learning the curriculum established in the Oregon Academic Content Standards. If we are accountable for students’ learning the content standards, and those standards represent a vertical continuum of increasing knowledge and skill complexity, then ideally we want a scale that reflects a measure of progress along that continuum. That is what a vertically scaled exam is designed to do, to measure progress along that continuum and communicate that progress in a scaled score so you can understand the magnitude of the change. RIT scores are vertically scaled. When a student increases in his/her scaled score, you can say that growth has occurred. However, what you can’t say is in what particular set of skills/subskills the student has grown. The score reporting categories give you a general point, but you will need more info for specific areas of growth.
S-3 Cut scores available in Volume 3 of the technical report on the Oregon assessment system. Here is the cut for meets standards for subjects and grades. Supplemental materials too In your OAKS binder, you have the 09/10 Scores for Meets and Exceeds. Look for the BLUE handout.
RIT scores are scaled to measure growth. Meets Standards cut points reflect a curvilinear path of increased expected achievement to stay at or above the proficient standard. The Oregon growth model will establish answers to important policy questions.
Transition back to OAKS. OAKS Online provides information that gives point in time performance, measures of improvement and measures of growth. This system provides some different views, as well as additional detail not available on the public reporting system.
This is a filler that teams can use to test their knowledge of what is available in OAKS.
OAKS system online has several small print reminders about how to use the information in the site and the responsibility attached to the privilege of access. Also note that there helpful information in the report interpretation guides provided by the department.
This initial report gives state and school or district level summary results for each of the achievement levels, the current year scale score, total count of students, as well as last year’s total count and scale score at the same time of year in prior year. An overview of the # of tests students took and total participation is also provided. The scale score is the RIT score. This report can be drilled down to student level by clicking on the hyperlinked district, institution and personnel links.
Start with overall performance and work your way down the funnel to the areas of focus. AT the global level you have the average highest scale score and the margin of error associated with it. The graphic also indicates the performance level that the score falls in. You can drill down to a school and teacher/personnel, or select a report to view a more detailed report on performance levels.