[Assessment_Advisory_Committee] input requested by 11/25: classroom activity administration

[CARTER Holly]

To: Assessment Advisory Committee
Subject: Classroom Activity administration

Background: Last Thursday, the Smarter Balanced consortium formally voted to give member states the option whether to continue requiring the classroom activity as a precursor to the performance task or whether to make the classroom activity optional for schools and districts to implement. As we discussed at our meeting last month, the original rationale behind requiring the classroom activity was to ensure that all students had an opportunity to gain shared contextual information in advance of taking the performance task. The rationale behind removing the consortium-wide requirement is twofold. First, the consortium engaged in  a comprehensive review of the performance tasks to ascertain whether they would be accessible to all students without the classroom activity if supported by other accessibility supports such as the embedded glossary. Second, the consortium has identified removing the classroom activity requirement as a way to shorten the amount of time required to administer the Smarter Balanced assessments; removal of the 30-minute classroom activity for both math and ELA reduces the total testing footprint by 60 minutes.

Options: ODE is now seeking your input to decide whether it is in the best interest of Oregon's students to:

a)      Continue requiring administration of the classroom activities for all students as a state-level policy
Pros: Maintains consistency with training provided to the field and logistical plans already made/underway in schools/districts. Avoids new burden that would otherwise be caused by removing accessibility option without sufficient time/guidance for schools to ensure appropriate access for all students (e.g., assignment of glossaries or other supports to compensate for removal of classroom activity).
Cons: Retains a logistical burden on schools to administer the classroom activity. Creates a burden on the state to communicate to the field why the state is adopting a policy to require a resource that is not required by the consortium and increases the testing footprint beyond the consortium requirement.


b)      Offer the classroom activities but make it optional at the district or school level whether to require them for all students in the school/district
Pros: Potentially reduces testing time and logistical planning for those schools/districts who choose not to offer it while still allowing schools/districts to make it available if they choose.
Cons: For those schools/districts that choose to administer the classroom activity, retains a logistical burden on schools to administer the classroom activity and creates a burden on schools/districts to communicate to students, parents, etc why the school/district is adopting a policy to require a resource that is not required by the consortium or the state and increases the testing footprint. Requires revision of TAM and training resources to update the field on the change in policy.


c)       Offer the classroom activity as a non-embedded designated support, leaving it to the school level to determine which individual students would benefit from the classroom activity
Pros: Potentially reduces testing time and logistical planning for many students while ensuring that those student who would benefit from the classroom activity still have access.
Cons: Puts schools and teachers in a difficult position of having to make a choice affecting the fairness and accessibility of the test without knowing what background knowledge the PT requires that the classroom activity would provide. Creates a logistical burden on schools to administer the classroom activity to those students identified to receive it as a designated support. Requires revision of TAM , OAM, and training resources to update the field on the change in policy and provide guidance on appropriately identifying which individual students would benefit from the classroom activity.


d)      Remove support of the classroom activity altogether for Oregon students
Pros: Reduces testing time and logistical planning for schools/districts.
Cons: Requires revision of TAM and training resources to update the field on the change in policy. Removes accessibility option without sufficient time/guidance for schools to ensure appropriate access for all students (e.g., assignment of glossaries or other supports to compensate for removal of classroom activity).

To support timely communication to the field should we adopt a change in policy, we are requesting your input by COB this Wednesday, Nov. 25th. Please reply to holly.carter at state.or.us<mailto:holly.carter at state.or.us> with your vote (options a, b, c, or d) along with your rationale and any suggestion regarding how to communicate to the field. Given the potentially sensitive implications this policy could have in our state's discussion around testing, we also respectfully request that you not discuss this potential policy shift with others outside of the committee pending a decision and official communication by ODE.

Thank you as always for your thoughtful and timely and consideration.

Holly Carter
Interim Director of Assessment

Office of Learning | Inst., Stand., Asmt, &Acc. Unit | Oregon Department of Education
Phone: 503.947.5739 | Fax: 503.378.5156 | *holly.carter at state.or.us


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