Assessment Study Interviews with District Assessment Coordinators Review of Survey/Background Information 1. Review of survey answers, if survey completed: a. Address any inconsistencies with survey responses b. Are there any assessments used in your district that you did not note on the survey? c. How are special needs populations assessed? (Prompt: Are different assessments used or given more frequently). d. Are there any content areas that are not assessed district-wide currently? e. Are there any purposes given that no assessment is used/ available for? 2. Review of assessments used, if survey not completed: a. What assessments are used in your district? Are any district created? i. What purposes are they used for? (Prompt: to inform instruction, to measure mastery and growth, evaluation, improvement plans, etc.) ii. What content areas are you assessing district-wide? Are any not currently being assessed? b. How do you assess your special needs populations? Resources Needed for Assessments (including time and purchase costs) 1. Training/professional development a. What training is involved to prepare staff to administer assessments? b. What training is involved for educators to understand and use the results? c. Do you think teachers have a proficient understanding of how to use the results of the assessments? If not, what would help? 2. Student Time a. Do you have a sense of how much overall time students spend taking assessments (in days)? Does your district have a schedule/chart that you can share? b. How much time is spent preparing students for assessments? i. Any special workshops/camps/afterschool sessions? 3. Cost to Purchase Assessments/Supplies and Materials a. Do you have an estimate of the cost to your district for the assessments you use? (Per student, if possible)
Effectiveness of Assessments 4. Are some assessments more effective than others for certain purposes: a. Informing instruction? b. Aligning with/measuring progress against new content standards?