CDT in PPS

CDT (Classroom Diagnostic Tools)

What: Definition of CDT

"The Pennsylvania CDT is a set of online assessments, divided by content areas (Literacy, Mathematics, and Science), and is designed to provide diagnostic information to guide instruction in order to support intervention and enrichment. The CDT reporting system is fully integrated in the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Standards Aligned System (SAS). The CDT is a computer adaptive test (CAT) and depending upon how the student responds to the first few items; the next set of items will adjust to the student’s instructional level. Students receive approximately 48 60 items per test depending upon their response pattern. The CDT is an un timed test and it can be scheduled over multiple days."

Why: Purpose of the CDT

The purpose of the CDT is to provide information that will help guide instruction by providing support to students and teachers The CDT also provides interactive reports of how students are performing in relation to the Pennsylvania Assessment Anchors & Eligible Content and Keystone Assessment Anchors & Eligible Content. Because the CDT is diagnostic in nature relative to student acquisition of the standards, the data may be used to dig deeper and form flexible groups based upon changing student needs. Teachers can then conduct ongoing formative and summative assessment to determine with students whether they are making progress or not. Additionally, the cost, inclusive of professional learning support, is free to the District.

Benefits of the CDT?

Students Teachers Administrators

Provides specific and timely feedback designed to support student learning

Builds efficacy by increasing student capacity to process their own learning

Promotes goal setting by involving students in the learning process

Provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills

Promotes partnering with teacher (e.g., one to one conferencing)

Ensures that follow up instruction is meaningful and aligns with student learning expectations

Promotes teaching and collaboration with students, parents/guardians, and others

Provides immediate access to diagnostic reports about student strengths and areas of need

Promotes teacher understanding of student strengths and areas of need throughout the year

Allows monitoring of student achievement to guide ongoing planning and instruction

Guides individual as well as flexible grouping of students to target instruction

Provides immediate access to SAS resources to support whole and small group and individual instruction

Provides opportunities for teachers to reflect, collaborate, and match instruction to student need

Defines an assessment resource for teachers to provide diagnostic information in order to guide instruction and provide support to students and teachers

Promotes shared leadership through encouraging the CDT administration as part of the school's culture

Informs the design of future professional development for all faculty and within the Induction Plan for mentoring of new teachers

Allows immediate access to student reports

Parents/Guardians

Promotes collaboration with students, teachers, and others

Promotes conversation and understanding regarding student strengths and areas of need throughout the year

Provides the opportunity to view and understand their student’s achievement in a visual representation

Provides access to information linked to SAS resources to support their student’s learning at home

Enhances the partnership among the student, teacher, and parents/guardians

Benefits (pa.gov)

In Pittsburgh Public Schools, the CDT assessment is utilized to support instruction for regular education, PSE and ESL students It is not recommended for PSE students who take the PASA tests. It provides grade level content that is helpful for teachers of PSE IEP students. ESL students who are in their first year in the US are not required to take the ELA/Writing portion of the test, but it is recommended they take the Math and Science. Accommodations are available for supporting IEP and ESL students with test taking.

The assessments will help determine student academic needs, monitor student progress and support teacher data based decisions with the alignment of the Pennsylvania core standards, eligible content that is similar to the Pennsylvania Systems of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone exams. The assessment measures growth in and across the content areas. The teachers will be provided immediate access to detailed reports designed to help understand the strengths and needs of each student. The reports are online and interactive. Teachers will have access to materials and resources, which they may utilize with students, families, and Professional Learning Communities. Additionally, CDT reports provide a direct link to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Standards Aligned Systems (SAS). SAS is a comprehensive, researched based resource utilized to improve student achievement and identifies six elements that impact student achievement: Standards, Assessments, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials & Resources, and Safe and Supportive Schools. Schools and educators across Pennsylvania are supported in their efforts to implement SAS by the development of a state of the art portal that is directly linked to the CDT reports.

How: Implementation of the CDT

2022-2023 Test Administration

Students in grades 3-12 will participate in three CDT administrations. The first assessment provides a diagnostic report. The second and third assessment will provide information regarding student progress and diagnostic reporting. The assessment will take approximately 45 90 minutes for each subject of ELA, Math, and Science.

First Assessment

Aug 29-Sept 30

Second Assessment Nov 30 Dec 22

Professional Learning

Third Assessment

Feb 22 - March 15

In order to begin CDT implementation, professional learning began during the 2022 Summer Leadership Academy. Below, you will find the PowerPoint of the professional development shared with school leaders.

2022 Summer Leadership Academy PD-CDT

Our next professional learning opportunity was offered for school based staff and teachers. Below, you will find a webinar of the session presented to PPS staff. This link was also shared with all School Assessment Coordinators (SACs). In collaboration with the Assistant Director of District Assessments, SACs are responsible for overseeing the administration of the CDT.

2022 School-Based PD-CDT

Additionally, professional learning opportunities were offered on September 30, 2022 for all schools. This was anoptional session and the second session was recordedfor anyone unable to attend either session.

Lessons From the Field

We are grateful for the teachers in the field who provided feedback to us during the first administration of CDT The feedback provided us with an opportunity to collaborate with our Data, Research, Evaluation and Assessment and Technology departments so that we could identify challenges that teachers were managing across our district We now know more support is needed so that future administration of the CDT may be implemented as intended. Please make certain that you continue to share feedback with School Assessment Coordinators and School Leaders As we continue to administer the CDT, we want to share a few lessons learned.

We had an error on page 1 of the User Guide. It states: “Everyone except those who take the PASA will take the “Science Grades 3 5” CDT assessment”

CORRECTION: The Science assessment is for students in grades 4, 6 8, and Biology 1.

order to make the learning specific for teachers and school leaders, a CDT PD survey was created to inform planning

individualized and school specific

learning. We have included

Only high school students in a Biology 1 course will take the CDT. Biology 1 courses (PSP/CAS) typically include 9th grade students. The Biology Keystone and therefore the CDT is not aligned to AP Biology or Bio 2

The testing software is the same platform used for all State Assessments and the WIDA assessment that our ESL students will take.

If you have Issues downloading the CDT app on the student devices, contact IT Support

survey link below that was sent to

obtain the information.

What happens after CDT administration?

In Pittsburgh Public Schools, assessment is used to inform instruction Our district has created time and space in schedules to utilize Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for investing in continuous improvement aimed at improving student outcomes. The general focus of continuous improvement is to engage in a four step process of planning, doing, studying/checking, and acting. However, we now have access to the Learning Team Cycle to direct the collaborative work of PLCs and the utilization of a continuous improvement model to allow data analysis, goal setting, student and teacher learning, implementing, and progress monitoring.

Therefore, the expectation for PLCs after CDTs are completed is:

Step 1 Engage in data analysis. The outcome of this process will result in writing data summary statements that are disaggregated by multiple demographics dependent on classroom population.

Step 2 Set measurable goals for both students and teachers. The outcome of this process will result in a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results Oriented, Time Bound) goal for students and a KASAB (Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, Aspirations, Behaviors) statement for teachers

Step 3 Learn both individually and collaboratively The result will inform a plan to put learning into action

Step 4 Implement new learning that demonstrates evidence based practices to engage students in learning The result will put the learning plan into action

Step 5 Monitor, adjust and assess practice using formative assessment throughout the learning process. The result is to use the feedback gleaned from progress monitoring to adjust practice.

This cycle of continuous improvement will begin again based on future teaching and learning experiences. Please see model below for a visual representation of this process (Learning Team Cycle).