VASCD Assessment Summit Executive Summary

ASSESSMENT SUMMIT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Executive Summary ASSESSMENT SUMMIT PROCESS OVERVIEW

On July 19, 2022, VASCD convened an Assessment Summit and engaged stakeholders from several different roles throughout Virginia for a half-day workshop in Williamsburg. The purpose of the summit was to develop the individual and collective capacity of the participants and to generate a set of recommendations for distribution to decision-makers and leaders throughout Virginia to inform next steps and serve as a foundation for the workgroup identified in HB 585.

During the workshop, participants received a context overview to include an historical perspective, current research, and VDOE's vision and direction. Participants then engaged in two workshop sessions to develop collaborative themes and a set of recommendations for the assessment and accountability system in Virginia. The artifacts gathered from the summit were used as data points to construct an executive summary. The summit facilitators and presenters received a draft copy of the executive summary for a round of feedback before distribution to the wider audience.

SUMMIT SLIDES

RESEARCH FOLDER

PICTURES OF THE PROCESS

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

COMPREHENSIVE: A Comprehensive accountability system consists of assessments from a variety of sources that capture a student's proficiency, growth, and performance to include Virginia's 5 Cs and durable skills.

CAPACITY: All stakeholders are engaged and informed, and have the Capacity to effectively use assessments and accountability to measure student learning and understand the data.

OPTIMIZED: An accountability system is Optimized when the assessments inform instruction, data are purposeful and actionable, and time is maximized.

ALIGNED: A clearly Aligned system of accountability connects standards of learning, instruction, and assessment.

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LITERACY, EFFICACY, AND ENGAGEMENT Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 1: Develop stakeholder assessment and data literacy, efficacy, and engagement Professional learning for in-service teachers and educator preparation programs for pre-service teachers must incorporate assessment and data literacy to develop teachers' capacity Students and families must engage in developing their capacity to understand assessment as a measure of learning and the use of data to inform their progress as well as proficiency A branding and marketing strategy, along with community workshops, informs and educates community stakeholders including families and businesses Leaders and instructional coaches are equipped to support teachers develop research-based best practices in assessment

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COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 2: Create a comprehensive accountability system that uses multiple measures of the most essential student learning outcomes Multiple measures include proficiency tests, growth measures, student-led and student-selected evidence, and performance-based assessments Integrate the proficiency test with the end-of-year growth measurement Performance-based assessments must become a cornerstone for measuring student learning outcomes Assessments must be authentic to context, careers, and incorporation of the 5 Cs and durable skills Assessments must, where practical, integrate content areas with interdisciplinary assessments Assessments must incorporate open-ended prompts with multiple "right" answers and must consider gamification in their design

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PROFICIENCY TESTS Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 3: Reduce the number of required proficiency tests to an appropriate level Reduce the number of proficiency tests to more closely align with federal requirements* Reduce the number of school- and division-level requirements for testing to maximize instructional time and decrease the impact of testing on teaching and learning Performance-based assessments must be incorporated where practical and should replace current proficiency tests where possible Proficiency tests must account for dimensions of diversity and potential barriers to success for vulnerable student groups

*One work group recommended increasing the number of proficiency tests

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MEANINGFUL DATA Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 4: Improve the quality of data reporting so that they are actionable and can inform instruction Data must be available to students, families, teachers, and school and division leaders to inform instruction and be an actionable tool throughout the year Data Literacy, along with high-quality systems for data, must be a focus for all stakeholders In an effective accountability system, data are used to inform ('flashlight') and not punish ('hammer') An effective accountability system is based on transparency of assessment development, data collection, and performance in relation to intended learning outcomes VDOE creates, implements, and maintains effective data tools (e.g. LASER) to assist with access and transparency

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TWO-WAY ALIGNMENT Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 5: Explicitly align standards, instruction, and assessment throughout the accountability system using two-way development Explicit alignment ensures that students, families, teachers, and school and division leaders are clear on the intended outcomes and student progress as well as proficiency; alignment includes articulation of preK-12 vertical alignment A comprehensive accountability system will distribute the pressure and expectations such that one part of the system does not dominate another (i.e. instruction is negatively impacted by the high-stakes nature of state and federal accountability) Assessing, Grading, and Reporting systems must be aligned to the intended learning outcomes (e.g. competency- and standards-based grading) The assessment and accountability system in Virginia must address any gaps between instruction and assessment to ensure access, opportunities, and appropriate levels of rigor for all students ASSESSMENT SUMMIT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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SYSTEM EVALUATION Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 6: Create a process for ongoing evaluation, revision, and iteration of assessment and accountability A consistent, ongoing, and regularly-scheduled review of the accountability system and the assessments within must be incorporated for evaluation, revision, and iteration Regular evaluation must allow for improvement and innovation where applicable (e.g. multi-media test items, micro-credentialing as measures of proficiency) Regular evaluation is included in the Uniform Performance Standards for Teachers (Standard 4: Assessment of and for Learning), and school leaders must have the capacity to appropriately observe, evaluate, and provide teachers with meaningful feedback The ongoing evaluation of assessments and accountability includes critical evaluation of accessibility for all students

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TEACHER AS ASSESSOR Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 7: Increase the value and role of teacher as assessor within the accountability system A comprehensive accountability system must include teacher input of each student's proficiency and progress There must be an emphasis on teacher capacity development to master formative and summative assessment moves; teacher efficacy as assessors is critical to effective practice Teachers must be granted autonomy to make instructional adjustments based on their students' proficiency, progress, and circumstances while maintaining high expectations Teachers must be equipped with the resources necessary to implement best practices and maximize efficiency and effectiveness to inform teaching and learning

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DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORT Alignment to Guiding Principles: Comprehensive

Capacity

Optimized

Aligned

Recommendation 8: Create flexibility for high-performing divisions through merit-based accountability measures and deploy resources to those divisions in need Schools and school divisions that exhibit longitudinal excellence in performance and growth must be granted flexibility and freedom from the constraints of the system Schools and school divisions exhibiting the need for increased support should receive the necessary resources (fiscal, human, and physical) to reach acceptable accountability outputs School Divisions of Innovation must create, prototype, and iterate new and better methods for assessment and accountability Local Education Agencies must assist with development, scoring, and verification of multiple measures in a comprehensive accountability system Test-out options must be available to students for accelerated learning when mastery is demonstrated

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ASSESSMENT SUMMIT SUPPORT Presenters ERIC CARBAUGH, PhD, James Madison University CHRIS GAREIS, EdD, William & Mary SHELLEY LOVING-RYDER,Virginia Department of Education

Facilitators PEYTON ANDERSON, Chesterfield County

TERI GOAD, Wythe County

KARA HALSEY, Botetourt County

GLEN HOPTMAN, Consultant

CHELSEA KULP, Isle of Wight County

ERIKA MOTLEY, Salem City

SHANA REMIAN, Virginia Beach City

CATHY SOENKSEN, Harrisonburg City

Organizers CHRIS JONES, Executive Director, VASCD BEV WINTER, Office Manager and Events Manager, VASCD

Sponsors EDMENTUM ISTATION