The document provides information about the development of North Carolina's K-3 assessment. It discusses the goals of gathering input from stakeholders on the assessment design and implementation. Key points include: - The assessment is being developed to meet legal requirements and support early grades reform. - It will be formative in nature and embedded in daily instruction to guide teaching. - Various work groups including educators, families, and experts will provide input and help design and implement the assessment. - An implementation timeline starting in 2013 and expanding through 2015 was proposed. - Attendees provided feedback on important stakeholders to involve and questions to ask to inform the assessment development.

1. Karen Lounsbury Cynthia Dewey Darlene Germano Catherine Woodall
Nancy Costello
Erika Beattie
Jami Graham Leslie Simmons

3. Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant
Kindergarten through Third Grade Assessment
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Office of Early Learning
CCSA Conference
March 2013

4. Welcome & Introductions

5. Who’s in the Room?

6. Comfort Items
Please silence your cell phones.
Take stretch breaks as needed.

7. Today’s Goals
Become aware of the K-3 Assessment
development process
Provide input regarding stakeholder
involvement

8. NCDPI K-3 Assessment Wiki
http://rtt-elc-k3assessment.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/

9. Today’s Materials

10. Clicker Directions
• NO need to point it at anything.
• Push corresponding button for your
answer.
• Green = Success
• If you have a window, your
choice will be displayed
• Yellow = Sending
• Any moment it will turn green
• Red = Help Needed
• If your clicker will not work,
raise your hand. Help is on the
way.

11. Which dessert do you like best?
A. pie
B. cake
C. ice cream
D. fruit
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E. cookies
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12. K-3 Assessment Project Overview

13. Why?

14. Meeting the Needs of All Children

15. Race to the Top--
Early Learning Challenge Grant

16. From NC Session Law 2012-142
• 115C-83.1E. Developmental screening and kindergarten
entry assessment.
– Developmental Screening within 30 days
– Shall address the five domains of readiness
– Administered at the classroom level
– Aligned to ELDS and NCSCOS
– Reliable, valid and appropriate
– Shall be used to inform entry status, instruction, reduction in
achievement gap, and the early childhood system
– Completed within 60 days of enrollment

17. From NC Session Law 2012-142
• 115C-174.11 Components of the testing
program.
– Assessment Instruments for K-3
• The State Board of Education shall develop, adopt, and
provide developmentally appropriate individualized
assessment instruments for Kindergarten through Third
Grade.
• LEAs shall use these assessment instruments… to assess
progress, diagnose difficulties, & inform instruction and
remediation needs

18. What?

19. Get Your Clickers Ready!

20. What is your favorite vacation
location?
A. The Ocean
B. The Jungle
C. The Mountains
D. The Desert
E. The Lake
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21. The K-3 Assessment is…
A. benchmark
B. summative
C. formative
D. all of the above
E. none of the above 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
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22. K-3 Assessment Vision
• Formative Assessment
– A process used by teachers and students during
instruction that provides feedback to adjust
ongoing teaching and learning to help students
improve their achievement of intended instructional
outcomes.
NCDPI, Accountability Services Division

23. Formative Assessment
• The K-3 Assessment:
– will be ongoing
– will be embedded in daily instruction
• Is invisible to the child
• A part of instruction
– will gather information using multiple means
• E.g., observations, conversations, work samples, tasks, etc.
– will Include data from multiple sources
• Teachers & Support Staff
• Families
• Community Members (e.g., pediatrician)

24. Which of the following statements is
TRUE?
A. The K-3 Assessment will
include a separate
Kindergarten Entry
Assessment
B. The K-3 Assessment does
not include a kindergarten 0% 0% 0%
entry assessment.
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25. K-3 Assessment Vision
• The K-3 Assessment:
– will include a Kindergarten Entry Assessment Process
• will generate a Child Profile
– will be completed within 60 days of entry
– will address requirements for screening for Reading &
Mathematics
• will be the initial administration of K-3 Assessment

26. Which of the following statements is
TRUE?
A. The K-3 Assessment is
not intended for use with
Dual Language Learners.
B. The K-3 Assessment will
be accessible to, valid,
and appropriate for the
greatest number of
children.
C. The K-3 Assessment will 0% 0% 0%
be used to draw discrete
conclusions about the
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27. • The K-3 Assessment:
– will be accessible to, valid, and appropriate for the greatest
number of children.
• It must be constructed in accordance with the principles of
Universal Design
– will be developmentally, culturally, and linguistically
appropriate
– will provide information about children with high needs
to inform support programs
– may still need accommodations for children with
disabilities, but this need should be minimized

28. The K-3 Assessment is designed to:
A. determine teacher
effectiveness
B. evaluate preschool
programs
C. determine readiness
for Kindergarten Entry
D. make high-stakes
accountability 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
decisions
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E. all of the above
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29. Guiding Principles
• Rather than determine teacher
effectiveness, it will support teacher
effectiveness by:
– informing targeted professional development in
multiple content areas
– promoting reflective practice
– encouraging collaborative decision making

30. Guiding Principles
• Rather than evaluating preschool programs,
it will inform additional supports for
preschool programs & teachers
– Funding
– Professional development
– Policy development

31. Guiding Principles
• Rather than determining readiness for
kindergarten entry, the data collected will:
– provide a better picture of the whole child as
they enter Kindergarten
– support instruction
– help schools be more ready for children
entering Kindergarten

32. Guiding Principles
• Rather than make high-stakes accountability
decisions, the K-3 assessment will:
– guide daily instruction & planning
– involve students within the assessment process
– encourage family partnerships

33. The K-3 Assessment will only
assess mathematics and reading.
A. True
B. False
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34. K-3 Assessment Vision
• The K-3 assessment will recognize the
importance of all Five Domains of Learning
– Approaches to Learning
– Cognitive Development
– Emotional & Social Development
– Health & Physical Development
– Language & Communication Development

35. The K-3 Assessment will:
• address the integrated nature of learning
and development
• align with the NC Standard Course of Study
(Common Core & Essential Standards)
• align with the NC Early Learning and
Development Standards

36. In Summary
• The K-3 Assessment:
– includes Kindergarten through Third Grade
– addresses 5 domains of learning & development
– formative in nature
– embedded in daily instruction
– guides planning & instructional practices
– collects data in multiple ways
– is not used to make high-stakes accountability decisions
– informs early grades reform

37. How?

39. K-3 Assessment
Work Structures
• Think Tank
– Researchers, scholars, practitioners, policy
makers & consultants
– Visionary
• Sparks revolutionary thinking
• Imagines the possibilities
• Generates claims identifying the big ideas
• Makes recommendations

40. K-3 Assessment
Work Structures
• Assessment Design Team
– Educators, parents, IHE, content specialists,
psychometrician(s), DPI staff, consultants
– Assessment Development Work Groups
• Analyze input from various stakeholders
• Operationalize the Think Tank Recommendations
• Create assessment
• Make revisions based on input & feedback

41. K-3 Assessment
Work Structures
• Implementation Design Team
– NCDPI, educators, families, administrators,
external partners/stakeholders, consultants
– Implementers
• Establish State Implementation Capacity
• Guide Scalability and Sustainability
• Focus on organization and system change
– State
– Region
– District

42. When?

43. Our Proposed Timeline
Task Timeline
Develop K-3 Assessment Spring 2013 – Summer 2014
Usability in Transformation Zone Spring 2014 – Spring 2015
Begin Initial Implementation Summer 2015 – Winter 2015

46. • Who do we need to hear from as we develop the K-
3 Assessment?
• What questions do we need to ask in order to gain
information for the K-3 Assessment development?
• How would you suggest we share and gather
information? How would stakeholders, such as
yourselves, like to be included in the process?

47. Examples
I want you to know what my district is already using to assess
K-3 students. So, I am thinking it is important for you to ask…
•What is already being used to assess students in the early
grades that should be considered as a component of the new
K-3 Assessment?
My district administers a kindergarten entry screening, but it
does not give me the information I need. So, a good question
to ask might be…
•What is important to know about children when entering
kindergarten?

48. Questions for Feedback
• Who do we need to hear from as we develop the K-3
Assessment?
• What questions do we need to ask in order to gain
information for the K-3 Assessment development
• How would you suggest we share and gather information?
How would stakeholders, such as yourselves, like to be
included in the process?

49. Regional Discussion Time
1. Individual quiet writing time
(10 minutes)
2. Discussion with table group
(25 minutes)

50. Regional Shout Out

51. Working Together

52. NCDPI K-3 Assessment Wiki
http://rtt-elc-k3assessment.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/

53. Stay Connected!
• Office of Early Learning Listserv
– join-office_of_early_learning_pre-k-
grade3@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

54. Upcoming Opportunities
• Surveys
– Kindergarten Teachers
• 2,500 Responses!
• Webinars
– District Administrators
• Thursday, March 28: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• Focus Groups
– East & West
• K-3 Teachers: mid April