Indianas Core 40 Algebra I EndofCourse Assessment

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Indianas Core 40 Algebra I End-of-Course
Assessment

• Purpose and design

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Algebra I ECAs Purpose

• Aligned with Indianas Academic Standards,
  End-of-Course Assessments (ECAs) are final exams
  measuring what students know and are able to do
  upon completion of targeted Core 40 courses.
• The Core 40 End-of-Course Assessments are
  designed to ensure the quality, consistency, and
  rigor of Core 40 courses across the state.

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Algebra I ECAs Purpose

• Schools must participate as a part of the state
  accountability system.
• At this time, there are no stakes for students
  at the state level.
• If schools choose to incorporate the ECAs into
  local grading, it is recommended that scores on
  these assessments should not be used for more
  than one-third of a students grade.

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Algebra I ECAs Design

• Divided into two 45-minute sessions
• Available in both online and paper-and-pencil
  formats

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Algebra I ECAs Design

• Students receive a scale score an a proficiency
  rating of Pass or Did Not Pass
• Students also receive subscores for 5 reporting
  categories
• Linear equations and inequalities
• Sketching and interpreting graphs
• Systems of linear equations and inequalities
• Polynomials
• Quadratic equations

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Algebra I ECAs Design

• Class, school and district reports are also
  available

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Algebra I ECAs Design

• There are four types of test questions
• Multiple-choice The answer to the question can
  be found in one of the four answer choices
  provided.
• Numeric response The answer to the question is
  a number.
• Short answer The answer to the question is a
  single expression or equation.
• Extended response The answer to the question is
  a graph or a written explanation.

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Investigation 1 Algebra I ECA in Two Environments

• Paper-and-Pencil and Online

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Purpose of the Investigation

• Examine and describe the two environments in
  which students take the Algebra I ECA
• Identify and describe the issues in both
  environments that contribute to student
  performance on the exam

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Research Design

• Researchers visited 4 pairs of appropriately
  matched high schools
• From each pair, one school administered the
  online exam and one school administered the
  paper-and-pencil exam
• Researchers observed students taking the exam at
  each school
• Researchers interviewed teachers, administrators,
  and students at each school

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Observations

• There is confusion among students, teachers, and
  administrators about the purpose of the exam.
• The exam content seems to fit well with the
  Indiana standards, but teachers perceive a
  discrepancy between the exam and the standards.

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Observations

• Students and teachers think the wording of the
  problems is difficult.
• The time constraint on the exam adds an element
  of anxiety to potential student achievement.
• Teachers expressed a need for practice materials.

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Observations

• The exam has the potential to promote future
  teacher professional growth.
• Students and teachers feel at home in a
  paper-and-pencil testing environment.
• Some schools chose the paper-and-pencil version
  of the exam to get more student performance data
  than was previously provided with the online
  version.

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Observations

• Providing the necessary computer facilities for
  two days of online testing places an enormous
  burden on schools.
• Teachers and administrators are especially
  concerned about students cheating on the online
  version of the exam.

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Observations

• Feedback from the tests is potentially useful but
  teachers are dissatisfied with the feedback from
  online scoring and the feedback they receive.
• The interface with the computer adds a level of
  difficulty to particular types of exam items.

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Three Important Gaps

• Between the intended purpose of the Algebra I ECA
  and the schools understanding of that purpose
• Between the familiarity of the paper-and-pencil
  testing environment and the new challenges of the
  online testing environment
• Between the traditional Algebra I classroom
  experience and the focus of the Algebra I ECA

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Investigation 2 Algebra I ECA

• Expectations for Student Learning

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Guiding Questions of the Investigation

• What are the relationships among the intended
  curriculum, the implemented curriculum, and the
  achieved curriculum?
• What expectations for teachers and students are
  communicated through the intended curriculum?
• What expectations for students are communicated
  through the implemented curriculum?

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Research Design

• Various documents (standards, graduation
  requirements, textbooks, etc.) were examined to
  determine the intended curriculum for Indiana
  schools
• Researchers returned to the same schools of the
  first study to gain further insight into the
  implemented curriculum
• Artifacts were collected (study guides, final
  exams, etc.) to further document the implemented
  curriculum
• Themes and assertions developed from analysis of
  the data

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Observations Intended Curriculum in Algebra

• Clearly communicated through Core 40, Indiana
  Academic Standards, Textbooks, Algebra I ECA
  Blueprint, and Algebra I ECA Item Sampler
• Emphasis on mathematical processes (problem
  solving, reasoning, etc.) not as prominent

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Observations Implemented Curriculum in Algebra

• Expectations for many schools are on computation
  (basic recall of facts and procedures)
• Adjusted curricula are emphasizing more
  thinking
• I try to give them word problems with almost
  every assignment.
• I see thinking as a very positive outcome of the
  Core 40 Algebra I ECA test.

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One School Comparison
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Observations Achieved Curriculum in Algebra

• 24.3 of students passed the ECA in 2004-2005
• Average scale score was 510.7 (on a scale of
  200-800) Passing is 579.

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Suggestions

• Emphasize the mathematical processes within the
  mathematical standards
• Include higher mathematical complexity in
  examples shared in the standards
• Include different levels of complexity in the
  Algebra I ECA blueprint

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Suggestions

• Help teachers establish high expectations as
  goals toward which their students can work
• Provide more specific feedback to teachers
  regarding their students performance on the
  Algebra I ECA

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Questions and Thoughts?