ESC Region 11
Assessment, Accountability, and Continuous Improvement
September 21, 2021
SPECIAL SESSIONS - NWEA - MAP Growth Basics - September 23 and 28
September 28 - NWEA Partner’s Meeting - topics and reports covered:
• Achievement and Growth Relationship
• The New Class Profile Report
• Achievement Status and Growth Projection Reports
• Projected STAAR Proficiency
• Identifying students for accelerated growth goals
• What are reasonable stretch growth goals
• Goal setting tools/resources
• New School level Combined Data File
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTION ITEMS
How are you doing since your ESF Diagnostic?
ESF Diagnostic Follow-Up Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/Gj8uLVjeLb
ESF Diagnostic Preparation Course for LEAs
The Center for Effective Schools has built an ESF Diagnostic Preparation Course for LEAs . This course is designed to prepare campuses for their upcoming ESF Diagnostic. Campuses can use this course as a way to walk their team through the Effective Schools Framework and gain a deeper understanding of each diagnostic step. Campuses can access the course using the link and eCampus code below.
Course: ESF Diagnostic Preparation
eCampus code: FA2146483
GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES
Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant Launch Webinar Recording, slides and FAQ
2020-2021 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant PR9100 is OPEN!
The final compliance report for all LEAs that received the 2020-2021 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant, the PR9100, is a required submission for grant compliance. The PR9100 remains open for 60 days and will close on November 8, 2021. This form is identical to last year’s submission and a sample mock up can be found here.
School Improvement Grant Title 1, 1003 Grant (SIG) Closing Out 2020-2021
- Draw down funds at least monthly - Grant administrators will be receiving an email about the balance of remaining funds that have not been drawn down.
- The grant end date for the 2020-2021 School Year is September 30, 2021.
- No more than 60 percent of School Improvement Grant funds may be used for payroll.
ASSESSMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
Update on Released Tests, Practice Tests, and Optional Assessments
Released Tests and Practice Tests
PDF versions of the 2021 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) released tests for all grades/subjects and courses are now available on the STAAR Released Test Questions webpage. In addition, answer keys, item rationales, and scoring rubrics are also available. The 2021 STAAR released tests will be available as online practice tests in the Cambium system in October 2021.
Educators and students can now access numerous online practice tests and practice sets in the Cambium system. The online practice tests are designed to familiarize students with the online testing environment, the available tools, and the various types of test questions. These tests provide students with an opportunity to interact with the test interface, respond to questions, and locate and use available tools. Currently, all 2018 and 2019 STAAR and STAAR Spanish released tests are available as online practice tests. Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) released tests from 2017 and 2020 are also available as online practice tests.
Beginning-of-Year (BOY) Assessments
TEA is providing optional online BOY assessments for the 2021–2022 school year. BOY assessments can help schools gauge students’ understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), as they begin the school year. BOY assessments have been built using released STAAR test questions that measure the TEKS. While the optional BOY assessments will be administered in early fall 2021, they are designed to diagnose students’ understanding of the TEKS from the previous school year. Therefore, the grade level of each student’s BOY assessment should be aligned to a student’s grade level from the previous school year. TEA will not use data from the BOY assessments for any accountability purposes.
BOY Assessments Key Dates
Key Dates - Resources
07/22/21- Frequently Asked Questions posted on BOY Assessments webpage
07/30/21 - BOY Assessment Overview training posted on Learning Management System (LMS)
08/16/21 - BOY assessment window opens
09/10/21 - Centralized Reporting System webinar recording posted on LMS
10/15/21 - BOY assessment window closes
STAAR Interim Assessments
TEA continues to offer optional online interim assessments that align with the TEKS. Test questions for the STAAR Interim Assessments have undergone field-testing and are developed with Texas teachers. The interim assessments are a tool that provides actionable data to help educators monitor progress and predict student performance on the STAAR summative assessments. The interim assessments are free, untimed, not part of the accountability system, and available to Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.
Interim Key Dates
Key Dates - Resources
08/18/21 - STAAR Interim Assessments Educator Guide posted on STAAR Interim Assessments webpage
08/20/21 - STAAR Interim Assessments Overview training posted on LMS
09/07/21 - Window 1 opens—mathematics and reading/language arts titles
09/10/21 - Centralized Reporting System webinar recording posted on LMS
09/17/21 - Educator Training Module posted on LMS
11/08/21 - Window 2 opens—science and social studies titles
12/17/21 - Window 1 closes
01/10/22 - Window 3 opens—mathematics and reading/language arts titles
04/15/22 - Windows 2 and 3 close
Texas Formative Assessment Resource (TFAR)
TFAR is a free platform that allows teachers to create, administer, analyze, and share formative assessments. It is a resource educators can use to supplement existing classroom formative practices to inform teaching decisions and improve instructional supports. TFAR is not tied to accountability and is available at no cost to Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. TFAR consists of a TEKS-aligned item bank, item-creator, test-builder, and data reports. Items created by TFAR users during the 2020–2021 school year will be integrated into the new system, and additional items will be added to TFAR’s item bank over time. TFAR should be used within a coherent instructional framework to support formative assessment practices.
TFAR Key Dates
Key Dates - Resources
09/03/21 - TFAR Authoring Modules posted on LMS
09/15/21 - TFAR goes live
Mid-September 2021- TFAR Educator Guide posted on TFAR webpage
10/01/21 - Educator Training Module posted on LMS
2021 Alternative Evaluation for Eligible Campuses
To the Superintendent Addressed:
This correspondence provides information about the 2021 accountability ratings alternative evaluation process, as prescribed by Senate Bill 1365 (87th Texas Legislature). Senate Bill 1365 established a 2021 alternative evaluation option for campuses that meet participation requirements and earned an unacceptable rating for the most recent year they were rated.
This alternative evaluation serves as a method for campuses to break the chain of consecutive years of unacceptable performance considering the 2021 Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster ratings. This process allows campuses to demonstrate they have made sufficient improvement using available data from the 2020-21 school year. If a campus meets these eligibility requirements and receives an overall A, B, or C rating when averaging the 2021 Student Achievement and School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance domain scaled scores, the campus will have the option to apply for an Acceptable rating label rather than Not Rated for 2021. Scaled scores will only be calculated for eligible campuses and only in these two domains. These outcomes will be shared with relevant districts in TEAL Accountability.
For additional information, including a detailed timeline of releases and submissions, please view the 2021 Alternative Evaluation FAQs on the Performance Reporting Resources webpage.
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- Laura McKean - Coordinator of School Improvement, Assessment, Accountability
- Nancy Copeland - School Improvement Assistant
- LaVonia Nelson - Data Specialist
- Elizabeth Schrader- Assessment and Accountability Consultant
- Carey Carter - School Improvement Consultant
- Jackie Fagan - Field Service Agent
- Laura Gallup - School Improvement Consultant
- Margo Nottingham - School Improvement Consultant
- Meredith Perry - School Improvement Consultant
Email: SI-reg11@esc11.net
Website: esc11.net
Location: 1451 Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX, USA
Phone: (817) 740-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ESCR11CI
Twitter: @ESCR11_CI