Literacy Links

April 2013
Volume 9, Number 9	Monthly E-Newsletter of 
Maine Department of Education	

“To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.” 

~Edmund Burke

“Force yourself to reflect on what you read, paragraph by paragraph.”

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“The secret of education is respecting the pupil.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

UPCOMING
EVENTS

ELA/Literacy Summer Institute
2013

Shifting Practices to Meet Common Goals

2-day Institute sponsored by MDOE for school/district teams

June 25-26
University of Maine Presque Isle

August 13-14 
Jeff’s Catering, Bangor

August 19-20
Ramada Inn Conference Center, Saco

Cost--$75 per person

Registration information available at:
http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/ela/elasummerinstitute2013.html 

New England Reading Association
65th Annual Conference

Moving Forward: Inspiring Learners Beyond Measure

September 19-21, 2013
Holiday Inn By the Bay
Portland, ME

Registration information available soon at: 
http://www.nereading.org/index.php/mainconferences 

	
       This month’s edition of Literacy Links introduces the Smarter Balanced Assessment system.  In the May/June edition of Literacy Links, several aspects of the Smarter Balanced System will be explored in greater depth, including the ELA Claims and Targets, as well as assessment item types. 
Spotlight on…

Smarter Balanced Assessment

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Math requires the Maine Department of Education to realign its annual statewide assessment of student learning in grades 3-8 and 11.  To facilitate this work, Maine joined the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.  Smarter Balanced is one of two multistate consortia awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by the 2014-15 school year.  SBAC is a state-led consortium working to develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward college and career readiness. The work of Smarter Balanced is guided by the belief that a high-quality assessment system can provide information and tools for teachers and schools to improve instruction and help students succeed – regardless of disability, language or subgroup. Smarter Balanced involves experienced educators, researchers, state and local policymakers and community groups working together in a transparent and consensus-driven process.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment will include three primary components:  summative measures, interim measures, and formative measures. 

•	Summative Measures:  The SBAC summative measures will replace Maine’s current NECAP and SAT assessments.  These will be administered using computer-adaptive technology (CAT) that will adjust to students’ responses, as well as performance tasks in which students will be asked to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards. In the CAT, both multiple choices and constructed response questions will be utilized. Performance tasks will require lengthier responses, often in the form of written arguments, narratives, or informational pieces.  Summative measures will be administered during a 12-week window in the spring of the year, and students may take the summative measures up to two times if necessary.
 
•	Interim Assessments:   These measures will be optional for schools to use to track students’ progress toward meeting standards.  They will be available for administration throughout the year to help teachers differentiate instruction.  The interim assessments will also employ computer adaptive technology and performance tasks. 

•	Formative Assessments:  A digital library of research-based formative assessment practices and tools for use across the K-12 span will be available for educators to utilize as part of ongoing classroom instruction.  

The following table contains information about some of the key ways in which the SBAC system will be different from the NECAP and SAT systems:

Current System	
SBAC System	

NECAP and SAT only include summative measures.	
The SBAC system will include summative, interim, and formative measures. 	

NECAP utilizes a fall administration and SAT utilizes a spring administration.  	
The summative portion of the SBAC system will be administered in the spring.  Formative and interim measures will be available for use throughout the year.	

NECAP and SAT are each administered once annually as part of Maine’s current assessment system.	
The SBAC summative measures will be available for administration up to twice annually for students as needed. 	

Administration is conducted using paper and pencil.	
Computer technology will be used for administration, including written responses to constructive response items, brief writing tasks, and performance tasks. 	

NECAP and SAT assessments do not adjust to student responses.  	
SBAC summative and interim assessments will adjust to students’ responses via computer adaptive technology.	

NECAP results can take several months to be available. 	
SBAC summative and interim assessment results will be available within a few weeks. 	

Writing standards are measured only in grades 5, 8, and 11. 	
Writing standards will be measured in grades 3-8 and 11. 	

Listening standards are not measured. 	
Listening standards will be measured. 	

Over the coming months, more resources will become available to help educators develop their understanding of the SBAC system, including training modules that will guide educators through each component of the system for both ELA and math.   To obtain more information about the Smarter Balanced Assessment System, check out www.smarterbalanced.org.  Additionally, check out specific resources in the SBAC system that are described below in the online resource section of this newsletter.  
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Online Resources…
This month’s online resources feature links to specific resources available on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium website.  

Informative Power Point
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Smarter-Balanced-Overview-Presentation.pdf

The following link will take you to an informational power point on the Smarter Balanced Assessment website that describes the system in detail.
  
Item Specifications
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/#item 

To better understand the claim, targets, and design of the items utilized in the SBAC system, educators should spend time exploring the item specification documents available at this web link.  

Sample Items and Performance Tasks
http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/ELA.htm

This link connects educators to the sample ELA and Math items and performance tasks for the SBAC summative assessment system.  

Practice Tests
http://www.smarterbalanced.org 
 
SBAC will make Practice Tests open and available from their website throughout the summer of 2013 and through the 2013-14 school year. Access to the Practice Tests will not require a password, making it accessible to all who are interested.  Practice tests will be available for grades 3–8 and 11 in both English language arts and mathematics.

Summary of Professional Texts…
This month we feature two professional texts that contain information related to aspects of assessment of the CCSS for ELA.

Common Core English Language Arts in a PLC at Work
Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12
by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
International Reading Association, 2013
“Explore strategies for integrating the Common Core State Standards for English language arts for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 in this collection of interdisciplinary resources, which focus on areas of instruction, curriculum, assessment, and intervention. You'll also learn how to implement the CCSS within the powerful PLC at Work process. Critical chapter-opening questions guide discussion and help you leverage the CCSS to optimize student learning” (Amazon Review).

Quality Performance Assessment:  A Guide for Schools and Districts
Center for Collaborative Education, 2012

“The guide is for schools and districts who want to create learning environments that emphasize deep understanding of content and effective demonstration of complex, 21st-century college and career ready skills using assessment as a tool. The Guide looks at the process for making assessment rigorous, valid and reliable; and, at the same time, relevant and engaging for students by providing strong linkages to standards, curriculum and instruction. Employing a framework created and field tested in collaboration with 20 diverse schools and mapped to the Common Core State Standards and other important education standards and goals, users explore the process of developing assessments, with tools, protocols and case studies that showcase various entry points and experiences of the schools. Professional development material is included” (Amazon Review).
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Children’s Literature…
This month we feature Maine’s award winning books for 2013 selected by students.  
Maine Student Book Award
Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness
by Donn Fendler,  Lynn Plourde & Ben Bishop

Chickadee Award for Picture Books
Won Ton: a Cat Tale Told in Haiku 
by Lee Wardlaw

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News from Maine’s ELA Team…
Literacy for ME Webinar Series
In an effort to support the ongoing planning work of community literacy teams, the MDOE is providing a series of webinars focused on various aspects of community literacy planning.  Five webinars have been provided and the archived versions can be found at:  http://www.maine.gov/doe/literacy-for-me/webinars2012-13.html.   The next webinars in the series are:  

May 7 from 3:30-4:30 
Adult Community Partners and Connections
https://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/_a827390218/pk20241613a/ 
This webinar, presented by Gail Senese (Adult Education Director at the MDOE), will explore important components of literacy for adult learners and will showcase community organizations and resources available to support adult literacy. 
June 6 from 3:30-4:30 
Community Literacy Team Showcase
https://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/_a827390218/pk20251513a/
This webinar will include presentations by several community literacy teams who will share the work in which they have been engaged, including the positive gains and the challenges.  	

	For additional information about any of the items in this newsletter or to sign up to receive this e-newsletter, please email Leeann.Larsen@maine.gov
Click here to view back editions of Literacy Links
http://www.maine.gov/education/rf/newsletters/index.html 
The professional development opportunities and materials are listed in Literacy Links for informational purposes only and are not necessarily endorsed by the Maine Department of Education.