In this blog site, I discuss a variety of timely issues and provide information that I hope will be helpful to BVSD staff, parents, students, and community members. Your comments are welcomed!

Friday, December 18, 2015

State Assessment Results for 2014-15

On December 11, the Colorado Department of Education released district and school specific PARCC test results for the 2014/2015 school year. PARCC was administered to students statewide in grades 3-11 last year, assessing Math and English language arts. “PARCC” stands for “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career.”

PARCC is a new assessment and measures the state content standards. It is difficult to compare the results to previous assessments because PARCC measures different outcomes and the nature of the test items are notably different. The PARCC results will serve as a baseline to measure future student performance and growth. 

One way to review the assessment data is to examine BVSD student performance compared to the performance of all Colorado students. In the grade-by-grade analysis presented in these slides, BVSD elementary and middle level students outperformed the state by a wide margin overall, though not for students who receive meal assistance or English Language Development services. About 90% of BVSD elementary students took PARCC, compared to 95% statewide, and 80% of BVSD middle school students took PARCC, compared to 89% statewide. 

At the high school level, 34% of BVSD high school students took PARCC English Language Arts, compared to 61% statewide. Results from this level of participation should not be used to make inferences about district wide performance at high school.

The PARCC is developed to measure analytical thinking, rather than memorization, to better prepare students for college and careers. Education experts, including the state education department, have advised for months that test scores will be lower than previous assessments, given the more rigorous standards of the PARCC.

BVSD will continue using multiple measures to assess student performance and district educators will work to determine the value of PARCC. If we can find educational value in the PARCC, the participation rate will likely increase. It will take several years to fully appreciate what PARCC means to us and if the results will be helpful.

BVSD believes there is benefit to using quality classroom-based assessments to determine the needs of all students to inform educational strategies, investment of resources and appropriate interventions for students. However, present Colorado state assessment requirements for accountability are excessive and have limited utility for instructional improvement and supporting student success.

The Boulder Valley School District and Boulder Valley Education Association are committed to managing the impact of state-mandated assessments and utilizing appropriate assessments to foster student success and realize the school district vision, mission, and goals.

Student assessment will continue to be a major issue of discussion in the legislature and the state Board of Education this spring. This issue is not resolved for Colorado and with recent changes to federal law, it is not at all clear how our state will determine accreditation standards or accountability for school districts.

The discussion of multiple measures of student performance aligns with our strategic plan - The Success Effect. During the community consensus process in 2012-13, BVSD participants encouraged us to use multiple and diverse measures of student success. Strategic action plan priority teams are working on common measures that will align with BVSD vision, mission goals and new graduation expectations.



Data sourced from Colorado Department of Education.
Credit Jackie Fortier / KUNC

Data sourced from Colorado Department of Education.
Credit Jackie Fortier / KUNC



3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. How and when can I get my child's score and why evaluating this test takes forever?

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  3. I anticipate BVSD will received the student results from the Colorado Department of Education after the first of the year. The results were delayed this year because the testing company had to benchmark the standards and test results. I am hopeful we will receive the results in the spring shortly after the assessment in the future. I share your concern about the delay in the distribution of the results this year.
    Bruce

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