OMB NO. 1810-0614
Wisconsin
CONSOLIDATED STATE PERFORMANCE REPORT: PART I
For reporting on
School Year 2003-2004
Part I Due: January 31, 2005
Revised: April 7, 2005 (pp. 13 & 14)
This file can also be found on the web at:
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/esea/doc/cspr0304i.doc
Expiration Date: 07/31/2006
Consolidated State Performance Report
For
State Formula Grant Programs
under the
Elementary And Secondary Education Act
as amended by the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Name of State Educational Agency (SEA) Submitting This Report:Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Address:
125 South Webster Street
P.O. Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Person to contact about this report:
Name: Michael J. Thompson, Federal Policy Advisor, Office of the State Superintendent
Telephone: 608-266-3584
Fax: 608-267-3746
e-mail:
Name of Authorizing State Official: (Print or Type):
Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent
January 31, 2005______
Signature Date
I. STANDARDS and ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT
Section 1111(b)(1) of ESEA requires States to adopt challenging academic content and achievement standards in mathematics, reading/language arts, and science and to develop assessments in mathematics, reading/language arts, and science that meet the requirements of section 1111(b)(3) in the required grade levels. In the following sections, States are asked to provide a detailed description of their progress in meeting the NCLB standards and assessments requirements.
A. Please provide a detailed description of the State's progress in adopting challenging academic content standards in science that meet the requirements of section 1111(b)(1).STATE RESPONSE
Wisconsin adopted challenging academic standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies by Executive Order No. 326, dated January 13, 1998. The standards for science, known as “Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Science,” are benchmarked at grades four, eight, and twelve. In response to the requirements of the NCLB legislation, the department has made the decision to develop a supplemental document called “Assessment Framework Supplement for Science.” Following the process developed by both the reading and mathematics supplemental frameworks, it is anticipated that draft of the science frameworks will be available this spring for review by districts across the state. Copies of the reading and mathematics frameworks and the reading, mathematics, and science standards can be found at www.dpi.state.wi.us.
The process began in January of 1997 when former Governor Tommy G. Thompson established the “Governor’s Council on Model Academic Standards.” The seven-member council consisted of the Lieutenant Governor, ranking members of the Senate and Assembly Education Committees, the State Superintendent, and a public member appointed by the governor. The focus of the council was to develop model academic standards for the state assessed areas of English language arts, science, mathematics, and social studies for grades four, eight, and twelve.
Wisconsin currently has state assessments in science in grades four, eight, and ten, and is in compliance with NCLB requirements.
C. Please provide a detailed description of the State’s progress in developing and implementing, in consultation with LEAs, assessments in mathematics, reading/language arts, and science that meet the requirements of section 1111(b)(3) in the required grade levels. Please provide in your response a description of the State’s progress in developing alternate assessments for students with disabilities, including alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards and those aligned to grade-level achievement standards.STATE RESPONSE
Currently, the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) are given annually to students at grades four, eight, and ten. These standardized tests include commercially-developed questions used in schools across the country and questions developed specifically for Wisconsin in order to improve coverage of Wisconsin academic standards. The WKCE measures achievement in reading, language applications, mathematics, science, and social studies using multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
Beginning in the 2005–2006 school year, the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to test all students in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school (grade 10 under Wisconsin law s. 118.30). These tests are referred to as the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations – Criterion-Referenced Tests (WKCE-CRT) and will replace the WKCE reading and mathematics tests beginning in fall 2005.
Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations – Criterion Referenced Test Development Timeline Table
The following table represents the cooperative consultation with LEAs in Wisconsin during the on-going development of the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations – Criterion-Referenced Test.
Date / Meeting / Content Area / Number of Wisconsin Educators/Participants /
February 2003 / Standards Setting / General Development / 240
December 2003 / Table Leader Training / General Development / 20
December 2003 / Item Selection / Math/Reading / 63
February 2004 / Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
April 2004 / Item Selection / Math/Reading / 60
May 2004 / Item Selection / Math/Reading / 16
June 2004 / Standard Setting / Wisconsin Alternative Assessment / 19
October 2004 / Technical Advisory Committee / Research, Development & Assessment Policies / 3
Dr. Andrew Porter
Dr. Walter Secada
Dr. Robert Linn
October 2004 / Item Functioning / General Development / 18
November 2004 / Online Reporting System / General Development / 11
December 2004 / Passage Review / Reading / 16
December 2004 / Online Reporting System Training / General Development / 22
December 2004 / Frameworks / Math / 13
January 2005 / Frameworks / Science / 15
March 2005 / Item Review & Specifications [Writing Prompt Review] / Reading, Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, & Social Studies / 96
April 2005 / Technical Advisory Committee / Research, Development & Assessment Polices / 3
Dr. Andrew Porter
Dr. Walter Secada
Dr. Robert Linn
CESA / #Districts / #Participants
1 / 22 / 112
2 / 18 / 62
3 / 9 / 10
4 / 6 / 82
5 / 10 / 18
6 / 9 / 21
7 / 6 / 22
8 / 7 / 8
9 / 8 / 9
10 / 7 / 19
11 / 10 / 12
12 / 7 / 8
The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) – Students with Disabilities
The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) is part of the WSAS and is designed to assess the educational performance of students with disabilities who cannot meaningfully take the regular (WKCE) test or the local assessment of oral language even with accommodations. The WAA, which is a checklist completed by teachers, will focus on knowledge and skills that are aligned with Wisconsin Model Academic Standards in reading, language arts including oral language, mathematics, science, and social studies. These knowledge and skills are considered to be prerequisite to the majority of content assessed by WKCE.
The Wisconsin Student Assessment System Administration Guidebook for the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities can be obtained at the following URL: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/pdf/waa-guide.pdf .
On June 22 and 23, 2004, a Standard Setting workshop was conducted to achieve two goals: (1) Set proficiency cut-scores for three developmental levels of the WAA for Students with Disabilities and (2) Gather input on possible format changes that would enhance the use of the WAA Rating Scale and support materials. The workshop was lead by Stephen Elliott from Vanderbilt University and Andrew Roach from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can obtain the Summary Report of the Proficiency Score Standards for the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) for Students with Disabilities at the following URL: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/oea/profdesc.html#general .
The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) – English Language Learners
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is committed to the proposition that all schools, and all students within schools, will be held accountable to a common set of high academic content standards. For the overwhelming majority of students, a major component of accountability is achieved through administration of the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS). For a small group of English language learners and special education students, however, assessment of progress using WSAS may be inappropriate. An alternate system of assessment directly aligned with Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards is required to meet both the spirit and letter of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Act of 2001 and PI 13, Wisconsin Administrative Code.
The guide, Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for English Language Learners, 2004-2005 Edition, provides the guidelines for implementing the alternate assessment for English language learners. Last year, the procedures were streamlined from the years past, the rubrics were modified, and specific topics were identified for each grade level. A timeline for data collection and analysis was introduced, and the steps to reach inter-rater agreement on the student work samples were outlined. These minor changes were intended to ease administration for teachers and strengthen the psychometric properties of the assessment. With the exception of an expanded topics list this year, the Guidelines remain essential unchanged from the 2003-2004 edition. You can obtain the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for English Language Learners, 2004-2005 Edition at the following URL: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/oea/aa_guidebk04-05.html .
C. Please provide a detailed description of the State’s progress in setting, in consultation with LEAs, academic achievement standards in mathematics, reading/language arts, and science that meet the requirements of section 1111(b)(1). If applicable, please provide in your response a description of the State’s progress in developing alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.STATE RESPONSE
Proficiency standards describe how well students must perform to be included in specific proficiency categories. Proficiency score standards are the scores students must earn on standardized tests in order to be counted in a specific proficiency category. Proficiency score standards translate student responses to test questions or tasks into information about how well that student has learned content measured by the tests. Proficiency standards and proficiency score standards are sometimes also called "academic achievement standards."
Since 1997-98, Wisconsin has been using four proficiency categories: advanced, proficient, basic, and minimal performance. Proficiency score standards associate each of four scale score ranges with a specific proficiency category. Cut-scores divide scale scores into the four categories. The advanced and proficient levels are the long term educational goals for all students. Statewide standardized test scores are reported by proficiency category.
Proficiency score standards were originally set in 1997-98. New proficiency score standards took effect in 2002-03. The increasingly high-stakes use of statewide standardized tests at grades 4, 8, and 10 (the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations, WKCE), combined with changes in these tests for 2002-03, demanded careful consideration of the standards so they are both defensible and practical reflections of what educators, parents, and community members believe students need to know to be proficient in each tested subject area at the beginning of the school year.
A standards-setting workshop was held in February 2003. A total of 240 educators, parents, and community members were invited to participate in the workshop. Participants were assigned to panels based on their areas of expertise. Panel recommendations were reviewed by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of nationally recognized experts in the field of testing and measurement and then submitted to the State Superintendent who approved the new proficiency score standards as recommended. See also Questions and Answers Regarding the New 2002-03 WKCE Proficiency Levels. For more information see the following URL: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/oea/profdesc.html#general .
On June 22 and 23, 2004, a Standard Setting workshop was conducted to achieve two goals: (1) Set proficiency cut-scores for three developmental levels of the WAA for Students with Disabilities and (2) Gather input on possible format changes that would enhance the use of the WAA Rating Scale and support materials. The workshop was lead by Stephen Elliott from Vanderbilt University and Andrew Roach from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can obtain the Summary Report of the Proficiency Score Standards for the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) for Students with Disabilities at the following URL: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/oea/profdesc.html#general .
The term "students with the most significant cognitive disabilities" includes a small number of students who have been determined to have one or more of the 13 existing impairment areas in PI 11. These impairments prevent them from meeting grade-level achievement standards. It should be noted in Wisconsin, Cognitive Disabilities refers to students who have met the eligibility criteria for the impairment of Cognitive Disabilities. The term "significant cognitive disabilities" is used in a more inclusive manner in these federal regulations.
In Wisconsin, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team determines how a student will participate in statewide assessment. The WAA Participation Checklist is used to determine if a student with a disability will participate in the WAA. Using the WAA Participation Checklist, the IEP team makes the determination that the student is meeting alternate achievement standards that differ in the complexity from grade-level achievement standards. Alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards must be aligned with the state's academic content standards, promote access to the general curriculum and reflect professional judgment of the highest achievement standards possible for that student.
The WAA is part of the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) and is designed to assess the educational performance of students with disabilities who cannot meaningfully participate in the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) even with accommodations. The WAA for students with disabilities focuses on the knowledge and skills that are aligned with Wisconsin Model Academic Standards in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. These knowledge and skills are considered to be prerequisite to the majority of content assessed by the WKCE. All students with disabilities who participate in the WAA for students with disabilities are counted for participation and contribute to the 95% participation requirement in No Child Left Behind.
The regulations allow Wisconsin to use an alternate assessment aligned with state academic content standards to incorporate scores of students participating in WAA for students with disabilities who obtain a Prerequisite Skill (PS) Proficient (PS Level 3) or a PS Advanced (PS Level 4) in their AYP calculations. A district may use up to 1.0 percent of all students in the grades assessed for this calculation if they perform at PS Proficient or PS Advanced.
In 2002-03, any student in the students with disabilities group who took the WAA for students with disabilities was counted as "not proficient." As a consequence, prior to this school year, all students with disabilities participating in the WAA for students with disabilities were part of the district's denominator. No students were counted in the numerator.