Branford Students Will Test the Test

Branford students and teachers will face new challenges as they participate in a field test of the state’s new ​“Smarter Balanced Assessment” from March 18 through June 6. But the district is ahead of the game when it comes to rolling out the new Common Core state standards, on which the tests are based.

The new Smarter Balanced achievement tests will measure how well students are learning lessons based on the Common Core standards, which districts are already supposed to be using.

Millions of students across the country will participate in computerized field tests in the next few months to help the test-makers fine-tune the assessment process. No scores will be reported this year, but states are mandated to begin the real testing during the 2014 – 15 school year. The field tests will include a variety of questions at all skill levels.

Next year’s test will differ in that the computer will tailor questions to a student’s ability and automatically change depending on whether there is a correct or incorrect answer. If the answer is correct, the next question is more difficult; if the answer is incorrect, the next question is easier. In addition, the tests have no time limits. 

The tests will be given in English/Literacy and Math in grades 3 through 8, and 11th grade. There will be multiple choice items, short answers, and essays which will require students to know keyboarding. The tests are expected to take about 3 and a half hours per subject, given in 45-minute blocks to reduce test fatigue.

The achievement tests are tied to the Common Core State Standards which have been adopted by 45 states. Connecticut’s State Board of Education adopted the standards in 2010.

The tests will replace the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) in grades 3 – 8 and the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests (CAPT) tests in 10th grade. This year students in grades 5, 7 and 10 must take the CAPT science test, since there is no science component of the field test.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON?

The Common Core State Standards and the new tests have come under fire nationally and statewide as school districts endeavor to create new curriculums based on the new standards, AND prepare for the new tests, AND prepare to link teacher evaluations to the test results, and continue teaching. 

A story on Feb. 26 in the Connecticut Mirror said the majority of 1,452 teachers surveyed in a recent poll of the Connecticut Education Association said they support the Common Core standards but think the implementation has been rushed. The majority also said too much time is spent on standardized testing. 

Click here to read a story in the CT News Junkie about how House Republicans voted last week to force a public hearing on whether to delay implementation of testing and the new teacher evaluations. 

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, in a January letter, asked to delay tying teacher evaluations to the new tests. Malloy wrote: ​“Since the beginning of the school year, we have heard from teachers and administrators voicing their concerns that too much change is hitting their classrooms at once. This confluence of changes jeopardizes the success of our teachers, and thus our students. We’ve heard their concerns loud and clear, and understand.”

BRANFORD STARTED EARLY

“Common core has recently fueled a lot of controversy,” said Branford Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez at a committee meeting last week. But he said Branford has an advantage because the district has been gradually phasing in the new standards.

“We have been ahead of this,” Hernandez said. ​“We’ve been doing the migration toward Common Core since 2010.”

The district has been working since then to adapt and develop curriculum based on the new standards. ​“It’s not suddenly abandoning what we’ve done, it’s been gradual,” Hernandez said.

The new state standards were devised to help children learn and then apply what they learn. ​“They need basic skills but they need to go beyond that,” Hernandez said. ​“This approach has more to do with helping children develop how to think.”

For example, he said students won’t be required to memorize the list of state capitals. ​“They can Google that,” Hernandez said. But the new lessons might focus on in-depth information, such as how and why the cities became capitals.

With the new standards comes the new testing and the new system of teacher evaluations. ​“It’s exciting, but there’s a certain level of trepidation,” Hernandez said.

Dr. Mary Peraro, assistant superintendent in charge of teaching and learning, has been on the forefront of the curriculum changes in Branford. She told the Eagle that she is aware of the controversy about the standards and especially about the testing. ​“From what I hear across the state, they’re protesting the lack of planning in putting this all out. A lot of people waited until this year to start (using the new standards). From what I hear from other colleagues, we’re way ahead.” Peraro said she often receives calls from other districts asking for guidance.

Peraro said in Connecticut, each school district is responsible for tailoring a curriculum to meet the Common Core standards.

When asked by the Eagle if Branford’s curriculum changes are complete, she said, ​“The curriculum is never set. A curriculum should be active and interactive and ever-changing, otherwise it isn’t worth a hill of beans.”

Peraro said there hasn’t been resistance from Branford teachers to the new standards and curriculum. ​“They’re enjoying it,” she said, emphasizing that teachers have had input in the process. ​“We’ve given them a lot of voice.”

A NEW DEFINITION OF ​“TEST”

In the past several months, Branford’s top administrators have been meeting with parents, teachers, principals, teaching assistants and town leaders to talk about the Smarter Balanced tests. Last week, presentations were made Monday night for the Education Committee of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and Wednesday night at the Board of Education (BOE) meeting. In all, about a dozen sessions have been held. The BOE meeting was televised by BCTV, and the power point presentation is available on the school district’s Web site. There is also a letter of explanation from the superintendent on the Web site.

But there are still questions.

Parents at the BOE meeting last week asked if it’s possible for students to opt out of the field test.

“Branford and each district does not have the authority to opt out,” Peraro said, adding that the decision is up to the State Department of Education (SDE). She said many parents have been calling to ask about opting out of the field tests.

Parents of 11th graders told the board that field test should be given to10th graders since it would be practice for when they take the actual test. They said 11th graders are already inundated with achievement tests for admission to colleges. 

Parents from Walsh Intermediate School said there has been a definite increase this year in the number of times that substitutes are being used when teachers are taken out of class for training sessions.

Following the presentation last week, BOE member Dr. Kate Marsland asked if there could be a discussion sometime about the increasing use of standardized assessments. ​“There’s a growing concern,” Marsland said. ​“And I share that concern.”

“So do I,” said Peraro. ​“I think it’s a good conversation to have. We need to have learning going on and that has to be our priority.”

Connecticut is among 23 states that will use the Smarter Balanced tests. The other states, including New York and Massachusetts, will use a different test — the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

Some Branford students participated in a limited pilot program of the new test last year.
In theory, the field tests will not only help the test-makers, they will give students and teachers a better idea of what the real tests will be like.

“Hopefully we will learn from this year,” Peraro said. ​“Our students will be better off and so will our teachers.”

The CMT and the CAPT tests were used to measure progress under the No Child Left Behind program instituted by former president George W. Bush in 2001. States were recently granted waivers from the program, provided another testing system is used. That is why the rush is on to get the new tests up and running.

The change from traditional standardized tests to computerized versions is not easy. ​“There are a lot of logistics that with paper and pencil we didn’t have to worry about,” Peraro said. Schools must have sufficient computers, and also provide earphones or earbuds. In addition, students must know keyboarding skills so they can write essay answers. Peraro said keyboarding is being taught in 3rd grade this year, and will be taught in both 2nd and 3rd grade next year.

In regard to the CMT and CAPT tests, critics nationwide said teachers were teaching the test, and that learning was suffering. The new standards and the new tests are supposed to be different.

“We’re not teaching to the test, we’re teaching them problem-solving skills,” Peraro said.
​“You can’t drill and kill for this test. The only way students will excel on this test is through extremely good teaching from kindergarten on.”

NO TIME LIMITS

Test schedules will be shared with parents so they know what to expect. ​“No students will be over-tested,” Peraro said. There are no time limits to the test, so students can theoretically take as long as they need to answer the questions, but that may change. ​“As of today, it will be untimed,” Peraro said. ​“But as the state tells us, ​‘It’s fluid.’”

By next year, another concept will be introduced as the tests become ​“Computer Adaptive,” which means the computers will adapt the questions to the skill level of each student.

This is the definition of Computer Adaptive Testing from the Smarter Balanced website:

“Based on student responses, the computer program adjusts the difficulty of questions throughout the assessment. For example, a student who answers a question correctly will receive a more challenging item, while an incorrect answer generates an easier question. By adapting to the student as the assessment is taking place, these assessments present an individually tailored set of questions to each student and can quickly identify which skills students have mastered.”

Click here for the Smarter Balanced website.

NEW STANDARDS

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the development of the new standards. This is the first time the states will have a uniform set of standards for English language arts and math for kindergarten through 12th grade. ​“They wanted some consistency across the United States,” Peraro said as she discussed the standards. ​“The expectation for learning has risen.”

She said Branford teachers have been gradually developing lessons based on the standards for the past three years. ​“Our teachers have really taken ownership of this,” Peraro said. ​“They’re excited to see the changes that are taking place in the classrooms.”

To prepare for the changes, Branford has been relying on professional development training sessions for teachers. The district created a new position this year — curriculum coordinator — and hired Ashley Dubin to oversee grades 7 through 12. The proposed school budget for next year includes a request to hire a curriculum coordinator for the other grades. 

Dubbin gave several examples of the standards and the new tests during the power point presentation.

“It requires students to read a lot more non-fiction,” she said, prompting one man to express concern about the classics.

“Shakespeare is certainly not going away at all,” Dubbin reassured him. 

She said the goal is for students to understand what they read, and then apply it to real-world situations. For example, students would read articles with different points of view and then write an argumentative essay that takes a stance on the subject. She gave an example for the elementary grades about robotic pets.

“We’re assessing — does the student really understand what they’re reading,” Dubbin said.

A listing of all the standards can be found through a link on the Connecticut Common Core Web site. 

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