Spring 2021 Assessment Administration
As Maine educators and school leaders continue to adapt to varying modes of instruction and meet student and community needs in the extraordinary context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine Department of Education has heard loud and clear, through ongoing consistent communication and requests, the need to better understand the impact to student learning. We have also heard that it is important for schools to obtain “real time” data in order to tailor instruction toward meeting student needs, and to address any learning gaps that may have occurred during the extended period of disruption to educational settings.
We examined the possibility of utilizing emergency CRF funds to provide a statewide interim assessment system utilizing formative data that could support schools and educators in identifying, defining, and targeting instruction toward mitigating the impact of the pandemic disruption, but recognized that multiple administrations of such an assessment would extend beyond the legally allowable use for those emergency funds. Therefore, we will have to apply our existing assessment budget to support this necessary effort. That funding source has been paying the costs of our federally required Math and ELA accountability assessment provided through the vendor, Cognia (the annual, summative assessment that is administered in grades 3-8, eMPowerME, and 3rd year of high school, SAT). The COVID-19 emergency caused us to seek and receive a waiver from Spring 2020 implementation of this summative assessment, and we believe that any end-of-year summative assessment in the spring of 2021 would provide incomplete information about the performance of our students, given the impact of the ongoing pandemic.
Therefore, we have decided not to renew our contract with Cognia and will be reaching out to you and your teams for input as we design a state assessment system based on formative, interim assessments that provide immediately actionable data.
Please stay tuned for updates and opportunities to participate in the redesign of both our assessment and our federal accountability systems.
New General Science Assessment
The Department recently concluded a Request for Proposals (RFP) resulting in the conditional award of a science contract to New Meridian. We are in the process of contract development and will share additional information when it becomes available.
The Science Alternate Assessment (SAA) will continue to be administered by Cognia. More to come on the spring 2021 administration soon!
Shifting the Culture of Assessment
Over the summer months, the team has been working hard with the help of an intern to develop information and infographics to support understanding about Maine’s summative assessments, their purpose and how educators utilize provided data. With this in mind, you’ll notice in communication notices, documentation and website pages that the assessment team is removing “test” terminology and replacing it with the term “assessment.” This change in terminology reflects the intent of an assessment – to assess where a student is performing in relation to state expectations at a single point in time. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding.
WIDA ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs
There are several recent updates to the ACCESS for ELLs resources, via the WIDA portal, including:
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The ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Materials Ordering Window began on Monday, October 12, 2020 and runs through Wednesday, November 11, 2020. If you are administering the ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS test, you must place a materials order regardless of testing mode (online or paper). Please be advised that if you do not order tests for your school or district during this timeframe, you WILL NOT receive any materials in the initial materials shipment.
As a reminder, the ACCESS for ELLS is administered as a computer-based assessment in Maine. If a student’s IEP or 504 plan requires a paper-based test as an assessment accommodation, a request must be submitted to the DOE Assessment Team at: Jodi.bossio-smith@maine.gov
Mark Your Calendars!
Join us on November 12th from 3:00-4:30 pm for the ACCESS Overview Webinar, provided by WIDA Trainer Ellen Parkhurst. This training is designed for all Test Coordinators and Test Administrators, as well as District Coordinators, of the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. Register for the webinar here.
ACCESS Data available for review in MAARS
Student data associated to the winter administration (January 2020) of the ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment is now available for review. Please ensure you review all ACCESS data by close of business Friday, November 13. Any discrepancies should be emailed to both: Jodi Bossio-Smith, ACCESS Assessment Coordinator and Varun Motay, Data Analyst. Please ensure personal identifiable information is not included in any emails. Please only include student state ID number in any correspondence.
Please log into MAARS Confidential to verify the following data:
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Student counts
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Student participation
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Access to data and summary reports
As a reminder, please when prompted, select FocalPointK-12 and NOT GOOGLE (clicking GOOGLE will result in being asked for a token and result in error messages).
Alternate Assessment Participation Monthly Webinar & Office Hours
Please join us for one or both of the following virtual events related to the alternate assessment community this month. See below!
November 4th
What: Action planning for alternate assessment participation
For whom: Districts that are in excess of the 1% cap on alternate assessment participation and require support in the action planning/justification process. Special education directors/personnel involved in the alternate assessment decisions. All are welcome!
When/how: Wednesday November 4th, 1 pm. Register for the webinar here.
November 12th
What: Office hours for the alternate assessment community.
For whom: Educators who coordinate and administer the alternate assessment, work with students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, who are looking to make connections, ask questions, and interact with colleagues in similar contexts!
When/ how: Thursday November 12th, 2 pm. No registration necessary, join here! Passcode: 553248
MSAA Technical Requirements and Operating System for 2021– Please share with your district technology directors!
The MSAA Consortium members were informed by the assessment vendor on 9/30/20 that Microsoft has ended support for Windows 7. As a result Windows 7 has been removed from the MSAA Systems' list of supported operating systems for the Spring 2021 administration. For more information about the MSAA/SAA technological requirements, please refer to the MSAA system website. With additional questions regarding the removal of Windows 7 as a supported operating system, please reach out to jodi.bossio-smith@maine.gov.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Spring 2021
At the current time, NAEP 2021 remains scheduled with the goal of an in-person administration of the assessment. NAEP was designed to only be administrated in-person and as it is administered on NAEP-provided tablets supported by a team of NAEP representatives. This design ensures that the assessment is uniformly administered across the country. Because the administration of NAEP takes months of planning, we do ask that schools complete all pre-assessment activities as if students will be in-person learning during the assessment window. However, as the assessment window gets closer, we will monitor the school’s learning model and proceed as necessary.
In preparation for the assessment, an approximate sample of about 50 students will be identified from the total number of students enrolled in the selected grade at the school. This number may vary due to the size and enrollment of students in grade 4 or grade 8 selected schools. Every enrolled student is eligible to participate however, should a selected student be participating in 100% remote instruction during the assessment window, the student status will be change to “ineligible” and the student will be unable to participate in the assessment. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is developing and planning on administering a survey questionnaire to all selected students that are receiving instruction remotely More information will be provided once all details are finalized and received from NCES.
District Level access is now available to NAEP Website
District level access for is now available to the NAEP 2021 planning website (https://www.mynaep.com/) to each district with schools selected for participation in the administration of NAEP 2021. To receive a MyNAEP Registration ID that is specific for your district, please contact Dr. Regina Lewis, Coordinator of NAEP & International Studies at regina.lewis@maine.gov. MyNAEP District Registration Instructions are available in pdf form here.
NAEP 2019 Grade 12 National Results Released.
The National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics presented the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results in reading and mathematics for grade 12 students on Wednesday, Oct 28th. The virtual event highlighted additional NCES data that lend insights into grade 12 students’ postsecondary plans, choices, and pathways. Brief overview videos of the Gr. 12 Mathematics Results and Gr. 12 Reading Results are located on The Nations Report Card Channel on YouTube. There are no state level results for NAEP grade 12 assessment.
Upcoming Data Deadlines
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Alternate Assessment Participation Enrollment should continue to be entered on a continual basis as initial and annual IEP meetings/decisions occur. This data is pulled from Synergy October 30, 2020.
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Please keep the student enrollment up to date in Synergy. This data is pulled periodically for the NAEP and other assessments. Updated and accurate enrollment data in Synergy allows the Department to upload student lists, reducing the burden on schools/districts.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Schools
Department and Commissioner updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic are available for schools. Please also note a resource page for families contains updates materials and resources.
Professional Learning Opportunities
The new Maine DOE professional learning calendar is now available on the Maine DOE website. There are many opportunities for professional learning available to Maine educators. The new calendar has increased functionality including a search feature.
General Reminders
Just a friendly for the beginning of a new school year - please ensure all District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) contacts and other contacts are current in NEO. In this time of uncertainty and adaptation, it is imperative that all contacts be accurate and up to date. This will provide Maine DOE personnel the ability to contact the appropriate person in order to share applicable and important information in a timely manner. Such roles are listed in the DOE NEO Dashboard SuperSearch, which requires no login credentials. If a DAC needs to be updated/changed, directions are located on the assessment webpages. (login credentials required)
Teachers, district test coordinators may sign up to receive Assessment Listserv notices for general assessments and for the Alternate Assessment Listserv. For those looking for notifications regarding the ACCESS / Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, please subscribe to the ESL Communication list. Please use the following links to subscribe:
General Assessment (MEA) Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/mea
Alternate Assessment Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/alternateassessments
WIDA/ACCESS English Learner Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/esl.communication
Assessment Team Contact Information
Interim Assessment Team Leader
Janette Kirk – 624-6707
Assessment Coordinator (eMPowerME, SAT, Science)
Nancy Godfrey – 624-6775
National & International Assessment Coordinator (NAEP, PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS)
Dr. Regina Lewis – 624-6715
Alternate Assessment Coordinator (MSAA, SAA) & WIDA Coordinator (ACCESS for ELs, Alternate ACCESS for ELs)
Jodi Bossio-Smith – 624-6774
Assessment Team Management Analyst
Cheryl Brackett, 446-3019
Data Analyst
Varun Motay 530-1368