Florida Standards Assessment

In the last six years a new standards system has been created for high school students in order to help them prepare for college classes; this system is the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Common Core system, developed in 2009, addresses both mathematics and English language arts. It creates a system of standards that map out skills and abilities from grades K-12 that need to be focused upon in order for students to be successful in the future.

The 1980s brought a new reform movement in education, accompanied by a new emphasis on testing. The effort to improve education at all levels included the use of standardized tests to provide accountability for what students are learning. Minimum competency tests, achievement tests, and screening instruments were used to ensure that students from preschool through college reached the desired educational goals and achieved the minimum standards of education that were established locally or by the state education agency. As we continue in a new century, these concerns have increased.

Louisiana Department of Education states, “The Common Core State Standards are fundamental descriptions of reading, writing, and math skills that focus on the ability to think independently.” (LDOE) Common Core State Standards hold students across the country to the same high bar and allow Louisiana students to see how they perform compared to students across America. “State school chiefs and governors recognized the value of consistent, real-world learning goals and launched this effort to ensure all students, regardless of where they live, are graduating high school prepared for college, career, and life.” (Corestandard.org) Prior to adopting these standards, Louisiana students were learning material that was sometimes even a full year behind several high-performing states. The Common Core State Standard asks students to engage in independent thinking skills such as comparing and contrasting and analyzing characters. Nearing the end of the school year, “Students are tested annually English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies in 3rd through 8th grades. The assessments measure whether each student has gained the knowledge and skills in the subject for their grade.” Students learning will be measured by the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). Students in grades 3rd through 8th grades will be assessed on the full range of the Common Core State Standards to ensure they are “on track” or “ready” for college and

Purpose: To improve a testing experience for our students to increase the percentage of students meeting the standards of the standardized test.

Structuring on the best of existing state standards, the Common Core State Standards provide a clear and reliable learning goal to help prepare students for college, career, and life. The standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support their learning. From Kindergarten through 8th grade, grade-by-grade standards exist in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. From 9th through 12th grade, the standards are grouped into grade sets of 9th through 10th grade standards and 11th through 12th grade standards. Moreover, the CCSS stress the importance of using primary texts in the classroom to build literacy, along with many other things. While the standards set grade-specific goals, they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. States and districts know that there will need to be a range of supports in place to guarantee that all students, including those with special needs and English language learners, can master the standards. It is up to the states to outline the full range of supports appropriate for these students.

These tests will provide teachers and administrators a diagnosis of how the school is performing and in which areas the school needs to improve on. This will also inform policymakers which schools are doing well and why. Then that technique can be applied to schools in which the scores were not meeting standards. President Bush and the U.S. Congress have challenged educators to set high standards and hold students, schools and districts accountable for results. (Dept. of Ed, 2004)

The Common Core State Standards are considered to be a high-quality group of academic standards. Before the standards were developed, it seemed as if the progress of the students in the United States was remaining stagnant and that America students were falling behind their international peers. The blame for this setback has fallen on the fact that standards are not consistent and from state-to-state students are required to know different things at different grade levels. As a result students are not graduating with the same set of skills (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014).

Not passing on one STAAR test can keep kids from graduating. Students must pass all EOC tests to graduate from high school, which can mean up to 15 standardized assessments each. English

DuVall was interviewed she was questioned about achievement testing. ?Ms. DuVall indicated that she does assess achievement, but does include the scores in the reports. A special education teacher, named Mark Hayes does the standardized achievement testing. He uses the Woodcock Johnson IV Achievement Testing. The other methods of academic progress to assess student progress used by Ms. DuVall are teacher reports, grades, transcripts, and School Loop. She explained School Loop as a database used by parents and teachers to update student?s grades. Ms. DuVall explained that teacher reports are used to gain data on how well the student is doing in class and if there are any major issues. The grades, transcripts, and School Loop are used to know the areas of possible aid the student needs and additional resources to provide the student. Therefore, she is able to include student?s grades and reflect on the student's academic standing in her reports alongside the students standardized achievement scores. Furthermore, Ms. DuVall said, ?The achievement scores help at times clarify if a student is eligible under Specific Learning Disability (personal communication, September 8, 2017).? She further explained how achievement scores and discrepancy scores come into play later on in the

As a counselor in my building, I will be in charge of standardized testing. To help prepare for this, I am attending a testing coordinators meeting this November. Since I am still a classroom teacher this is a magnificent opportunity. I will have to become familiar with procedures and protocol, for the state and nationally mandated test. Not only how to administer, but also how to interpret the outcome data. This data will indicate what student needs remediation, and the type of help they need. I will also be responsible for understanding the ASCA student competencies, mindsets, and behaviors. This will enable me to determine strategies for us to help my student achieve academic, career, and social and emotional proficiency.

An information letter was sent to families, making clear that the intervention would be delivered during regular class time at no cost to parents, and anonymity would be preserved. Informed consent was obtained. A week before the implementation of the program, the school’s Guidance Officer went to the each Year 6 and 7 class to administer the student’s pre-assessment package during school hours. Each question was read aloud to the group and their understanding of each item checked. Each child, then individually rated each question in their own assessment pack.

The Common Core is a set of academic standards that show what a student should learn in Mathematics and English (“About the Standards”). The standards were made to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live. (“About the Standards”). The standards start in kindergarten and go all the way up to 12th grade (Pérez). Forty-two states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have chosen to take in the standards, and are moving forward with the Common Core (“About the Standards”). The standards were created through the work of administrators, teachers, school chiefs, and other experts to provide a clear and consistent outline for educators (“About the Standards”). The standards are understandable, research- and evidence-based, built upon the strengths and lessons of current state

“Meaningful,” however, may have multiple meanings within context. Many people, parents, teachers, and students alike, disagree with the rules and regulations brought forward by the Arizona College and Career Ready State Standards. They believe that the new standards lack specificity and that the training necessary for teachers to understand how to teach the new standards may not be worth the time or money. Budgeting is a primary source of conflict and controversy. By funding the production of the new tests and teacher training, schools and districts are forced to be cut back in other important areas, such as learning and testing tools for special needs children (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). Another major argument is that the new standards focus more on obtaining better test scores and increased school rankings than actual knowledge. In complete contrast, many people strongly agree with the new standards brought forth by the Arizona College and Career Ready State Standards. It is believed by these people that the new approach will increase academic rigor and improve students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills. Consistency between different schools and even different states’ curriculum promotes easier transitions and both parents and students will always know what to expect. Those who support the standards

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a widely debatable topic. Parents, teachers, administration, and even states have taken a stance on what they believe. CCSS is a document created by researchers, teachers, administration, and even the public, stating exactly what each student in grades K-12 should be accomplishing by the end of each level. It is ideally in place for teachers to have a clear understanding of what students are expected to achieve and know by each benchmark test so they can ensure this readiness. Though much thought and exertion has gone into the production and implementation of these standards, many myths have been formulated from them, causing the standards to sound as if they do not have any advantage to our schools (“Understanding the Common Core”).

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of national standards that were created with the intention that students would be college and career ready by graduation. In the early 1990’s states realized that there needed to be a better system for assessing students in the education system. States individually began to outline what they thought was important for each grade level for students to be proficient at before moving on to the next grade or graduating. This meant that each state was responsible for creating, using, and assessing their own standards, which lead to each state defining what they thought was proficient for grade levels and graduating seniors. With this the National Governors Association and The Council of Chief School State