NOTICES
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Approval of PSSA Performance Level Descriptors, Performance Level Cut Scores and Assessment Anchor Content Standards
[36 Pa.B. 3934]
[Saturday, July 22, 2006]At its regular public meeting held June 29, 2006, the State Board of Education (Board) approved new Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) performance level descriptors and performance level cut scores for certain grades recommended to the Board by the Department of Education (Department). The approved performance level descriptors and PSSA performance level cut scores are based upon the recommendations of teachers, administrators, university faculty and intermediate unit staff who participated in multi-day workshops facilitated by the Department's assessment contractor. The Board also adopted two sets of PSSA assessment anchors as the PSSA Assessment Anchor Content Standards that identify the material assessed on the PSSA.
The performance level cut scores for writing in grades 5, 8 and 11 were developed on account of a change in the grade levels at which the writing assessment is administrated and also a revision in test design. The writing assessment was previously administered in grades 6, 9 and 11.
The performance level cut scores for reading and mathematics in grades 4, 6 and 7 were established for the first time as 2006 was the first year in which the PSSA reading and mathematics assessments were administered in these grade levels. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that states assess reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and once at the high school level.
The Board action was taken under general authority granted to it by the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P. S. §§ 1-101--27-2702) and in accordance with specific provisions of the Board's regulations codified at 22 Pa. Code Chapter 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment). The approved PSSA performance level cut scores are described infra in the Appendix. The performance level descriptors and PSSA assessment anchor content standards are available for review on the Department's website at www.pde.state.pa.us.
Background
Published at 29 Pa.B. 399 (January 16, 1999), the regulations of the Board now codified at 22 Pa. Code Chapter 4 ''establish rigorous academic standards and assessments to facilitate the improvement of student achievement and to provide parents and communities a measure by which school performance can be determined.'' See 22 Pa. Code § 4.2 (relating to purpose). To help accomplish these goals, the Board established in Chapter 4 a State assessment system. The State assessment system is designed specifically to accomplish the following purposes:
(1) Provide students, parents, educators and citizens with an understanding of student and school performance.
(2) Determine the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of academic standards under § 4.12 (relating to academic standards).
(3) Provide results to school districts, including charter schools, and AVTSs for consideration in the development of strategic plans under § 4.13 (relating to strategic plans).
(4) Provide information to State policymakers including the General Assembly and the Board on how effective schools are in promoting and demonstrating student proficiency of academic standards.
(5) Provide information to the general public on school performance.
(6) Provide results to school districts, including charter schools, and AVTSs based upon the aggregate performance of all students, for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and for those without an IEP. See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(a) (relating to State assessment system).
As prescribed by the regulations, the criteria for judging performance on State assessments are the following:
(1) Performance on State reading assessments shall be demonstrated by students' responses to comprehension questions about age-appropriate reading passages and by their written responses to in-depth comprehension questions about the passages.
(2) Performance on State mathematics assessments shall be demonstrated by students' responses to questions about grade-appropriate content and by the quality of their responses to questions which require a written solution to a problem.
(3) Performance on State writing assessments shall be demonstrated by the quality of students' written compositions on a variety of topics and modes of writing. See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(b)(1)--(3). Levels of proficiency established by the regulations are ''advanced, proficient, basic and below basic.'' See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(b)(4).
Under the regulations, it is the responsibility of the Department to develop State assessments ''based on academic standards in mathematics, reading and writing under § 4.12 [(relating to academic standards)].'' See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(c). In developing assessments, the Department is required ''to consult with educators, students, parents and citizens regarding the specific methods ofassessment.'' Individual test results from the assessment are to be used in planning instruction ''only by parents, teachers, administrators and guidance counselors with a need to know based upon local board policy on testing and in reporting academic progress.'' Id. The Department and other Commonwealth entities are prohibited from collecting individual student test scores, and may only collect aggregate test scores by school and district. Id.
The State assessments must be administered annually and include assessments of the State academic standards in mathematics and reading at grades 3 through 8 and 11 and in writing at grades 5, 8 and 11. See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(d) and § 403.3(d) (relating to assessments). Students not achieving at the proficient level in the administration of State assessments in grade 11 must be provided one additional opportunity in grade 12 to demonstrate a proficient level on State assessments. See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(e). The Secretary of Education has the authority to establish guidelines for the administration of the State assessment system. See 22 Pa. Code § 4.51(h).
The performance level cut scores and performance level descriptors for reading and mathematics in grades 5, 8 and 11 were first established and published at 31 Pa.B. 2763 (May 26, 2001). The performance level descriptors and performance level cut scores were updated and revised for reading and mathematics in grades 5, 8 and 11 and newly established for grade 3 in June and September 2005. These revisions were published at 35 Pa.B. 5442 (October 1, 2005).
PSSA Assessment Anchor Content Standards
In January 16, 1999 (29 Pa.B. 399), the Board published the academic standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening and Mathematics. These standards defined what students should know and be able to do in grades 3, 5, 8 and 11. The PSSA assessments were designed to assess whether students in these grades were proficient in reading, writing and mathematics at these grade levels. In 2005, with the support of the Board, the Department developed assessment anchors that defined a smaller set of these standards to be assessed on the PSSA. These assessment anchors were used as the basis for the 2005 and 2006 PSSA. Based on the findings of an alignment study completed on behalf of the Department by Achieve Inc., the assessment anchors were refined and used to develop the PSSA assessments to be administered beginning in 2007.
Early in 2006 the United States Department of Education conducted a review of the Commonwealth's compliance with the standards and assessment requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Because the assessment anchors are used to define the academic content assessed on the PSSA rather than the full range of academic content contained in the Board's academic standards, the United States Department of Education called for formal approval of the assessment anchors for reading and mathematics as the Commonwealth's academic content standards. To address this request, the Board formally adopted at its June 29, 2006, meeting both the 2005 and 2007 versions of the assessment anchors as the Commonwealth's PSSA assessment anchor content standards. The PSSA assessment anchor content standards can be accessed under the assessment section of the Department's website at www.pde.state.pa.us.
Development and Approval of Descriptors and Scores
As part of the State assessment system established by the regulations, the Board delegated to the Department the very important task of developing specific criteria for each of the performance levels prescribed by § 4.51 (b)(4)--advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Specifically, the Department is directed by the regulations to ''consult with educators, students, parents and citizens,'' and then to ''develop and recommend to the Board for its approval specific criteria for each performance level.'' Id.
As reported to the Board at its June 29, 2006 meeting, the Department met with educators from across this Commonwealth to assist the Department in developing the performance levels descriptors and scores. Based on these efforts as described in detail for the Board at its meeting, the Department recommended the performance level descriptors and scores that the Board ultimately adopted at its June 29, 2006, meeting. Before adopting the performance level descriptors and scores on June 29, 2006, the Board provided members of the public in attendance with the opportunity to comment on the Department's recommendation.
The approved performance levels (as they appear infra) will be applied to the 2006 PSSA test scores, which will be publicly released in September 2006. The Performance Level Descriptors, due to their length, are not included here but may be accessed on the Department's website: www.pde.state.pa.us. The Department and the Board will review the descriptors and scores periodically based on actual experience in using them and consider revisions as appropriate, using the same process prescribed by § 4.51(b)(4).
Persons with questions or needing additional information regarding the Board's approval of these performance levels descriptors and scores may contact Jim Buckheit, Executive Director, State Board of Education, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, (717) 787-3787 or TDD (717) 787-7367. Persons with questions or needing additional information regarding the development and implementation of them should contact Ray Young, Chief, Division of Assessment, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, (717) 787-4234 or TDD (717) 787-7367.
JIM BUCKHEIT,
Executive Director
Appendix PSSA Performance Level Scores, as approved by the State Board of Education, are as follows:
Performance Level Cut Scores
Grade 4 Reading Mathematics Advanced 1469 and up 1445 and up Proficient 1255-1468 1246-1444 Basic 1012-1254 1156-1245 Below Basic 1011 and below 1155 and below Grade 6
Reading Mathematics Advanced 1456 and up 1476 and up Proficient 1278-1455 1298-1475 Basic 1121-1277 1174-1297 Below Basic 1120 and below 1173 and below Grade 7
Reading Mathematics Advanced 1470 and up 1472 and up Proficient 1279-1469 1298-1471 Basic 1131-1278 1183-1297 Below Basic 1130 and below 1182 and below Grade 5
Writing Advanced 1909 and up Proficient 1236-1908 Basic 745-1235 Below Basic 744 and below Grade 8 Writing Advanced 1748 and up Proficient 1236-1747 Basic 914-1235 Below Basic 913 and below Grade 11
Writing Advanced 1806 and up Proficient 1236-1805 Basic 952-1235 Below Basic 951 and below
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 06-1308. Filed for public inspection July 21, 2006, 9:00 a.m.]
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