2008-09 Assessments In Wicomico Schools

2008-09 Assessments in Wicomico Schools, for All Grade Levels

During March, Wicomico intermediate and middle school students will join other Maryland students in taking the state's mandatory assessments, the Maryland School Assessment (MSA).

The High School Assessments (HSAs) will be administered in April for seniors who must still meet the state's HSA graduation requirement, and in May for all students reaching the end of courses tested by the HSAs.

But for many other students, as well as the students who will take the MSAs in March, assessments have been given throughout the school year, to students as early as prekindergarten. These Benchmark Assessments help teachers and schools check the student's academic progress and make changes to instruction where necessary, and keep parents informed on an ongoing basis of a student's achievement level.

Primary Grades (Prekindergarten-2nd Grade)

Starting this spring, students in the primary grades will no longer take the Stanford 10 Assessments that were administered for the past several years. While this voluntary assessment program yielded some useful information, an analysis of the test by Wicomico's reading and math coordinators, supervisors,and the school system's data analyst found that many test items were not aligned with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum, said Margo Handy, director of elementary education. While Wicomico's instructional program coordinated closely with the Voluntary State Curriculum, the test did not.

"We did not feel it served as a true measure of our instructional program and of what our students are being taught," Handy said.

Student progress will now be monitored through the Benchmark Assessments, which are given three times a year in math and reading. A study of the Benchmark Assessments and the Maryland School Assessment, which students begin taking in the third grade, has shown good correlation between the two assessments. A student's performance on the Benchmark Assessment for math was a good predictor of the student's success on the MSA for math.

Items in the Benchmark Assessments are reviewed frequently to ensure that they are challenging for all students, appropriate to grade and age level, and aligned with the curriculum. The Benchmark Assessments are the same for all students in each grade level, no matter what school they attend. Students take the Benchmark Assessments throughout the year, so they are accustomed to the testing as a natural part of learning, not as a big once-a-year event. "We feel confident that the Benchmarks will give us a true picture of our students' instructional abilities," Handy said.

Stanford 10 results were one of the measures used to determine which students qualified for the school system's elementary magnet program at the end of second grade. The school system will now use the Benchmark Assessments - in addition to teacher recommendation, Primary Talent Development portfolio, parent input and a checklist, which were already required - to determine eligibility. A second-grade student's scores on the Benchmark Assessments in math and reading will be reviewed to determine an average scaled score. Every second-grade student will have had the same opportunity to take the same Benchmark Assessments, and each student will have had multiple assessment opportunities to show their skills.

Intermediate Grades (Grades 3-5)

The Maryland School Assessments (MSAs) for Reading will be given March 17 and 18 for grades 3-5. The MSA for Math will be administered March 24 and 25 for grades 3-5. Fifth-graders will take the Science MSA on line during the testing window of April 22-May 12.

Benchmark Assessments and the Scholastic Reading Inventory are administered to all intermediate students periodically throughout the year.

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

For all middle school grades, the Maryland School Assessments (MSAs) for Reading will be given March 17 and 18. The MSA for Math will be administered March 19 and 20. Eighth-graders will take the Science MSA on line during the testing window of April 22-May 12.

Students who are taking Algebra this year will take the Math HSA on May 18.

Benchmark Assessments and the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) are administered to all middle school students periodically throughout the year.

High School (Grades 9-12)

HSA

Maryland students in the Class of 2009 are the first class of students that must meet the state's High School Assessment Requirement to graduate. Students must pass all four HSA exams, achieve a combined score of 1602, or complete one or more approved Bridge projects.

While 86 percent of the class of 2009 has met the state's HSA graduation requirement, approximately 140 students must still meet the requirement. A number of options are available to enable students to meet the HSA requirement for graduation, and schools are already working closely with seniors who must still meet the HSA requirement. Some students took the HSA during retesting in January, and are awaiting results. Some of the 140 students are working on Bridge projects to demonstrate mastery of a subject area.

James M. Bennett High School is hosting a Saturday HSA Academy open to all Wicomico County high school students to help them prepare for the HSA retest for seniors April 20-23, and/or the final HSA opportunity of this school year, May 18-21. The purpose of Saturday Academy is to provide high quality instructional remediation and test-preparation to Wicomico County public high school students to help them achieve success in meeting the Maryland State HSA testing requirements. Students who plan to take the spring HSA exams are strongly encouraged to attend.

Saturday Academy sessions are scheduled for March 14, 21 and 28, April 18 and 25, and May 2 and 9. For information please call JMB Dean of Students Sue Likovich at 410-677-5141 or slikovic@wcboe.org, or Wicomico Evening High School Principal Clay Belgie, 410-677-4537 or cbelgie@wcboe.org.

The regular testing time for the 2009 High School Assessments is May 18 for Algebra/Data Analysis, May 19 for Government, May 20 for English, and May 21 for Biology. Most of the students taking the HSAs will be 10th-graders, though the HSAs are also given to middle school students completing Algebra (see Middle School, above), and any juniors and seniors who have not yet passed one or more exams or achieved a combined score of 1602.

AP

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses may sign up to take end-of-course tests which, if passed with a score of 3 or higher, may yield college credit. These tests will be given May 4-15.

SAt and ACT

The SAT I & II will be administered one more time during the 2009-2010 school year, on May 2 (registration deadline March 31). The registration deadline for the March 14 administration of the SAT has already passed. Students who wish to take the SAT on June 6 must register by May 5.

Students who wish to take the ACT on April 4 must register by Feb. 27. Students may also take the SAT June 13 (registration deadline May 8).

For either test, juniors and seniors should visit their guidance counselor about fees and registration. On-line registration is available for the SAT at www.collegeboard.com and for the ACT at www.act.org