Michigan's Bureau of Assessment and Accountability NEEDS YOU!

Michigan's Bureau of Assessment & Accountability (BAA) has created an online application to gather information from Michigan educators who are interested in serving on a BAA working committee. This online application allows you to apply for any working committee; however, there is a specific need at this time for standard setting members for MEAP-Access. Please know that standard setting for MEAP-Access is dependent upon a sufficient number of students participating in the assessment this fall.

Complete the online application to serve on any BAA working committee. If you are selected for a working committee, or if more information on your qualifications is needed, you will be contacted by a BAA staff member. Please be sure your contact information (especially email address) is entered correctly. Submission of this survey does not guarantee selection for a working committee. If you are not selected for a committee at this time, your application will remain active for possible inclusion in future committees. We thank you for your consideration of participating in this important activity on behalf of Michigan students.

Questions?

Please email us at BAA@michigan.gov or call 877-560-8378 and select the appropriate option.

States to Lead Effort to Write New Science Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. September 20, 2011 – A group of 20 states has been selected to lead an important effort to improve science education for all students.

The 20 states will lead the development of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a state-led effort that will clearly define the content and practices all students will need to learn from kindergarten through high school graduation. The NGSS process is being managed by Achieve, a non-partisan education non-profit.

"The Lead State Partners will provide important leadership and guidance throughout the development of the Next Generation Science Standards and are to be congratulated for making a strong commitment to science education," said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve. "This will be a collaborative process that will lead to a set of standards that provides America's students a strong foundation in science for the 21st century and supports college and career readiness for all."

The Lead State Partners are Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

The development of the Next Generation Science Standards is a two-step process. The first step was the building of a framework that identified the core ideas and practices in natural sciences and engineering that all students should be familiar with by the time they graduate. In July, the National Research Council released A Framework for K-12 Science Education, developed by a committee representing expertise in science, teaching and learning, curriculum, assessment and education policy.

The second step is the development of science standards based on the Framework. The 20 Lead State Partners will guide the standard writing process, gather and deliver feedback from state-level committees and come together to address common issues and challenges. The Lead State Partners also agree to commit staff time to the initiative and, upon completion, give serious consideration to adopting the Next Generation Science Standards. In order to be considered, states had to submit a letter with the signature of the Chief State School Officer and the chair of the State Board of Education.

Drafts of the science standards will be made available for public input at least two times during the NGSS development process. The NGSS should be completed by the end of 2012.
American students continue to lag internationally in science education, making them less competitive for the jobs of the present and the future. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce study shows that over the past 10 years, growth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs. The report also shows that STEM jobs are expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than other jobs in the coming decade.
"There is a clear benefit to providing our students with the strong science education they need to compete in college and the workplace," said Dr. Stephen Pruitt, Vice President of Content, Research and Development at Achieve, who is coordinating the NGSS effort. "A strong science education provides all students with opportunities to be successful in the 21st century."
For more information, visit the Next Generation Science Standards website.

Grades 6-8 Ratios and Proportional Reasoning Progression

Another learning progression has been released in draft form: Ratios and Proportional Reasoning in Grades 6-8. The Common Core authors have commented that this progression was particularly difficult to create because there is a lot of conflicting and confusing language about ratios and proportional reasoning out in the field. Because of the conflict, they struggled with decisions about the extent to which they should try to standardize the language. As a result, comments on this draft would be especially appreciated.

KRESA Math PD: Analyzing Your Textbook In Light of the Common Core

October 6, 2011

8:30am - 3:30pm

Kalamazoo RESA

• Are you curious about how well your current textbooks align to the Common Core State Standards for Math
• (CCSS-M)?
• Are you part of a textbook adoption committee charged with selecting new math textbooks in the next several
• years
• Do you need more information about what to “look for” in a quality math textbook in light of the CCSS-M?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, register to attend this one-day workshop to explore the newly released mathematics curriculum analysis tools. The Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project has developed a set of THREE mathematics curriculum analysis tools that will allow K-12 mathematics textbook adoption committees, school administrators, and K-12 mathematics teachers to analyze textbooks and other curriculum materials with regard to their
alignment to the CCSS-M.
You will be trained on how to use the three curriculum analysis tools. You will also receive the User’s Guide to explain how to use the tools once you’re back in your school. The three tools include:

1. a Mathematics Content tool focused on determining the extent to which curriculum materials convey important mathematics content sequences across grade levels in the CCSS-M;
2. a Mathematics Practices tool to determine if curriculum materials support teachers and engage students in the Mathematical Practices of the CCSS-M;
   
3. and a tool that determines the extent to which the curriculum materials support teachers in the areas of equity, assessment, and technology.

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New cut scores & content defined for MEAP and MME

New cut scores for the MEAP and MME
Tomorrow, Mike Flanagan, Michigan State Superintendent, will present the State Board of Education the new recommended cut scores for the MEAP and MME. Mike Flanagan will request that the Board approve the recommendations immediately. If approved, starting this school year, the fall MEAP and spring MME will utilize the new cut scores.
If you would like to, you can access the agenda for tomorrow's State Board meeting.

Content refined for the MEAP and MME
In June 2010, the State Board of Education adopted the Career and College Ready Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as the new standards for K-12 Mathematics and English Language Arts. Concurrently, Michigan signed on as a governing state with the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) which applied for and received federal funds to develop a series of formative, interim, and summative assessments based on the CCSS. The new summative assessments may replace the MEAP and MME in the spring of 2015.
Until full implementation of the SBAC system, only those items that align to both the GLCE-HSCE and the CCSS-M will be on the MEAP and the MME. We can be assured that items that were based on the GLCE and the HSCE, but do not align to the new standards, are no longer included in Michigan’s assessment programs. Care will be taken when building these assessments to assure students who are being taught the new standards will not be penalized on their MEAP or MME. Field testing of items based on the new CCSS standards will occur as was done with past future-core items when mathematics transitioned to the GLCE. These items will not count in scores. Reporting will be based on the current content expectations.
You can find out more by reading the memo released by Sally Vaughn, Ph.D.
Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer.

County-wide support for CCSS-M implementation

The Kalamazoo County Common Core Math Committee was formed during the 2010-11 school year. Representatives from the public and private school districts in Kalamazoo County make up the committee.
We believe that county-wide collaboration will lead to greater efficiencies and increased effectiveness for planning and implementing the common core. With county-wide collaboration, all classrooms can provide the same, high level of instruction and learning in math.
The committee will publish a quarterly newsletter to keep you fully informed. Check out the first newsletter that was released in June and be sure to contact your district representatives for more information.
One of the items released in the June 2011 was a suggested timeline for implementation of the CCSS-M. To ensure that schools have fully transitioned to the CCSS-M by the 2014-15 school year, the county committee offers the following suggested timeline for implementation.
2011-12: Grades K-2 and 8
2012-13: Grades 3-5 and 9-10
2013-14: Grades 6-7 and 11
Read the entire newsletter to find out more.

KRESA Math PD: Implementing CCSS for Math

September 20, 2011

8:30am - 3:30pm

Kalamazoo RESA

This one-day workshop has been developed for “FIRST-TIMERS”: educators who did NOT attend the Common Core State Standards for Math roll-out sessions on September 22, 2010 OR March 22, 2011.

The Common Core State Standards for K-12 Mathematics were released in June 2010. Michigan is requiring that all schools begin to implement the Common Core starting in the 2011-12 school year.

But where does that leave us?

District or school teams of teachers, instructional leaders, and administrators should attend this one-day workshop to begin to answer these important questions:

• What are the Common Core State Standards for Math? Why do we have them?
• How does the Common Core for Math compare to Michigan’s GLCE and HSCE for math?
• When will we be expected to fully implement the Common Core?
• What type of PD is available for us to be trained in the Common Core?
• What resources will we need to implement the Common Core?
• How will the Common Core affect assessments like the MEAP and MME?
• What will we have to change? What will stay the same?

Information and resources will be shared. Teams will work together to determine the impact of the Common Core and begin to develop (or extend) a district- or school-wide strategic plan for implementation.
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