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ARCC Supports West Virginia Selection of Teacher Performance Assessment
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| | Jerry Malitz, ARCC Technical Assistance Specialist |
The ARCC has assisted the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) in its redesign of the state's professional development system, specifically its efforts to select a teacher licensure testing and performance assessment (TPA). In 2014, the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) decided to adopt the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards and take steps to meet those standards--one of which was to select and administer a TPA.
One step in the redesign plan was to develop and conduct a survey of the field and analyze the results to make a stakeholder-informed decision about TPA adoption. The ARCC partnered with WVDE staff to create an instrument to survey teacher candidates and university personnel at six institutions of higher education at two times, June 2015 and November/December 2015. The findings will inform the WVBE High Quality Educator committee discussions concerning TPA adoption.
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Tennessee Moves Toward Mathematics Standards Revision
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Terry Lashley, ARCC State Coordinator
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On January 29, the Tennessee State Board of Education approved at first reading revised mathematics standards, following an extensive period of public review, feedback, and revision. The key revisions to the high school math standards (available at this link) include a refocusing of the Algebra II course as well as new and revised fourth-year math course offerings. ARCC staff participated in the High School Math Working Group, which generated feedback integral to the standards review process. If approved, the math standards will be implemented in the 2017-2018 school year and will include grades K-8 as well as high school coursework.
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Carolyn Vincent, ARCC State Coordinator
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Prior to the Board's next meeting in April, when it will consider the standards for approval on final reading, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDE) is partnering with the ARCC to conduct a business and industry review of the proposed math standard revisions. After the Board approves the standards, TDE will begin planning for implementation, including additional resources and training for teachers, and steps to ensure assessment alignment.
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Using Data Notebooks with Formative Assessment
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the ARCC recently cosponsored a webinar on using data notebooks to track formative assessment data. (Visit this link for the archived webinar.) VDOE is in its second pilot year with teachers from schools across the state taking part in an online learning community about using formative assessment strategies in their classrooms. Supported in partnership with the ARCC, the pilot began with six schools in 2014 and expanded to 15 this year with approximately 200 educators.
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John Ross, ARCC Technical Assistance Specialist
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The February webinar was offered in response to participant observations that it can be challenging to keep track of many disparate forms of data and information, especially for many students. To the rescue came Erin Abner and Erin Wiseman, two personalized learning coaches from Charleston County, South Carolina. Having worked with Wiseman previously, ARCC technical assistance specialist John Ross knew about the school district's successful work with student data notebooks and invited the two coaches to present to the Virginia educators.
The hour-long event was a success, with the presenters sharing valuable information from their experiences as teachers and coaches. One of the most worthwhile lessons conveyed was the wisdom of starting slowly. Schools interested in data notebooks should have a clear plan for how to collect and share the type of data needed, either for use by teachers alone or by students as well.
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ARCC Keeps an Eye on ESSA
The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) last year promises to shift education policy and practice across the nation, including in the Appalachian region. It is important for educators to become familiar with ESSA and its implications for existing and future state initiatives.
The ARCC is getting ahead of the game, weighing the potential impact of ESSA on current state initiatives, concentrating on any directly related to ESSA provisions such as those that concern college and career readiness, teacher preparation and in-service, early education, and English language learners and students with disabilities. The ARCC is also seeking to ascertain how ESSA's provisions might assist us in forecasting upcoming initiatives, not yet even in the formative stages, on which states in our region might choose to embark. Please contact Caitlin Howley with questions about ESSA.
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