Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Board of Education Technical Advisory Committee for Assessment and Accountability met Dec. 11 & 12.

Here is the agenda provided by the committee:

Monday, December 11, 2023

Day 1 Connection Information:

1:00 - 1:15p Welcome and Introductions, Review Agenda and October Meeting Notes

1:15 – 1:30p ISBE Updates

1:30 – 2:30p Assessment Overview

ISBE will provide an overview of the state assessment programs, the providers that support each program, and upcoming benchmark activities and key decisions. This is primarily an item for information to help familiarize the TAC with the current state of assessment.

2:30 – 2:45p Break

2:45 – 4:15p Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) Equating

Due to a planned transition with the ISA there is a proposal to shift to post-equating. We will review the current procedures, the rationale for shifting to post-equating, and the proposed equating procedures. The TAC is asked to provide guidance to ensure the plan is appropriate and defensible.

4:15 – 4:30p Public Comment

4:30p Adjourn Day 1

Day 2 Connection Information

8:30 – 9:00a Light Breakfast and Coffee Available

9:00 – 10:30a Formative/ Interim Assessment

One of the recommendations from the Center’s assessment review in 2021 pertains to strategies for the state to provide support to districts for formative and interim practices. We will discuss the state’s current initiatives, feedback from the SARC, and review a range of state practices. The purpose is to better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with various approaches to inform ISBE’s ongoing planning.

10:30 – 10:45a Break

10:45 – 11:30 Reporting

ISBE will provide an overview of current initiatives to support individual and summary reporting of student and school performance. ISBE will also discuss initiatives to help support appropriate interpretation and use. The TAC will provide feedback to help guide ongoing improvements in reporting.

11:30 - 12:00p Review Accountability Monitoring and Analysis Plan

At the October 2023 meeting the TAC provided guidance to extend and improve a draft monitoring and analysis plan. We will present an updated version for the TAC’s review and feedback.

12:00 – 1:00p Lunch

1:00 – 2:00p Continue Review of Accountability Monitoring and Analysis Plan

2:00 – 3:00p Exceptional Schools in Accountability

One of the challenges that many states encounter with accountability is how to handle ‘exceptional schools.’ Examples include alternative high schools, schools with unusual grade configurations (e.g., k-2), and schools with missing data. ISBE and the Center will discuss the unique complications that these circumstances present and elicit the TAC’s guidance about promising practices.

3:00 – 3:15p Break

3:15 – 4:15p Differentiating School Performance

ISBE’s current accountability system classifies a large percentage of the schools as ‘commendable.’ It may be helpful to better differentiate performance within this broad category to understand the different performance profiles of these schools in Illinois, which can help the state more effectively promote ongoing school improvement. The TAC will discuss strategies to provide more information to the state and the field.

4:15 – 4:30p Public Comment

4:30p Meeting Adjourns

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_TAC/20231211-Agenda.pdf