Assessments Bulletin
August 1, 2023 |
Audra Ahumada
Deputy Associate Superintendent
of Assessments |
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Welcome back to another school year! We hope you all had some rest this summer. For statewide assessments, the 2023-2024 school year will be another more normal year as we are not implementing any new statewide assessments, nor do we have any stand-alone field tests.
We just ended a month's long sprint of summer committees. These committees continue to be a great experience, learning and observing as Arizona educators shine! The expertise and dedication to collaborate with the Assessment teams to ensure continued improvements to our statewide assessments has been amazing. It was even recommended that every teacher should participate in at least one of the assessment committees. Please encourage educators and parents to submit a committee application!
This summer, ADE Assessments conducted the AZELLA Standard Setting, in which committees of Arizona educators set cut scores and performance levels for English learners (ELs). Later this summer, the Alt ELPA embedded Standard Setting will be finalized.
Please review the following clarifications:
Beginning with the Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment administration and forward, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) should be clearly messaging that new AZELLA cut scores, performance levels, and descriptors were set and were approved by Superintendent Horne. These new performance levels represent what is expected and should be demonstrated by ELs AND no comparison can be made to the previous administrations or versions of AZELLA. |
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Think of it as a new baseline with new descriptors of student expectations, new performance level descriptors, and new reporting categories. Beginning with Spring 2023 AZELLA, revised results will include categories that are in line with the 2019 Arizona English Language Proficiency Standards: an Overall Proficiency Level, Total Proficiency Scale Score, Domain Scale Scores, and Proficiency Level by Domain, as well as Proficiency Levels for Receptive, Productive, and Interactive Communication, along with the Language (Grammar Conventions) Proficiency Level. Additionally, ADE implemented a new policy regarding overall proficiency: Students must score a minimum Total Proficiency Scale Score of 1,000 points from the four domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing AND be at least Intermediate in each of the domains.
More information regarding Alt ELPA performance levels and reports will be coming soon!
An important communication regarding administration of the Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) for the 2023-2024 school year was sent to KEA District Test Coordinators at the end of July. It has also been posted to the KEA webpage.
The Assessment Unit will be presenting another series of Friday Focus Webinars in the 2023-2024 school year. These sessions are primarily intended for District Test Coordinators. Registration for each webinar is now open in ADE's Professional Learning and Development registration system. Please see the Friday Focus Webinar Flyer for topics, dates, and registration links.
Save the Date!
The Assessments, Standards, and Accountability Conference will be held in September 2024 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel. This conference will be held every other year. This conference will highlight the amazing things that are occurring in Arizona schools regarding Assessments, Standards, and Accountability! More information to come!
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Audra Ahumada
Deputy Associate Superintendent of Assessment
Arizona Department of Education |
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Joseph M. Guzman, Ph.D.
Associate Superintendent of Assessment, Standards, Accountability and Research
Arizona Department of Education |
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Statewide Achievement Test Windows |
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Achievement Assessments Training Modules
Training modules are currently being updated for the 2023-2024 school year. The new training modules will be published in Pearson's new Arizona Learning Management System (AzLMS) in Winter 2023-2024 in preparation for Spring 2024 testing. More information will be included in the November edition of The Assessments Bulletin.
Achievement Testing Mode
All statewide achievement tests are administered online, by default. This includes AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and ACT. Any school that wishes to switch to paper-based testing for any of the statewide achievement tests must indicate this change in the Achievement Testing Mode application in ADEConnect, which will be open September 18 - October 13, 2023. An email will be sent to all Achievement District Test Coordinators to notify when the application is open and to provide additional information.
Please note that all AzSCI paper tests are administered as Special Paper Version tests and require that all student responses be key-entered in TestNav by the Test Administrator prior to the end of the AzSCI test window.
PearsonAccess Next and TestNav
All of the statewide achievement tests, including AASA (Grades 3-8), AzSCI (Grades, 5, 8, and 11/Cohort 2025), ACT Aspire (Grade 9/Cohort 2027), and ACT (Grade 11/Cohort 2025), will utilize the PearsonAccess Next and TestNav platforms. There are three distinct Pearson Access Next websites, listed below. Links to the technical requirements for each assessment are also included below.
PearsonAccess Next Websites:
Dates that the AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire PearsonAccess Next websites will go live for 2023-2024 will be provided as soon as they are available.
TestNav Technical Requirements Websites:
For the most up-to-date TestNav information, please visit Pearson's Technical Bulletins webpage. In addition, please visit the following TestNav System Requirements webpages for each assessment.
Special Paper Version Test Formats
Arizona offers three paper test formats to meet the needs of students who cannot access the test content through computer-based testing. Requests for Special Paper Version tests for AASA, AzSCI, or ACT Aspire must be submitted to ADE for review and approval between September 5, 2023 - February 23, 2024. Submissions must include pages of the student's current IEP or 504 Plan that indicate the need for a Special Paper Version form of the test.
For AASA and AzSCI Special Paper Version tests, student responses must be key-entered into TestNav by the Test Administrator by the end of the applicable test window. For ACT Aspire and ACT, student responses from Braille or large print test booklets must be transcribed to regular print answer documents and returned to ACT by the end of the applicable test window.
More information about Special Paper Version test requests, as well as additional accommodations requests, will be sent in a District Test Coordinator email prior to the submission window opening.
Braille - The student's IEP or 504 Plan must document the need for Braille materials for instruction and assessment. A Braille test kit will include directions for administering the Braille assessment.
Large print paper test booklets - The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly state the font size used for instruction and the type of materials teachers enlarge for the student. Unless a student regularly has reading and math materials enlarged for both diameter and font size, you may consider using the Zoom feature in TestNav instead. The Zoom feature can be tried out in the sample tests. Large print test booklets are approximately 18 inches tall, and the font size is 18pt.
Regular print paper test booklets - A student who cannot access the computer for classroom work due to injury, illness, or low vision may need a paper test in lieu of taking the test with peers on the computer. The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly indicate how the teachers accommodate the student's needs in class and the restrictions the student has when using technology (examples: no more than xx minutes of screen time per day, must have a significant break after xx minutes, no computer usage at all, etc.).
Requests for Special Paper Version tests or other accommodations for ACT must be submitted directly to ACT using ACT's Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system. ACT's TAA system will open for 2023-2024 accommodations requests in mid-September. Additional information will be provided in an upcoming District Test Coordinator email.
Achievement Assessment Office Hours - New and coming soon!
The Achievement Assessments team will offer optional Office Hours sessions this Winter/Spring! Look for more information in the November edition of The Assessments Bulletin.
ACT Updates
ACT Test Windows
Schools may utilize both ACT test windows in order to assess all Cohort 2025 students. Schools are encouraged to administer ACT during the first test window and may also use the second test window, as needed, to complete any makeup testing. Please note that the ACT test windows are two distinct test windows. Any students with approved accommodations for testing over multiple days must complete testing within the same test window in which they begin testing.
Additional online ACT test days have been added to each test window this year, for a total of nine online test days in each window. Schools administering ACT online may use any of the online test days to complete testing. Schools administering ACT on paper may only administer paper tests on the designated paper test dates but may use the additional online test dates for makeup testing.
Any schools that choose to administer the ACT during only the second test window will not have an additional ACT test window to use for makeup testing. Test window selection will made by test coordinators in ACT's PearsonAccess Next platform in November 2023.
ACT Webinars - Save the Date
ACT and ADE have scheduled the following webinars for test coordinators in preparation for Spring 2024 testing. Webinar registration links are coming soon!
- Test Administration #1 - November 8, 2023, 9:00am
- Accommodations - November 15, 2023, 9:00am
- Test Administration #2 - February 21, 2024, 9:00am
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MSAA Reports
The MSAA reporting portal for ELA and Mathematics is open July 17 - September 8, 2023. Reports are available at the District of Attendance (DOA), so your tuitioned-out and privately placed students will not be included in your reports. Please work with the DOA to get the results.
MSAA reports are available to District Test Coordinators in the MSAA system using the same login credentials as during the assessment window. Accounts have been created for new Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators. It is important to download all reports during the reporting window since the reports will not be available after the window closes. Please also share the results with your teachers.
Hard copies of student reports for ELA and Mathematics have been shipped. Test coordinators must ensure one copy is sent home to the parent/guardian and the other is placed in the secure student file.
The MSAA reporting portal for Science will be open October 16 - 27, 2023. The standard setting to set cut scores and approval by the Arizona State Board of Education must occur before we can generate the reports. This is causing the delay with the Science reporting window this year.
Alt ELPA Reports
As a new assessment, we will also be conducting a standard setting to set cut scores for Alt ELPA. This process will delay the Alt ELPA reporting window this year. The Alt ELPA reporting window is tentatively scheduled for September 2023. More information will be sent to Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators when it is available.
Eligibility Determination and Student Selector Application
Alternate Assessment eligibility determinations are made annually at the students' IEP meeting. The current IEP must document all areas of student needs, including evidence of a significant cognitive disability, plans for learning academic content aligned with grade level standards, extensive supports, and English language acquisition needs for English learners. The eligibility determination form, which is part of the IEP, must synthesize the information as it pertains to assessment participation. Eligibility for these students should be made early in the school year, even if the annual IEP is due later in the year. IEP teams must also determine Alternate Assessment eligibility for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities for participation in Alt ELPA.
Please notify your teachers early so that they are prepared to give the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator their lists of eligible students this fall. Eligible students participate in MSAA ELA and Math (Grades 3-8 and Grade 11), MSAA Science (Grades 5, 8, and 11), and Alt ELPA (Grades K-12). All students must be identified for participation in all Alternate Assessments (MSAA and Alt ELPA) using the Student Selector Application, which is open October 2 - November 30, 2023.
Change in District Test Coordinator (DTC)
If at any point during the school year there is a change in the District Test Coordinator (DTC), the DTC Test Security Agreement will need to be submitted and approved. Please fill out the form, including the required signatures, and send the completed form to Testing@azed.gov.
1% Threshold
Under federal regulation, the State is required to "provide appropriate oversight to each LEA that the State anticipates will assess more than 1.0% of its assessed students...using alternate assessments aligned with alternate academic achievement standards." An LEA may test students who qualify for Alternate Assessment, even if that participation means that the LEA will exceed 1%. This is then addressed with the Action Plan that the LEA develops and submits to ADE as part of the monitoring requirement. Notifications and instructions for the 2022 administration have been sent to Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators. Monitoring activities for the 1% Threshold for the 2023 administration will begin in the fall. The 1% Threshold does not apply to Alt ELPA.
Alt ELPA Reminders
ADE partners with other states in the Collaborative for the Alternate Assessment of English Learner Proficiency (CAAELP). This has been an exciting opportunity to develop a high-quality Alternate English Language Proficiency assessment, Alt ELPA. Eligible students must meet alternate assessment participation criteria. Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators will register students using the Student Selector Application from October 2 - November 30, 2023. Registration instructions will be available in the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator Handbook.
The Alt ELPA is aligned to Alternate English Language Proficiency Standards. Please work with your EL coordinator to support English language proficiency instruction for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities using these standards.
Project TIES Resources
The TIES Center has published several resources to support teachers of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities within any Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The website includes general resources for parents and provides guidance for implementing inclusion practices. We encourage you to check out these resources and the other great support documents the TIES Center has available.
MSAA Instructional Supports
The MSAA website is up and running with resources for families, educators, and students. There are supporting documents for Alternate Assessments, instructional resources, Core Content Connectors (CCCs), and much more! Resources are updated periodically and are free to all. |
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Welcome to a year filled with AZELLA! We had an incredible Spring 2023 Reassessment Test administration with over 107,000 students tested. We are confident that this school year will be just as successful because of you. ADE's Assessment AZELLA Team appreciates your dedication and advocacy for the EL students in your schools and across the state. We understand what the job entails, and we are ready to provide you with guidance and assistance throughout the school year as the AZELLA is a year-round assessment with two separate test administrations this school year. Our appreciation goes to the Arizona educators, like you, who participated in every aspect of the development of the new AZELLA.
AZELLA Web Pages
https://www.azed.gov/assessment/azella-dtcs - This web page provides current AZELLA test administration information and guidance, calendars, forms and reports, training information, presentations, and useful web links.
https://www.azed.gov/assessment/azella - This web page provides information about the AZELLA test, including resources and sample tests, AZELLA blueprints, Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs), and Item Specifications.
PearsonAccess Next Accounts
PearsonAccess Next (PAN) is the AZELLA test management system for the 2023-2024 school year. All AZELLA District Test Coordinators (DTCs) are required to have a PAN account. All students who are administered the AZELLA must first be registered in PAN for the test. The AZELLA DTC will have access to order additional paper testing materials, published reports, and the Student Data Files (SDF) for both AZELLA administrations. The online AZELLA tests are controlled through PAN by the test administrator.
PearsonAccess Next 2022-2023 Reports and Data Files
All the 2022-2023 AZELLA Placement Test and Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment Test published reports and Student Data Files from PearsonAccess Next (PAN) (district- and school-level entities) must be downloaded and saved by September 30, 2023. After this date, these reports and Student Data Files will not be available as Pearson nor ADE keep these. Please refer to the PAN User's Guide and the Accessing PDF Reports and Data Files in PearsonAccess Next Quick Guide document. You will need to change the test administration in PAN to the reports and Student Data Files that you need. |
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NEW! The AZELLA Family Report Guide is now available! The guide is included in the electronic versions of the Individual Student Reports as well as with the paper copy that Pearson ships for every student who receives the blue Pearson Student Report to send to parents. The AZELLA Family Report Guide is included with the Placement and the Spring Reassessment reports. This guide is a two-sided document - one side is in English, and the other side is in Spanish.
2023-2024 Placement Test Administration
This document includes important dates and tasks for each AZELLA test administration. It also includes the AZELLA Placement Test Cycle Calendar on pages 4 and 5. We encourage all AZELLA District Test Coordinators to print these pages to reference throughout the school year.
This document provides the training requirements for each AZELLA test administration by AZELLA role or category. AZELLA Placement testing can begin after the District Test Coordinator, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators complete the training associated with their Annual and Placement requirements.
New Arizona Learning Management System (AzLMS) |
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AZELLA District Test Coordinators (DTCs) will receive an email from Adobe Learning Manager (admin@adobelearningmanager.com), with the subject "Welcome to Arizona's Learning Management System: Verification required."
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) may have email filters in place that are not allowing the email to come through to an email inbox. Please contact the LEA IT department and provide the following information:
- The email comes from "Adobe Learning Manager."
- The email address is admin@adobelearningmanager.com
- The title of the email is "Welcome to Arizona's Learning Management System: Verification required."
- The IT department needs to allow any email coming from admin@adobelearningmanager.com to come through.
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Once DTCs have accessed your AzLMS account, DTCs will have 2 user roles within your one account - Learner and Manager. DTCs must complete the AZELLA courses while under the Learner role using the District Test Coordinator tag, and then use the Manager role for accessing AzLMS reports for course completions for the LEA's AZELLA staff. |
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New 2023 AZELLA Placement Tests (paper and online) for Grades 1-12
The new AZELLA Placement Tests for Grades 1-12 are aligned to the 2019 English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards. The test design, item types, and format match the Spring 2023 Reassessment Test.
New Materials for the Kindergarten Placement Test (KPT), Grade 1, and Grades 2-3
- KPT Student Response Sheets and Errata Sheet
- Grade 1 Placement Test materials
- Grades 2-3 Unit 4 Placement Test materials and Test Administration Directions
Which Students Require an AZELLA Placement Test?
AZELLA for Dual Label Students (EL and Special Education)
All students, regardless of disability, who have a non-English/non-ASL Home Language Survey require an AZELLA test. There are no provisions, in either state or federal law, which would allow the exemption of AZELLA testing for students who are enrolled in the Special Education program and require an AZELLA test.
The AZELLA DTC must contact the AZELLA Team at ADE about any student who requires a Special Paper Version (SPV) form of the test, additional accommodations, or has a documented disability (for example: deafness or blindness) that precludes assessment in one or more domains of AZELLA prior to administering the AZELLA test by submitting one of the EL/SPED forms.
One AZELLA Additional Accommodations Request Form submission per student covers all AZELLA test administrations (Placement 2023-2024 and Spring 2024 Reassessment) for the school year. Please submit this request form by August 31, 2023, to reduce delays in testing. DTCs must wait for ADE's response to the request and further directions from the AZELLA Team prior to administering the AZELLA. Each request form may take up to 4 weeks to process as communication between ADE and the district transpires. Submit request forms as soon as possible and before August 31.
- Grades KG-12
- AZELLA Braille (Reassessment only)
- AZELLA Special Paper Version (SPV) for ONLINE test administrations
- AZELLA Large Print (LP) for Paper AZELLA test administrations
- Grades 2-12 AZELLA ASL Version (ASL videos for directions and accessibility elements)
Retained Kindergarten Students
Kindergarten students from SY 2022-2023 and retained in Kindergarten for SY 2023-2024 are not permitted to be administered the Kindergarten Placement Test (KPT).
- Kindergarten students who were administered the KPT and/or the Spring 2023 Reassessment Test - use the results of the most recent AZELLA test for EL program services eligibility for SY 2023-2024.
- Kindergarten students who were never administered any AZELLA test during SY 2022-2023 - you must contact the AZELLA Team at AZELLA@azed.gov and provide us with the student's SSID and school name. ADE will give you further guidance for testing.
State Student Identification Number (SSID) |
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Schools must verify that a new student doesn't already have an SSID before obtaining one through AzEDS. All students who will be administered an AZELLA test must have an active SSID. When creating a student in PearsonAccess Next (PAN) and registering the student for an AZELLA test, an 11-digit SSID must be entered in PAN, which means that leading zeros must be added to the student's SSID number.
When communicating with ADE and the AZELLA Team, DTCs are expected to provide a student's SSID number, not the student's name and date of birth. FERPA does not allow for districts, schools, charters, and ADE to include a student's personally identifiable information, such as the full name and date of birth, in written electronic communications when the student's SSID number is known. Please refer to the AZELLA Test Security and Ethics training module for more information about this topic.
ADEConnect - EL Reports and the AZELLA Corrections Application |
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All Arizona DTCs must have an ADEConnect account with the role of AZELLA District Test Coordinator. Other district and school staff who require access to the AZELLA (EL) Reports from ADE must have the role of ELL for ADEConnect. Only one person per district can have the role of AZELLA District Test Coordinator. You must contact your ADEConnect Entity Administrator for this. if you already have this role and access to the EL Reports, then you do not need to do anything.
The EL Reports available through the Assessments section of ADEConnect include:
- EL70 - ELP Student Test History Report
- EL72 - ELP Test Roster Report
- EL73 - EL Student Need Report
- File Metrics (AZELLA Corrections)
PLEASE NOTE: The EL70 - ELP Student Test History Report is only available for authorized district users and only when the student has a current school enrollment within the district schools. |
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AZELLAology is an informal open invitation for AZELLA District Test Coordinators to attend a virtual call using the Microsoft Teams application (camera is not required) where the ADE AZELLA Team answers AZELLA questions and shares AZELLA important information, news, guidance, and mini-tutorials about a variety of AZELLA-related topics.
These optional AZELLAology sessions will last about one hour and focus on a few specific AZELLA topics. ADE's AZELLA Team will answer individual session-specific questions during this hour. Sessions are not recorded and are not posted on the website; however, ADE will provide attendees with the presentation slides that we use for that session when requested.
All scheduled Tuesday AZELLAology sessions, unless otherwise noted, begin at 8:00am and end at 9:00am. The link to attend a scheduled session, as well as the topics for each session, are posted on the AZELLA DTC webpage under the AZELLAology section.
Attendance for AZELLAology is not required. The invitation is open to all AZELLA DTCs; however, we strongly encourage first and second year AZELLA DTCs to attend. |
Communicating with the AZELLA Team |
The most efficient way to communicate with the AZELLA Team (Gabbie, Brenda, Sandra, and Rose) at ADE is by email. |
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- Use a meaningful subject line that includes your entire district name and entity ID.
- Include full contact information in your signature line or elsewhere in the email.
- Include the student's SSID number if your question is regarding a specific student. Per federal laws, please do not include the student's name and birthdate when providing ADE with the SSID.
- For students testing, please include the student's grade level and school.
- If the student is currently testing or is sitting for the test but waiting for communication from ADE, in the subject of the email, please include "Urgent-Student Testing" and be sure to include a phone number where you can answer ADE's call.
The AZELLA Team strives to respond to emails within one business day unless further research is needed. |
OELAS Updates
Practitioners of English Language Learning (PELL) Fall Meeting - September 6, 2023 at Desert Willow Conference Center, Phoenix
The annual OELAS Conference is on hiatus for this year. In its place, OELAS will be offering a three-day training session for teachers and administrators. The first two days will be dedicated to teachers and the third day will be offered for administrators. The training sessions are titled, "Effective SEI Instructional Practices" and will take place at Desert Willow Conference Center on December 4-6, 2023.
Please contact OELAS at OELAS@azed.gov with any questions about these training opportunities. |
If you have any questions about AZELLA, please contact us at AZELLA@azed.gov. |
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2023-2024 is a large sample year for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In Arizona, we are collecting data and assessing students in Grades 4 and 8 in Math and Reading. We are participating in a Grade 8 Science assessment. Grade 12 Math and Reading assessments are being conducted along with a High School Transcript Study to be completed upon graduation. The districts in the NAEP sample were notified of their participation on 7/13/23.
Achievement Levels in NAEP
In a recent presentation conducted by Dr. Scott Marion, the relevance of NAEP in today's world was discussed. Dr. Marion is a National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) board member. As a federal government program, NAEP is managed and carried out by contractors who work to achieve the smooth operation of NAEP. NAGB is the leadership arm of the alliance. Dr. Marion discussed why we use achievement levels in NAEP and why the bar is set so high. Put simply and eloquently, when an 8th grader scores proficient in Math and Reading, you can draw a straight line for the rest of their lives to higher college graduation rates and overall income levels. This is mutually beneficial for the student, Arizona, and the country. Once a student achieves a proficient score, it can be posited that they will be a highly productive member of society with a high degree of certainty. The governing board is striving to raise academic achievement throughout the US in partnership with states as high achievement in NAEP means a brighter future for our country. The most concerning thing about the latest data release is the share of students deemed proficient dropped from 34% to 26% nationwide in Grade 8 Math. That represents countless students that have had their long-term economic picture weakened if we do not close the learning loss and gaps.
Goal Setting
It is no secret that NAEP showed serious implications on student achievement from COVID. How will this year's cohorts perform in the NAEP assessment of Math and Reading? Will these students bounce back? Will we plug in the gap from growing up during COVID? No doubt this is a big year for NAEP and Arizona's educators to show what our students know and can do. In the release of NAEP data in 2022, after decades of being below the national average, Arizona is now among the national average on NAEP scores for states.
TALIS
TALIS, or the Teaching and Learning International Survey, is conducting a study this year, and there are schools in Arizona that will participate. TALIS provides a unique snapshot of what a teacher looks like throughout the world. It asks about teachers' backgrounds, work environments, professional development, and attitudes and beliefs about teaching. TALIS is the only international survey that conducts research on educators and makes comparisons. You can find a few TALIS highlights from 2018 here: Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) - Welcome to TALIS 2018 Results (ed.gov). |
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Gary McIlvaine, AZ Director of NAEP and International Assessments:
602-364-1538
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The Assessments Bulletin is published electronically every August, November, February, and May for distribution to Test Coordinators in Arizona schools. Test Coordinators are responsible for disseminating information in The Assessments Bulletin as appropriate.
Arizona Department of Education - Assessment Section
602.542.5031 |
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