2012 - 2013 Archdiocesan ITBS/iRM Testing Consortium Overview

2012 Archdiocesan ITBS/iRM Testing Consortium Overview

ARCHDIOCESAN ITBS/iRM TESTING CONSORTIUM: The Catholic Schools Department continues working with Riverside Publishing to uplift student growth and improvement for Grades 3-8 using the ITBS/iRM assessment tool. In order to gather Archdiocesan data relevant to support the Accreditation tasks articulated in the Improving Student Learning (ISL) Instrument (Edition 2010) and to uplift Archdiocesan policies in the area of assessment and reporting student learning, the ITBS/iRM assessment tool is a quality formative and summative assessment tool to measure growth and track longitudinal data of our students.

Catholic Schools: Policies and Procedures Binder for the Archdiocese of Seattle
2.7 ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING STUDENT PROGRESS
http://www.seecelebrateandlive.org/s...cedures-Manual
2.7 (A) Under the guidance and direction of the principal, each school shall determine a plan for regular student assessment.
2.7 (B) Student assessment programs shall be identified and used each year at selected grade levels to ensure that students are mastering the skills appropriate to their age group.
2.7 (C) Schools shall submit the results of student assessment results to the Superintendent upon request.
2.7 (D) Test results shall not be released to the public except with the permission of the school principal.
2.7 (E) To ensure that parents are informed of the progress of their child(ren), schools shall issue report cards and provide opportunities for parent- teacher conferences.

Fall 2012 Testing Program Parameters:

***NEW THIS YEAR! BAR CODING! The Catholic Schools Department will be absorbing the costs for all consortium member schools to move into limited bar coding the core data for each student test (Student name, birth date, and gender). This is the next phase of our consortium growth so the data collected is more standardized and accurate. ALL participating schools will receive directions in May to create student lists for bar code preparation.

*The Archdiocesan ITBS/iRM Consortium will use the Iowa tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Form A, fall 2012 using the Paperless Plan for our delivery method.

*FALL Testing Window Only:

Monday, October 15 through Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Our testing window reflects the fall mid-point for the national norms’ comparison. Background: The fall, mid-year, and spring norms are empirically established. By definition, the fall mid-point is set at October 22^nd and the spring mid-point is set at April 30^th. When students are administered the Iowa Tests at these points, their scores are reflective of the national averages from the students in the standardization sample. The Riverside technical manual provides all of the data points and statistics related to the normative studies. October 22^nd is the mid-point of the fall national norms for 2010, 2011, 2012 using the current forms (A-C) of The Iowa Tests. Data will be available before Thanksgiving vacation. The Archdiocesan fall testing window will follow the testing pattern of the last two weeks in October each year.

*Testing: Grades 3- 8

*Costs: Each school is responsible for their local building costs. The Catholic Schools Department will be responsible for costs associated with rolling-up test scores of participating schools at the Archdiocesan level. CoGAT is an optional testing choice and currently nine schools use it to accompany the ITBS/iRM test. For additional information about CoGAT, please visit directly with Valerie Kosinski, our Riverside Special Accounts Coordinator.

Professional Development Plan for 2012 - 2013:

1. Pre-Test Workshop: September 19, 2012 9:30 a.m. to noon at the large Isaac Orr Conference Rom at The Chancery. Valerie Kosinski from Riverside will walk through all directions and bring your school’s testing materials. ALL Testing Coordinators should plan on attending.
2. Post-Test Workshop: December 5, 2012. This is our day to work with Dr. Will Gray, Riverside Publishing, to learn best practices in navigating the iRM tool, CoGAT database, plus our own databases. Please start cultivating your DATA TEAM members so when the data is available your team can begin their initial analysis.
3. Optional Webinar trainings available throughout the school year- as needed.
4. Online ITBS/iRM Forum located on SeeCelebrateandLive.org This is our common location for core documents, annual testing data and our online professional learning community. Check it out at: http://www.seecelebrateandlive.org/s...iRM-Consortium

Optional Local Choices and Materials:
Riverside will honor the archdiocesan parameters and then optional testing materials are also available for your school’s consideration. Ie: Some schools might choose to test at a Grade 2(Level 7) level and that can occur with the school communicating this request to Riverside directly at time of registering with Riverside.

Our Riverside Special Accounts Coordinator is: Valerie Kosinski
Consortium Assessment Coordinator
Valerie.Kosinski@hmhpub.com
(800) 323-9540 ext. 7079
FAX (630) 467-7192 attention: Valerie
Customer Service at 800.323.9540 and ask for Special Accounts

Our local Riverside Sales Representative is Tyler Brown. Please contact Tyler Brown for directly to set up local school professional development as needed.

Tyler Brown
Riverside Publishing
Assessment Consultant
206-295-7842
Tyler.brown@riversidepublishing.com


For additional information or questions, please contact Sandy Smith at sandra.smith@seattlearch.org

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Barton Smith
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Data and Technology