DPI Memos

Please distribute/forward this memo to all persons in your school, school district, or special education unit who need to know about the North Dakota State Assessment, including counselors, teachers, education improvement team members, and others.

 NDDPI State Assessment Memo 2011-12 #10

 January 5, 2012

 TO: School District Superintendents, Public School Principals, Private School Administrators, Special Education Directors, School District Testing Coordinators

 FROM: Robert Bauer, Testing Coordinator, NDDPI

 RE: Changes to the 2011-12 assessment reports

 In December 2011 Dr. Wayne G. Sanstead, State Superintendent, approved the adoption of the state achievement standards in language arts.  These newly established state achievement standards mark the first time that student language arts achievement levels will be reported out on the North Dakota state assessment reports that will be distributed to school districts in February 2012.  The state will also continue to provide achievement level reports for reading, mathematics, and science.

These language arts results will not be used for the purposes of determining annual adequate yearly progress (AYP). The new language arts achievement standard reports will provide educators with additional information to measure student achievement and track student academic growth.

 Additions to the 2011-12 Assessment Reports

 Summary Reports

A separate language arts Summary Report will be introduced.  This report will present the number and percentage of students in each of the four achievement levels.  The new report compares overall aggregated achievement results at the state, district, and school levels.  See a sample language arts Summary Report at the following link on the DPI website.  Sample Summary Report

 Student Report

A separate language arts Student Report will be introduced.  This report presents a student’s overall language arts achievement in terms of what is expected of a proficient student, and describes a student’s achievement within each content standard and within the benchmarks that make up the content standard.  Descriptions of the four achievement levels are provided, and individual standards and benchmarks are reported in terms of the percentage of points earned by the student. See a sample language arts Student Report at the following link on the DPI website.  Sample Student Report

Content Standard Performance Report

Listed at the bottom of the language arts content standards report is each student’s language arts scale score and the associated achievement level.

General Research File (GRF)

The GRF is distributed on a CD to all districts.  The CD contains the NDSA results for the district, which will include language arts scale scores and achievement levels for 2011-12.

 Additional Resources

Refer to following links on the DPI website for more detailed information about the new language arts achievement standards.

 DPI press release dated December 14, 2011

http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/news/2011/121411.shtm

 Language arts achievement level descriptors

http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/descriptors-language-arts.pdf

 Language arts cut scores

http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/cutscores/language_arts.pdf

 Contact information

 Questions concerning shipment of reading, language arts, mathematics, and science reports should be addressed to CTB at the ND Customer Service line: 1-800-282-9988.

 All other questions should be addressed to Rob Bauer (701-328-2224 / rgbauer@nd.gov) or Heidi Bergland (701-328-2317 / hbergland@nd.gov).

 

Access all State Assessment Memos and other assessment information at

http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/testing/assess/index.shtm

 

Heidi Bergland

Department of Public Instruction

Standards & Achievement Unit

600 E. Blvd. Ave.

Dept. 201

Bismarck, ND 58505-0440

(701) 328-2317 (voice)

(701) 328-0205 (fax)

www.dpi.state.nd.us