Legal Guide Padlet by Amalia Chesser https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv Required Testing in Florida Public High Schools en-us 2020-05-01 14:40:34 UTC 2020-05-02 01:33:15 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/2696.png Slide 1: Perspective/Audience achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544186644 High school counselors must be familiar with the assessments Florida students are required to take, how each assessment figures into student and school grades, and the impact each has on graduation requirements and diploma designations.  Also, state assessments are mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (20 USC § 6311).
This guide provides and overview of the laws and ethics surrounding state-mandated testing.  School counselors, school administrators, and educators can benefit from this guide.
Reference
Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 USC § 6311. ]]> 2020-05-01 14:48:22 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544186644 Slide 2: Summary achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544230079
  • A knowledge of the required assessments is important for school counselors because one of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that students are scheduled in courses that will support them in meeting the requirements to earn a standard high school diploma.  State-mandated assessments impact the field of education in many ways.  They are used to determine student progress which impacts scheduling for intensive reading and/or math courses.  Student growth and the number of students performing at grade level are components that figure into the state-issued school grade as well as teacher evaluations each year.
  • Issues emerge for many aspects of public education and testing is no different.  One testing issue that school officials should be aware of is the amount of testing Florida students are exposed to.  Many advocacy groups are working to reduce the number of tests students take while making sure the quality and data provided by these test is more meaningful and useful.  For example, eliminating the Geometry and Biology end of course exams has been a recent topic of note.  The Florida Department of Education provides memos and resources to keep school officials aware of changes that affect them and their students.
  • The link from the Florida Department of Education articulates the plan for eliminating the Florida Common Core standards and transitioning to the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards in Florida.
    • ]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:09 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544230079     Slide 3: Professional Association achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544230728 The Florida Education Association (FEA) believes that the state of Florida has become obsessed with testing public school students.  The negative impact of overtesting affects students and teachers alike.  Low wages and teacher evaluation policies are driving highly effective educators out of the teaching profession.  The testing is costly and damaging to Florida's students as well.  Some of the negative impact on students include time taken away from more meaningful instruction, closing certain services within school sites to accommodate testing, and that the assessments are given without a clear purpose despite the Florida statute (Florida Education Association, 2019).
    Reference
    Florida Education Association. (2019). Overtesting of Florida's students. Retrieved from https://feaweb.org/news/frontline/overtesting-of-floridas-students/]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:25 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544230728     Slide 4: Current News Article 1 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231111 In the article, Is It Time to Kill Annual Testing? Sawchuk (2019) outlines several points related to standardized testing:
    • the standardized testing system in the United States is dysfunctional.
    • the testing is disliked by educators and the scores are reported too late in the school year to inform instruction.
    • currently, federal law mandates testing so it cannot be eliminated but policies can be rewritten.
    • although the results offer "longitudinal, comparable data in each state on student performance" (p. 16) alternatives that better capture student learning like portfolios and writing prompts are far more expensive, take more time, and are difficult to compare.
    • some alternatives to annual testing are testing samplings of students as opposed to every student, test students every two to three years, integrate essay tests with curriculum, and using student artifacts from classwork.
    • disadvantages to eliminating annual testing are also recognized-equity, transparency, and loss of data are of utmost concern.
    • some states are experimenting with alternatives to annual standardized assessments.
    Reference
    Sawchuk, S. (2019, January 8). Is it time to kill annual testing? Education Week, 38(17), 16-17. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/01/09/is-it-time-to-kill-annual-testing.html
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:34 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231111     Slide 5: Current News Article 2 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231387 In the article It's time to rethink state assessment, Minnich (2020) suggests that district leaders and teachers would like less testing and tests that are timelier and offer more meaningful summative results. In turn state education departments are seeking ways to reduce testing and support teachers. If district and state goals are shared, then why is there such a divide? The NWEA supports states by developing new approaches to testing. These adaptive, through-year assessments measure growth and proficiency. These assessments can offer a clearer view of school performance. Building an innovative approach to assessment is the goal.
    Reference
    Minnich, C. (2020, March 17). It's time to rethink state assessment. Education Dive.  https://www.educationdive.com/spons/its-time-to-rethink-state-assessment/573844/]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:41 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231387     Slide 6: Original Source of Law 1 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231603 The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution
    Source:  Constitutional (United States)
    Summary:  The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution gives states gives powers not delegated to the United States under the constitution to the states (U.S. Const. amend. X). States are given the power to establish of a system of public education.
    Reference
    U.S. Const. amend. X
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:47 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231603     Slide 7: Original Source of Law 2 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231869 Every Student Succeeds Act
    Source:  statutory (federal)
    Summary:  The Every Student Succeeds Act gives states the authority to develop their own plans for student achievement accountability.  The states must follow the federal guidelines outlined in ESSA.  Plans for annual testing in reading and math for students in grades 3 through 8 and at least once in high school and testing in science once in elementary, middle, and high school must be included in the state plan.  Accommodations for these tests must be provided according to students’ Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and 504 if applicable (20 USC § 6311).
    Reference
    Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 USC § 6311. 
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:53 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544231869     Slide 8: Original Source of Law 3 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232089 Florida Statute 1003.4282 – Requirements for a standard high school diploma
    Source:  statutory (state)
    Summary:  Students must pass the grade 10 English Language Arts assessment or earn a concordant score (ACT,SAT) and pass the statewide Algebra 1 end of course assessment or earn a comparative score (PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, ACT) to earn a standard high school diploma.  In addition, students enrolled in Geometry, Biology, and United States History must complete the end of course assessment associated with each course and their performance must constitute 30 percent of the student’s final course grade (FLA. STAT. § 1003.4282).
    Reference
    FLA. STAT. § 1003.4282 
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:07:59 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232089     Slide 9: Original Source of Law 4 achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232471 Florida Statute 1008.22 - Student assessment program for public schools 
    Source:  statutory (state)
    Summary:  The primary purpose of the student assessment program in Florida public schools is to provide data from student achievement and learning gains to students, parents, and school and district staff.  This data should be used to improve instruction and guide learning objectives.  This data also drives decision making regarding school accountability, recognition, and improvement, and identify student readiness for promotion or graduation from high school (FLA. STAT. § 1008.22).
    Reference
    FLA. STAT. § 1008.22 
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:08:05 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232471     Slide 10: Local Policy achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232729 Dixie District Schools Student Progression Plan
    Source:  administrative (local)
    Summary:  The Dixie District Schools Student Progression plan provides policies in accordance with state mandated assessments.  These three topics relate to assessments:  1. Students will not receive credit for courses that require a state mandated end of course exam until the results of the exam are assessed.  2. Students that score at level 1 on the Florida State Assessment (FSA) in Reading, must be enrolled in an intensive reading course the following year.  3. To be awarded a standard high school diploma students must pass the grade 10 FSA ELA and the Algebra 1 EOC or earn a concordant or comparative score in addition to the credit and GPA requirements. (Dixie District Schools, 2020).
    Reference
    Dixie District Schools. (2020). Student Progression Plan, Grades 9-12, § 4. Retrieved from http://www.dixie.k12.fl.us/SM%20Documents/Student%20Progression%20Plan/Student%20Progression%20Plan.pdf 
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:08:11 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232729     Slide 11: Ethical Principle achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232926 The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) issues standards of ethics that all school counselors should abide by. Under section A, Responsibility to Students, subsection 13, Evaluation, Assessment, and Interpretation, item f school counselors are charged with explaining the nature, purpose, and potential implications, of student assessments in language that parents and students can understand
    (ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, 2016). This is important for the topic of state-mandated testing because the implications for placement in courses and graduation options rely on these tests so students and families must be aware of this.
    Reference
    American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf]]>     2020-05-01 15:08:16 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544232926     Slide 12: Non-Law Source achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544233278 The Florida Department of Education's Graduation Requirements for Florida's Statewide Assessments (2019) provides a clear and concise document listing all of the required assessments for high school graduation as well as information regarding passing scores. Another helpful feature of this document is that the types of acceptable tests along with the concordant and comparative scores are listed as well. Currently the classes of 2020 and 2021 are under different requirements than the 2022 and 2023 cohorts so this document really helps keeping who is under which requirements straight which can be complicated.
    Reference
    Florida Department of Education. (2019). Graduation requirements for Florida's statewide assessments. Retrieved from http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7764/urlt/GradRequireFSA.pdf]]>     2020-05-01 15:08:24 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544233278     Slide 13: Best Practices for Compliance achesser1 https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544233577 1.  Understood.org explains ESSA in easy to understand terms:
    https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-rights/every-student-succeeds-act-essa-what-you-need-to-know
    2.  U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet summarizes the policies for state mandated testing under ESSA:
    https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/essaassessmentfactsheet1207.pdf
    3.  UnderstandingESSA.org outlines key changes in the more innovative testing approach sought by departments of education:
    https://understandingessa.org/education-groups-call-for-key-changes-to-innovative-assessment-program-in-comments-to-doe/
    4.  U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet for the Testing Action Plan
    https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-testing-action-plan
    5.  Florida Standards Assessments practice tests:
    https://fsassessments.org/students-and-families/practice-tests/
    6.  Florida Standards Assessment FAQs for students and families
    https://fsassessments.org/students-and-families/faqs/
    ]]>     2020-05-01 15:08:31 UTC https://padlet.com/achesser1/fhsqqgtly5rpxkhv/wish/544233577