Byrd Bennett announces that CPS intends to 'reduce excessive testing'
In a press release embargoed until 12:01 a.m. on August 7, 2013, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Barbara Byrd Bennett announced that CPS will be reducing the number of standardized tests required by the district. It remains unclear which tests will be un-mandated, however, since the press release seems to indicate that the decision on which tests to eliminated will be left up to local school "leadership teams." In typical fashion, Byrd Bennett has released the statement via email without holding a press conference so that reporters could ask questions for further details on this important story.
THE PRESS RELEASE DATED AUGUST 7 2013 FOLLOWS BELOW HERE:
EMBOARGOED FOR RELEASE:
12:01 AM, August 7, 2013
CPS Reduces Number of District Required Student Tests as Part of New, Streamlined Assessment Policy
Parents, teachers, principals and other key stakeholders inform new CPS assessment policy aimed to increase student instructional time
CHICAGO – Guided by the input of parents, teachers, students and principals, Chicago Public School (CPS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Barbara Byrd-Bennett announced today the elimination of 15 District-mandated tests including elimination of fall standardized testing for all CPS grades as part of the District’s new, streamlined assessment policy. The new policy will provide school leaders and teachers with more autonomy in establishing assessments that help teachers develop instructional plans and align assessments with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to increase student learning time.
Since February, CPS has hosted 17 focus groups with principals, teachers, parents, education advocates and researchers to gather feedback on the new assessment policy while incorporating input from 450 teachers who responded to a CPS survey on how to best modify the District’s assessment policy.
“Our education partners across the District – students, parents, teachers, principals, education stakeholders and researchers – contributed directly to the creation of this sensible, new policy that puts children and their learning first,” said CEO Byrd-Bennett. “As a former teacher and principal, I felt that our parents and educators raised valid concerns around our testing policy, which is why we launched a rigorous analysis of that policy soon after I became CEO. This reflects their feedback and places a higher value on increased student learning time.”
The new assessment policy builds on the District’s April announcement of eliminating the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress for Primary Grades (MPG) assessment for kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students. Beginning in SY13-14, the annual assessment calendar will limit standardized District testing to the spring for grades two through eleven and offer schools flexibility to select interim measures to monitor progress.
Each school’s Instructional Leadership Teams—made up of teachers and school administrators—will be required to identify interim tests from either a District-provided menu of “school choice assessments” or alternate tests of their choice with the requirement that they are aligned to the CCSS, and engage students in activities that require critical thinking, writing and problem-solving.
The emphasis on CCSS in the new assessment policy mirrors state-level efforts to transition to these new, more rigorous academic standards. Starting next school year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will administer a fully CCSS-aligned Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) to students in grades three
Chicago Public Schools - Press Release Page 2 of 3
Office of Communications · 125 South Clark Street · Chicago, IL 60603 · (773) 553-1620 · FAX: (773) 553-1621
through eight. The new ISAT will begin to prepare Chicago students for the full transition to the CCSS, which
is scheduled for all grades starting in school year 2014-15.
A full list of District-required tests for 2013-2014 is below, followed by a list of the tests that will be eliminated
starting next school year.
Grades Assessment Required Administration
Timing
Purpose
K-2 Schools are required to
monitor early literacy
progress with 1 tool. CPS
will support MPG and
TRC/DIBELS. Schools
can choose another tool.
Flexible windows to
accommodate individual
assessment: Aug-Oct,
Nov-Feb, May-June
Ensure schools have a
research-based and
comprehensive way to
monitor early literacy,
critical for ensuring
students don’t fall offtrack
early.
2-8 Measures of Academic
Progress (MAP):
Common Core version
Spring: May Measure of whether
students are meeting
grade level learning and
year-to-year growth
expectations. Also a
factor in teacher, principal
and school evaluation.
3-8 IL Standards
Achievement Test (ISAT)
Early March Required by IL State
Board of Education
(ISBE) for all 3-8
students in IL.
9-10 EXPLORE-9, PLAN-10 Mid-May Measure of whether
students are meeting
grade level learning and
year-to-year growth
expectations. Also a
factor in teacher, principal
and school evaluation.
11 PSAE Late April Required by ISBE. ACT
growth is also a factor in
teacher, principal and
school evaluation.
7-12 Alternative School
Students only
STAR Sept, Jan, May Used in place of NWEA
or EPAS to measure
whether students in
Alternative Schools are
meeting grade level
learning and within year
growth expectations.
Also a factor in teacher,
principal and school
evaluation.
PK-12 REACH Performance October, May Measures baseline and
Chicago Public Schools - Press Release Page 3 of 3
Office of Communications · 125 South Clark Street · Chicago, IL 60603 · (773) 553-1620 · FAX: (773) 553-1621
Tasks
growth information on activity-based skills not easily assessed with traditional multiple choice tests. Results used in teacher evaluation.
K-12 ELLs only
ACCESS
Jan-Feb
Required by ISBE. Measures English language development.
Eliminated required tests:
MPG for K-2 (five tests)
Fall MAP for 3-8 grade (six tests)
EXPLORE for 8th grade (one test)
Fall EPAS for 9-11 grade (three tests)
Total District-required tests eliminated: 15 tests
Chicago Public Schools has 403,000 students in 681 schools. It’s the nation’s third-largest school district.
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