The Hawaii State Teachers Association encourages grade 4 English language arts and grade 8 mathematics teachers to participate in the Hawaii State Department of Education's Innovative Assessment Pilot Program, which begins SY 2020–21.
These teachers will be instrumental in developing Hawaii's innovative assessment model to support student-centered or personalized learning. “This is Hawaii’s best opportunity to get away from the overburdening of standardized tests and move to something that’s better for our students,” said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee.
The DOE sent a memo on Dec. 6 with information about the program and the proposed Hawaii "hybrid" model. You can view the memo in its entirety here.
For the latest updates, visit the DOE's Innovative Assessment Project web page.
The deadline to apply is Dec. 31. Please apply online here.
Memo from the Hawaii State Department of Education dated Dec. 6, 2019:
The Assessment Section, in the Office of Strategy, Innovation and Performance, is accepting applications from school leaders and principals to participate in the Innovative Assessment Pilot Program. Grade 4 teachers of English Language Arts ("ELA") and grade 8 teachers of Mathematics are being recruited to participate in the first year of the pilot program, SY 2020–21.
The Every Student Succeeds Act ("ESSA") grants states by application to develop alternative approaches to assessment that supports student-centered or personalized learning. Pursuant to Section 1204 of the ESSA, states may apply to the Innovative Assessment and Accountability Demonstration Authority ("IADA") to develop alternative or innovative assessments that possess technical qualities matching those of standardized instruments now used for evaluating student college and career readiness. Teachers who participate in the Innovative Assessment Pilot Program will assist in the development of the Hawaiʻi innovative assessment model. Subject to approval by the USDOE, student particpants in the Innovative Assessment Pilot Program are exempt from the statewide summative assessment in the content area(s) being assessed.
Attached are the Hawaiʻi Innovative Assessment Hybrid Model Overview and the Hawaiʻi Innovative Assessment Annual Timeframe that describe the model for implementation during the first year of the pilot program. Teacher participants are expected to administer authentic assessments aligned to the Hawaiʻi Common Core standards throughout the school year. Authentic assessments include, but are not limited to, performance assessments, portfolios, project-based learning assessments, interim assessments, presentations, learning logs, etc. Professional development will be provided that support the types of authentic assessments selected by participating teachers as well as formative assessment practices and differentiation strategies that meet students' needs.
Participating teachers will be expected to use an online system for standards-based grading and reporting. The reporting feature will allow for data mining of authentic assessment results (e.g., item analysis) in order to inform instruction. The system will also allow for teachers to create test questions and to administer teacher-created assessments aligned to the Hawaiʻi Common Core. Professional development will be provided for participating teachers and support staff on how to use the online system to develop and adminster authentic assessments as well as how to analyze the results of those assessments.
At the end of the school year a shortened, summative, computer adaptive test (CAT) will be administered to the participating teachers' students. The shortened CAT is designed to be completed in one class period and will utilize the current delivery system used to administer the Smarter Balanced and other statewide assessments. The test window will be the last three months of the school year and students will have up to three opportunities to complete the assessment.
The Innovative Assessment Pilot Program will rely on the use of technology by both teachers and students. The Assessment Section will work with school level staff to ensure that participating teachers and their students have access to computers that have a reliable Internet connection and can be used during daily instruction throughout the school year.
Teacher participants are expected to attend a full-day, in-person training in Honolulu that will be scheduled during the spring semester at a time that is conventient for the majority of participants. Complex area support staff, principals and other school level leaders of the teacher participants will also be invited to attend. Additional professional development opportunities will be scheduled during the summer, fall, and spring breaks that pilot program participants will be invited to attend. Substitutes will be provided for teachers who need them or stipends will be provided when trainings occur during a break. The Assessment Section will cover all travel costs for neighbor island participants. Webinars and virtual meetings may be scheduled on an as-needed basis throughout the school year.
Grade 4 ELA and grade 8 Mathematics teachers who are interested in participating in the Innovative Assessment Pilot Program should discuss the possibility with their principals and apply no later that Tuesday, December 31, 2019. The online application can be accessed via this link or through the alohahsap.org website. All applicants will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of application. Please note this email message is NOT a confirmation of participation in the program. Applicants who do not receive the automated confirmation email within 24 hours of submission should notify Elaine Lee, Ph.D., by email at Elaine.Lee@k12.hi.us. Student participants will be selected based on their representation of the student population. All applicants sected to participate in the pilot program will receive a second email confirming their participation by Friday, January 3, 2020.
Please share this memo with grade 4 ELA and grade 8 Mathematics teachers who may be interested in participating in the Innovative Assessment Pilot Program. If you have further questions regarding this program, please contact Elaine Lee, Ph.D., Test Development Specialist, Assessment Section, at (808) 307-3636 or by email at Elaine.Lee@k12.hi.us.