The Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test

Michele Hunter

Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Mobile County Public Schools

Pre-Test What is the ARMT? When will this test be administered? To whom will it be administered? Why was this test created? What is AYP? What happens if schools don’t meet their goals

in 2 years? 3 Years? 4-5 Yr? How will the SAT10 scores differ from ARMT

scores? What is proficiency? How do you know if your

students are proficient in mathematics?

Three Components of the ARMT

T he A RMT

O n ly tho se tes t ite m sin o u r N E W A L C O S

*C a lcu la to rs p e rm itte d fo r g ra d e s 4 -8

SA T 10P ro ce d u res

P ro b le m S o lv ing

G ridded R esponseC o m pu ta tion

Ite m s in o u r C O S n o t fo u n d o n theS A T 10

C a lcu la to rs P e rm ittedS tu d e n ts m u s t ju s t ify an sw e rs

R u b ric S co red4 Q u es tio n s u p to 3 p o in ts e a ch

O pen-Ended Q uestionsP ro b le m -S o lv ing

S h o w o r E xp la in yo u r a n sw erM u lt i-s te p P ro b le m s

Mathematics

The ARMT

Piloted in October Administered to all

students in grades 3-8 Status of the school will

be determined on the ARMT, ADWA, and AHSGE

Criterion Referenced Test based on our state’s standards

Criterion Reference Tests CRT’s (ARMT &ADAW) Developed using course-specific objectives on

grade level Developed to test mastery of state standards Content standards are reported by performance

levels (I, II, III, and IV) Performance Descriptors provide a narrative

description of each level Levels III and IV are considered “Proficient” Exemplars provide samples of student work at

each level Cut Scores provide the cut for each level

Norm-Referenced Tests NRT’s (SAT 10) Developed using questions that are at and above

the grade-level curriculum Developed to compare individual performance with

performance of the norming group Designed to spread our kids out by reporting

scores using a bell curve making it mathematically impossible for all students to be proficient

Reports relative strengths and weaknesses of individuals

Reported scores by national percentile rank, national stanine, national grade percentile band, content cluster stanine range, and achievement/ability comparison range

Challenges We Face This Year

Understanding the NCLB Act of 2001 Meeting Standards and Accountability

through AYP Understanding the curriculum Using research-based best practices for

instructional strategies Taking a closer look at our classroom

assessments

The NCLB Act of 2001

Challenges the entire educational community, but primarily teachers and administrators, to change the way schools do business

Under this law all public school children, even the most disadvantaged, must perform proficiently on standardized tests in reading and mathematics by the year 2014

NCLB-Mathematical Proficiency T he N at ional Research Council

ReasoningU sing logic to explain

and j ust if y a solut ion

* A RM T O pen- ended

U nderstandingComprehending math concepts,

operat ions, and relat ions

A RM T & S A T 10

Comput ingCar rying out procedures

A dd, S ubtract, M ultiply, and Divide

numbers fl ex ibly, accurately, and effi cient ly

EngagingS eeing math as sensible, usef ul, and doable-

if you work at it - and being willing to do the work

Classroom & H ome Environment

A pplyingFormulate Problems

Devise strategies f or solving them

O pen- Ended Respons A RMT

5 S trands of Profi ciency

AYP- Adequate Yearly Progress

An individual state’s measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards.

“Adequate Yearly Progress” is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year.

Goals must be reported starting 2005

Disaggregated Databy Subgroups- AYP

Race and EthnicitySocioeconomic LevelDisabilitiesLimited English Proficiency* Migrant Status * Gender

Flexible, Local Control of Funds School districts currently

receive federal funding from the Dept. of Ed. under 4 major state grant programs

*Teacher Quality Grants *Education Technology *Innovative Programs *Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Under NCLB, every school district can transfer up to 50% of these funds between any other program or to Title I to meet AYP goals

Falling Short of AYP Goals- Yr 2

Corrective Action Develop Improvement

Plans based on scientifically proven teaching methods

Offer parents public school choice

Provide transportation to the new school

Falling Short of AYP Goal- Yr 3

Title I Funds used for supplemental services chosen by parents

Tutoring After-school

programs

Understanding the Curriculum

AL- COS for Mathematics

(new vs.current) NCTM’s Principles and Standards for

School Mathematics Local Curriculum Guides (Team Math) AMSTI- Alabama Math, Science, and

Technology Initiative

NCLB – Instruction & Materials

• Despite the research, many classroom teachers still spend the bulk of their classroom time demonstrating procedures and supervising students while they practice those procedures.

• Textbooks are typically packed with an assortment of topics creating a scattered and superficial curriculum.

• The New AL COS has reduced the number of standards to allow for in-depth instruction of content, facilitating mathematical proficiency.

Instructional Strategies

Identifying Similarities & Differences

Summarizing & Note Taking

Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition

Homework and Practice

Nonlinguistic Representations

Cooperative Learning

Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback

Generating & Testing Hypotheses

Questions, Cues, & Adv. Organizers

Classroom Assessment Assess the COS Standards (not just

chapters) and expect mastery with each standard for all students

Intervention Plan for individual students who are not mastering skills; re-teach & reassess

Sampling of student work should align to the COS

Use Bloom’s Taxonomy Available Instructional Time Protected Model format of the ARMT with assessment

Post-Test What is the ARMT? When will this test be administered? To whom will it be administered? Why was this test created? What is AYP? What happens if schools don’t meet their

goals in 2 years? 3 Years? 4-5 Yr? How will the SAT10 scores differ from ARMT

scores? What is proficiency? How do you know if

your students are proficient in mathematics?