FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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K12: 2007-141
Date: October
26,
2007
JEANINE
BLOMBERG
Commissioner of
Education
Technical Assistance Paper
Revised Sunshine State Standards
Summary
:
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It is the goal of the Department of Education to provide Technical Assistance to administrators
and educators on the implementation of the revised Sunshine State Standards. Revised
Sunshine State Standards for Reading and Language Arts were adopted by the State Board of
Education on January 25, 2007. The new Sunshine State Standards for Mathematics were
presented to the State Board of Education for adoption on September 18, 2007.
Contact
:
Pamela
Smith
Pam.Smith@fldoe.org
(850)
245-0509
Mary
Jane
Tappen
Mary.Tappen@fldoe.org
(850)
245-0468
Status
:
X
New Technical Assistance Paper
Revises and replaces existing Technical Assistance:
Issued by the
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Florida Department of Education
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Division of Public Schools
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Office of Mathematics & Science
www.fldoe.org/k12/
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http://www.fldoestem.org/center13.aspx
Table of Contents
PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE SUNSHINE STATE
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STANDARDS........................................................................................................... 5
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A. Background .............................................................................................................. 5
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A-1. What is the origin of the Sunshine State Standards? ....................................................................5
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A-2. What specific authority and responsibility are given for the revision of the standards? ..............5
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A-3. What is the process for the revision of the Sunshine State Standards? ........................................6
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B. Transition to the New Standards............................................................................ 6
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B-1. What is the timeline for implementation of the upcoming standards? .........................................6
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B-2. What is the coding system for the revised Sunshine State Standards?.........................................6
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C. Resources for Teachers ........................................................................................... 7
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C-1. Where can I find resources that correlate to the new standards?..................................................7
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C-2. Will there be a way to search for terms aligned to the new standards?........................................7
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C-3. Will there be a crosswalk from the old to new standards? ...........................................................7
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C-4. Will this affect course descriptions?.............................................................................................7
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D. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Transition, New Generation Tests,
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and Test Crosswalks................................................................................................ 7
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D-1. How long will it take to develop new assessments?.....................................................................7
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D-2. How will the FCAT be impacted during the transition?...............................................................8
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D-3. What will be the next generation of assessments?........................................................................8
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D-4. What is the crosswalk from the old to the new tests?...................................................................9
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D-5. Which (if any) additional benchmarks will be tested on the new Florida Standards
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Assessment at each grade level?...................................................................................................9
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D-6. When will the new tests of reading and mathematics be in place and be used for
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accountability? ............................................................................................................................10
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D-7. How will changes in the test affect Grade 3 reading promotion requirements?.........................10
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D-8. How will changes in the tests affect graduation requirements?..................................................10
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D-9. Now that a revision of the Science Sunshine State Standards has begun, when will a new
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science test be used? ...................................................................................................................10
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E. Assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs)............................................ 11
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E-1. How should ELLs be assessed? ..................................................................................................11
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E-2. What is the English Language Proficiency Assessment? ...........................................................11
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E-3. What is the Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment schedule for the 2007
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08 school year? ...........................................................................................................................11
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E-4. How will English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instructional materials be adopted?..11
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E-5. What are the English Language Proficiency Standards? ............................................................12
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E-6. How can I access the English Language Proficiency Standards?...............................................12
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F. Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities .......................................... 12
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F-1. How will students with significant cognitive disabilities be assessed? ......................................12
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F-2. What is the Florida Alternate Assessment schedule? .................................................................12
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F-3. How will training be provided on the administration of the new Florida Alternate
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Assessment?................................................................................................................................13
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F-4. Is there a method for ensuring that all staff are trained the same way?......................................13
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F-5. If a teacher has already received training for the field test, do they have to be retrained?.........13
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F-6. Can teachers who have not been trained watch the accompanying DVD and be able to
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administer the test? .....................................................................................................................13
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F-7. Will there be funding from the State (DOE) to pay for substitute teachers when teachers
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participate in the training? ..........................................................................................................14
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F-8. How many teachers need to be trained to administer the Florida Alternate Assessment for
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the operational test? ....................................................................................................................14
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F-9. Why do we need to do a field test?.............................................................................................14
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F-10. Do all school districts participate in the field test?.....................................................................14
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F-11. What are adaptations?.................................................................................................................14
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F-12.What if a visually impaired student requires large print on the stimulus cards or larger
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graphics? .....................................................................................................................................14
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F-13. Should visually impaired students be included in the field test?................................................15
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F-14. When possible, could the test use Picture Communication Symbols (PCS)?.............................15
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F-15.Should students who are fluid Braille readers be assessed on the Florida Alternate
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Assessment?................................................................................................................................15
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F-16.What about communication devices that are used as a normal mode of communication for a
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student? .......................................................................................................................................15
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F-17. What are “access points” for students with significant cognitive disabilities?...........................15
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F-18.What criteria were used to determine which students with disabilities should be using the
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access points?..............................................................................................................................15
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F-19.Where do students with educable mental handicaps fit into the new standards and access
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points?.........................................................................................................................................16
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F-20.Will students working on the access points have adaptations? Why aren't they described in
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the access points' descriptions?...................................................................................................16
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F-21.Some students at the participatory level will never be able to achieve the access points.
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How do we address this issue?....................................................................................................16
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F-22. What are the “Sunburst Standards?”...........................................................................................16
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PART II: READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS .................................................... 17
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G. Revision Process..................................................................................................... 17
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G-1. What was the review and revision process for the Reading and Language Arts Standards? .....17
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G-2. What are the differences between the 1996 and the 2007 Sunshine State Standards for
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Reading and Language Arts?......................................................................................................18
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G-3. What is the coding system for the revised Reading and Language Arts Standards?..................18
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G-4. How do the new standards impact the K-12 reading instructional materials adoption
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process?.......................................................................................................................................19
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G-5. What resources will be available for teachers?...........................................................................19
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G-6. To what extent will the new Sunshine State Standards for Reading and Language Arts
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impact the benchmarks tested on future state assessments? .......................................................19
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G-7. How will changes in the Reading and Language Arts Standards affect the state’s future
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assessment of writing skills?.......................................................................................................19
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PART III: MATHEMATICS STANDARDS........................................................... 20
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H. Revision Process..................................................................................................... 20
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H-1. What was the review and revision process for the Mathematics Standards? .............................20
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H-2. What is the difference between the 1996 and the 2007 Sunshine State Standards for
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Mathematics? ..............................................................................................................................21
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H-3. What are "Bodies of Knowledge 9-12"?.....................................................................................21
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H-4. What is the coding system for the new Mathematics Standards?...............................................22
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H-5. How are instructional materials being aligned for mathematics?...............................................23
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H-6. What mathematics content should be included in the curriculum until a new state assessment
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can be developed?.......................................................................................................................23
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H-7. What resources will be available for teachers?...........................................................................23
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PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE SUNSHINE STATE
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STANDARDS
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A. Background
A-1.
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What is the origin of the Sunshine State Standards?
The Sunshine State Standards were first approved by the State Board of Education in
1996 as a means of identifying academic expectations for student achievement in Florida.
These original standards were written in seven subject areas and were divided into four
separate grade clusters (PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12).
As Florida moved toward greater accountability for student achievement at each grade
level, the Sunshine State Standards were further defined with specific K-8 “Grade Level
Expectations” added in 1999. However, as time went on, two realities appeared that
magnified the need to increase the level of rigor in Florida’s academic standards. First,
as the achievement of Florida students began to increase over time, it was recognized that
the level of rigor of the 1996 standards was inadequate to address the increased levels of
achievement registered by our students. Second, ample evidence from both national and
international measures of student achievement indicated the urgent need for even higher
expectations for all of our students.
The Department of Education recognized the need for a systematic approach to review
and revise all of the academic standards, and on January 17, 2006, the State Board of
Education adopted a six-year cycle that set forth a schedule for the regular review and
revision of all K-12 content standards. However, this move went far beyond increasing
the rigor of the standards, and included the alignment of the new standards with
assessments, instructional materials, professional development, and teacher licensure
exams. With this comprehensive approach, the new standards and their higher levels of
rigor will be fully integrated into the entire culture of K-12 instruction and assessment.
This move sets the stage for higher levels of rigor and higher academic achievement for
decades to come.
A-2.
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What specific authority and responsibility are given for the revision of the
standards?
In 2006, the Florida Legislature boldly stated its commitment to higher and more
challenging standards for Florida’s children by passing House Bill 7087. Florida law
now reads:
§ 1001.03(1) …The state board shall establish a schedule to facilitate the periodic review
of the standards to ensure adequate rigor, relevance, logical student progression, and
integration of reading, writing, and mathematics across all subject areas.
This is a commitment that is shared by educators across Florida, as evidenced by the
overwhelming level of public feedback to this revision process.
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A-3.
What is the process for the revision of the Sunshine State Standards?
The process for revising the Sunshine State Standards entails a variety of activities
including multiple opportunities for stakeholder input. These activities include meetings
with content supervisors, teachers, content specialists, professional organizations, and
other stakeholders. Continued stakeholder input is encouraged through both hard copy
and a Web-based input system that ensures stakeholder ease in providing meaningful
feedback so that the Sunshine State Standards will be world class.
B. Transition to the New Standards
B-1.
What is the timeline for implementation of the upcoming standards?
The implementation timeline occurs in the following three phases:
1.
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Adoption
– The teacher becomes aware of the new standards, resulting in
increased knowledge of the new standards and how they can begin to incorporate
them into existing lesson plans.
2.
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Adaptation
– The teacher becomes more familiar with the new standards and
how to incorporate the new standards into their lesson plans.
3.
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Implementation
– The teacher includes the new standards in daily instructional
strategies and activities.
Reading/Language Arts
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Implementation begins in 2007-2008.
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Professional development will take place from 2007-2010.
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Assessments fully aligned to the new standards are field tested in 2010.
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Assessments fully aligned to the new standards are administered in 2011.
Mathematics:
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Implementation begins in 2008-2009.
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Professional development will take place from 2007-2010.
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Assessments fully aligned to the new standards are field tested in 2010.
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Assessments fully aligned to the new standards are administered in 2011.
Timelines for other subjects areas will be addressed as each set of revisions is completed.
B-2.
What is the coding system for the revised Sunshine State Standards?
Every benchmark, K-12, is identified by five components, as noted below in this Reading
and Language Arts example. Note that “strand,” “standard,” and “benchmark” represent
a logical progression from broad to specific:
LA.
K.
1.
1.
1
Subject
Grade
Strand
Standard
Benchmark
Although content areas may differ in their organizational vocabulary of these five
components, the first indicates the subject or program code and the fifth represents the
specific content the teacher should teach.
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C. Resources for Teachers
C-1.
Where can I find resources that correlate to the new standards?
School districts, in collaboration with the Department of Education, are working to
design instruction to teach the new standards. New resources and strategies that can be
used to assist teachers with implementing the recently approved standards will be
available on the Florida Standards Web site at http://flstandards.org. For mathematics
and science, please visit www.fldoestem.org.
Many resources in the form of books, articles, and Web sites are available to assist
teachers in the development of classroom instruction in areas upon which they might not
have focused in the past. During the next year these additional resources will be
collected in one location through Sunshine Connections, available at
http://www.sunshineconnections.org.
C-2.
Will there be a way to search for terms aligned to the new standards?
Teachers can first become familiar with the new standards by downloading the standards
from the Florida Standards Web site at http://flstandards.org. An awareness of the
standards will allow teachers to determine which standards they have been incorporating
into instruction already, as well as those they have not addressed but will now need to
include.
C-3.
Will there be a crosswalk from the old to new standards?
Crosswalks between the old and new standards will be available at http://flstandards.org
to assist teachers in identifying connections between them. Teachers will also be able to
find resources in order to develop teaching strategies and student activities incorporating
the new standards.
C-4.
Will this affect course descriptions?
Yes, new course descriptions for currently adopted courses will be updated to include the
new standards. This process for Language Arts and Mathematics should be completed by
January 2008.
D. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Transition, New Generation
Tests, and Test Crosswalks
D-1.
How long will it take to develop new assessments?
The process of developing new tests takes several years. This time is required to ensure
that all professional standards for high-stakes assessments are followed, including the
involvement of educators. A careful process will ensure that the new tests are aligned
with the new standards, are grade-level appropriate, and are valid and reliable.
Furthermore, the awareness and adoption timeline for the new standards will allow
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districts time to fully implement the new standards to ensure that the need for
instructional validity has been met.
D-2.
How will the FCAT be impacted during the transition?
During the new test development phase, students will continue to take the current forms
of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests (FCAT). For reading and mathematics,
the transition years will be 2007-08 through 2009-10. For testing in the school years
2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10, FCAT Reading and Mathematics tests will be designed
in such a way as to minimize the gap between what the standards say must be taught and
what is actually tested, yet they will still maintain enough similarity to the existing tests
to allow us to report scores using the current FCAT scale.
The Department will provide guidance in the fall of 2007 to assist districts in bridging the
gap between the new standards and the knowledge that will be tested during the transition
years. The FCAT Content Advisory Committees met in August 2007 and this guidance
is currently being prepared.
Preliminary analysis by the Department’s Bureau of K-12 Assessment indicates that
teaching the new reading standards will provide appropriate preparation for the transition
years of FCAT Reading standards, since they will not be tested until 2011. This is also
true for FCAT Writing+. The Department will delay the revision of the writing
assessment to parallel changes to the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) Writing exam. It is likely that a new writing test will not be in place until 2012
or 2013.
The analysis of the current draft of the mathematics standards indicates that there may be
a need to continue the teaching of some grade-level content
not
in the new standards, in
order to ensure the opportunity for student success on FCAT. As stated above, details on
what grade-level mathematics content should continue to be included in the curriculum
will be provided by the Department in fall 2007.
D-3.
What will be the next generation of assessments?
The FCAT Content Advisory Committees are working on a new vision and design for
state assessments for the Sunshine State Standards. The committee met in April 2007
and August 2007 to work on the redesign. As the proposals become more specific, the
Department and Advisory Committee members will communicate the proposals to the
State Board of Education and Superintendents.
Currently, the districts can expect:
1.
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Tests designed to support, to the extent possible, 21
st
century teaching and
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learning.
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2.
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Increasing use of computer-based testing.
3.
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A possible change in which grade-level tests have performance tasks.
4.
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Different reporting categories, e.g., vocabulary for the reading test.
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5.
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Mathematics tests that are more narrow in the scope of content tested, but with
questions that measure deeper understanding of this content.
The timeline for preparing new generation tests for Reading and Mathematics is:
•
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Fall 2007-Spring 2008
– Develop test design, item specifications, and new items
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Fall 2008
– Conduct statewide educator reviews of new test items for content,
bias, and sensitivity
•
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Spring/Summer 2009
– Assemble items into field test forms
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Spring 2010
– Conduct field testing of new items
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Spring 2011
– Baseline NEW Test
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First student scores reported on new test
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o
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Conduct vertical scaling study on new tests
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•
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Summer/Fall 2011
– Set new Achievement Levels and Graduation Scores
•
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Spring 2012
– Report results with new achievement levels, student growth
scores, and norm-referenced scores.
D-4.
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What is the crosswalk from the old to the new tests?
Like other states that are in the process of revising their state standards and assessments,
Florida faces some challenges and related decisions on how to handle the transition. The
Department will seek guidance from advisory committees and the State Board of
Education in determining how to proceed. The Department will employ an open process
for gathering technical and policy guidance on these decisions.
Some of the decisions to be made include:
•
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The use of common benchmarks to link “old” FCAT scores to
new
Florida
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standards assessment scores.
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•
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The use of the equipercentile method to link “old” achievement levels for
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achievement level reporting in 2011.
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•
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Determining a graduation measure for 10
th
graders in 2011.
•
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Determining the legality and validity of use of a concordant score for students
needing to retake Grade 10 assessment beginning in spring 2011.
•
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Determining a Grade 3 reading promotion measure for 2011 and a concordant
score for retained students in 2012.
D-5.
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Which (if any) additional benchmarks will be tested on the new Florida
Standards Assessment at each grade level?
At this time, we have not determined which additional or new benchmarks will be tested.
The FCAT Content Advisory Committees met in April 2007 to review and recommend
the additional standards to be added to the test and met again in August to continue this
review. These committees also will recommend changes to the design of the assessments
of these new standards. The Department will provide an early draft of new Test Item
Specifications as soon as these are completed, possibly by January 2008.
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D-6.
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When will the new tests of reading and mathematics be in place and be used
for accountability?
The baseline test administration will occur in the spring of 2011, with results reported as
a grade-level scale score (not a developmental scale) and content subscores. New
achievement levels for each grade and subject, as well as graduation standards, will be
established in the fall of 2011 and reported for the first time in 2012. This year will also
be the first for reporting a developmental scale score. During 2011, with the guidance of
Florida’s Technical Advisory Committee, statistical procedures would be implemented,
to the extent possible, to link the old scores to the new scores for accountability purposes.
D-7.
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How will changes in the test affect Grade 3 reading promotion requirements?
There are options for the Department and State Board of Education to consider on this
issue. Among these are:
Option 1:
Maintain two testing programs with retained students taking the “old”
FCAT and first-time test-takers being given the new state assessment. With this
option, the test administration challanges for schools would be tremendous, as would
the requirement for Department staff and contractors to create and score two different
reading tests. It is very likely that administration errors would occur, such as students
taking the wrong tests.
Option 2:
Identify a score on the new assessment that accurately predicts or concords
with the current requirements, and drop the “old” test after 2010.
D-8.
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How will changes in the tests affect graduation requirements?
The Department and the State Board of Education, with legal and technical guidance,
may consider several options, including:
Option 1:
Maintain two testing programs with retake students taking forms of the
“old” FCAT Retake and first-time test-takers are being given the new assessment.
The process of ensuring that students are taking the correct test and tracking these
different cohorts of students would be challenging.
Option 2:
Identify a score on the new assessment that accurately predicts or concords
with the current requirements, and drop the “old” test after 2010.
Option 3:
Provide the “old” FCAT Retake for a limited time, for example two years,
and then for students still not meeting the “old” graduation requirement, use
concordant scores on other assessments (e.g., SAT, ACT, GED).
D-9.
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Now that a revision of the Science Sunshine State Standards has begun, when
will a new science test be used?
If the current timeline for revision of the Science standards is maintained, the Department
anticipates that new test items will be field tested in 2011 and the baseline year for a new
test of these standards would occur in 2012.
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E. Assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs)
E-1.
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How should ELLs be assessed?
English Language Learners should continue to be assessed for academic achievement in
reading, writing, mathematics, and science with appropriate accommodations. The
period of time between development of English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards
and the implementation of standards will allow districts the time necessary to ensure that
requirements for instructional validity for ELLs have been met.
E-2.
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What is the English Language Proficiency Assessment?
The Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) is the annual
assessment used in Florida to measure how well students who are classified as English
Language Learners (ELLs) are gaining the English language skills they need to succeed
academically. CELLA was designed to test English language proficiency in listening,
speaking, reading, and writing in general English, but also includes items designed to test
academic English. The Department is in the process of completing the standard setting
for CELLA using the 2006 and 2007 score results. The cut-scores will be established for
beginning, intermediate, advanced, and proficient, and recommendations for exit
standards will be presented to the State Board of Education for adoption. Resource
documents will also be developed to assist teachers, including references on the
alignment of new ELP standards to CELLA.
E-3.
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What is the Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment
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schedule for the 2007-08 school year?
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•
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January 7-11, 2008
– Annual Regional Training Sessions for Central to Southern
Florida School Districts
•
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January 15-18, 2008
– Annual Regional Training Sessions for Central to Northern
Florida School Districts
•
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April 23 - May 25, 2008
– 2007-08 CELLA Testing Window
E-4.
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How will English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instructional
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materials be adopted?
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All previously adopted supplementary instructional materials for ESOL/Language
Arts/Reading instruction of English Language Learners (ELL) were required to be
aligned to the Language Arts Standards and the ELL Performance Indicators. The ESOL
standards are scheduled for adoption in 2009 and the new materials will be made
available for use beginning in the 2009-10 school year. A crosswalk between the old
ELL Performance Indicators and the English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards is
being developed and will soon be provided to districts. This crosswalk will assist
districts in developing curriculum aligned to the new ELP standards, including guidance
and sample lesson plans using supplementary ESOL instructional materials included on
the current state adoption list.
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E-5.
What are the English Language Proficiency Standards?
Florida was one of the first states to establish English Language Proficiency Standards
(1998-99), known at that time as English Language Proficiency Performance Indicators.
The English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards used with English Language
Learners (ELLs) were revised to align with the new Reading and Language Arts
Standards and were completed in February 2007. The ELP Standards are indicators that
were written so teachers could identify the demonstration of mastery of each standard and
benchmark for English Language Learners at each proficiency level. The three levels of
proficiency include beginning, intermediate, and advanced.
The Department is in the process of developing a comprehensive resource document for
teachers: The new
Reading and Language Arts through English for Speakers of Other
Languages
(ESOL) guide. This guide includes the 2007-08 ESOL instructional
models/approaches, research-based methods, strategies for making instruction
comprehensible, sample lesson plans based on the new ELP standards, and other
instructional resources to assist teachers in the development of curriculum and delivery of
instruction to ELLs. The new guide will be available online and in CD-Rom format and
provided to all schools.
E-6.
How can I access the English Language Proficiency Standards?
The English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards are available online at
http://etc.usf.edu/flstandards/la/index.html, under the heading “New Language Arts
Standards with English Language Proficiency Standards.” These are pdf files and are
available for each grade or grade cluster.
The Department is in the process of developing a crosswalk between the previous ELP
standards, known as English Language Proficiency Performance Indicators, and the new
ELP standards. In addition, the new
Reading and Language Arts through ESOL
guide
was released in September 2007 and provides teachers and administrators with resources
and information on research-based instructional strategies, sample lesson plans, and best
practices using the new ELP standards.
F. Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities
F-1.
How will students with significant cognitive disabilities be assessed?
A new statewide alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities is
under development, called the Florida Alternate Assessment. It is intended to measure
student proficiency in the areas of reading, mathematics, writing, and science and will
take the place of the Florida Alternate Assessment Report (FAAR). The assessment is
aligned to the access points in the Sunshine State Standards.
F-2.
What is the Florida Alternate Assessment schedule?
The following outlines the schedule of activities for the 2007-08 school year:
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•
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September 5-6, 2007
– One day Train-the-Trainer for the Florida Alternate
Assessment
•
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September 19-October 22, 2007
– Teacher training on the Florida Alternate
Assessment for field test participants
•
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October 22, 2007
–
Field-Test
materials shipped to districts
•
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October 29-November 9, 2007
–
Field-Test
administration window
•
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November 14, 2007
– Districts return field test materials to the administration
contractor
•
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November 2007-February 2008
– Ongoing teacher training
•
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February 25, 2008
–
Operational-Test
materials shipped to districts
•
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March 3-28, 2008
–
Operational-Test
administration window
•
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April 2, 2008
– Completed forms for
Operational-Test
returned to the
administration contractor packaged by the school with master list (corrected as
needed)
•
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May 2008
– Individual, school, and district level reports produced and shipped to
district alternate assessment coordinators; Individual and school level reports
packaged by school
F-3.
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How will training be provided on the administration of the new Florida
Alternate Assessment?
The test developers will train 120 trainers who will include representatives from all 67
school districts and the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. Districts will be contacted
by the Accountability and Assessment for Students with Disabilities (AASD) project
regarding training dates, time, and number of staff. For more information regarding
training, contact Gail Best at 877-USE-PAEC, ext. 2316, or via e-mail at
bestg@paec.org.
F-4.
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Is there a method for ensuring that all staff are trained the same way?
Yes. Standard teacher training is critical to the procedural validity of the test. Attendees
in the contractor training were required to commit to serve as trainers for one training
session on September 17 or 18, 2007, in Orlando. Staff from AASD observed the trainers
for consistency and provided support and assistance as needed.
F-5.
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If a teacher has already received training for the field test, do they have to be
retrained?
No. However, each district will receive a training DVD that teachers can use for review
prior to the operational administration.
F-6.
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Can teachers who have not been trained watch the accompanying DVD and
be able to administer the test?
No. It is imperative that teachers who administer the Florida Alternate Assessment
receive training prior to administering the test. Standard teacher training is critical to the
procedural validity of the test. The DVD is not all encompassing and is not intended to
13
provide teachers with adequate skills and information to be able to administer the Florida
Alternate Assessment effectively. The DVD is designed to be a refresher for trained
teachers.
F-7.
?
Will there be funding from the State (DOE) to pay for substitute teachers
when teachers participate in the training?
No. Districts will be responsible for providing classroom coverage for teachers who
participate in the required training on the Florida Alternate Assessment.
F-8.
?
How many teachers need to be trained to administer the Florida Alternate
Assessment for the operational test?
As many teachers as possible should be trained on the Florida Alternate Assessment.
While it is highly recommended that teachers of students with significant cognitive
disabilities administer the test to their students, it is best practice to have as many ESE
teachers as possible trained to serve as backup administrators.
F-9.
?
Why do we need to do a field test?
Field testing the assessment items informs us of their difficulty so appropriate
adjustments can be made prior to the operational test. It also gives us information about
administration procedures that may need adjusting.
F-10.
?
Do all school districts participate in the field test?
Yes. All school districts have the opportunity to participate in the field test this fall.
District alternate assessment coordinators were given sample sizes in July 2007 and are
working with the Department to ensure we have adequate numbers to assess in the fall of
2007.
F-11.
?
What are adaptations?
Adaptations are adjustments to materials and modes of responding that are tailored to
individual students. For example, the use of assistive technology would be considered an
adaptation. More information about adaptations will be provided at the Florida Alternate
Assessment administration trainings.
F-12.
?
What if a visually impaired student requires large print on the stimulus
cards or larger graphics?
Prior to the field test, districts are requested to submit an estimate of the number of
students who will require a font larger than 40/44 or who will need enlarged graphics. A
questionnaire will be sent to alternate assessment coordinators to collect this information.
14
F-13.
?
Should visually impaired students be included in the field test?
By definition, students whose primary exceptionality is visually impaired (VI) typically
are not assessed on an alternate assessment. Students with significant cognitive
disabilities with a secondary exceptionality of VI can be included in the field test.
F-14.
?
When possible, could the test use Picture Communication Symbols (PCS)?
Yes. As much as possible, graphics used in the Florida Alternate Assessment are PCS
symbols.
F-15.
?
Should students who are fluid Braille readers be assessed on the Florida
Alternate Assessment?
It depends. The Florida Alternate Assessment is a tool that has been designed to assess
students with significant cognitive disabilities. Students who meet the requirements of
the state-distributed checklist are appropriate for the Florida Alternate Assessment. The
checklist can be found at: http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsWeb/Get/Document-
1858/AA%20Check.pdf.
F-16.
?
What about communication devices that are used as a normal mode of
communication for a student?
Students assessed on the Florida Alternate Assessment should respond to questions with
their standard classroom mode of communication.
F-17.
?
What are “access points” for students with significant cognitive disabilities?
As a part of the revision to the Sunshine State Standards, access points for students with
significant cognitive disabilities have been developed. Access points are expectations
written for these students to enable them to access the general education curriculum at
appropriate levels. Embedded in the Sunshine State Standards, access points reflect the
core intent of the standards with reduced levels of complexity. The three levels of
complexity include participatory, supported, and independent.
F-18.
?
What criteria were used to determine which students with disabilities should
be using the access points?
The student's individual education plan (IEP) team is responsible for making the
determination as to which students will be working on the access points and taking the
alternate assessment and which students will be taking the Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test (FCAT). Students with significant cognitive disabilities are the students
who will be working toward meeting the access points. Mastery of the access points is
measured through the alternate assessment. School personnel have been given five
guiding questions to use to determine which students will be assessed through the
alternate assessment.
15
F-19.
?
Where do students with educable mental handicaps fit into the new
standards and access points?
A student's disability category is not the determining factor for which portions of the
standards are used for instruction. If a student is being assessed using the FCAT, they
should receive instruction using the standards tested by the FCAT. If the IEP team
determines that the student meets the criteria for an alternate assessment, the student will
be assessed on the access points.
F-20.
?
Will students working on the access points have adaptations? Why aren't
they described in the access points' descriptions?
Adaptations will be available on the alternate assessment. Districts will receive more
information and instruction concerning the use of adaptations during training prior to the
administration in the spring.
F-21.
?
Some students at the participatory level will never be able to achieve the
access points. How do we address this issue?
All students assessed using the alternate assessment should receive instruction using the
access points with the goal of achieving mastery. Adaptations should be used to assist
students in achieving the core essence of the Sunshine State Standards and access points.
F-22.
?
What are the “Sunburst Standards?”
As indicated in the overview for the mathematics standards: “The sunbursts denote
benchmarks that include content that all students should know and be able to do. These
benchmarks would be appropriate for statewide assessment.” The sunburst benchmarks
are specific to the mathematics standards and usually appear in the Secondary Bodies of
Knowledge. Access points were written only for these benchmarks and will be assessed
on the Florida Alternate Assessment. There are some Bodies of Knowledge that have no
sunburst benchmarks, but are critical skills for students with significant cognitive
disabilities.
16
PART II: READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS
G. Revision Process
G-1.
?
What was the review and revision process for the Reading and Language
Arts Standards?
The Florida Department of Education initiated the review of the Reading and Language
Arts Standards by using analyses of our standards articulated by external groups. Their
feedback helped to guide the revisions.
Stakeholders included representatives from the Council of Basic Education, the College
Board, the International Center for Leadership in Education, Fordham Institute, and the
Koret Task Force, all of which made a number of common observations and provided
solid recommendations that produced the guiding principles for the revision process.
These guiding principles included:
•
?
Streamline the standards so that the breadth of coverage is more manageable. A
reduction in the number and scope of benchmarks is needed to assist teachers with
lesson planning, curriculum pacing, and focusing on the essential knowledge
needed for students in each grade level.
•
?
Organize the revision by specific grade level, incorporating the extensive list of
Grade Level Expectations into grade level benchmarks or eliminating them for
duplication, repetition, or a lack of cognitive complexity.
•
?
Restructure the numerical identification system to reflect the specific grade level
of standards and benchmarks.
•
?
Use clear and concise language in standards and benchmarks.
•
?
Include the rigor reflected in grades K-5 benchmarks in grades 6-12 benchmarks.
•
?
Consistently increase levels of cognitive complexity across all grade levels to
encourage the development of specific critical thinking skills and relevance of
content.
•
?
At the secondary level, include more rigorous skills needed for postsecondary
success and work-related skills.
Furthermore, to ensure that the new standards would meet the needs of all children,
meetings were held with staff members from the Bureau of Exceptional Education and
Student Services and the Bureau of Academic Achievement Through Language
Acquisition, as well as teachers representing both groups. This helped to facilitate adding
access points for students with significant cognitive disabilities as well as the
development of English Language Proficiency standards for English language learners.
Meetings were also held with the Office of Assessment and School Performance to
evaluate consistency in concepts across grade levels and to ensure that the standards are
measurable.
In addition to revising the content already included in the standards, the Department is
strongly committed to ensuring that the standards address 21
st
century skills. For
17
example, the areas of Technology and Information Literacy were not addressed in the
1996 standards, but have a prominent place in the 2006 revisions.
G-2.
?
What are the differences between the 1996 and the 2007 Sunshine State
Standards for Reading and Language Arts?
Revisions to the Reading and Language Arts Standards introduced separate standards and
benchmarks for grades K-8, as opposed to the broad grade bands. New strands were
developed to reflect the process for reading and writing. High levels of cognitive
challenge were incorporated into each of the benchmarks through the use of verbs such as
create
,
develop,
and
analyze
to ensure higher level instruction. A crosswalk that further
delineates the shifts between the 1996 and 2007 standards is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Reading and Language Arts Content Strands
1996 2006
Reading Reading
Process
Literature Literary
Analysis
Writing Writing
Process
Language Writing
Applications
Listening, Viewing, and Speaking
Communication
Information and Media Literacy
G-3.
?
What is the coding system for the revised Reading and Language Arts
Standards?
Every benchmark, K-12, is identified by five components, as noted below:
LA.
K.
1.
1.
1
Subject
Grade
Strand
Standard
Benchmark
Strand Key:
1 – Reading Process
4 – Writing Applications
2 – Literary Analysis
5 – Communication
3 – Writing Process
6 – Information and Media Literacy
This system of cataloguing each benchmark will help teachers to recognize the Sunshine
State Standards for Reading and Language Arts. In addition, it will help to provide an
efficient system for the development of the new Course Code Directory.
18
G-4.
?
How do the new standards impact the K-12 reading instructional materials
adoption process?
Currently, all materials submitted for the reading adoption must align with the new
Sunshine State Standards adopted by the Florida State Board of Education on January 25,
2007. The reading instructional materials adopted under the new standards will be made
available for use beginning in the 2008-09 school year.
G-5.
?
What resources will be available for teachers?
The Just Read, Florida! Web site at http://www.justreadflorida.com provides links to
many organizations that provide resources to teachers, including the Florida Center for
Reading Research (FCRR), the Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE)
Center, Reading First Professional Development (RFPD), and the Northeast Florida
Educational Consortium (NEFEC). These organizations provide a wealth of resources
for teachers.
G-6.
?
To what extent will the new Sunshine State Standards for Reading and
Language Arts impact the benchmarks tested on future state assessments?
Reading
: The reading skills currently tested on the FCAT will most likely continue to be
tested under the new standards. However, with the expanded language of the new
standards, additional skills will likely be included in a new assessment of reading (for
example: themes, rising/falling action, allusions, onomatopoeia). Vocabulary in context
may have an increased emphasis. Test items for some benchmarks may also target a
higher level of rigor.
Writing
: The writing skills currently tested on FCAT Writing+ will continue to be tested
and are well aligned with the new standards. For most benchmarks, additional test items
will be developed that target a higher level of rigor. However, the test as a whole will
maintain the same degree of difficulty.
G-7.
?
How will changes in the Reading and Language Arts Standards affect the
state’s future assessment of writing skills?
Preliminary reviews of the crosswalk indicate that, in the short term, necessary changes
will be minimal and will allow the current test design, scale, and achievement level
standards to be maintained. The coding system for the new standards will have to be
applied to the existing items and the Test Item Specifications will have to be edited
accordingly.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing is being redesigned,
and this new national test will be administered for the first time in 2011. At that time, the
Department and State Board of Education will consider a redesign of Florida’s writing
assessment. This approach would leave the current FCAT Writing+ test and standards in
place for over five years.
19
PART III: MATHEMATICS STANDARDS
H. Revision Process
H-1.
What was the review and revision process for the Mathematics Standards?
In September 2006, the Office of Mathematics and Science convened a committee to
consider the framework for the revision of the Sunshine State Standards for mathematics.
The goal was to strive for consensus amongst content experts, educational experts,
researchers, parents, teachers, and interested members of the community regarding the
revisions.
Experts in national and international mathematics curriculum articulated their analyses of
the 1996 Sunshine State Standards for mathematics benchmarks and grade level
expectations to a group of stakeholders called "the framers," whose task was to establish
the framework for the revisions. These experts also presented research on the exemplary
standards used both by other states and by countries that lead the world in student
achievement. There was agreement by all reviewers that Florida’s standards fit the
description “a mile wide and an inch deep” and lacked coherence.
Combined with their own expertise in mathematics curriculum, the framers used this
information to define the structure and provide recommendations that would become the
guiding principles for the writers of the standard
s
to follow. More information about this
information may be found online at www.flstandards.org.
From October 2006 to January 2007, another committee called "the writers" met to write
the new standards and benchmarks according to the structure that the framers established.
This was an iterative process, with the framers reviewing the work and providing
comments to the writers. Responding to calls for clarity, coherence, and minimal
redundancy, the numbers of K-8 grade-level expectations were reduced from an average
of more than 80 per grade to less than 20 benchmarks per grade. High school
benchmarks went from 9-12 grade bands in the 1996 standards to specific benchmarks
for content including Calculus, Discrete Math, Trigonometry, and Financial Literacy
standards for the first time.
From February 2007 to March 2007, the drafts of the standards were provided to the
public via online sources and through public forums in various Florida districts. Online
reviewers were able to rate the benchmarks and provide comment. Overall, there were
43,025 ratings of 504 draft standards and benchmarks. Of these reviewers, 1,391
interested persons completed the visitor profile. These reviewers identified themselves,
in descending order of numbers of reviewers, as teachers, administrators, district staff,
other interested persons, parents, and no response. Additionally, experts in mathematics
and mathematics curriculum were gathered to provide an in-depth review of the drafts for
comment and revision.
From April 2007 to June 2007, the benchmarks were revised based on this considerable
input from the committees and other reviewers.
20
With people from many aspects of the education community involved with writing,
reviewing, and revising the standards, the 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards
for mathematics are truly the stakeholder’s standards.
H-2.
?
What is the difference between the 1996 and the 2007 Sunshine State
Standards for Mathematics?
The new world class Sunshine State Standards for Mathematics are organized by grade
level for grades K-8. The revised Mathematic Standards will have fewer topics, which
means less repetition from year to year on given topics. There will be a move from
“covering topics” to teaching them in-depth for long-term learning. Hence, teachers will
need to know how to begin instruction for each topic at the concrete level and move to
the abstract and then connect student knowledge to more complex topics. This process
will enable students to build, draw, and explain their knowledge of mathematical topics.
Grade Level Expectations
Grade Level
Number of Old
Number of New Benchmarks
K 67
11
1 78
14
2 84
21
3 88
17
4 89
21
5 77
23
6 78
19
7 89
22
8 93
19
H-3.
?
What are "Bodies of Knowledge 9-12"?
At the high school level, the mathematics standards are organized into familiar “Bodies
of Knowledge” such as Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Probability, and
Statistics. There are two Bodies of Knowledge that may not be recognized as part of the
traditional mathematics curriculum. These are Discrete Mathematics and Financial
Literacy.
Discrete Mathematics consists of many of the topics in mathematics that are becoming
more and more applicable in the modern era. Computer and electronic applications of
mathematics are necessarily discrete. Some of the topics in Discrete Mathematics
include set theory, graph theory, matrix algebra, recursive functions, and more.
Florida is introducing a Body of Knowledge in mathematics entitled Financial Literacy.
This Body of Knowledge has been created in response to the combination of a long
history of financial matters in mathematics education, the near-universal relevance of
financial matters and mathematics in people’s lives, and the development of financial
mathematics programs at university levels. The standards and benchmarks in the
21
Financial Literacy Body of Knowledge involve high-level, complex mathematics
applications. The Financial Literacy Body of Knowledge is intended to provide students
with an opportunity to learn and use mathematics in an applied manner, thereby
supporting their understanding of mathematics, enhancing their own financial well-being,
and supporting the health of the economic system in which we all operate.
The Bodies of Knowledge do not comprise courses. Standards and benchmarks will be
pulled from the various Bodies of Knowledge to write specific courses in mathematics at
the secondary level.
Old 9-12 Benchmarks (Same for all 9-12)
New Body of Knowledge Benchmarks
•
12 benchmarks in Number Sense,
Concepts, and Operations
•
8 benchmarks in Measurement
•
5 benchmarks in Geometry and
Spatial Sense
•
7 benchmarks in Data Analysis and
Probability
•
84 benchmarks for Algebra
•
47 benchmarks for Geometry
•
9 benchmarks for Probability
•
28 benchmarks for Statistics
•
24 benchmarks for Trigonometry
•
52 benchmarks for Calculus
•
41 benchmarks for Financial Literacy
•
41 benchmarks for Discrete Mathematics
H-4.
What is the coding system for the new Mathematics Standards?
The model for writing the K-8 standards was provided by a 2006 document from the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) entitled
Curriculum Focal Points:
A Quest for Coherence
.
Standards at each of the K-8 grade levels are termed Big Ideas and Supporting Ideas.
The set of standards for each grade level consists of three Big Ideas and varying numbers
of Supporting Ideas. Supporting Ideas are not meant to be subordinate to Big Ideas, but
rather they serve to provide connections between topics at different grade levels.
Every benchmark is identified by five components, as noted below:
MA.
5.
A.
1.
1
Subject
Grade Level
Body of
Knowledge
Big Idea/
Supporting Idea
Benchmark
Body of Knowledge Key:
A – Algebra
G – Geometry
C – Calculus
P – Probability
D – Discrete Mathematics
S – Statistics
F – Financial Literacy
T – Trigonometry
22
?
This system of cataloguing each benchmark will help teachers to recognize the Sunshine
State Standards for Mathematics. In addition, it will help to provide an efficient system
for the development of the new Course Code Directory.
H-5.
?
How are instructional materials being aligned for mathematics?
Publishers that currently have instructional materials on the Florida Mathematics
adoption list are being asked to provide correlations that align their adopted materials to
the new standards. Since 2007-2008 is a transition year for reading, language arts, and
mathematics, it is important that teachers and principals continue to use the standards
alignment for the currently assessed standards while becoming familiar with the new
standards. The instructional materials alignment documents for the new standards will be
posted on http://flstandards.org, as well as the Office of Mathematics and Science site at
http://www.fldoestem.org/center13.aspx and the Office of Instructional Materials
adoption site at http://www.fldoe.org/BII/Instruct_Mat/.
H-6.
?
What mathematics content should be included in the curriculum until a new
state assessment can be developed?
The mathematics standards currently tested on the FCAT will need to be kept in the
instructional program until the new assessment is fully implemented. In September 2007
the Department provided guidance on this topic, including a by-grade-level chart of old
benchmarks that should continue to be taught until the new state assessment is in place in
2011.
H-7.
?
What resources will be available for teachers?
The Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(FCR-STEM) Web site at http://www.fcrstem.org will provide resources for teachers on
the implementation of the mathematic standards. In addition, it will provide valuable
resources and best practices for mathematics instruction in the classroom.
23
