DATE:
Thursday, February 22, 2018
TO:
Elementary and Middle School Principals
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
SAGE Grades 6-8 Science SEEd Testing Updates
Now that USBE has completed field testing for the new grades 6-8 SAGE Science test that incorporates the new SEEd standards, we have been given some updated information regarding the expected time it will take for students to complete the test with its cluster questions. During previous SAGE science administrations, students have been expected to complete the test in a 60-90 minute window. We are asked to plan at least 100 minutes for students to take the SAGE science test in grades 6-8. USBE is also recommending that we break the SAGE science test for grades 6-8 into more than one testing session to avoid testing fatigue.
There will be two clusters for every strand within the new SEEd core. Students will need to finish all of the questions within a cluster before logging off. If they log off before answering all of the questions, they will not be able to answer those questions when they log back on. The platform will automatically move them to the next cluster.
Because the science standards for grades 6-8 have changed, the end-of-year SAGE Science test has also changed to match the new SEEd science standards. When the SAGE test assesses new standards, the first year of implementation will require a rubric validation, standard setting and data review process to ensure the validity and reliability of the new test. Once this process has been completed, the State Board of Education will need to ratify the results. This process will impact several things worth noting:
- Grades 6-8 SAGE science scores will not be available for students or educators until the fall of 2018.
- Because SAGE science score reporting will be delayed for grades 6-8, this will likely delay the release of school accountability report cards for all levels – elementary, middle and high school. Currently, USBE is anticipating that school report cards, under the newly developed school accountability system, will be released in October 2018.
- With the new SAGE science test in grades 6-8, it would be inappropriate to compare the 2018 results with previous years’ data. In essence, the 2018 administration of the SACE science test in grades 6-8 will be a baseline year as the same test will be administered under another name and with a new platform beginning in the 2018-19 school year.
Please contact Ben Jameson in the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department with any questions.
