The School District of Philadelphia – Philly Elementary ...



Benchmark 3 Information – March 2019

Please carefully review the information below for important details about Benchmark features and policies.

- Most of the information shared in the Benchmark 2 Information Memo from January has not changed and is included below in the “General Information” section. New information for Benchmark 3 is included in the “New Information” section. The Assessment website has electronic versions of this document and other Benchmark resources:

- Contact information for questions is listed on the last page of this document.

NEW INFORMATION

Test Window Dates & Times

- The Benchmark 3 testing window opens March 11 and closes on March 26.

- No extensions to the testing window will be granted without approval from your Assistant Superintendent.

- The online testing system will allow students to take an online Benchmark only on school days beginning at 7:00 A.M. and ending at 4:00 P.M.

- No online Benchmarks will be available on weekends.

Benchmark Test Content

- All Benchmarks for 2018-2019 are NEW.

- 100% of the items on the ELA and Biology tests are new.

- At least 20% of the items on the Math tests are new, so do not use the 2017-2018 Math Benchmarks as practice for your students.

- All Benchmark 3 tests will have new four-digit test IDs that are unique from the Benchmark 1 and 2 test IDs. The IDs are listed at the bottom of this document.

Practice Test

- The “Practice Test” is available now thru March 26. The passcode is 5055.

- See the Practice Test section below for more information.

Scoring on ELA Benchmarks

- All ELA tests besides English 2 have two Evidenced Based Selected Response (EBSR) items: #7 and #13.

- Each EBSR has two parts (A and B) that are each worth 1 point. Therefore, each EBSR is worth 2 points.

- Because of the EBSR items, the total points possible for the multiple choice items on the tests are 27 even though there are 25 multiple choice items.

- Reports on Schoolnet will correctly score ELA Benchmarks for grades 3 – 8 out of 27 points possible.

GENERAL INFORMATION

PDFs of Benchmarks, Test Maps, and Scoring Guides

- Copies of each Benchmark test are on Schoolnet.

o Click on the “Benchmark PDFs…” link at the bottom of the Curriculum Engine section on the Schoolnet homepage.

- Scoring Guides with answer keys and exemplars for open-ended items will be posted on Schoolnet by the first day of the testing window.

- Test Maps listing the Eligible Content assessed on each Benchmark should be available by the first day of the testing window but might be slightly delayed.

- Benchmark content should not be shared with students prior to when the tests are administered. The purpose of the tests is to inform instruction, which will be undermined if students review the content early.

- Schools CAN print copies of the Benchmarks for any/all students who want to take the test using a printed version instead of the online version. However, all student responses for multiple-choice items MUST be entered into the ONLINE system (Schoolnet) by either the students or their teachers. Scores will not be available to students or on Schoolnet unless responses are entered into the online version of the Benchmark.

Benchmark Test Design

- The Benchmarks are designed to be low-stakes, formative assessments. They do not predict performance on the PSSA or Keystone Exams, and they are not designed to be compared to measure growth over time.

- The Eligible Content assessed on each test corresponds to the Eligible Content specified in the Scope and Sequence for Quarter 3 for each grade/subject or course.

- Grades 3 – 8 have grade-specific ELA Benchmarks that assess the Focus Standards.

- Grades 3 – 8 have Math Benchmarks that correspond to both the grade-level and Scope and Sequence for the school.

o Each test name specifies the applicable grade and Scope and Sequence. For example, 3rd graders using the enVisionmath Scope and Sequence will use the “Benchmark 3 Grade 03 enVisionmath” test, and the 3rd graders using the Math Expressions Scope and Sequence will use the “Benchmark 3 Grade 03 Math Expressions” test.

- Grade 8 students enrolled in the Middle School Algebra I course have specific 8th grade Algebra Benchmarks customized for each Scope and Sequence.

- Grades 9-12 have Benchmarks that correspond to the Scope and Sequence of Algebra 1, English 2, and Biology courses at the school.

o Students will take the corresponding test only if they are enrolled in the course.

- Each test has 25 multiple-choice items.

o ELA tests will include at least one Evidence Based Selected Response (EBSR) item. These items mimic the EBSRs on the PSSA and have two parts within one multiple choice question.

- Item 26 on the ELA, English 2 and Biology tests is a constructed response item (TDA for grades 4-8).

- Items 26 and 27 on the Math tests are constructed response items.

- There is only one form of each Benchmark test, and the items will appear in the same order for all students.

- Several Math tests have restrictions on calculator use. See the Calculators section below.

Accessing Online Benchmarks

- Benchmarks are administered directly on Schoolnet.

- Online tests can be accessed only with a passcode.

- Passcodes are unique for each test.

o Passcodes will be four-digit numbers.

o The name of each Benchmark includes the passcode/ID at the end of the name.

o All passcodes are listed at the bottom of this document.

o Additionally, a document with passcodes for all Benchmark 3 tests is posted on Schoolnet in the same place that the PDFs of the tests are posted.

- Students must be rostered in a class that corresponds to the Benchmark in order to access the test. (For example, to access the Grade 4 ELA tests, students have to be rostered into Reading 4, Writing 4, or a 4th grade Homeroom; to access an 8th grade Algebra test, students have to be rostered into an Algebra 1 – MS course, etc.)

- If any student cannot access the online test, contact the Schoolnet help desk: 866-744-5243, philahelp@.

Technology Updates

- Please ensure that your testing stations meet the minimum requirements by reviewing the specifications listed in “System Requirements” document on Schoolnet

o Click on the words “System Requirements” on the bottom of any page on Schoolnet to see the requirements.

- The Benchmarks are designed to be administered online.  The District strongly encourages schools with Chromebooks, to use those to administer Benchmarks.  

o Please ensure the SDP enrolled Chromebooks meet the minimum specifications of at least version Chrome 65. Updates to Chromebooks require the device to be turned off and restarted, for the operating system to take effect.

- Pop-up blockers must be disabled for Benchmark testing.

- As best practice, the following actions are recommended:

o Chrome is the preferred platform

o Apply any outstanding Operating System updates

o Update any necessary plugins that the testing station can support (e.g., flash)

o Update your browser, if applicable

- For any technology support, please contact the IT Help Desk at 215-400-5555.

Taking an Online Benchmark PPT

- A Powerpoint explaining how students access and complete an online Benchmark is posted in the “Benchmarks” section of the Assessment webpage:

- Review this Powerpoint before testing begins!

Practice Test

- The “Practice Test” is available now thru March 26. The passcode is 5055.

- The Practice Test serves two purposes:

o ensure the browser and computer settings will work successfully with an online Schoolnet test and

o allow students to familiarize themselves with how to take an online Benchmark.

- The Practice Test is three questions and an ELA passage that do NOT serve to review the skills and knowledge that the Benchmarks will assess.

- A student can complete the Practice Test only once before each Benchmark Assessment.

- Completing the Practice Test is optional but recommended.

Usernames/Passwords

- To access the online Benchmarks, students must first login to the School District website and then link to StudentNet via Infinite Campus. (More detail is provided in the Taking an Online Benchmark Powerpoint.)

- Usernames are students’ seven/eight-digit local IDs

- Passwords can be obtained from the Student Password Lookup Application, which school staff can access through the Master Login page.

- More detail on passwords and the Student Password Lookup Application is provided in the document titled “StudentNet_Access_2018-19”, which is available in the “Benchmarks” section of the Office of Assessment webpage: .

Time Limit

- Students have no set time limit for completing a Benchmark test.

- Students can start a Benchmark one day, save their progress, and continue the test on a later date.

- Benchmarks must be completed by the last day of the testing window, March 26. Any test that was started but not completed by the last day of the window will be “force scored”, meaning the test will be scored based on however many items the student actually answered.

Saving and Finishing Benchmarks

- In the online Benchmarks, after the last item on the test, there is a page with a “Submit Final Answers”. (See the Taking an Online Test Powerpoint for a visual.)

- Students should finish the test and submit it for scoring after completing all 25 multiple choice questions. They should not wait until completing the constructed response questions before submitting the test for scoring. As explained in the Constructed Response section, students cannot enter their answers for constructed response items in the online test. Constructed response items must be completed on paper and scored separately. Therefore, once they have completed the 25 multiple choice items, students should click Finish to submit the test for scoring.

- Benchmarks that were prematurely submitted for scoring can be reset by calling the Schoolnet help desk (866-744-5243, philahelp@). Resetting a test will erase all previous answers and allow a student to complete the online test again.

Calculators

- Calculators are NOT allowed for any item on the grade 3 math test.

- Grade 4 and 5 math Benchmarks will have some items that are non-calculator, meaning students CANNOT use calculators.

o All of the non-calculator items are grouped together at the beginning of the test, with the exception of some of the constructed-response items which appear at the end of the test and may not allow calculator use.

o There are clear directions within each test which specify the items on which calculators can and cannot be used.

- Students can use calculators on all items for Grade 6, 7, 8 and Algebra Benchmark 3 tests.

- For the online test, a calculator icon will appear at the top of the screen for only the items approved for calculator use. If students click on the icon, they will have access to a calculator they can use on the test.

o Note that the online test does not prevent students from navigating to previous questions on the test. Therefore, a student could use the online calculator available for a later item to answer a non-calculator item that appeared at the beginning of the test. There is no way to prevent this in the online test.

- Teachers administering the Benchmarks must monitor students during testing to ensure they are using calculators only on calculator-approved items.

Rulers, Protractors, Formula Sheets, and Online Test Tools

- Students do not need rulers or protractors for the math Benchmarks.

- A formula sheet will NOT be included in the online version of any Benchmark.

- The formula sheets created by PDE for the PSSA and Keystone will be available for download on the Schoolnet website in the same section as the Benchmark PDFs. Schools can choose to print these and make them available for students for the grade 4-8 and Algebra 1 math Benchmarks; however, formula sheets are not required for the Benchmark tests.

- The following features are available in online Schoolnet tests:

• Highlighter/Eraser – allows student to highlight selected text

• Answer Eliminator – allows student to put a red “X” over any answer choice

• Magnifier – allows student to magnify any section of the screen

• Line Reader – allows student to view a line or set of lines and block other text

- Directions on how to use these new tools are included in the Taking an Online Benchmark PPT (see above).

Constructed Response (CR)

- CR items will NOT appear on the online test. Students must answer CR items on paper or via a separate word processing program on the computer.

- Schools must have a strategy for how students will answer CR items. Below are some suggestions, but each school will determine its own strategy:

o Students can view the CR items projected on a screen, white board, or wall. PDFs of the tests will be able to allow this option. Students will need paper to write their responses.

o Students can view the CR items on paper copies that the school has printed using the PDFs of the test. Students will need paper to write their responses.

- CR items will not be scored by the testing company. They will be scored locally at the school using a strategy determined by each school (e.g., teachers score their own students, teachers swap and score a colleague’s students, grade-group teachers score all of their students collectively, a selected team scores all students, etc.).

- CR scores will not be collected by the Central Office and will not be included in score reports on Schoolnet. Benchmark scores reported on Schoolnet will be based solely on the 25 multiple choice items.

- Completion and scoring of the CR items is mandatory.

- Scoring Guides will be provided for CR items. (See PDF section above.)

ELs

- Students in EL proficiency levels 1 and 2 do NOT have to take the ELA Benchmarks.

- Students in EL proficiency levels 3 or above who are enrolled in grade 3 - 8 DO have to take the corresponding ELA test.

- Students enrolled in “English 2 Sheltered” courses DO have to take the English 2 Benchmark.

o Students should have an EL proficiency level of 3.0 or higher to be rostered into a “Sheltered” high school English course.

- All EL students, regardless of their proficiency level, do have to complete any applicable math and Biology Benchmarks.

- Students who are in the country for the first year are exempt from the ELA Benchmarks ONLY IF they are proficiency level 1 or 2.

- PSSA/ Keystone accommodations for ELs are applicable to Districtwide Benchmark assessments.

- There are no translations of the Benchmarks in any language, including Spanish versions. When available and appropriate, translators can provide word-to-word translations for the Math and Biology Benchmarks. No ELA test can be translated.

PASA

- Students who take the PASA do not have to take the Benchmarks. 

Accommodations

- In general, accommodations that students are provided for the PSSA and Keystones should be provided for the Benchmarks, when available.

- There is no text-to-speech option for the Benchmarks, so students who need this accommodation will have to have a teacher read items aloud from the computer screen or from a printed copy of the test.

- Any student can have math or Biology items read aloud upon request. No student is allowed to have the ELA items read aloud.

- Students needing the entire math/Biology test read aloud should be placed in a separate group. There is only one form of each Benchmark, so despiraling is not necessary. Teachers can read the items off a computer screen or printed copy. There is not a maximum group size limit for Benchmark read aloud like there is for PSSA/Keystone.

- Contrast settings, a Magnifier, a Line Reader, and Answer Masking are all available in the online test. (See the Test Aids slide in the Taking an Online Benchmark Powerpoint.)

Scratch Paper

- Students can use scratch paper for all Benchmark tests.

- Scratch paper should be collected and discarded after each testing session.

Reports and Scoring

- Students will not have access to score reports in StudentNet until after the testing window closes on March 26. However, immediately upon submitting their answers for scoring in the online test, their percent correct score will display to provide immediate feedback for the students.

- Administrators and Teachers will have access to reports in Schoolnet. Score reports will be available in Schoolnet the same day the tests are completed.

- Teachers will have the same Benchmark reports as always, Item Analysis, Standards Analysis, and Standards Mastery. Schoolnet has upgraded the Reporting Dashboard and some features of the previously existing reports.

- Administrators will have Aggregate Item Analysis, Anchor Analysis, and Completion reports. The Completion report will allow schools to monitor during the testing window which students have completed the various Benchmark tests.

- Benchmark scores will be reported as raw scores and percent correct only. There will be no proficiency levels or growth scores, and there is no “passing” score. Benchmarks are meant to inform instruction. They cannot predict performance to the PSSA or Keystones, nor can they be used to show growth over time. Ultimately what matters most to students and teachers is not a student’s overall score on the Benchmark but an evaluation of his/her skill-level performance and a plan to address deficiencies.

District IT Help Desk – 215-400-5555, helpdesk@

- Contact the SDP help desk for

o problems with usernames and passwords or the Student Password Lookup Application,

o logging into the District website,

o Internet connectivity, browsers issues, operating systems, hardware, site slowness, etc.,

o questions about Infinite Campus.

Schoolnet Help Desk – 866-744-5243, philahelp@

- Contact the Schoolnet help desk for

o problems accessing StudentNet after students have successfully logged into the District website and clicked on the StudentNet icon,

o questions about locating passcodes, the PDFs of Benchmark tests, and Scoring Guides,

o problems accessing TestNav after students have successfully accessed StudentNet and entered a passcode,

o questions about online test functionality,

o requests to reset Benchmarks submitted for scoring prematurely,

o questions about Schoolnet reports.

Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment – assessment@

- Contact the Assessment office for questions about the content of the Benchmark tests.

|Benchmark 3 Passcodes |

|Test Name |Passcode |

| | |

|Math | |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 03 Math Expressions [5014] |5014 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 03 enVisionmath [5016] |5016 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 04 Math Expressions [5018] |5018 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 04 enVisionmath [5015] |5015 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 05 Math Expressions [5019] |5019 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 05 enVisionmath [5017] |5017 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 06 Big Ideas Math [5029] |5029 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 06 enVisionmath [5020] |5020 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 07 Big Ideas Math [5028] |5028 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 07 enVisionmath [5021] |5021 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 08 Big Ideas Math [5025] |5025 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 08 enVisionmath [5022] |5022 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 08 Algebra I Big Ideas Math [5026] |5026 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 08 Algebra I enVisionmath [5027] |5027 |

|Benchmark 3 Pearson High School Algebra 1 [5032] |5032 |

|Benchmark 3 Big Ideas Math High School Algebra 1 [5033] |5033 |

| | |

|ELA | |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 03 ELA [5000] |5000 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 04 ELA [5001] |5001 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 05 ELA [5002] |5002 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 06 ELA [5003] |5003 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 07 ELA [5004] |5004 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade 08 ELA [5005] |5005 |

|Benchmark 3 Grade ENG2 [5006] |5006 |

| | |

|Science | |

|Benchmark 3 Biology [5010] |5010 |

| |

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