Planning, Accountability and Assessment News

Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) Information

February 4, 2020

For the 2019-2020 school year, the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) for grades 3-6 ELA and grades 3-6 Mathematics, as well as the Statewide Science Assessment for grades 5 & 8, will continue to be administered as paper-based tests. All other state assessments, to include FSA ELA grades 7-10, FSA Mathematics grades 7-8, and all EOCs (FSA Algebra 1, FSA Geometry, NGSSS Biology, NGSSS Civics and NGSSS U.S. History), will continue to be administered on computer. Testing for these assessments will take place this April and May. Prior to the start of the testing window, students who will be taking a computer-based statewide assessment will participate in an online practice test in order to become familiar with the platform and the tools and resources that are available during the test.

In addition to the aforementioned assessments, this spring there will also be statewide assessments for English Language Learners and students on an alternate curriculum, as well as district determined assessments (i-Ready and final exams) that will be administered for many of the courses/grade levels that are not covered by state assessments.

School assessment coordinators are in the process of being trained on test security and testing procedures, and they will in-turn provide the proper training to the staff at their school. In preparation for computer-based testing, secondary schools are also in the process of completing infrastructure trials to ensure that all of the computers/devices that will be used for testing have the correct software installed and are working properly and to ensure the network capacity at their school is also ready to handle the volume of computer-based testing.

Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) Information – Jan 2019

January 28, 2019

For the 2018-2019 school year, the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) for grades 3-6 Reading and Mathematics will be administered as paper-based tests. This is a change from the previous transition to computer-based testing. As such, FSA Test Design Summaries and Test Item Specifications have been updated by the Department of Education to reflect the format changes. In addition, student practice tests have been revised to align with the paper-based tests and are available to allow students time to interact with the new format. These practice tests will help students learn how to properly bubble and grid test answers and also allow them to review new item types that will be specific to paper-based assessments.

The FSA computer-based practice tests for Grades 7–8 Mathematics and Algebra 1 and Geometry EOCs have also been updated with additional examples of items that will appear on computer-based tests this spring. These tests will contain new technology enhanced item types that students have not encountered on previous state assessments. The updated practice tests will allow students to become more familiar with the types of questions prior to the spring assessment.

Additional information for the Florida Standards Assessments can be found here: https://fsassessments.org/

Planning, Accountability and Assessment Update – May 2018

May 7, 2018

The Planning, Accountability and Assessment (PAA) department is currently overseeing the administration of state and district exams throughout schools in the county. Data from these exams are used for many purposes, including final exams for the gradebook, teacher evaluation, and raising student achievement. The Grade 3 FSA ELA Reading assessment is underway across the district and full scale state testing is set to begin in just a few days for Reading, Math and End-of-Course assessments. In addition, final preparations are being made for the third round of iReady diagnostic testing and District Final Exams. With approximately six weeks remaining in the school year, schools are also finishing their alternative assessments for applicable students and high schools are planning for upcoming AP, AICE and IB testing. These upcoming weeks are some of the busiest for schools and they are working diligently each day to meet the needs of the students and administer all of the required assessments with fidelity.

The St Johns County School District recently completed an institutional review by AdvancEd, the organization that awards and monitors the accreditation of the St Johns County School District. An eight-member AdvancEd team conducted a thorough review of the school district during a visit their April 2- 5. The team visited 11 school sites and conducted nearly 250 interviews with district and school staff, school board members, parents, community members and students.

Planning, Accountability and Assessment Update – February 2018

February 9, 2018

As the spring assessment season quickly approaches, school testing coordinators are busy training staff and scheduling students for practice testing. Instruction is at the forefront while there is a great deal of preparation that is taking place behind the scenes. It requires a lot of planning to implement all of the state assessments while keeping disruptions to the school day at a minimum.

The St Johns County School District is accredited by AdvancED. The 2017-18 school year is an accreditation review year for the district. Each school recently submitted a School Quality Factors Diagnostic, which is a document that requires school teams to reflect on their continuous improvement journey. School teams have been reviewing survey and classroom observation data and collecting evidence that exemplifies their improvement process. An AdvancED team will be on-site April 2 – 5. The AdvancED team will review the evidence provided by schools, conduct stakeholder interviews, tour schools, observe classrooms, and listen to presentations from district staff. At the end of their visit, the team will make an accreditation recommendation for the district.

School Advisory Councils (SAC) are an excellent way for school stakeholders to get involved at their school. Each school’s SAC meets monthly and discusses topics related to school improvement. For more information, please contact your school’s SAC chair.

Planning, Accountability and Assessment Update – November 2017

November 27, 2017

Winter midterm and final exams begin soon for all middle and high schools as the first semester comes to a close. The winter iReady diagnostic assessment window will also begin in December for elementary schools. These assessments provide valuable data that is used to monitor student progress, inform classroom instruction and show mastery of standards.

The St Johns County School District (SJCSD) is accredited by AdvancED. The 2017-18 school year is an accreditation review year for the district. Each school will submit a School Quality Factors Diagnostic, which is a document that requires school teams to reflect on their continuous improvement journey. School teams have been reviewing survey and classroom observation data and collecting evidence that exemplifies their improvement process. An AdvancED team will be on-site in St Johns County from April 2^nd-5^th, 2018. The AdvancED team will review the evidence provided by schools, conduct stakeholder interviews, tour schools, observe classrooms, and listen to presentations from district staff. At the end of their visit, the team will make an accreditation recommendation for the district.

Planning, Accountability and Assessment Update – October 2017

October 2, 2017

Accountability

Each school in the district has a School Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC meets monthly during the school year and provides input to the principal for making decisions related to the school budget and school improvement. Parents, school faculty/staff and community members are encouraged to participate in their school’s SAC. Please contact your school’s SAC chair for more information about getting involved. Also, each school develops a School Improvement Plan (SIP). SIPs will be posted for the public to view at www.floridacims.org in September. Principals are presenting their SIPs to the School Board on September 19, 21 and 25.

2017-18 is an accreditation review year for the St Johns County School District. Schools will be administering surveys, collecting classroom data and completing reflections throughout the fall semester. The Planning, Accountability and Assessment Department looks forward to hosting a team from the district’s accrediting body, Advanc-Ed in April 2018.

Assessment

Diagnostic iReady testing is currently underway at all elementary, middle and K-8 schools. The testing window opened August 21 and closed September 15. The test is being administered to all students enrolled in grades K-8 for both reading and math, and the results will provide valuable data for our teachers and schools.