By Kristin
I spent a lot of time today trying to learn a little more about the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), the new state assessment that my students have to pass in order to graduate. I even called our building's test coordinator, but she hasn't "been trained yet" for the HSPE and knows nothing.
My own district and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington have published nothing but the test schedule and the reassurance that "it's a lot like the WASL," our old state assessment. "Like" is not good enough. Running the 800m is a lot like the 400m since they both involve running on a track, but I would prepare my athletes differently for each one. Running may be running and reading may be reading, but how you're going to be asked to demonstrate mastery affects how you approach the assessment.
For all I know, my milers will be told on the starting line that they're running the 400. Are their scores going to accurately reflect their skills?
Today my students completed an in-class writing assessment. I'll use it to diagnose their skills, but I also used it to try to prepare them for the state assessment they'll face in a few weeks, the one they have to pass in order to graduate. Today I had to qualify everything I said with the words, "But I don't really know what you'll see on the HSPE."
Failing the Washington State assessment in tenth grade is no small bump in a student's road to graduation. It is a major show-stopping, time-consuming obstacle. I have spent six hours – that's 12 lunches – helping a child finish his Collection of Evidence because he failed the writing WASL. Kids have to take extra classes, retake the WASL in August, or pass the Collection of Evidence test, which pulls them from their classes for a day.
Washington State has decided to change the assessment used to determine a child's readiness to graduate as well as to measure a school's Annual Yearly Progress. They have changed the assessment without providing any materials, examples, or training. How does this reflect good assessment practices?
My son passed the reading portion of the HSPE but not the writing and was told from his teacher that he passed. When we got te notice of failure from the school he was devastated and now is insistent that he is stupid which in fact he is not. His grades are all B’s so over the summer instead of him getting job experience we have to do writing drills. With his plans to enter the military it puts so much stress for him to pass to graduate.
I’m glad I didn’t have a bonfire last year and throw in all my WASL prep materials like I fantasized, because there’s nothing available on the OSPI’s website to help me prepare my students for the MSP. http://www.hotfileseek.com
Thanks, pinkehjazzy. It’s so important to have students sharing their perspective and experiences on an education blog – please keep it up.
It looks like Edmonds is releasing the same information about the HSPE as Seattle – not much of it, either.
As far as I know, the reading test is one day shorter, does not have the full-page extended response questions, and has some stand-alone questions about literary devices, vocabulary, or context. The stand-alone questions are not connected to a reading selection.
The writing days are supposed to be exactly the same – one persuasive piece and one expository / one letter and one essay. One change is that they don’t call it expository anymore, they call it “writing to explain.”
I’m still frustrated that students are expected to pass a brand new test about which very little has been revealed. Your comments about your teacher are funny! You shouldn’t “worry” about it, but it’s still a test you need to pass in order to graduate. I was an honors student, and took every test seriously. I would get plenty of rest, eat well, stay hydrated, and go slowly and carefully through the tests next Tuesday through Thursday. You will probably pass with flying colors, but it’s still worth doing the best you can.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:PrRqJqzJQH4J:staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/mdhs/attachments/204_2010%2520HSPE%2520messages.pdf+what+will+the+hspe+look+like&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESi6yJ6slvEgpTTjgdat3LmsaTXoW0gy4uYTtDlexXGjLbMFwoZuxCYxqSXRUWlMk-79uoc1K0H7We-a5MQQ-7ueTUgbswAUEkvzVMC1Ud64PSDuqtmm2u9hCmTJT5RGZesi1fiR&sig=AHIEtbSV__C7MyaUHB3zN80QBrbtVhG_AA
I heard from my teacher that it is a dumbed down version and that since we are honors kids, we don’t have to worry. He hasn’t been preparing us at all for that reason and that he has no idea what will be on it.
Thanks for doing so much research, Mark. The details of the new reading section make it clear to me that this test is not like the WASL. In fact, it’s so different, and so untested among its intended student population, that I think it’s a mistake for the state to consider it a valid assessment for this year’s tenth graders.
The HSPE – which is being written by people in Olympia right at this very minute – should be piloted by this year’s 10th graders. Their formal state assessment should be the WASL until the HSPE has been checked out.
In my research, I’ve discovered that, yes, the writing portion of the HSPE is identical to the WASL. The reading portion is not, at all. While it is shorter, it also includes a whole different section which has not been part of the WASL for as long as I have known it. The “functional” literacy section involves reading things such as job announcements, emails, and other everyday texts. While I do not disagree that these kinds of texts have a place on the HSPE, as Kristin pointed out to me, we don’t know the validity of these questions…and quite frankly, we also don’t really know what most of them will look like. That’s a BIG problem, and it sounds like one that will be passed on to math and science next year.
Since Dorn’s election, we’ve been told that the HSPE for reading and writing are “essentially the same.” Turns out, not so much.
I’m glad I didn’t have a bonfire last year and throw in all my WASL prep materials like I fantasized, because there’s nothing available on the OSPI’s website to help me prepare my students for the MSP.
The HSPE is the Reader’s Digest version of the WASL. The released items from the WASL are still valid for the HSPE.
But Mark, next year they are doing it to the math and science folks. Our students have to pass end of course exams in Algebra and Geometry, which have not even been written or field tested on real students.
Or maybe a comprehensive exam on Algebra and Geometry if they pass Algebra this year. That will be given 10 months after they finish Algebra, and 2 months before they finish Geometry.
Science is worse. They haven’t even decided whether or not the exams will be end of course or comprehensive.
And this year’s freshmen have to pass all 5 high stakes exams to graduate. Unless the Legislature comes to its senses.
So we’re all in this together.
Do you think they’d do this to the math and science folks?
I’ve been struggling with the same thing!! I finally called OSPI last week, got a voicemail back this week. If I figure it out, I’ll share.