School librarians may want to note the paragraphs on the scope of the MEA
and content areas that are local assessment. - Sylvia



> TO:  ALL SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS
>
> The following message is being sent at the request of the Commissioner.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
>
> ***** Please forward to Curriculum Coordinators *****
>
> Note:  The Administrative and Informational Letters are available also on
> our website at the following address:
> http://www.maine.gov/education/edletrs/homepage.htm
> <http://www.maine.gov/education/edletrs/homepage.htm>
>
>
> INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO.  67
> POLICY CODE:  ILBB
>
>
>
> TO:           Superintendents, Principals, and Curriculum Coordinators
>
> FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
>
> DATE:         May 2, 2003
>
> RE:           Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) for the 2003-04 School
> Year
>
>
> I wish to take this opportunity to alert you to significant modifications
> in the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) program for the 2003 - 2004
> school year. The increased focus on individual student and school
> accountability stemming from Chapter 127 implementation requirements of
> Maine's Learning Results and the new federal No Child Left Behind Act have
> led to the following MEA program design modifications:
>
>       *       A more focused approach, assessing only English language
> arts (reading and writing), mathematics, and science and technology at
> grades 4, 8, and 11;
>       *       A new test design with increased numbers of items
> contributing to student and school scores, which will allow improved
> reliability and increased reporting of sub-scores for individual students
> for these content areas.
>       *       A single test administration schedule during a two-week
> period beginning March 1, 2004.
>
>  Please understand that many details of the changes are still in the
> preliminary stages of development, so I am not yet able to convey to you
> all aspects of the plan. However, I do expect to complete and implement
> these MEA modifications for the next school year.  The following sections
> of this Information Letter amplify the rationale and characteristics of
> the revised MEA program.
>
>       MEA Scope
>
>       To align the MEA with the implementation requirements of Maine's
> Learning Results and the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the MEA is
> being modified to focus on the following content areas at grades 4, 8, and
> 11:
>                       *       English Language Arts (reading and writing)
>                       *       Mathematics
>                       *       Science and Technology
>
>       Social Studies, Health Education, and the Visual and Performing Arts
> assessments will no longer be part of the annual MEA testing schedule.
> Maine has successful experience in student assessment in these areas and
> intends to utilize this experience and resources to support the
> development of effective local assessments in these content areas.  I wish
> to emphasize that the Department's assessment models, guidance, and tools
> for development of local assessment systems will clearly convey the
> importance of these content areas as an integral part of Maine's high
> expectations for all students.
>
>       MEA Test Design Modifications
>
>       These test design modifications will provide greater focus on
> performance results for individual students, while retaining the ability
> to use MEA data for program evaluation.  By increasing the number of test
> items that comprise student and school scores, reliability coefficients
> should be improved to levels recommended by the Technical Advisory
> Committee.
>
>       The scoring of all writing responses will become the responsibility
> of Measured Progress scorers.  This is necessary to meet new No Child Left
> Behind reporting deadlines. I wish to acknowledge the value of Maine
> teachers scoring writing; as a result of the nearly twenty-year effort
> student writing has significantly improved.  A secondary benefit of the
> effort is the growing number of local writing assessments which are
> carrying the benefits of rubric-based scoring to additional teachers and
> students. Given our experience in scoring writing, it is our intent to
> expand Department professional development scoring opportunities to build
> greater proficiency in scoring local assessments across all content areas.
>
>
>       Test Administration and Reporting
>
>       The MEA will return to a single test administration period, which is
> scheduled for a two-week period beginning March 1, 2004.  Measured
> Progress, together with Department staff, is reviewing all test
> administration protocols to reduce the time it takes to return reports to
> schools.  This is in part a response to the requirements of the No Child
> Left Behind Act, but should also be useful to schools in using results
> more effectively.  In the first year of these modifications, an early July
> reporting target is being set.
>
>       I realize these design modifications represent an ambitious updating
> of the Maine Educational Assessment to respond to the emerging focus on
> the assessment of individual students.  This effort, while responding to
> increased assessment requirements, is also reducing the burden of testing
> at grades 4, 8, and 11.  While delaying the implementation of these design
> changes for a year was considered, the need to have the program in place
> took precedence. Please keep in mind that a review of the MEA performance
> standards is also underway with recommendations for any revisions expected
> in the fall of this year.
>       I will look forward to working with you to successfully implement
> the most effective state and local assessment programs possible.