Science Assessments Alignment Study
The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals and obtain quotations for an external independent alignment study (evaluation/analysis) of specified assessments in the North Carolina Testing Program that are used in the Federal and State accountability programs to determine the extent to which the State's system of
assessments aligns with the State's system of State-mandated academic content standards
and academic achievement standards.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that each State's system of standards and assessments be aligned in order to provide useful information for valid accountability decisions and educational improvement. State assessments are required to
adequately measure the knowledge and skills specified in the State's academic content standards in order to make determinations about the extent to which students have achieved the intended knowledge and skills and in order to make the appropriate policy, program, and instruction decisions meant to improve students' achievement. Also, it is expected that the items on the state assessments cover the full depth and breadth of academic achievement standards in order to determine whether students have reached the level of proficiency the academic achievement standards describe.
According to the U. S. Department of Education (USED) (under the Standards and Assessments Peer Review Guidance April 2004) alignment encompasses several dimensions. Demonstrating that an assessment system is aligned with a State's standards requires more than simply determining whether all the items on the assessments can be matched to one or more standards or whether each of the academic content standards can
be matched to one or more items in the assessments. Alignment is more than a two-way process. To ensure that its standards and assessments are aligned, a State needs to consider whether the assessments-
Cover the full range of content specified in the State's academic content
standards, meaning that all of the standards are represented legitimately in the
assessments;
Measure both the content (what students know) and the process (what students
can do) aspects of the academic content standards;
Reflect the same degree and pattern of emphasis apparent in the academic content
standards (e.g., if the academic standards place a lot of emphasis on operations
then so should the assessments);
Reflect the full range of cognitive complexity and level of difficulty of the
concepts and processes described, and depth represented, in the State's academic
content standards, meaning that the assessments are as demanding as the
standards; and
Yield results that represent all achievement levels specified in the State's
academic achievement standards.
The alignment study resulting from this contract will address the areas of alignment
specified in this RFP for the following tests:
1. End-of-Grade Tests of Science Grade 5 and Grade 8;
2. NCEXTEND2 End-of-Grade Tests of Science Grade 5 and Grade 8;
3. NCCLAS Tests of Science Grade 5 and Grade 8;
4. End-of-Course Test of Biology;
5. NCEXTEND2 Test of Life Skills Science I and II; and
6. NCCLAS Test of Biology;
Each of the tests noted shall be analyzed for its alignment to each of the following as
appropriate:
1. The academic content standards for that subject at that grade;
2. The academic achievement standards for that subject at that grade;
3. The alternate academic content standards for that subject at that grade;
4. The alternate assessments for that subject at that grade; and
5. The alternate academic achievement standard for that subject at that grade.
