[Program Updates] Study Island Benchmark Assessment & Future Ready PA Index Rubrics

Pennsylvania educators, we have some exciting news for you! Edmentum has created multiple rubrics to help guide the use of Study Island Benchmark Assessments as an on-track measure for the Future Ready PA Index. These rubrics can help Pennsylvania districts take advantage of the Future Ready option in selecting and evaluating alternative assessments for their schools that follow Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) guidelines.

Here are a few highlights of the rubrics:

• Rubrics include Future Ready PA Index comprehensive test-preparation and administrator guides.
• Four comparable benchmark assessments are available per grade level/subject. These are designed to reflect Pennsylvania PSSA assessments in terms of their type and standards coverage.
• Pennsylvania Benchmark cut scores are incorporated within student results for better understanding of data.
• Study Island Benchmarks are built with many accessibility features and accommodations to make them available to over 95% of students statewide.
• Data can be easily exported to PIMS by local administrators.
• We’ve included multiple research citations within the rubrics to verify predictive validity and reliability of Edmentum’s Study Island Benchmark Assessments.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education explains why it created the Future Ready PA Index:

In looking at ways to create a more holistic school evaluation tool, the Pennsylvania Department of Education conducted dozens of feedback sessions to solicit recommendations from more than 1,000 stakeholders around a new measure.

The Future Ready PA Index will serve as Pennsylvania’s one-stop location for comprehensive information about school success, and will use a dashboard model to highlight how schools are performing and making progress on multiple indicators.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education also states what each district must consider when choosing an outside assessment for the On-Track indicator. It is the responsibility of LEA leadership to evaluate the quality and sufficiency of evidence provided by the vendor to support the use of the assessment and interpretation of results:

For schools that elect not to use a locally selected assessment, the reporting for the On-Track indicator will default to the corresponding PSSA Grade 3 ELA or Grade 7 Mathematics score. Please note that regardless of whether a locally selected assessment is employed for the On-Track indicator, ELA and Math PSSA scores will be required for the State Assessment Proficiency and Growth Measures in the Future Ready PA Index. There is no local option to substitute testing for accountability purposes.

Our extensive research into the Future Ready PA Index helps districts choose Study Island Benchmark Assessments to satisfy their On-Track indicator for their schools.

Looking for more information on how research-backed solutions can help you satisfy your On-Track indicator? Email our Pennsylvania team!