As part of the new New York State evaluation system for classroom teachers and building principals, Section 3012-d, signed into law by Governor Cuomo in April 2015, all assessments used for teacher and principal evaluation must now be state approved.  Questar III BOCES recently developed Student Learning Objective (SLO) assessments have received state approval, and can be used by classroom teachers as a tool in determining individual growth targets for student learning.

“Having high quality rigorous assessments are essential in the learning environment. Educators need to be able to assess student’s abilities not just for grades or scores, but to make high level decisions as to the needs of each of their students. Having a history of developing assessments for districts around the area, it was advantageous that we submit our assessments to the state for approval. We hope to be the leaders in continuing to produce assessments that allow educators to gain tremendous insight into their student’s abilities and target specific areas for growth,” Questar III Deputy Superintendent Matt Sloane said.

Assessment development began in August 2012 with the development of the assessment liaison group consisting of teachers, administrators and superintendents from throughout the Questar III BOCES region. This group also collaborated with educational consulting group Learner-Centered Initiatives, Excelsior College Testing Development Unit, retired teachers and teachers from outside the region to create over 40 assessments, each with two versions.  Each of the 40 assessments were created with two versions to be used for baseline and summative data to assist teachers in determining individual growth targets for student learning. This process allows teachers and administrators to identify the standards critical for students’ long-term success.

After developing the initial assessments, Questar III School Improvement Specialists, veteran teachers across content areas well-versed in how to translate the New York State Common Core Learning Standards into classroom instruction, worked with the region to field test assessment items.  The assessments were then revised based on the feedback from the field.  Assessments are continuously revised based on feedback after each assessment administration.

For more information about the Questar III SLO Assessments, please contact Katie Barrett, Assessment Coordinator at Katie.barrett@questar.org

Please note, the state-approved Questar III BOCES SLO assessments are not connected to Questar Assessment, Inc. Questar Assessment, Inc. is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and unaffiliated with Questar III BOCES. 

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