Agenda Brief history of the NCSA - See the conference history paper - - PDF document

6/24/19 1 Edward Roeber Edynn Sato

Agenda

— Brief history of the NCSA - See the conference history paper

prepared a few years ago (2006), posted online

— Overview of conference planning process/session rating/session

selection

— Using the software to access the conference program and other

activities

— Overview of the types of sessions featured at the NCSA — Key strands — How/where to network with conference presenters and other

attendees

— Planning time – Use this time to select the sessions you plan on

attending

— Form into small groups to look over the program — Fill out your “dance cards” – on paper or electronically

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In the Beginning

— The first conference was held in Boulder, CO in 1971 — (The conference that didn’t count was held in Ann Arbor,

MI in 1970)

— The conference was held to present information on the

NAEP project, which was relatively new at the time

— It was sponsored by the Education Commission of the

States (ECS), the NAEP grant recipient

— Conference was planned by Frank Womer and Irv

Lehmann

— The conference was held at the University of Colorado,

later moving to the Harvest House hotel in Boulder

The Early Years

— By 1974, over 100 individuals attended the conference

(which was the first conference Ed attended)

— The conference continued to focus on the NAEP

project, but NAEP did not change that much from year to year (and a few states had a state assessment program at the time)

— By the late 1970’s, however, state assessment staff

complained that state work (often more innovative than NAEP) ought to be featured in addition to/in place of NAEP reports

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The Early Years

— As a result of these complaints, state assessment

program activities began to be featured in the annual conference program

— State assessment staff participated in the planning of

the conference, suggesting topics and presenters to be used

— Attendance continued to grow — ECS continued to sponsor the conference

The Middle Years

— In the early 1980’s, ECS lost the NAEP grant — Concern was raised that the conference would become

an outreach effort of the new contractor, ETS, and moved out of Colorado

— ECS agreed to continue to run the “Boulder conference” — ECS ran the conference through 1991 — The LSAC continued to be held at the Harvest House,

although this hotel changed brands a couple of times

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The Middle Years

— So many individuals (upwards of 750-800) were

attending that the Harvest House could not hold all of them – and individuals stayed at virtually every hotel in Boulder (some not even 1-star)

— Shuttle buses were used to bus attendees to the hotel — The conference was becoming too large for the Harvest

House, which had less than 180 sleeping rooms

— Yet the Harvest House remained beloved

1990’s

— Because of the hotel issues, ECS moved the conference

to Breckenridge, CO in 1991 (for one year)

— This resort was able to house all attendees at one site,

which made it easier to interact with other attendees

— However, the altitude – over 9,000 feet – caused

headaches for some attendees

— Thus, ECS returned LSAC to Boulder and the Harvest

House in 1992

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1990’s

— ECS made the decision in late 1992 to no longer host

the conference and offered it to CCSSO

— The conference was re-titled the CCSSO National

Conference on Large-Scale Assessment

— A larger, more inclusive planning process was used;

attendees proposed topics that were selected by a planning committee

— Plans to continue to hold the conference in Boulder

were cut short by a citizen referendum in the state, causing CCSSO to look for another state in which to hold the conference (fearing the economic fallout from a potential boycott of the conference)

1990’s

— Starting in December 1992, CCSSO had to locate a

suitable site for the 1000-person LSAC to be held six months later….

— Most sites of this size are booked years in advance — The 1993 (and 1994) conferences were held in

Albuquerque, NM

— Moving from Boulder was a major complaint in 1993 — Announcing in 1994 that the conference was moving

to Phoenix for 1995 & 1996 also led to complaints

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1990’s

— CCSSO staff went on a search for new sites – locations

in the mountain west near an airport with major airline service

— Attendees complained about the heat of Phoenix in

1995, but when CCSSO announced in 1996 the move of the conference to Colorado Springs, CO for 1997 & 1998, attendees complained about moving from Phoenix….

— Snowbird (UT) was the site used for 1999 and 2000 –

however, attendees did not want to leave Colorado Springs….

2000’s

— CCSSO began moving the conference annually, and moving

to locations where no mountains could be seen:

— Houston, TX — Palm Desert, CA — San Antonio, TX — Boston, MA — San Francisco, CA — Minneapolis, MN — Washington, DC — New Orleans, LA — San Diego, CA — Austin, TX — San Diego

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Facts and Figures

— The title of the conference was changed to the CCSSO

National Conference on Student Assessment, to reflect and honor work on classroom-based assessments, as well as formative assessment strategies

— Conference has been held in the month of June since

1971

— The conference has varied from 2 days to 3.5 days — There once was a half day break in the conference for

sightseeing….

Facts and Figures

— The history of social activities has also been an interesting

side story to the conference

— At first, there were virtually none – just a bottle of wine and a

bag of chips

— Then, fierce competition between vendors led to every meal

and evening having a sponsored event (sometimes two)

— An extra day was added to the conference to accommodate all

• f the vendors

— In the end, it was an opening session that brought this bounty

to an end…. — Social activities have been an important part of the

conference across the history of the conference

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Summary

— Old-timers still refer to the conference as the “Boulder

conference” or the “large-scale assessment conference”

— The conference remains important for state and

national assessment as it nears its fifty-year anniversary (in 2020)

— It has changed to reflect changes in assessment, but

still is a must-attend for many

Proposing a Session Next Year

— Attendees this year will receive a Call for Proposals in

the fall from CCSSO

— Submit your ideas for sessions, keeping in mind these

guidelines:

— Multi-state sessions are more interesting — State/local educator sessions are more appealing — The focus of the conference tends to focus on large-scale

assessment, but with ESSA flexibility, there are likely some interesting “stories” about how states and districts plan to use or are using the flexibility afforded by ESSA

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Using the Conference Software

— Downloading the software — Using the software — Selecting sessions and creating a list of selected

sessions

Overview of Session Types

— 90-Minute sessions — 60-Minute sessions — Round Table sessions (45-minutes, Tuesday and

Wednesday lunch)

— Plenary sessions (Monday and Tuesday) — Reception – Tuesday 5:30 to 7:30 pm (Paddlefish

Restaurant, Disney Springs)

— Exhibits - Orlando World Center Marriott - Crystal

Ballroom - Salon G (Level 1)

— Breaks – in Exhibit area

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Session Strands

— Continuous Evaluation and Improvement — Effective Uses of Data — Equitable Accountability — High-quality Assessment — Meaningful Communication of Student and School

Outcomes

Networking with Presenters & Attendees

— Breaks — Reception — Attend sessions and speak to presenter(s) afterwards

(plan talking at breaks)

— Cruise through in Exhibit area to meet vendor reps — Set a time later to talk – here or from home

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Planning Time/Fill Out “Dance Card”

— Questions? — Form into small groups to look over the program — Fill out your “dance cards” – on paper or

electronically

For More Information

Ed Roeber roeber@msu.edu (517) 614-4877 Edynn Sato edynn@satoeducationconsulting.com (650) 575-8806