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

6/24/19 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 1

6/24/19 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 2

6/24/19 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 3

6/24/19 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 4

6/24/19 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 5

6/24/19 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 6

6/24/19 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 of 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 7

6/24/19 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 8

6/24/19 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 9

6/24/19 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 10

6/24/19 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 11