What's Changing on the 4 and 7 Writing Test in 2019-2020 School Year

Not much for THIS year from what I can tell.

Writing Tests

• Writing Assessment is still federally required for 3-8 not just 4 and 7. But not this year.
• Elimination of stand alone writing test will happen NEXT year - 2021-2022. 
• Which means - the kids this year will still take a test that looks pretty much like what we have been doing. There'll be an essay and multiple choice questions for revising and editing. They are using questions that are already in the item bank and that overlap the previous TEKS. You have to look at TEA's side-by-side docs to see what those are. And we can probably expect that items tagged as accessible, readiness, or supporting in the previous TEKS will maintain those labels on the new TEKS.
• Implementation of an integrated reading-writing test for 3-8 is expected in 2021-2022.  
• We will probably see field test items for the integrated items on THIS year's tests - 2019-2021. 
• Committees are working right now to design what the assessment will look like. 
• Committees worked in July to decide which items for the new TEKS (for both writing and reading) are assessible and which ones are not.  I don't know when we will see those reports.
• There is a cap on multiple choice (75%) that starts in 2022-2023. NOT THIS YEAR. With the requirements that all STAAR tests be online by 2022-2023, this gives more flexibility in what that other 25% will look like. I don't know what that will look like. TEA is working on that with teacher groups.
• There is a feasibility study due in December of this year about getting the online assessment accomplished. I'm guessing you'll probably get some surveys at the district level soon about infrastructure.  

Kinds of Tests

1. Formative Assessments - made by you for your kids to see if they are learning and what you need to be doing to help them. Nothing new here. We do this all the time. It's not going to be reported to the state or used for accountability, so no one freak out. 
2. Interim Assessments - made by Texas teachers with guidance from the state. For you, your grade, department, or school after units or learning cycles. We do this already, but this is online through the same technology used for the STAAR test. Don't freak out here either. The test is for measurement, designed to be predictive of STAAR and cannot be used for accountability. It's supposed to give you some test prep resources and guidance about how your kids are progressing towards mastery so you can intervene before STAAR time. It's optional and free. 
3. State Assessments - made by Texas teachers with guidance from the state. It's the STAAR test. I think we all know about that measurement and accountability purpose. With the changes mentioned above and in items 1 and 2, I think you can see movement toward better alignment of assessments and curriculum trajectories.