Charles County presents expanded common-assessment use to track pacing and instruction

Charles County Public Schools officials on April 8 outlined how the district is using “common assessments” across grades to monitor curriculum pacing, measure student knowledge at points in time and guide instruction for improved state-test readiness.

Chief of Teaching and Learning Kevin Lowndes told the board the assessments are intended to check pacing and the “depth of our students' knowledge” so teachers can revisit standards that students are missing. He said the district limits when tests are administered so the system stays within Maryland’s state time cap on local assessments.

The presentation focused on how specialists and teachers use item-level data to change instruction. Kim Huddler, elementary reading content specialist, pointed to an example in fifth-grade ELA where “RI 5.3 … 74 percent of our kids got those questions right” but another standard — determining two or more main ideas and supporting details — showed lower results: “only 46 percent of our kids got those right.” Huddler said coaches and teachers then target instruction for the weaker standard.

Panel members described classroom practices that use assessment results. At Brown Elementary, instructional resource teacher Erica Boardley said teachers use short warm-ups and targeted practice to reteach the specific items students missed. Middle- and high-school specialists said professional learning time, item analysis by standard and released-state items are being used to create valid sampling across a course.

The district also emphasized practical constraints: not every common assessment can be given each quarter because Maryland limits the proportion of instructional time that may be used for local testing. Lowndes and colleagues stressed that fall and winter assessments are not always directly comparable because they may measure different standards; they said year-to-year comparisons will be more informative once the district has consistent results to benchmark.

Several board members pressed for details on participation and special education accommodations. Director of Accountability Steve Roberts said participation was high: “We have about 95 percent,” and Lowndes confirmed absent students are required to make up tests. Panelists said students with IEP accommodations (extra time, scribe, read-aloud where specified) receive them on common assessments.

Presenters and board members also discussed a recurring concern: computer delivery can reduce evidence of mathematical reasoning because students may write detailed work on paper but not enter partial thinking into the computerized answer window. Middle- and elementary-math specialists said the district is teaching students how to transfer their written reasoning into the digital format and embedding released MCAP items into local tools so students practice the online experience.

District staff said next steps include continuing to increase teacher participation in common assessments, using item-analysis to focus professional development and refining reporting so parents and teachers get clearer guidance about what students need to work on.

Why this matters: The common-assessment effort is meant to give teachers actionable, standard-by-standard data earlier in the year so instruction can be adjusted before state testing.