Maine Assessment Letter
August 23, 2007
The Honorable Susan A. Gendron
Commissioner
State of Maine Department of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333-0023
Dear Commissioner Gendron:
Thank you for submitting additional assessment materials for peer review under the standards and assessment requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). We appreciate the efforts required to prepare for the latest peer review that occurred in August 2007.
Based on the recommendations of the peer reviewers and the evidence you have provided to date, the status of Maine’s standards and assessment system is Approval Expected. This status indicates that a State administered an assessment system in grades 3-8 and high school in 2006-07 that the evidence to date suggests is fully compliant with the statutory and regulatory requirements. Maine must submit evidence regarding the technical quality of the augmented SAT. Please note that full approval of Maine’s standards and assessment system is dependent upon whether the additional evidence submitted for peer review meets the ESEA standards and assessment requirements.
In a letter submitted to the Department on June 28, 2007, Maine indicated that the preliminary empirical and psychometric evidence from the augmented SAT Math assessment administered in spring 2007 will be available in August and will be submitted to the Department by September 1, 2007. Maine also noted that more comprehensive documentation would available in the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCas) Technical Manuals, to be published in November 2007. Please note that, because there are elements of Maine’s system that are not yet complete, the condition on Maine’s fiscal year 2007 Title I, Part A grant award will continue.
The Department remains committed to working with Maine to meet the requirements of NCLB and to raising the performance of all children. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Zollie Stevenson (Zollie.Stevenson@ed.gov) or Martha Snyder (Martha.Snyder@ed.gov).
Sincerely,
Kerri L. Briggs, Ph.D.
Enclosure
cc: Governor John Baldacci
Valerie Seaberg
SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT MAINE MUST SUBMIT TO MEET ESEA REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAINE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
4.0 – Technical Quality
- Documentation that the use of the augmented SAT for high school, either with or without augmentation, fully conforms to NCLB requirements, including technical quality. Specifically, Maine must submit the evidence noted by Commissioner Gendron in her letter to Assistant Secretary Briggs on June 28, 2007, including preliminary empirical and psychometric evidence.
