Annual Meeting of the NCSS Assessment Committee

• Room 2203, Convention Center
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Thursday, November 17, 2005

Committee Members in Attendance: Ron Adams, Bill Wilen, Tim Coates, Steven Weber (Outgoing CS4 Committee Representative), Jerrie Brown (Incoming CS4 Committee Representative)

Guests: Dorsee Johnson-Tucker (NCSS), Gayle Thieman (NCSS), Jeff Passe (NCSS), Peggy Altoff (NCSS)

1. Welcome and Introductions

Chair Ron Adams welcomed attendees. Attendees introduced themselves.

2. Appointment of Recorder

Tim Coates agreed to serve as the recorder for the meeting.

3. Review of Minutes of 2004 Meeting

The minutes of the 2004 meeting were reviewed and corrected to note that the web-page document that required revision and editing was the "Testing and Evaluation of Social Studies" document. Tim Coates moved adoption of amended minutes, seconded by Dorsee Johnson-Tucker. Motion passed.

4. NCSS Board Liason?Dorsee Johnson Tucker

Dorsee acknowledged the value of the Assessment Committee, and notified group that the NCSS is to become more publicly visible and politically active with the hiring of a Washington lobbyist.

A general discussion occurred regarding important issues facing the NCSS that are relevant to the work of the Assessment Committee. It was acknowledged that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) continues to be the dominant issue. With the introduction of science in NCLB there is increased potential for the further marginalization of social studies education in the United States. Also of concern is the continuing lack of cooperation and communications among the social studies disciplines, and the potential for the history discipline to be acknowledged within NCLB: where would this then leave the social studies disciplines?

Dorsee asked for the position of the assessment committee regarding deliberations to occur in the House of Delegates regarding whether curriculum, instruction and assessment should be combined under one committee. In general the committee felt this was not a constructive idea. Bill suggested that perhaps a sub-committee combining the three areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment could be formed while maintaining the separate committees.

5. Update on the Assessment Committee List

The group discussed attendance and participation in the Assessment Committee, under the broad question of ?How do we get committees to be more effective?? Ron indicated that during his tenure on the Assessment Committee attendance has been about three to five persons at each meeting. He felt that one problem was the lack of email addresses for members which would facilitate greater communications. Gayle suggested that improvements to the website may help communications. It was generally agreed that committees work better when they have a specific task that requires the input of committee members.

Emerging from this discussion was a recommendation to the NCSS that the organization review its data gathering on members with the goal of making it easier to have communications with and among NCSS members, especially those serving on committees.

The committee also discussed the great potential for an elevated role for the Assessment Committee at this time when the repercussions of NCLB are being felt within the social studies community. There was discussion of the need to raise the Assessment Committee?s profile. Steven Weber thanked the NCSS for ensuring that there were assessment-centered presentations included in the roster of presentations for the 2005 conference.

Dorsee thanked the committee for their openness in talking about means by which to strengthen the role of the Assessment Committee.

Gayle encouraged the committee members to continue to send names of potential speakers on assessment issues to the president elect.

Jeff Passe, President of NCSS visited the meeting and discussed several issues:

? That there should be consideration given to moving the committee meetings to Fridays in the hopes that there will be better attendance

? That the Assessment Committee should consider the work of FAIR TEST (fairtest.com)

? That the NCSS wants to look to the Assessment Committee for guidance on issues such as the best ways to assess in the social studies.

? That the Assessment Committee should create a position paper in light of issues such as the impact of NCLB

Peggy Altoff, President elect of NCSS visited the meeting, introduced herself and thanked the committee for their work.

6. Goals of NCLB

Discussion occurred in reference to the role of social studies in NCLB in light of the re-authorizing of NCLB that will occur in the near future.

Motioned by Jerrie Brown, seconded by Bill Wilen that: NCSS should work to ensure the inclusion of social studies in a re-authorized NCLB. Motion passed with unanimous support.

7. Revising Assessment Committee Statements

Members agreed to review draft revisions to both the ?Promoting Fair and Equitable Assessment? document (2003) and the ?Testing and Evaluation Social Studies Students? document (1991) that were brought to the meeting by Tim Coates. It is hoped that not only can these statements be revised, but that a bulleted list of what is ?good assessment? can be created, which could serve as a precursor to a more complete paper on assessment. Members agreed to the following time-line:

• January 15th, 2006: deadline for members to forward their reactions to the draft revisions, and any ideas regarding the bulleted statements to Ron Adams.
• February 1st, 2006: Ron Adams will reply to members regarding their responses.
• February 15th, 2006: members will provide Ron Adams with any further revision to documents.
• March 1st, 2006: Ron will forward (via Jeff Passe) a list of those items than should be contained in a statement on assessment to the NCSS board.

8. Recommendations for Chair and Vice-Chair

Ron Adams and Bill Wilen will seek second terms on the Assessment Committee. The Assessment Committee formally requests that a representative from CUFA, with expertise in assessment be appointed.

The assessment committee recommends Tim Coates for chair of the Assessment Committee and Jerrie Brown as vice-chair.

Adjournment at 5:00 PM

Recommendations/Motions:

Emerging from this discussion was a recommendation to the NCSS that the organization review its data gathering on members with the goal of making it easier to have communications with and among NCSS members, especially those serving on committees.

Motioned by Jerrie Brown, seconded by Bill Wilen that: NCSS should work to ensure the inclusion of social studies in a re-authorized NCLB. Motion passed with unanimous support.

The Assessment Committee formally requests that a representative from CUFA, with expertise in assessment be appointed.

The assessment committee recommends Tim Coates for chair of the Assessment Committee and Jerrie Brown as vice-chair.

-- TimothyCoates? - 16 Dec 2005