Greetings, Utah ELA Educators,

We are excited to announce Utah Aspire Plus (UA+) Reading assessment development workshop opportunity in December 2024.  Below is a description of the UA+ Reading Passage Content Review Workshop.  This workshop has a survey form to be completed for consideration to be selected to participate in the workshop. Please know that there is limited space, so all respondents are not guaranteed a spot. Committee participants are chosen to comprise an accurate representation of Utah educators across the state.

UA+ Reading Passage Content Review Workshop

Virtual Workshop Dates/times:  

• Friday, December 6, 2024, 3:30-5:00pm MT – Committee Workshop Training 
• Saturday, December 7 through Monday, December 16, 2024 - Independent Workshop Review 
• Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 3:30 to 5:30pm MT – Committee Reconciliation/Post-Review Meeting

Reading Passage Review Grades 9 and 10

The purpose of the UA+ Reading Passage Content Review is for Utah educators to advise the Utah State Board of Education on the content of passages that will be field tested on the 2025-2026 UA+ Reading Summative Assessment. Educators review all test passages for the various components/aspects during the passage content review process, as follows:

• Grade level appropriateness
• Passage complexity
• Content accuracy
• Potential of content to provide opportunities to write items that align to the Utah State Core Standards

The virtual committee workshop training on Friday, December 6, 2024 covers all such aspects and reminds participants to be aware of any potential bias or sensitivity issues, even though those topics are not specifically their charge.  Also during the virtual committee workshop training, we will cover the logistics for reviewing the content of passages and voting in the web-based item banking platform, ABBI (Assessment Banking and Building for Interoperable Assessments) as well as the resources to use during your review (e.g., checklists).  Pearson content specialists facilitate these review meetings and include USBE content specialists in all meetings and post-meeting resolution.  Committee participants will be given 10 days to independently complete the passage reviews before coming back together virtually on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 to reconcile all committee member’s passage comments and concerns.

Location: Virtual, meeting links will be sent to confirmed participants

Dates and Times: Friday, December 6, 2024, 3:30-5:00pm MT – Committee Workshop Training, Saturday, December 7 through Monday, December 16, 2024 - Independent Workshop Review, and Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 3:30 to 5:30pm MT – Committee Reconciliation/Post-Review Meeting

Compensation/Substitute: Substitute reimbursement is offered to schools for teachers who participate in the meeting on school time. Please be sure to discuss this time out of the classroom/school with school administration.  Educators whose school is not in session, or who use personal days for the meeting, may receive a stipend of $225 for the estimated 7.5 hours of work. Every educator who participates will receive 8 relicensure points.

Note: Participants will need a reliable device and Wi-Fi.  Participants should have access to a secure and quiet location for the entirety of the meeting. Participants will be asked to be on camera for the meeting and are encouraged to ensure their computer is set up for this prior to the session.

To register for consideration to participate in the Virtual UA+ Grades 9-10 Reading Passage Content Review, please complete this survey by Monday, November 11, 2024 (you do not need to respond to this email unless you have any questions or concerns): UA+ Reading Content Passage Review Survey

We will let you know by Wednesday, November 13, 2024, if you are chosen to participate to make the appropriate arrangements. 

Please know that there is limited space, so all respondents are not guaranteed a spot.  Committee participants are chosen to comprise an accurate representation of Utah educators.

We appreciate you taking an active role in Utah’s assessment development process.

Feel free to pass this information along to other ELA educators with expertise in the Utah Core ELA Standards and at least two full years of teaching experience. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thanks for all you do!

Megan

Megan Lopez, M.Ed.

Education Specialist, Secondary English Language Arts|WIDA

A2A Program Manager

Assessment & Accountability

Utah State Board of Education

Phone: (801) 538-7723

Email: megan.lopez@schools.utah.gov