Dear Friends of MAG,

The 2003 Maryland Assessment Group Conference is shaping up to be one of the most important conferences of the year. Not only will it be a time to discuss assessment issues and other important learning and teaching strategies; but it will also be the place where all new MSDE and federal initiatives will be presented in one convenient location. MSDE staff, in a continuing effort to provide MAG with up to date information that will help all levels (elementary, middle and high schools), will be providing us with helpful guidance on making Annual Yearly Progress and staying out of School Improvement. MSDE staff will be presenting on AYP/Standard Setting, Ann Glazer will be working with Kathy Volk on reading and the voluntary state curriculum, Donna Watts will be presenting similar information with math, and Sharon Hall will be presenting the alternative MSA, formerly IMAP. In addition, CTB will be providing us the expertise of Molly Zebrowski, National Assessment Consultant, to discuss the Maryland Initiative as it relates to No Child Left Behind. Harcourt Educational Measurement and Pearson NCS will also provide detailed workshops involving HSA, MSA, and Computer Adaptive Testing. We are also happy to have Celia Simms from the United States Department of Education joining us again to address new issues involving No Child Left Behind.

Our featured presenter for the 2003 Conference will be Dr. Richard Stiggins. Dr. Stiggins is the founder and president of the Assessment Training Institute (ATI). ATI is devoted to supporting teachers as they face the day-to-day challenges of classroom assessment. Dr Stiggins will hold sessions based on Student-Centered Classroom Assessment and how it relates to student achievement and school improvement. His sessions will provide MAG participants with a wide range of practical and professional development materials for educators at all levels. For more information, Click Here to see Dr. Stiggins' bio, and visit ATI on the web. Their Home Page is at www.assessmentinst.com.

We also have an impressive line-up of breakout sessions on local district best practices and innovations across Maryland.

We look forward to seeing you at the MAG 2003 Conference. Register early so you don't miss out on this important event!

Julian Katz, Executive Director, MAG

Current Confirmed Sessions:

Web-Based Assessments and e-Testing for the 21st Century
Using Test Data to Drive Instruction - MSA
Transforming Workplace Culture to Support Change
Program Evaluation
Assessment Driven Differentiated Instruction
Measuring Change: Overlooked but Easy Ways
The Road to Data Collection
Benchmark Assessments that Assess Students Total Reading Comprehension
Fixing the Achievement Gap for All Students, Including Those with Disabilities
What Does Effective Technology Integration Look Like?
Improving Instruction and Student Learning Through Performance Based Assessment in the Fine Arts (Elementary Level)
A Middle School's Story of Analyzing Student Work
Testing to the Teach
Improving Teaching and Learning: Emerging Roles for a Local School System Office of Research and Evaluation
Using your Intranet to Differentiate Effectively
Using Group Administered Reading and Math Assessments to Drive School Improvement
Fluency: What is it and how do we assess it?
Understanding What It Means to be Proficient on the New MSA Reading Assessment