ARD Committee

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ARD Committee Decision-Making Process for the
Texas Assessment Program 2004-2005 Region
XIII Education Service Center
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Objectives

• Review the background on state and district
  assessments and the requirements for the ARDC
  decision making process
• Provide information so ARDCs can make informed
  decisions about statewide and districtwide
  assessments
• Review changes in the decision making guidelines
  for statewide assessments for the 2004-05 school
  year

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• Background and Overview
• 2004-2005 Texas Assessment Program Components
  By Grade
• TAKS
• Gr. 3-9 (Reading)
• Gr. 3-10 and Exit (Math)
• Gr. 4 and 7 (Writing)
• Gr. 10 and Exit (ELA)
• Gr. 5, 10 and Exit (Science)
• Gr. 8, 10 and Exit (SS)
• Spanish TAKS
• Gr. 3-6 (Reading)
• Gr. 3-6 (Math)
• Gr. 4 (Writing)
• Gr. 5 (Science)

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• Background and Overview
• 2004-2005 Texas Assessment Program Components
  By Grade
• SDAA II
• Gr. 3-9 (Reading)
• Gr. 3-10 (Math)
• Gr. 4 and 7 (Writing)
• Gr. 10 (ELA)
• RPTE
• Gr. 3-12
• Observation Protocols
• Gr. K-2 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing)
• Gr. 3-12 (Listening, Speaking, Writing)
• LDAA
• Gr. 3-11 (all subjects)

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• Instructional decisions should always inform and
  guide assessment decisions.

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Differences Between SDAA II and TAKS

• Larger font size
• More white space
• Slightly shorter reading and writing passages
• More illustrations accompanying passages and test
  items
• Slightly fewer items on some tests

• SDAA II assesses ALMOST all the same TEKS as TAKS
  (see SDAA II/TAKS/TEKS Correlation Guide)
• Differences between TAKS and SDAA II do not
  affect level of TEKS curriculum assessed

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• Background and Overview
• What is LDAA?
• LDAA Locally Determined Alternate Assessment
• LDAA is to be administered when
• ARDC determines that TAKS and SDAA II are not
  appropriate, OR
• ARDC determines that TAKS is not appropriate and
  no SDAA II exists for that subject
• There is no state-mandated or state-approved list
  of appropriate LDAAs
• ARDC is to select the appropriate LDAA based on
  the instruction the student is receiving
• The LDAA will be either TEKS-based or Functional

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Putting the Assessment Decisions in Context

• Components of Effective ARD Committee Decision
  Making
• Required ARDC Members
• Eligibility
• Educational Needs
• Educational Program/Placement
• Statewide/Districtwide Assessment

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Required ARDC Members

• Parent(s)
• At least one general education teacher of the
  student (if the student is, or may be,
  participating in the general education
  environment)
• At least one special education teacher/service
  provider of the student
• A representative of the district who
• Is qualified to provide or supervise the
  provision of specially designed instruction
• Is knowledgeable about the general curriculum
• Is knowledgeable about the availability of
  resources in the district, AND
• Has the administrative authority to commit the
  resources of the district
• An individual who can interpret the instructional
  implications of evaluation data
• Other individuals with knowledge or special
  expertise regarding the student (e.g.,
  AI/VI/CATE/LPAC representative)
• The student, if appropriate

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Questions for Discussion
Required ARDC Members

• How will the required members of the ARDC impact
  the decision-making process for state assessment?
• What processes need to be in place at your campus
  so all members come to the ARDC meeting prepared?
• Who should sit as the district representative at
  your ARDC meetings?

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Eligibility

• At each meeting, the ARDC must consider whether
  the student is, or continues to be, eligible to
  receive special education services.
• Eligibility involves
• Is there a disability?
• Is there a need for special education services
  (and possibly related services) as a result of
  the disability?

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Questions for Discussion
Eligibility

• How does the students disability impact the
  decision making about instruction?
• How does the students disability impact the
  decision making about assessment?

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Present Levels of Educational Performance
Educational Needs

• TEKS level
• Performance in current curriculum/IEP
• Services necessary to continue to progress
  in/access TEKS
• Benchmark data
• Curriculum based measures
• Response to instructional intervention
• Language acquisition (LEP)

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Educational Needs
Performance on Statewide and Districtwide
Assessments

• Confidential Student Report
• Benchmark data
• Grades
• Which assessment did the student take last year?
  Performance level?
• Did the assessment level last year match the
  curriculum stated in the IEP?
• How far off enrolled grade level was the
  curriculum for the IEP set?

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Questions for Discussion
Educational Needs

• How does information about current educational
  performance impact decisions regarding current
  year instruction?
• What processes are in place to ensure that the
  instructional levels are based on educational
  need?

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Educational Program and Placement

• Each year, the ARDC must determine the
  educational program for the student for the
  upcoming year
• This involves decision-making relating to
• Curriculum
• TEKS
• Individualized goals and objectives
• Accommodations
• Specially designed instructional services
  (special education services)

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Educational Program and Placement

• Data Sources that are used in determining
  appropriate instruction/curriculum
• FIE
• Classroom performance
• Curriculum based measures
• Performance on past statewide assessments (by
  objective)
• Performance on district benchmarks

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Questions for Discussion
Educational Program and Placement

• What is the current program?
• To what extent is the student accessing the
  general curriculum/TEKS?
• What kinds of accommodations have been used that
  have realized the greatest success?
• Are we accommodating or modifying?
• Which TEKS will form the basis for this years
  goals and objectives?

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Accommodation or Modification
Educational Program and Placement

• Accommodation
• a change in teaching or learning strategies based
  on the specific needs of a student with a
  disability (e.g., oral testing, highlighted
  textbooks, short answer tests)
• Does NOT change the content of instruction.
• Modification
• a change in the curriculum of a course (e.g.,
  eliminating one or more of the TEKS or changing
  the grade level of certain TEKS)
• Changes the content of instruction

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Questions for Discussion
Educational Program and Placement

• On your campus, do most IEPS developed on your
  campus
• Accommodate instruction?
• Modify content of instruction? To what extent?
• How will this inform placement decisions later
  on?
• What is the relationship between your placement
  decisions and the goals and objectives?
• What is the relationship between your placement
  decisions and assessment?

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Educational Program and Placement

• Instructional decisions should always inform and
  guide assessment decisions.

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• Students with disabilities who are receiving
  special education services are included in
  statewide AND districtwide assessments
• A student with a disabilitys IEP must include
• A statement of any individual accommodations that
  are needed in order for the student to
  participate in statewide or districtwide
  assessments of student achievement
• 2. IF the ARDC determines that a student is not
  going to participate in a statewide or
  districtwide assessment, the IEP must specify
• Why the assessment is inappropriate, and
• How the student will be assessed

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• Statewide Assessments
• TAKS
• TAKS/Spanish TAKS (without accommodations)
• TAKS/Spanish TAKS (with accommodations)
• SDAA II
• SDAA II (without accommodations)
• SDAA II (with accommodations)
• LDAA
• LDAA TEKS-based
• LDAA Functional
• RPTE
• Observation Protocols
• Early Reading Assessment (TPRI/Tejas Lee)

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• District Assessments
• TO BE DETERMINED BY DISTRICT
• Other norm/criterion referenced assessments
• District developed/administered assessments
• Process followed by ARDC will be similar to
  process followed for statewide assessments

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What decisions?
Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• Which assessment?
• Which version?
• Which level?
• Instructional
• Achievement
• What accommodations?

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• Instructional decisions should always inform and
  guide assessment decisions.

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment

• Terminology Clarifications
• Exempt/exemption
• No child with a disability is exempt from
  assessment
• The question is Which assessment?
• Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Frequently used interchangeably in TEC and IDEA
• For this presentation
• Accommodation a change in teaching or learning
  strategies based on the specific needs of a
  student with a disability (e.g., oral testing,
  highlighted textbooks, short answer tests)
• Modification a change in the curriculum of a
  course (e.g., eliminating one or more of the TEKS
  or changing the grade level of certain TEKS)

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Statewide and Districtwide Assessment
Determining which State Assessment to
Administer
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