Alternate Assessment for Students with Cognitive Disabilities

1
Alternate Assessment for Students with Cognitive
Disabilities

• District Test Coordinator Training
• February 2006
• Aran M. Felix, Program Manager
• Alaska Department of Education Early
  Development

2
Agenda

• Quick Quiz
• Review Shipping Memo DTC Tasks
• AA Issues
• Other Topics
• Federal Proposed Regulation (2)
• New Alternate Assessment for SCD (1)

3
Abbreviations

• AA Alternate Assessment
• CSSA Comprehensive System of Student Assessment
• DRC Data Recognition Corporation
• DRA Dillard Research Associates
• DTC District Test Coordinators
• GLEs- Grade Level Expectations
• SCD Students with Significant Cognitive
  Disabilities
• SWD Students with Disabilities

4
Quick Quiz

• Who takes the alternate assessment?
• Approximately how many students in Alaska take
  this test?
• Who decides eligibility to take this test?
• Where can you find the eligibility criteria?
• What kind of test is the AA?
• Is the Alternate part of the CSSA?
• Who scores the alternate assessment portfolio?

5
DTC Responsibilities
6
Overview of Responsibilities

• Receive and distribute test materials to teachers
• Collect and file Test Security Agreements
• Send precode data file to DRC
• --------------------------------------------------
  --------------
• Receive shipping materials from DRC
• Collect and prepare test materials for shipping
• Ship test materials to DRC
• Receive, copy, and distribute test results

7
Collect Prep Portfolios for ShippingFirst Steps

• Retrieve materials from teachers
• Work with Special Education Directors, AA Mentors
• Allow time for portfolios review for completeness
• District designates portfolio reviewers
• Checklist stays in Portfolio
• Remove/file Test Security Agreements
• After review, Portfolios sent to DTCs
• DTCs - Train teachers with Portfolios to ensure
  they know the correct process

8
Test Security Agreement
9
Test Security Signatures
Note Original to DTC
10
Portfolio Requirements Checklist
NOTE
11
If you are a portfolio reviewer.

• Work with your AA Mentor and Special Education
  Director for specifics
• The AA Manual explains AA process
• Requirements Checklist (pg. 24)
• Beginning DTC PowerPoint is available
  http//www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/presenta
  tions/Fall2005/NewDTCAAPresentation092905.ppt

12
Collect Prep Portfolios for ShippingNext Steps

• DTC sends portfolios to DRC Please advise all
  teachers!
• Shipping Window April 5 21, 2006
• All portfolios MUST contain a demographic label
• Use a precoded label, or
• Fill in a blank demographic label
• Affix to front cover of portfolio

13
Example ofBlank Demographic Label
14
What do do with Blank Demographic Labels

• For students without precoded labels
• DRC Memo, Attachment A, Instructions
• 10-digit student ID
• Reason Not Assessed Portfolio test window is
  October March, No reason to not assess. Schools
  required to assess all students.
• Document Parent Refusal in school files.

15
Collect Prep Portfolios for ShippingFinal Steps

• Pack portfolios in boxes (not supplied by DRC)
• Affix UPS shipping label
• Call UPSs 800 number for pickup
• UPS not available? Call DRC to arrange shipping
• Shipping Window April 5-21, 2006
• Remote? Arrange pickup before April 21
• Must be received at DRC by May 1

16
AA Test Results and Reports

• AA Web Reports available June 14, 2006
• AA Paper Copies to districts August 11, 2006
• 1 copy of the Guide to Interpreting Student
  Reports sent from DRC
• Make copies of Guide to include with reports
• Mail Student Reports to parents with Guide
• Copy and retain a district copy of student report

17
AA Issues

• Late Enrollment the one-subject test exception
• Out of state
• Correspondence/home-school situations
• District Transfer Students Paperwork
• Test Window 10/01/05 04/04/06
• 12/30/05 Cutoff
• Long-term Illness
• See AA Manual 2005, 2006, pages 8-10

18
Other Topics

• Proposed Federal Regulation (2)

19
Federal Proposed Regulation

• The proposed regulations would provide States
  with additional flexibility regarding State,
  local educational agency (LEA), and school
  accountability for the achievement of a group of
  students with disabilities who can make
  significant progress, but may not reach
  grade-level achievement standards within the same
  time frame as other students, even after
  receiving the best-designed instructional
  interventions from highly trained teachers.

20
Proposed 2 Flexibility

• Status Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)
• Comment period until February 28, 2006
• Purpose of rule to provide flexibility for states
  in reporting on a specific group of SWD
• Reporting proficient scores for AYP capped at 2
• Still allow reporting proficient scores for 1
  group

21
Requirements of 2 Rule

• Develop participation guidelines
• Develop Modified Achievement Standards (MAS)
• Align instruction and assessment to GLEs
• Reduce breadth, depth of content
• No out-of-level testing allowed
• Students eligible to receive diploma

22
EEDs Current Position on 2 Rule

• EED is examining the NPRM. After the rules are
  finalized, EED will determine if pursuing the
  modified achievement standards and a different
  assessment is good for Alaska students.
• If Alaska uses an assessment based on modified
  achievement standards, a student would still have
  to take the HSGQE under the state regulations
  currently in place, to earn a diploma in the
  state of Alaska.

23
Other Topics

• New Alternate Assessment for Students with
  Significant Cognitive Disabilities (1)

24
New Alternate Assessment for Students with
Cognitive Disabilities

• Contract signed with Dillard Research Associates
  (DRA) of Eugene, Oregon
• Already developed, used in Oregon for 7 years
• Reading, Writing, Math Science
• Type of test Performance Tasks administered by a
  teachers one-on-one to a student
• Replaces AA Portfolio 2005-06 is the last year

25
Background Work

• Workgroups of special education teachers
  content teachers met April November 2005
• Developed draft proficiency descriptors
• Proficiency levels for this group of students by
  grade cluster (3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10)
• Extended Grade Level Expectations available to
  provide access to the general content
• System test of connectivity in December by Tech
  Coordinators and AA Mentors

26
Online Assessment

• Materials downloaded from web
• Training modules online
• Test results are entered online
• Student reports immediately generated
• Student does NOT take the assessment online

27
Test Administration

• AA Mentors become Qualified Assessors, then
  Qualified Trainers
• Will continue to train district teachers
• Teachers achieve proficiency before administering
  assessment (Qualified Assessors)
• 6 week test window
• One-on-one assessment

28
Test Materials

• Test materials are available online for
  downloading
• AA Administration Manual mailed in August
• Paper-pencil version of test available if web
  access is problematic
• DTCs handle any paper-pencil versions
• Otherwise, nothing to ship!

29
Pilot Test

• February 23-24, 2006
• 30 teachers
• Teachers give assessment to sample population
• Teachers provide feedback
• --------------------------------------------------
  --------
• Bias Review - February 24, 2006
• Test item development occurs

30
Full Implementation

• Spring 2007
• Mentors trained, September
• District staff trained, October through February
• Test Window March 1-April 13, 2007

31
Good News for DTCs

• Workload diminished dealing with AA
• Always in information loop

32
Quick Quiz Answers

• Students with significant cognitive disabilities
  (1 of the student population)
• Approximately 550 students
• IEP team decides eligibility using
• Participation Guidelines, page 11-12
• Additional criteria on AA website
• Portfolio assessment using data collection and
  other types of supporting evidence
• Yes, part of Comprehensive System of Student
  Assessment
• DRC scores AA for two years (2004-05 2005-06)

33
Questions?