Ohios Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities 200304

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Ohios Alternate Assessments for Students with
Disabilities 2003-04

• Thomas Lather
• Office for Exceptional Children
• [phone]
• thomas.lather_at_ode.state.oh.us

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What are Alternate Assessments?

• A state wide assessment process that is designed
  for students with the most significant cognitive
  disabilities who are unable to participate in
  regular assessment.
• Ensures that all students can participate in the
  assessment systems.

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Alternate Assessments

• Basic Assumption
• The vast majority of students with disabilities
  should be able to participate in the regular
  State assessment with appropriate and allowable
  accommodations, if needed.
• A small number of students should participate
  in alternate assessment.
• (US DOE Non-Regulatory Draft Guidance, March 10,
  2003 at http//www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/saa/standa
  ssguidance03.doc

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What are Alternate Assessments

• Must be aligned with the States content and
  student achievement standards.
• Must report student achievement in the same way
  as the States regular assessment.
• i.e.,advanced, proficient, basic
• Must serve the same purpose as the assessment for
  which it is an alternate
• i.e., Reading, Math

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What are Alternate Assessments

• Ohios Standards based Alternate Assessment is
  for students with the most severe disabilities.
• The Alternate Assessment consists of a Collection
  of Evidence (COE) of a students achievement of
  Ohios Academic Content Standards.
• The collection of evidence documents access to
  grade level content but reflects an alternate
  level of achievement.
• Alternate assessment is a snapshot of
  achievement during a window of time

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Ohios Alternate Assessment for Students with
Disabilities

• Collection of Evidence scored across four domains
• Performance
• Support/Independence
• Complexity/Context
• Settings and Interactions
• Evidence is scored independently according to
  professionally accepted standards

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Alternate Assessments

• Proposed Federal Policy for purpose of Adequate
  Yearly Progress (AYP)
• Use of alternate achievement standards at state
  and LEA levels may not exceed 1 of tested
  population with maximum positive impact for AYP
• (USDOE Proposed Rules, Federal Register, March
  20, 2003 (Vol. 68, No. 54, pp. 13796-13801)

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Alternate Assessments

• 1 proposed cap does not limit the number of the
  students who can participate in Alternate
  Assessment.
• The proposed cap provides that only 1 of those
  students who participate in an Alternate
  Assessment, and scored proficient and above, will
  be counted towards AYP.

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Alternate Assessments

• Which students should take an Alternate
  Assessment?
• IEP team determination
• Decision based on individual needs of the
  student, NOT the category of the disability
• Follow Ohio Guidelines for Participation in
  Alternate Assessment

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Ohio Guidelines for Participation in Alternate
Assessment Criteria to Assist IEP Teams

• Appropriate for students with severe disabilities
• In most cases, this means students with cognitive
  disabilities
• However, this is NOT exclusive of other
  disability conditions

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Ohio Guidelines for Participation in Alternate
Assessment Criteria to Assist IEP Teams

• Severe limitations documented in evaluation team
  report
• Instruction chiefly focused on acquisition of
  essential life skills
• Generally not appropriate for students engaged in
  general curriculum without significant
  modification.
• Appropriate for students who require the highest
  level of individualized instruction

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Ohio Guidelines for Participation in Alternate
Assessment Criteria to Assist IEP Teams

• If alternate assessment is appropriate for a
  student, that student would participate in
  alternate assessment across the board (i.e., in
  all tested subject areas)
• Determination should be reviewed annually

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Transitions in Ohios alternate assessments for
students with disabilities, 2003-04

• Existing IEP based Alternate Assessments
• Grade 4 Citizenship, Science, and Writing
• Grade 6 Citizenship, Science, and Writing
• Grade 9 Reading, Mathematics Citizenship,
  Science, and Writing (if needed)
• New Standards-based Alternate Assessment
• (collection of evidence)
• Grade 3 Reading
• Grade 4 Reading/Mathematics
• Grade 6 Reading/Mathematics
• Grade 10 (OGT) Reading/Mathematics

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Alternate Assessment/EMIS

• Student Testing Record
• Subject Test Type
• Select ALT Alternate Assessment
• Subject type of accommodation
• Select NO

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Alternate Assessment/EMIS

• Since the Standards Based Alternate Assessment
  will be scored, and the score reported to the
  Department, the results of the IEP-Based
  Alternate Assessment will need to be reported as
  followed
• AAA Advanced
• B BB Proficient
• CCC Basic
• DDD Below Basic

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Alternate Assessment

• Additional information regarding Alternate
  Assessment can be located on the web-pages for
  the Offices of Exception Children and Curriculum
  and Assessment.