Connecticut Comprehensive System of Monitoring the use of Accommodations in Testing

1
Connecticut Comprehensive SystemofMonitoring
the use ofAccommodations in Testing
NCEO ACCOMMODATIONS TELECONFERENCE September 25,
2006
Presented by Susan Kennedy NCLB
Office Connecticut State Department of Education
2
The Connecticut system for monitoring the
provision and appropriateness of accommodations
has six components

• 1. Electronic data entry system for
  accommodations
• 2. District Test Coordinator Training just prior
  to the test window
• 3. Annual accommodation training sessions offered
  at least twice statewide
• 4. State mandated IEP forms
• 5. Irregularities file kept by CSDE during test
  window
• 6. IDEA focused monitoring

3
The Electronic Data System

• In 2005, Connecticut implemented an electronic
  data entry
• system for the collection of information
  concerning the
• provision of all accommodations to students
• receiving special education
• those identified as disabled under Section 504
  of the
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and
• English Language Learners.

4
Connecticut State Department of Educations Data
Collection

• This data collection is designed to allow the
  CSDE to
• accomplish the following
• Document the requests for accommodations
• Ensure that the accommodations are called for in
  IEPs
• Monitor the provisions of accommodations during
  testing
• Analyze the accommodation data to draw
  conclusions
• about
• the use and over-use of accommodations and
• Inform future policy decisions and training needs
  regarding
• the use of accommodations.
• Data collected by student, by student status (as
  noted above),
• by grade, by subtest and by accommodation.

5
District Training

• District Test Coordinator workshops are held
  annually just prior to the testing window
• At these sessions, the allowable accommodations
  are
• routinely reviewed
• New accommodations are introduced and
• Any changes to accommodation policy are
  explained.

6

• District Training, cont
• Annually two or more half-day training sessions
  for teachers are held on a statewide basis to
• review the allowable accommodations
• discuss the rationale for selecting specific
• accommodations and
• ensure that teachers understand the impact of
  selecting certain accommodations.

7
Connecticuts IEP Form

• The state mandated IEP form has a page which
  contains the
• IDEA and NCLB required fields pertaining to
  statewide and district-wide assessments and
  accommodations.
• Hard copies of the electronic accommodations
  data entry form
• serve as the official accommodations selection
  pages of the IEP.

8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Activities During the Testing window

• During the testing window,
• The consultants in the Bureau of Student
  Assessment field questions/concerns from the
  District Test Coordinators (DTCs.)
• The DTCs have been directed to notify the CSDE of
  any irregularity that occurs during testing.
• Irregularities may be anything from a fire drill
  in the middle of a test, to student illness
  during the test, cheating or inappropriate
  administration of test accommodations.
• CSDE consultants log every call into an ACCESS
  data based system so that a record is kept of
  every irregularity.

12
Consequences of Misadministration of the Test

• When students are tested without a required
  accommodation
• or tested with an accommodation not called for,
• teachers are directed to call the parent
• advise them of the misadministration of the test
  and
• ask whether the parent wants the student retested.

13

• Record Keeping
• Because records of every irregularity are kept,
  it is easily apparent
• when a district is encountering difficulty with
  the provision of
• accommodations.
• The district Administrator of Special Education
  is called,
• advised of the number and nature of the problems
• directed to provide professional development to
  staff regarding accommodations.

14

• Follow-up Monitoring
• The Bureau of Special Education (BSE) conducts
  the Focused Monitoring that is required under
  IDEA.
• When monitoring a district, CSDE consultants are
  provided
• with the list of students in that district and
  their requested accommodations from the
  electronic data base.
• As they review IEPs they can match IEP selected
• accommodations with accommodations requested
• through the data base.

15

• Further follow-up
• In the course of their review, (BSE) consultants
  also
• review the IEP for evidence of the level of
  participation in state and district -wide
  testing
• review the list of accommodations selected for
  state and district-wide testing
• interview the teacher regarding access to the
  general education curriculum and the provision of
  accommodations
• in instruction and assessments and
• interview students regarding the provision of
  accommodations.