Alaska Alternate Assessment: Why Teaching Content Matters Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference, February 2008 Aran Felix, Alternate Assessment

Alaska Alternate Assessment: Why

Teaching Content Matters

Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference, February 2008Aran Felix, Alternate Assessment Program Manager

ASSEC Conference 2008 2Alternate Assessment

Topics1. How is the Alternate Assessment (AA) for

students with significant disabilities similar to the Standards Based Assessments (SBAs)?

2.2. How do students with significant cognitive How do students with significant cognitive disabilities gain access to the general disabilities gain access to the general education curriculum?education curriculum?

3. How will this assessment be administered to the students with the most intensive needs?


Glossary

Handout 1 Review Terms Includes Contact Information


Topic 1

How is the Alternate Assessment for students with significant disabilities similar to the Standards Based Assessments?

Important because federal law requires that students with cognitive disabilities have access to the general education curriculum (IDEA, NCLB)


How the AA is similar to Standards Based Assessments? Handout 2

Part of Comprehensive System of Student Assessments (CSSA)

For students in grades 3 - 10 Assesses Content areas of Reading, Writing,

Math, and Science Grade Level Expectations and Tests Secure Assessment Test Security Agreements required


…more similarities Achievement Standards (cut scores and

proficiency level descriptors) set by a standard setting committee

Practice Tests available Individual Student Reports 4-page Parent Guide to Interpreting

Student Reports, Educator Guides High technical quality Received Peer and Federal Approval


How is the AA different from SBA? Designed for a special population of students

with disabilities (SWD):Students with significant cognitive

disabilitiesComprise 1% of the student population

(approximately 550 students in Alaska) IEP team must designate the AA as the

appropriate assessment following eligibility criteria and explain why


…other differences Districts encouraged to have a Qualified Mentor

Trainers to help manage the delivery of the assessment and training of test administrators

Test may be administered ONLY by Qualified Assessors who receive training, evaluation, and certificates

Test administered one-on-one Secure tests become practice tests following

year Different test security practices


…other differences Online components of assessment:

Qualified Assessor training Secure test Data entry of scoresUnofficial student report

AA is a non-diploma track assessment Alternate Achievement Standards


Topic 2

How do students with significant cognitive disabilities gain access to the general education curriculum?

Standards, instruction, and assessment are interrelated….


Content Standards What student Knows and Can Do

Performance (Achievement) Standards

How well student Knows and Can Do

Assessments How student Shows What s/he Knows and Can Do

Standards Based Assessment System (Hanasche, CAS Handbook, 1998, p. 36)


Standards: Grade Level Expectations for All Students Part of a single statewide system of

challenging academic content standards Content must be challenging and

academic Provide guidance in developing and

aligning curriculum and instruction Show a developmental progression of

skills and consistency across the grades


Standards: Grade Level Expectations for Students with SCD Called Extended Grade Level Expectations Provide a connection and access to the GLEs in

a way that encourages individual student growth Alignment study to verify this linkage For SCD content may show less clearly defined

advances across the grades in cognitive complexity

Are reduced in complexity, depth, and breadth


Reduced Complexity means…

Less cognitive load Simplify the language Reduce the number of words Use direct sentences Provide opportunities for modeling Avoid tricky distractors


Reduced Depth of Knowledge means… Changing content and test items to reflect

recall and comprehension Including more skills than knowledge

questions Making the skills simpler and

understandable Reducing the amount of information

needed to be correct


Reduced Breadth means…

Fewer ExGLEs than GLEs Fewer items and strands addressed in

each grade when compared to the GLEs Though breadth increases across the

grades, it is a Gradual shift in emphasis in strands &

attributes across the grade clusters


Organization of ExGLEs

Handout 3 Content Standards Performance Standards Stems Numbering System Grade level expectations Content Strands


Content Standards What student Knows and Can Do

Performance (Achievement) Standards

How well student Knows and Can Do

Assessments How student Shows What s/he Knows and Can Do

Standards Based Assessment System (Hanasche, CAS Handbook, 1998, p. 36)


PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Performance Labels each level of levels achievement

Performance Describes each level of descriptors performance

Cut Scores Scores that separate separate the different levels of performance

(Handout 4)


Purpose of Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) PLDs are statements that describe the

knowledge and skills expected at the different proficiency levels with respect to the content standards, performance standards, and grade level expectations.

4 proficiency levels: Advanced, Proficient, Below Proficient, Far Below Proficient


PLDs at a Glance Handout 4 PLDs for AA Shows all proficiency levels

by grade cluster (Adv, Prof, BP, FBP) PLDs written by content expert, special

educators, and other stakeholders Standard Setting occurred in May 2008 to Determine Cut Scores and finalize PLDs Both presented to and adopted by the

State Board of Education in July 2008


Relationship of standards (ExGLEs) to proficiency descriptors

Handout 5 ExGLEs written before PLDs, but not

assigned grade level ExGLEs organized by grade level using

PLDs as a guide Use similar language


How PLDs change across grade level cluster Handout 6 Progression across grades needs to be coherent Reading example - Lower grades focus on Word

ID Skills Note Unevenness in Grades 5/6 which may

have been addressed in new item development Breadth and complexity increases as students

progress across grade levels More difficult strands addressed in upper grades


Test Blueprint

Handout 7-Example of Grade 3 Grade Blueprints SBA (purple), AA (purple) Blueprints summarize strand, standards,

GLEs, ExGLEs, and distribution of emphasis for developing test items

Compare % of emphasis in Grade 3 on Handout 7 to Handout 6


Relationship of Alternate to Standards Based Assessment

Handout 8 Comparison via PLDs Column 1 Alternate, grade 3 and 4 combined Column 3, SBAs, grade 3 and 4 Content Strands – color coded Alternate=Reduced complexity, reduced breadth Showing increasing breadth of strand coverage

as grade level progresses


Topic 3 How will this assessment be administered to the

students with the most intensive needs?

To identify this population, EED required an Assistive Technology Alternative Augmentative Survey as part of 2007 assessment

Accessibility Study conducted by external evaluator

New test items developed


Assistive Technology Survey Identify Assistive Technology used by students Identify Receptive Modes of Communication:

Ways your student understands people and events in his/her environment

Identify Expressive Modes of Communication: Ways your student communicates with people and events in his/her environment.

Identified levels of communication: Pre-emergent, Emergent, Beginning, Traditional

Given to approximately 1/3 of students


Accessibility Study Findings

In general AA viewed as accessible to students with

Assessments have built in flexibility Multiple options for response (eye gaze,

blinking, nodding, pointing, AT) Accessible to pre-symbolic students via

Expanded Levels of Support (ELOS) 2007 ELOS: Teachers adapted Tasks 2008 ELOS: New test items developed


Expanded Levels of Support New Test Items 2008

Developed in response to pilot test Provides access to the assessment Provides access to content Foundational skills Additional supports in place to assist student in

interacting with assessment Responses rated on student level of

independence Provides a standardized administration vs.

teacher adaptation of tasks


Decision-Making Guide Handout 9 All students first take standard

administration of assessment Three Task-Three Item Minimum Rule For students who have little or no

response, and scores zero on three consecutive items in three tasks on standard administration…stop assessment

May move to ELOS items next year


ELOS Items: How to rate student’s Level of Independence- Handout 10


Example of ELOS Items


Content and Performance Standards

Standards direct assessment content

Standards direct curriculum and

instruction

General

Assessment

Alignment between curriculum, instruction, and

assessment provides opportunity to learn.

Curriculum and

Instruction




instruction

General

Assessment



Curriculum and

Instruction




instruction

Alternate

Assessment



Curriculum and

Instruction

General Assessment Alternate Assessment


Jump right in……See what the test looks like http://ak.k12test.com/ Logon: Demo, Password: Demo Levels of Secure Access for:

Demo Site (All Users) Training & Proficiency Modules (Registered Users) Secure Tests (Qualified Assessors) Scoring & Reporting (Qualified Assessors) Changing Registered Users to QA (QT-Mentors) Administrative Access


Contact Information Alternate Assessment Program Manager: Aran Felix

Phone: 907-465-8437, Fax: 907-465-8400 Email: [email protected] Website for Alternate Assessment Information:

http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/aa.html Website for Presentation Information: http://

www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/presentationspage.html Special Education Data Manager: Karen Lipson

Phone: 907-465-8684, Fax: 907-465-8400 Email: [email protected]

Test Vendor: Dillard Research Associates Help Desk: 1-800-838-3163 Email: [email protected] Website: http://ak.k12test.com

Documents

Alaska Alternate Assessment: Why Teaching Content Matters Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference, February 2008 Aran Felix, Alternate Assessment