Developing an Aligned Alternate Assessment System

Iowa’s Alternate Assessment for 2006-07

October 6, 2006

Developing an Aligned Alternate Assessment System

Steve Maurer

Martin Ikeda, Ph. D.

Iowa Department of Education

Today’s Presentation

Handouts Taping Presentation will be emailed to AEA and

UEN Iowa Alternate Assessment (IAA) Contacts

Why are you here today?

Understand the enhancements to the Iowa Alternate Assessment for 2006-2007 Federal NCLB Peer Review Standard Setting Evaluation from the field

ICN Protocol for today

If you are having problems at your site, use the phone in your room to contact ICN

Due to the number of participants, we will not be stopping to answer questions live As you have questions, email or fax them:

Email questions to mary.sullivan@iowa.gov Fax to Mary Sullivan @ (515) 242-6019

Outcomes

Understand federal requirements for alternate assessments

Steps in the IAA for 2006-2007 Examples of how to document and keep

evidence What to do on Monday

Acknowledgements Material in this presentation was developed and

adapted from work done by: Steve Maurer, IDE, Project Contact Tom Deeter, IDE Mary Sullivan, IDE Marty Ikeda, IDE Mike Burdge and Jean Clayton, ILSSA Jerry Tindal, University of Oregon United States Department of Education National Center for Educational Outcomes Stephen Elliott, Vanderbilt University

A Regulatory Perspective

General Assessment (ITBS/ITED) with or without accommodations Iowa Core Content Standards and Benchmarks

(ICCSBs) Alternate Assessment I

alternate achievement standards for 1% of the population (most significant cognitive disabilities)

Alternate Assessment II modified academic achievement standards for 2% of

the population

Remember:

The materials you are seeing are in DRAFT format. Process and materials piloted the week October

16th Materials in final format will be sent out in

November

Requirements for Alternate Assessment (August 2005) http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/altguidance.pdf

A-1. Why should students with disabilities, including those with the most significant cognitive disabilities, be included in State assessment and accountability systems?

“It’s the law”Students with disabilities, including those with

the most significant cognitive disabilities, benefit instructionally from such participation

To ensure that appropriate resources are dedicated to helping these students succeed, appropriate measurement of their achievement needs to be part of the accountability system

B-5. May a State use student progress on IEP goals or an assessment of functional life skills to meet the Title I regulation requirements?

No.

First, IEP goals are individualized for each student, and a student’s progress toward each goal is measured for purposes of reporting progress to parents and for making individualized decisions about the special education and related services a student receives…

Second, as required by Title I, schools are accountable for student achievement only in the content areas of reading/language arts and mathematics. IEP goals may address a broad range of individualized instructional needs, as well as behavioral and developmental needs, and might not be based on the State’s academic content standards.

… students with the most significant cognitive disabilities should have access to the general curriculum

Guidance also adds…

Common Approaches to Alternate Assessment

Portfolio Assessment Performance Assessment Comprehensive Rating Scales of

Achievement

Portfolio Assessment

is an organized collection or documentation of student-generated or student-focused work typically depicting the range of individual student skills.

Performance Assessment

is a task or series of tasks requiring a student to provide a response or create a product to show mastery of a specific skill or content standard.

Comprehensive Rating Scales of Achievement are rating scales anchored by descriptive

rubrics for quantifying teacher judgments of students’ knowledge and skills based on repeated direct and indirect observations situated in a number of school settings.

Commonalities Across Alternate Assessment Approaches Collection of Evidence Samples

Alignment or linkage to state grade level content standards.

Evaluation of evidence samples for reliability and validity

Scores that can be summarized by a proficiency level descriptor

Alternate Assessment Approaches

Portfolios are difficult to establish traditional metrics of validity and reliability

Tasks are more amenable to traditional metrics of reliability and validity. Pose issues around test security and multiple forms

Rating Scales are most amenable to traditional metrics of reliability. Safeguards for validity need to

be built in.

Good Evidence Creates aPicture of Performance! Think of each dot of color in the picture as a piece of classroom

evidence or a response to a test item.

To get a clear and complete picture of a student’s performance takes a good sample of evidence.

Some alternate assessments do a better job of sampling information from both the “foreground” and the “background” of students’ skills.

Alternate Assessment 2006-07

Body of Evidence will include: Learner Characteristics Inventory Rating Scale in Reading, Mathematics and

Science Supporting Evidence

– Teacher selected

– Standard Task

Learner Characteristics Inventory

Purpose: to understand the characteristics of students in

the Iowa Alternate Assessment

12-item scale (handout) Developed by the National Alternate

Assessment Center Timeframe

Rating Scales

Development Iowa Core Content Standards and Benchmarks Other States’ frameworks Standards frameworks from National

Organizations (McRel, NCTM) Input from content specialists

Steps in the IAA 2006-2007 Step 1: Complete the Learner Characteristics Inventory Step 2: Read the items on the rating scale. Step 3: Document evidence of proficiency for each CCSB. Keep 2

samples of evidence for each CCSB on the appropriate Portfolio Evidence form

Step 4: Administer Performance Task Step 5: Record results of performance task on Performance Event form Step 6: Use performance task and classroom evidence to rate student

on all items Step 7: Summarize Proficiency Scores & Proficiency Level Decisions Step 8: Report Results Step 9: Reliability Check and Audit

Step 1. Complete the Learner Characteristics Inventory You will need:

State ID number that is entered into Project EASIER.

Someone in your school building’s office should be able to help you locate the student’s ID number.

Check with building principal on how to access appropriately

Three options for returning inventory

Step 1. Complete the Learner Characteristics Inventory Three options

Online Complete the “fillable form.” Hard copy

Step 2. Read the Items on the Rating Scale

Start thinking about which items you will have naturally occurring opportunity to teach and could enter into the Portfolio Evidence Forms

Rating scales will be sent out electronically in late October or early November

Step 3. Document Evidence of Proficiency for ICCSBs Record student’s performance between

November and February Rating scale for Reading, Mathematics, and

Science Portfolio Evidence Form

Evidence is gathered over the course of the year and just not during February and March

Step 3. Document Evidence of Proficiency for ICCSBs Portfolio Evidence Form—Reading

(Grades 3-8 and 11) One Standard

Many entries Total 2-4 Total (To be determined) pieces of

evidence

Step 3. Document Evidence of Proficiency for ICCSBs

Portfolio Evidence Form—Mathematics(Grades 3-8 and 11)

Four Standards Many entries 2 pieces per Standard 8 TOTAL

Step 3. Document Evidence of Proficiency for ICCSBs Portfolio Evidence Form—Science

(Grades 5, 8, and 11) Four Standards

Many entries 2 pieces per Standard 8 TOTAL

Step 3. Document Evidence of Proficiency for ICCSBs Steps to Document Evidence

Date Write the item number that the evidence

corresponds to on the Portfolio Evidence Form Summarize student’s accuracy of performance

Evidence

+ or – 2 years or grades Recent Representative Relevant Reliable

Recent

Collected during the current school year

Representative

Typical performance of knowledge and skills with classroom materials, instruction, and accommodations

Relevant

Is linked to a rating scale item

Reliable

If another person would examine performance/evidence they would come to the same conclusion

Step 4. Administer Performance Tasks Developed by Iowa Department of Education

targeting late February to send out tasks cover grade spans tasks cover many benchmarks Performance Task Form

Step 5. Record Results of Performance The Performance Event form is used to

summarize performance on the standard task Rate the student’s performance

Iowa Alternate Assessment Record of Performance Event Form: Mathematics

Student ID: Grade: School District and Building: Teacher: From the Performance Task, check the Iowa Core Content Math Standards that this Performance Evidence Record Form aligns with (complete 1 form for each Mathematics Performance Task) Students can understand and apply a variety of math concepts. Students can understand and apply methods of estimation. Students can solve a variety of math problems. Students can interpret data presented in a variety of ways.

12345678 5ABC District Ikeda

x

x

Step 6. Rate the Student’s Performance Using the entries in the Portfolio Evidence

Forms and the Performance Task forms, complete the rating scale For Reading, Mathematics (Grades 3-8 and 11)

and Science (Grade 5, 8, and 11)

Step 7. Summarize Proficiency

Proficiency Scores Proficiency Levels

Step 8. Report Results

Share with Parents Make appropriate decisions for IEP,

instruction, and assessment for 2007-08

Step 9. Reliability Check and Audit 50% of Portfolios April 2007 Trained Raters Report Results Make changes for 2007-08

We will be back with answers to some questions at:XXXX

Questions

Fax to Mary Sullivan (515-242-6019) Email to mary.sullivan@iowa.gov

What to do Monday

Student State ID numbers Make sure building and/or district

administrators are aware of the IAA process Review the Participation Guidelines Examine Iowa’s Core Content Standards

and Benchmarks (ICCSBs) Examine your districts standards and

benchmarks for natural links to the ICCSBs

What to do Monday

Talk to parents about the process E-mail additional questions to

steve.maurer@iowa.gov

Thank You