NCEO Effective Implementation of Alternate Assessments for Students

NCEO Effective Implementation of Alternate Assessments for Students with Severe Disabilities Sandy Thompson and Martha Thurlow National Center on Educational Outcomes University of Minnesota National Center on Educational Outcomes

Alternate Assessment – for those students unable to participate in general state assessments New part of state and district assessment systems NCEO - Did not exist in most places before IDEA, 1997 - Lots of activity in the past three years! National Center on Educational Outcomes

ALL NCEO CHILDREN CAN LEARN National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Alternate Assessment Steps 1. Inform stakeholders about the importance of alternate assessments in the context of school reform. 2. Educate all students in challenging content, with high expectations for their success. 3. Identify partners to support alternate assessment participants in their work toward high standards. 4. Use a practical process to decide how students will participate in assessments. National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Alternate Assessment Steps 5. Develop standards-based IEPs and integrate with alternate assessments. 6. Use a variety of assessment strategies to collect alternate assessment data. 7. Score, report, and use alternate assessment results. 8. Evaluate alternate assessment implementation. National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 1. Inform stakeholders about the importance of alternate assessments in the context of school reform. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Standards-Based Reform Context --- Everything else is negotiable --schedules, place, time, structure, curriculum, methods of assessment, instructional methods. . .

NCEO IDEA Regulations 1999 General Comments “The new law has a goal of including children with disabilities in the general curriculum and improving results for these children, in contrast to the focus in prior law of simply providing disabled children access to public schools. ” National Center on Educational Outcomes

Sec 612(a)(17). Participation in State Assessments NCEO • Children with disabilities will be included in general state and district wide assessments with appropriate accommodations. – SEA or LEA shall develop guidelines for participation; and develop, and, no later than July 1, 2000, conduct alternate assessments National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO No Child Left Behind. . . reinforces standards-based education for all students and introduces accountability for results National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Stated purpose of No Child Left Behind “…to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments” National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCLB does NOT require Student Accountability NCEO NCLB requires SYSTEM level accountability to ensure all students learn to high levels. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Clarification of Assessments Eligibility Assessments Classroom Tests NCEO Large-Scale Assessments Districtwide Statewide National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 2 Educate all students in challenging content, with high expectations for their success. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Standards! Content standards = what all children should know and be able to do NCEO Performance/achievement standards = how well children must demonstrate what they know and are able to do National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Title I “While some students with disabilities may need modified instructional approaches, generally all students need to be working toward the same challenging standards. ” National Center on Educational Outcomes

Focus of Alternate Assessments is Evolving NCEO 1999 Functional skills Standards No decision 16 states 20 states 24 states National Center on Educational Outcomes 2001 4 states 43 states

ALL STUDENTS SAME STANDARDS!! • Broadly define content standards – “use math models to solve problems in everyday life” NCEO • Avoid narrowly defined standards – “master principles of trigonometry and the properties of algebraic functions” • Tie alternate assessments to the same standards (Kleinert & Kearns, 2001) National Center on Educational Outcomes

Critical Functions focus on function of standard in enhancing a student’s life • Standard: “Student communicates ideas through speaking to various audiences” NCEO • Critical Function: “Communicate ideas” • Alternate Form: “Use augmentative and alternative communication system” » Kleinert & Kearns, 2001 National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 3 Identify partners to support alternate assessment participants in their work toward high standards. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Stakeholders Bring Different Values and Beliefs to the Table NCEO • Alternate assessment developers in nearly all states included: – State special education and assessment personnel – Local administrators, special and general educators, assessment coordinators, and related service providers – Parents and advocates – A few states included students and adults with disabilities National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Alternate Assessment Roles • Bring info. about standards and assessment to IEP team • Bring info about student to IEP meetings • Decide how student can work toward standards • Provide instruction and support student in work toward standards • Make alternate assessment participation decision • Conduct alternate assessment National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 4 Use a practical process to decide how students will participate in assessments. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Assessment Decision-Making Process Is the student working toward academic content standards? If no, adjust the student’s instruction so that he/she is working toward standards. When yes, go on to the next question. NCEO Can the student show what he/she knows on a general assessment, using accommodations? If no, consider alternate assessment participation for the student. National Center on Educational Outcomes If yes, the student should participate in the general assessment with a careful plan for the use of accommodations.

NCEO Example from MA training Who should take MCAS-Alt? • A student with a disability… – Who requires substantial modifications to instructional level and learning standards in a content area, and – Who requires intensive, individualized instruction in order to acquire and generalize knowledge, and – Who is unable to demonstrate achievement of learning standards on a paper and pencil test, even with accommodations National Center on Educational Outcomes

Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Kentucky’s State-Wide Assessment STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (8. 5% of Total Students) 23% Regular Test - No Accommodations NCEO ALL STUDENTS 140, 757 Students National Center on Educational Outcomes 69% Regular Test With Accommodations 8% Alternate Portfolio (. 7% of Total)

NCEO Recent article in the Boston Globe (December 22, 2002) Katie Bartlett has spent all of her 17 years exceeding the expectations the world placed on her when she was born with Down syndrome. . . Still no one was quite sure what would happen when Bartlett took the MCAS exam, now a requirement for a high school diploma in Massachusetts. This is what happened: She passed National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 5 Develop standards-based IEPs and integrate with alternate assessments. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Lara’s IEP Goals Before Alternate Assessment NCEO • Lara will be fed • Lara will be cleaned up • Lara will be moved National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO “The minimum that is needed for alternate assessment achievement is one observable, measurable voluntary response. ” (for examples, see: www. uncc. edu/aap Diane Browder National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 6 Use a variety of assessment strategies to collect alternate assessment data. National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Variations in Approach • • Body of Evidence/ Portfolio Checklist IEP team determines strategy IEP analysis Combination of strategies Specific performance assessment No decision National Center on Educational Outcomes 24 states 9 states 4 states 3 states 4 states 2 states

NCEO Step 7 Score, report, and use alternate assessment results. National Center on Educational Outcomes

Variations in Student NCEO Performance Measures • • • Skill/competence Independence Progress Ability to generalize Other National Center on Educational Outcomes 40 states 32 states 24 states 18 states 7 states

Variations in System NCEO Performance Measures • • • Variety of Settings Staff Support Appropriateness (e. g, age, challenge) Gen. Ed. Participation Parent Satisfaction No system measures National Center on Educational Outcomes 21 states 20 states 12 states 9 states 8 states

Example: Arkansas Scoring Domain Definitions • Performance - demonstration of skill while attempting a given task. Each entry is scored • Support - assistance provided to a student during performance of tasks. Each entry is scored NCEO • Appropriateness - The degree to which the tasks 1) reflect the chronological age of a student, 2) provide a challenge for the student, and 3) are representative of realworld activities that promote increased independence. Each entry is scored • Settings - settings or environments in which tasks are administered/performed for math entries; and for ELA entries. Scored once for each content area across entries National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Why Report Results • Reporting all results ensures inclusion of all students in accountability system • Failure to report scores of students with disabilities sends message that they are not important and do not count • “What is measured is treasured” National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Step 8 Evaluate alternate assessment implementation. National Center on Educational Outcomes

NCEO Positive Consequences National Center on Educational Outcomes

Visit: education. umn. edu/nceo NCEO or Search for NCEO New links to your state’s Alternate Assessment information! National Center on Educational Outcomes

Resources on Alternate Assessment • Alternate Assessment: Measuring Outcomes and Supports for Students with Disabilities (2001) by Harold Kleinert and Jacqui Farmer Kearns – Brookes Publishing NCEO • Curriculum and Assessment for Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities (2001) by Diane M. Browder - Guilford Press • Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (2001) by Sandra Thompson, Rachel Quenemoen, Martha Thurlow, and Jim Ysseldyke – Corwin Press National Center on Educational Outcomes