1. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Sandy Thompson and Martha Thurlow National Center on Educational Outcomes University of Minnesota Effective Implementation of Alternate Assessments for Students with Severe Disabilities

2. N C E O 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 - Did not exist in most places before IDEA, 1997 - Lots of activity in the past three years!

3. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN

4. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes

5. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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.

6. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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.

7. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 1. Inform stakeholders about the importance of alternate assessments in the context of school reform.

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

9. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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.”

10. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Sec 612(a)(17). Participation in State Assessments 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

11. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes No Child Left Behind... reinforces standards-based education for all students and introduces accountability for results

12. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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”

13. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes NCLB does NOT require Student Accountability NCLB requires SYSTEM level accountability to ensure all students learn to high levels.

14. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Clarification of Assessments Classroom Tests Eligibility Assessments Large-Scale Assessments Districtwide Statewide National

15. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 2 Educate all students in challenging content, with high expectations for their success.

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

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

18. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Focus of Alternate Assessments is Evolving 1999 2001 Functional skills 16 states 4 states Standards 20 states 43 states No decision 24 states 3 states

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

20. N C E O 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” Critical Function: “Communicate ideas” Alternate Form: “Use augmentative and alternative communication system” »Kleinert & Kearns, 2001

21. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 3 Identify partners to support alternate assessment participants in their work toward high standards.

22. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Stakeholders Bring Different Values and Beliefs to the Table 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

23. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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

24. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 4 Use a practical process to decide how students will participate in assessments.

25. N C E O 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. Can the student show what he/she knows on a general assessment, using accommodations? If no, consider alternate assessment participation for the student. If yes, the student should participate in the general assessment with a careful plan for the use of accommodations.

26. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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

27. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Kentucky’s State-Wide Assessment ALL STUDENTS 140,757 Students STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (8.5% of Total Students) 23% Regular Test - No Accommodations 69% Regular Test - With Accommodations 8% Alternate Portfolio (.7% of Total)

28. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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

29. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 5 Develop standards-based IEPs and integrate with alternate assessments.

30. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Lara’s IEP Goals Before Alternate Assessment Lara will be fed Lara will be cleaned up Lara will be moved

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

32. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 6 Use a variety of assessment strategies to collect alternate assessment data.

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

34. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 7 Score, report, and use alternate assessment results.

35. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Variations in Student Performance Measures Skill/competence40 states Independence32 states Progress24 states Ability to generalize18 states Other7 states

36. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Variations in System Performance Measures Variety of Settings21 states Staff Support20 states Appropriateness (e.g, age, challenge) 20 states Gen. Ed. Participation12 states Parent Satisfaction9 states No system measures8 states

37. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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 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 real- world 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

38. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes 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”

39. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Step 8 Evaluate alternate assessment implementation.

40. N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Positive Consequences

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

42. N C E O 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 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