STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ASSESSMENT UPDATE Texas Education Agency’s Student Assessment Division Justin Porter, Director, Assessment for Special Populations Kim Brannan, Manager, Special Education Assessments Pat Otto, Manager, Special Education Assessment

DISCLAIMER  These slides have been prepared by the Student Assessment Division of the Texas Education Agency.  If any slide is changed for local use, please remove the TEA footer at the bottom of the slide. TEA Student Assessment Divison 2

AGENDA  TAKS and TAKS (Accommodated)  STAAR Modified  Changes to the Texas Assessment Program for Students with Disabilities  STAAR Alternate February 18, Texas Education Agency

TAKS AND TAKS (ACCOMMODATED) February 18, 20144Texas Education Agency

TAKS AND TAKS (ACCOMMODATED)  August 20, 2013 Letter to Districts  Primary test administrations no longer provided  Student may test during any of the TAKS test administrations (October, March, April, July)  The 2013–2014 school year will be the last year for paper administrations of TAKS. Beginning in October 2014, TAKS will become an online test only. February 18, Texas Education Agency

WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE TAKS (ACCOMMODATED)?  Only TAKS will be administered online beginning Fall  ARD committees will document the accommodations the students need on TAKS and are allowed per the Accommodations Manual.  For example, if a student is eligible to use a supplemental aid, he/she can use it during the online TAKS retest. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 6

STAAR MODIFIED February 18, 20147Texas Education Agency

2014 STAAR MODIFIED  An alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards for students who receive special education services and meet participation requirements GRADE/COURSESUBJECTS ASSESSED WITH STAAR MODIFIED IN reading, mathematics 4 reading, mathematics, writing 5* reading, mathematics, science 6 reading, mathematics 7 reading, mathematics, writing 8* reading, mathematics, science, social studies End-of-Course (EOC) English I, English II Algebra I biology U.S. history * All 3 SSI testing opportunities are available in February 18, Texas Education Agency

STAAR GRADE 4 WRITING PROMPT STUDY  March 3, 2014  Participants  English version: grade 4 students from selected campuses who take the English-version STAAR writing assessment  Spanish version: all grade 4 students who will take the STAAR Spanish grade 4 writing in spring 2014  Students eligible to take STAAR Modified grade 4 writing will NOT participate in the prompt study February 18, Texas Education Agency

ENGLISH I AND II  For the spring 2013 administrations,  reading and writing were separate tests  the tests were administered over two four-hour days  For the spring 2014 administrations,  reading and writing are combined into one test  the tests will be administered in one five-hour day  A redesigned test blueprint is posted on the “STAAR Modified Resources” page of TEA’s Student Assessment website. February 18, Texas Education Agency

STAAR MODIFIED U.S. HISTORY  Operational EOC assessment added in spring 2014  Only raw scores will be reported February 18, Texas Education Agency

IF A STUDENT FAILS A STAAR MODIFIED EOC ASSESSMENT, IS HE/SHE REQUIRED TO RETEST NOW OR IN THE FUTURE?  It is not necessary for a student to retest if he/she failed a STAAR Modified EOC assessment or was absent during testing.  According to federal and state regulations, students who take a modified assessment are not held to the same graduation requirements as students who take the general assessment. Meeting the passing standard on a STAAR Modified EOC assessment is not a graduation requirement, so participating in additional testing opportunities is not necessary.  In addition, students taking a STAAR Modified EOC only have one final opportunity in spring 2014 to take the assessment. February 18, Texas Education Agency

IF A STUDENT RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES FAILS A STAAR EOC ASSESSMENT, IS HE/SHE REQUIRED TO RETEST NOW OR IN THE FUTURE?  This is an ARD committee decision based on the instruction the student is receiving.  If the student does not pass a STAAR EOC assessment, he/she will only be able to graduate on the MHSP. February 18, Texas Education Agency

IF A STUDENT TAKES STAAR MODIFIED IN HIGH SCHOOL BUT IS DISMISSED FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION BEFORE GRADUATION, WILL THE STUDENT NOW HAVE TO TAKE STAAR?  Yes. The student is now held to the same requirements as all other general education students.  Students dismissed from special education who have already fulfilled some of their course and assessment requirements for graduation under an IEP are not required to retake any such courses or assessments. February 18, Texas Education Agency

IF A STUDENT TAKES STAAR MODIFIED IN HIGH SCHOOL BUT IS DISMISSED FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION BEFORE GRADUATION, WILL THE STUDENT NOW HAVE TO TAKE STAAR?  The student will continue on the MHSP, as only students meeting curriculum requirements for the RHSP or DAP and performing successfully on all five STAAR EOC assessments can graduate on these programs.  This is the same answer for the student who failed STAAR. If the ARD committee recommended that the student does not have to continue testing, and is later exited from special education, he/she does not have to pass the test in order to graduate on the MHSP. The student would have to continue testing until passing if graduating on the RHSP or DAP. February 18, Texas Education Agency

February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency16 CHANGES TO THE TEXAS ASSESSMENT PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

THE END OF STAAR MODIFIED  The U.S. Department of Education informed states that assessments based on modified standards for students served by special education cannot be used for accountability purposes after the school year.  STAAR Modified will be administered for the last time in spring of February 18, Texas Education Agency

WHAT STATE ASSESSMENT OPTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN 2015?  STAAR  STAAR Spanish  STAAR L  STAAR Alternate  Accommodations will be allowed but have not yet been finalized for the school year. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 18

HOW IS TEA PLANNING TO INCLUDE STUDENTS PREVIOUSLY ASSESSED WITH STAAR MODIFIED IN GENERAL STAAR IN 2015 AND BEYOND?  September: TEA met with focus group to obtain input regarding how students with disabilities (currently eligible for STAAR Modified) are being provided access to the general curriculum  Classroom teachers, campus administrators, district personnel, Education Service Center specialists, advocates  November-present: TEA staff has been working on plans for possible additional accommodations via an online delivery system  Similar in functionality to STAAR L February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 19

NEXT STEPS?  In the coming months TEA will:  Continue to research viability and appropriateness of accommodations to STAAR in an online format  Test usability of such accommodations in cognitive labs February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 20

WHAT SHOULD ARD COMMITTEES DOCUMENT IN THE IEP REGARDING STATE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR?  Document the most appropriate assessment out of the available options (STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR L, STAAR Alternate).  If the student will take STAAR Alternate, the IEP must provide a statement of why the student cannot participate in STAAR with or without allowable accommodations, and why an alternate assessment is appropriate for the student, including acknowledgement that all of the eligibility criteria are met. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 21

WHAT SHOULD ARD COMMITTEES DOCUMENT IN THE IEP REGARDING STATE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR?  The IEP may need to be amended once information about allowable testing accommodations is provided by TEA.  Instructional accommodations that the student needs in the classroom should be specifically documented in the IEP. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 22

REMINDER  Participation requirements for STAAR Alternate are not changing significantly. Therefore, a change in the population of students assessed with STAAR Alternate is not anticipated.  ARD committees will continue to determine if, and assure that, students recommended for STAAR Alternate meet all four of the participation requirements for STAAR Alternate participation in February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 23

REMINDER  A student must have a cognitive disability, determined by an assessment specialist, and be instructed on an alternate curriculum based on prerequisite skills linked to the general education curriculum in order to be assessed with STAAR Alternate.  Students who receive special education with an eligibility code of learning disabled will continue to be ineligible for STAAR Alternate. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 24

WILL THE MODIFIED PEIMS CODES STILL BE AVAILABLE?  There are no plans at this time to delete these codes.  However, the code table CO22 is updated three times a year (March, July, December). At any one of these times, changes may be made based on new information or educator feedback.  Contact TEA’s Curriculum Division at or for questions about PEIMS codes and curriculum February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 25

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS  Graduation requirement rules were finalized on January 31 st.  TEA is now working to adjust 19 TAC §  Contact TEA’s Curriculum Division at or for questions about graduation requirements. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 26

STAAR ALTERNATE February 18, Texas Education Agency

STAAR Alternate as it currently exists will be administered for the last time this spring. February 18, Texas Education Agency STAAR ALTERNATE REDESIGN

IMPORTANT DATES  The assessment window runs from January 6, 2014 until April 18,  The transfer cut-off date is March 28,  All documentation forms must be given to the testing coordinator by 7:00pm CST on April 18,  The Student Evaluation tab in the Assessment Management System will be available for District Testing Coordinators, Campus Testing Coordinators, and teachers as a “View Only” status from May 19, 2014 until June 27, February 18, Texas Education Agency

IMPORTANT DATES  Districts will receive the STAAR Alternate Standard and Operational Reports for Grades 3-8 on May 21,  Districts will receive STAAR Alternate Standard and Operational Reports for EOC on June 6, There will be no STAAR Alternate survey, Interrater Study, or Audit this year. February 18, Texas Education Agency

CONFIDENTIAL STUDENT REPORTS There will be a link on the EOC report and the 3-8 Parent Brochure that will provide more explanation. February 18, Texas Education Agency

GROWTH MEASURE  Raw scores are grouped into stages in a similar method to that used for TAKS−Alt.  The first stage spans more scores since fewer students receive a score lower than 20.  The last stage reflects the scores for students who fall in the Accomplished category. Raw ScoresStage February 18, Texas Education Agency

GROWTH MEASURE  The current year’s stage is compared to the prior year’s stage.  The chart shows the result of the stage comparisons. Current-Year Stage Prior-Year Stage 1MEEEEEEE 2DNMEEEEEE 3 MEEEEE 4 MEEEE 5 MEEE 6 MEE 7 ME 8 M = Did Not Meet M= Met E= Exceeded February 18, Texas Education Agency

STAAR PROGRESS MEASURE RESOURCES  The Growth Measure described is unique to STAAR Alternate due to the different format of the assessment from the other state assessments.  More detailed information about the STAAR Alternate Growth Measure is available on TEA’s STAAR Resources page.  Questions and Answers (Questions 13-15)  Calculating Progress Measure  Implementation Schedule (Same as that for STAAR) TEA Website > STAAR > STAAR Resources > STAAR Progress Measure Section February 18, Texas Education Agency

Grades 3-8 EOC Parent Brochure for Grades 3-8 Available in English and Spanish PowerPoint available in English and Spanish Parent materials will be updated to explain the growth measure that will be added to the CSR this year. All materials will be posted in late March. PARENT TRAINING MATERIALS

CURRENT TEST FORMAT  STAAR Alternate is the assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities that is mandated by No Child Left Behind legislation.  The format of the current assessment provides assessment tasks at three levels of complexity that are planned by the test administrator to include individualized supports and the anticipated method of response for each student.  The student performs the planned task through interaction with the test administrator as the observed performance is documented by the test administrator.  The test administrator uses the documentation notes to evaluate the student performance in the Assessment Management System.  Test administrators are trained to administer the assessment by viewing and completing qualifications for four training modules. 36

IMPACT OF RECENT LEGISLATION  House Bill 5 of the 83 rd Legislative Session called for a redesign of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR ® ) Alternate assessment. “The agency, in conjunction with appropriate interested persons, shall redevelop assessment instruments adopted or developed under Subsection (b) for administration to significantly cognitively disabled students in a manner consistent with federal law. An assessment instrument under this subsection may not require a teacher to prepare tasks or materials for a student who will be administered such an assessment instrument.”  Portfolios and performance-based assessments would not be allowed under this legislation, because these types of assessments require the individualization of materials and task administration.  Therefore, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is designing a standardized item-based assessment. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 37

WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH  No Child Left Behind requires an assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities that can be applied to 1% of the tested population for AYP purposes.  The assessment still needs to cover the state curriculum through prerequisite skills; thus our vertical alignment documents and curriculum framework documents will continue to be the basis for instruction and item development for the new test design. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 38

WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH  House Bill 906 of the 83 rd Legislative Session stipulates that “the agency may not adopt a performance standard that indicates that a student’s performance on the alternate assessment does not meet standards if the lowest level of the assessment accurately represents the student’s development level as determined by the student’s admission, review, and dismissal committee.”  This legislation eliminates an assessment where the ARD committee or teacher decides the complexity level of the assessment based on individual needs.  To meet these requirements, the redesigned assessment will not have complexity levels and will be a standardized assessment with items varying in difficulty throughout a single test. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 39

OUR CHARGE The redesign must:  Be appropriate for the wide range of students with significant cognitive disabilities that comprise this population  Cover the state curriculum through prerequisite skills from the curriculum presented in earlier grades  Consist of one assessment for each subject/grade or course that will be administered to all students  Eliminate the need for a teacher to prepare tasks or materials for a student  Be ready to administer to students as an operational assessment in spring 2015 February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 40

STAAR ALTERNATE 2015 DEVELOPMENT  TEA and Pearson conducted a Cognitive Lab in October involving 13 districts and 45 students of varying abilities and disabilities.  TEA and Pearson used the information learned during the labs to design test items that were assessed during a December-January Pilot Study.  One hundred and fifty-two districts across the state participated in the Pilot Study.  Around students were assessed for each of the following subjects: Grades 4 and 7 Reading Grade 7 Writing Grades 4 and 7 Math Grade 5 Science English I Algebra I US History Teachers participating in the pilot completed a survey providing TEA with valuable information about the assessment. We received over 1500 surveys. Details from the results of the study are still being evaluated; however, teachers responded favorably to the format of the redesign. February 18, Texas Education Agency

Six essence statements will be tested on each assessment. Each essence statement has four questions that form a cluster and are presented on the assessment as a unit. Each question measures a targeted prerequisite skill. The four questions are scaffolded based on the grade level of the prerequisite skill, the difficulty level of the skill, and what the student is being asked to do. The range of abilities of students taking the assessment is factored in across all questions in the cluster. 42 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR TEST ITEMS

February 18, Texas Education Agency TEKS CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

ITEM 1 IN A CLUSTER  The test administrator will be instructed to present the images and concept to the student stressing the number of the cars and which comes next in the pattern. Options for the presentation will be provided in the instruction manual.  The student will be directed to locate the three cars that come after two cars.  The answer is given to the student during the presentation and modeled by the teacher.  The student’s correct response shows that he or she has followed the explanation and can locate what the test administrator has just presented.  The student is required to find the picture that is indicated in a manner of response that is appropriate for the student.  This item establishes the context for number patterns that will continue throughout the cluster. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 44 Sometimes the student is asked to find the answer in one image or multiple images. The difficulty level of Item 1 varies across essence statements.

Specific instructions are given for scoring. The format shown is typical of Question 1 scoring instructions. If an incorrect response is given to locate what is requested, the teacher is directed to remove the stimulus, wait 5 seconds, then go through the initial presentation and directions again for reduced credit. No extra assistance is allowed, because the teacher modeled what the student was asked to do during the presentation. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 1 IN A CLUSTER

A similar image or concept is brought over from Question 1. The number pattern concept has been expanded to increase focus on the prerequisite skill, “use patterns to predict what comes next, including cause-and- effect relationships.” For many Question 2 items, the student must find the image in the second stimulus that matches to something in the first stimulus. The test administrator presents the images according to options provided in the instruction manual. Answer choices are also presented before asking the student to locate which picture would come next in the pattern. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 2 IN A CLUSTER

The format shown is typical of Question 2 scoring instructions. If the student is not able to find the correct answer, the teacher models the desired student action and repeats the initial presentation and directive. Full credit is only given if the student is able to supply the correct answer without modeling. 47 February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency ITEM 2 IN A CLUSTER

The tested concept still focuses on number patterns but has been expanded to focus on the new prerequisite skill, “use patterns to develop strategies to solve basic addition and subtraction problems.” The test administrator presents the images according to options provided in the instruction manual. The three answer choices are also presented before asking the student to locate which number sentence comes next in the pattern. For Question 3 items, the student must understand what is presented in the first stimulus and use the information to determine the answer from three answer choices. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 3 IN A CLUSTER

The format shown is typical of Question 3 scoring instructions. If the student is not able to find the correct answer, the teacher is able to pick one of two or three provided allowable teacher assists before repeating the presentation and directive. The allowable teacher assists vary from item to item and target different modalities without providing a direct answer. Full credit is only given if the student is able to supply the correct answer without assistance. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 3 IN A CLUSTER

The tested concept still focuses on “use patterns to develop strategies to solve basic addition and subtraction problems.” The student must compare several parts of the pattern to determine the correct answer. For Question 4 items, students are required to apply knowledge by comparing similarities and differences evaluating a detailed stimulus. or inferring an idea or drawing a conclusion. The test administrator presents the images and answer choices according to instructions in the manual before asking the student to locate which pair of number sentences comes next in the pattern. After Item 4, the student moves to a new cluster. The clusters limit the number of skill transitions the student is asked to do. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 4 IN A CLUSTER

The format shown is typical of Question 4 scoring instructions. If the student is not able to provide the correct answer, the initial presentation and directive can be repeated. No other assistance can be provided, because the student must apply the information that has been provided. Full credit is only given if the student is able to supply the correct answer without having the directions repeated. February 18, Texas Education Agency ITEM 4 IN A CLUSTER

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IS ONGOING  All test items for 2015 are being developed this spring by content experts from TEA and Pearson.  The items will be reviewed by educator committees this summer.  Tests will be built and printed in student booklets using the same test development procedures as all STAAR tests.  Variations in design may occur after the pilot data is analyzed and the committees have reviewed the tests.  Test administrators in the Pilot provided lots of suggestions as to the presentation of the visuals and the language used to present the information. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 52

PENDING DECISIONS  Allowable accommodations and a preview- period policy  Potential options for medically fragile and non-responsive students  Length of the assessment window and how many days can be allowed to give an individual test  Policy for keeping the items secure throughout the window  Need for a special form for students with visual impairments  Other issues as we move forward February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 53

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS  The Participation Requirement documents have been updated to reflect the requirements for participating in the redesigned assessment in Spring of  The requirements are basically the same since participation in an alternate assessment is still based on No Child Left Behind and IDEA regulations.  Participation Requirement 5 was removed to accommodate the changes in the assessment from a performance-task model to a standardized item-based assessment. February 18, Texas Education Agency

 One person from the ARD committee will sign the front page of the document and be responsible for making sure that all sections have been discussed.  The justification section does not need to have page numbers from the IEP, but evidence must be provided for all “Yes” entries. February 18, 2014Texas Education Agency 55

ARD COMMITTEE PROCESS CHANGES  ARD committees will continue to go over the assurances required for decisions involving alternate assessments.  ARD committees will determine which assessments will be administered based on the student’s enrolled grade or high school course.  The ARD committee will not need to determine complexity levels because the levels are not part of the test design for the new assessment.  Accommodations for instruction still need to be determined and used as a basis for what is needed for access to the assessment. February 18, Texas Education Agency

ARD COMMITTEE PROCESS CHANGES  Accommodation policies for what is allowable for the new item-based assessment will be determined after data from the pilot test is reviewed and may require additional ARD meetings or IEP amendments.  Teachers participating in the Pilot provided information on what accommodations they used for the assessment and additional accommodations they felt students would need.  Allowable accommodations must comply with House Bill 5 and not be viewed as teachers creating materials for the assessment. February 18, Texas Education Agency

 Each assurance must be discussed by the ARD committee and initialed by the person who signed the first page.  The document needs to be part of the IEP if the decision to administer STAAR Alternate is determined.  Dynamic fields have been added so that the form can be filled out locally on a computer. February 18, Texas Education Agency

2015 ESSENCE STATEMENTS  The essence statement documents will be available in March for IEP planning.  These documents along with the curriculum framework documents will assist teachers when planning instruction for the assessment.  Ten or less essence statements per subject will be used to create an assessment. Math essence statements and curriculum framework documents will be updated this summer. More information will be provided in the fall. February 18, Texas Education Agency

60 Since no prerequisite skills will be posted, teachers can determine where the student is performing on the framework document for each essence statement and focus instruction to move the student to the highest student expectation he or she can attain ESSENCE STATEMENTS

More information regarding the new assessment will be provided in the fall. February 18, Texas Education Agency STAAR ALTERNATE REDESIGN