1 Making Wise Decisions about Participation of Students with Disabilities in the Statewide Testing Program Accountability Conference February 1, 2005

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction2 A joint session by the Exceptional Children Division and the Division of Accountability Services Bobbie Grammer, Exceptional Children Division, Policy, Monitoring, and Audit John Thomas, Exceptional Children Division, Areas of Exceptionality Pam Biggs, Division of Accountability Services, Testing Policy and Operations

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction3 Topics for Discussion Reasons for wanting students with disabilities in the accountability system How can students with disabilities participate in the testing program? Specific types of test administrations Decision-making guidelines chart Questions

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction4 Reasons for Wanting Students with Disabilities in the Accountability System

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction5 Reason 1 For an Accurate Picture of Education

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction6 Reason 2 For Students with Disabilities to Benefit from Reforms

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction7 Reason 3 To Make Accurate Comparisons

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction8 Reason 4 To Avoid Unintended Consequences of Exclusion

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction9 Reason 5 To Meet Legal Requirements

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction10 Reason 6 To Promote High Expectations

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction11 Reason 7 To Promote Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Disabilities

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction12 Test Administration Options Standard Test Administration Standard Test Administration with Accommodations Alternate Assessment

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction13 Decision Considerations The decision regarding the test administration (with or without accommodations) or the use of the alternate assessment for participation in the North Carolina Testing Program must be based on the unique needs of the student and must be documented in the current IEP. The decision must not be made to enhance test scores for purpose of student placement or school accountability.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction14 Tested under Standard Conditions? Tested with Accommodations? Must be Assessed with a NC Alternate Assessment YES NO YES NO NC Alternate Assessment Portfolio (NCAAP) NC Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory (NCAAAI) Procedure for IEP Team to Determine Student Participation in NC Statewide Test Administrations Pg. 104

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction15 Standard Test Administration with Accommodations

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction16 Accommodations can be used on: ALL state-mandated tests Accommodations that would invalidate the test results may vary between tests.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction17 Which students may receive accommodations? Students with disabilities that have an IEP Students with disabilities that have a Section 504 Plan Limited English proficient students that meet specific criteria

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction18 Guiding Principles* Do not assume that every student with disabilities needs assessment accommodations. Obtain approval by the IEP team. Base accommodations on student need. Be respectful of the students cultural and ethnic background. * The guiding principles are located in the Council for Exceptional Children resource referenced at the end of the presentation.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction19 Guiding Principles (contd) Integrate assessment accommodations into classroom instruction. Know whether your state and/or district has an approved list of accommodations. Plan early for accommodations. Include students in decision making. Understand the purpose of the assessment.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction20 Guiding Principles (contd) Request only those accommodations that are truly needed. Determine if the selected accommodation requires another accommodation. Provide practice opportunities for the student. Remember that accommodations in test taking wont necessarily eliminate frustration for the student.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction21 Process IEP Team/Section 504 Committee meets Team/committee decides what, if any, accommodations are necessary Find out if accommodation(s) is on approved list If yes, notify school test coordinator If no, submit an Accommodation Notification form

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction22 Approved Accommodations May be different depending on test Use of approved accommodations would not invalidate the test results Are listed in each Test Administrators Guide and in Testing Students with Disabilities document

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction23 Approved Accommodations for NC Tests at Grades 3-8 (pg. 40)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction24 Types of Accommodations Modified Test Formats Assistive Technology Devices and Special Arrangements Special Test Environments

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction25 Modified Test Formats Braille Edition (pg. 43) Computer Skills Portfolio Assessment Accommodation (CSPAA) (pg. 46) Large Print Edition (pg. 50) One Test Item Per Page Edition (pg. 53)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction26 Modified Test Formats Large Print Edition –11 x 17 paper –24-point font –How will student respond? Braille Edition –Contracted Braille –How will student respond? –Administrator must have Braille skills –Must be ordered 60 working days prior to test

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction27 Modified Test Formats One Test Item Per Page Edition –8.5 x 11 paper –Standard font Computer Skills Portfolio Assessment Accommodation (CSPAA) –Will be available for current tests of computer skills NOTE: Large print, one item per page editions (which require an accommodation notification form) are large volumes, both in paper size and no. of pages.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction28 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements AT Devices (pg. 55) Dictation to Scribe (pg. 66) Braille Writer/Slate and Stylus (and Braille Paper) (pg. 62) Cranmer Abacus (pg. 64) Interpreter/Transliterator Signs/Cues Test (pg. 70)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction29 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Keyboarding Devices (pg. 73) Magnification Devices (pg. 76) Student Marks Answers in Test Book (pg. 78) Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (pg. 80)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction30 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Student Marks Answers in Test Book –Does the student have visual tracking difficulties? –Transcriber and verifier must sign test booklet

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction31 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud –To what extent will the test be read aloud? Every word All but numbers Upon student request –Administrator must not give any clues through voice –Use with tests measuring reading comprehension invalidates the test results

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction32 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Dictation to Scribe –Use with Writing Assessment invalidates convention score –Student must have opportunity to proofread response(s) –For multiple-choice tests, how will student indicate answer? –How will scribe record student responses?

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction33 Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Assistive Technology Devices and Keyboarding Devices –For writing assessment, spell check, grammar check, thesaurus, etc. must be disabled to receive valid conventions score –Prediction software, word-recognition software would invalidate conventions score –AT Devices that read aloud tests designed to measure reading comprehension would invalidate the results

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction34 Special Test Environments Hospital/Home Testing (pg. 84) Multiple Testing Sessions (pg. 85) Scheduled Extended Time (pg. 87) Testing in a Separate Room (pg. 90)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction35 Special Test Environments Scheduled Extended Time –Approximately how much time should student receive? –Should be able to complete test in one day (if not used with Multiple Test Sessions) –Must allow student bathroom breaks and allow for lunch if necessary

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction36 Special Test Environments Testing in a Separate Room –Individual or Small Group –If small group, what is max. for that student? –Is the student receiving another accommodation that requires the use of the Testing in a Separate Room accommodation?

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction37 Special Test Environments Multiple Testing Sessions –How long will each session be? –Does the student require more frequent breaks? –Does the student require the test broken up over multiple days? –Previous work should be paper-clipped so student cannot change responses on previous portions

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction38 Accommodation Notification Form Is required if accommodation chosen by IEP team/504 committee is not specified in the Testing Students with Disabilities document

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction39 Accommodation Notification Form SIDE 1 The use of unauthorized accommodations may invalidate test results. within 30 days WHEN: Specify test date and name(s) This form found on pg of the Testing Students with Disabilities manual WHO: Student Info.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction40 SIDE 2 WHAT: Describe accommodation in detail WHY: Why the student needs it Signatures

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction41 Accommodation Notification Form (contd) Accommodation and reason for need must be clearly described on form Signatures must be provided Must be submitted to NCDPI within 30 days of IEP team or Section 504 committee decision OR 2 weeks prior to the test administration, whichever is sooner LEA test coordinator will receive response stating whether the accommodation will invalidate the test results

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction42 How does dictation to scribe or word recognition software affect writing scores? Use of these accommodations invalidates the convention score. The student would still receive a content score. Common Accommodation Questions

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction43 Can a student receive certain accommodations for one test and none or others for a different test? Yes, the decision to use accommodations is on a test-by-test basis and must be documented in IEP

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction44 How specific does the IEP need to be? Very specific Ex. Read Aloud –Everything read including answer choices –By student request Ex. Separate Room –Small Group –One-on-One

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction45 North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory (NCAAAI)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction46 NCAAAI is an alternate for: Grade 3 Pretest – Reading and Mathematics End-of-Grade Tests in Reading and Mathematics at grades 3-8 Writing Assessment at grades 4, 7, and 10 High School Comprehensive Test at Grade 10 End-of-Course Tests in 8 subjects: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, English I, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Physics Statewide End-of-Course Field Test in 2 subjects: Civics and Economics and U.S. History

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction47 Who is it designed for? Must have an IEP Assigned to grades 3-8 or 10 or enrolled in a course that requires an end-of-course for credit Unable to participate in standard test administration with or without accommodations that do not invalidate the test results AAP is an inappropriate assessment Also available to LEP students who meet specific eligibility criteria

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction48 Current Format Folder format Student work folder DRAF T

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction49 Common NCAAAI Questions What is the student work folder? The same folder teachers are probably already keeping in the classroom for their students.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction50 How many pieces of evidence do we need? What documentation do we need on the evidence? NCDPI is not requiring a specific number of pieces of work, nor is labeling of corresponding objective required. However, the evidence should show work at assessed grade level.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction51 Can EC students score proficient on the AAAI? Student Final Performance Scale Score (1–8) Achievement Level Student Assessed On Grade Level Student without a Significant Cognitive Disability Assessed Below Assigned Grade Level Student with a Significant Cognitive Disability Assessed 3 or More Years Below Assigned Grade Level 1-2III 3-4III 5-6IIIIIIII 7-8IVIIIV

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction52 The decision to place a student with disabilities on a particular assessment should be made as part of the IEP process after careful consideration of the students current academic functioning and how that student accesses the Standard Course of Study. The addition of guidelines for determining students with the most significant cognitive disabilities is a federal NCLB requirement for reporting purposes and should not affect the assessment decision of an IEP team. DPI/TOPS Staff, TNN announcement 10/6/04

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction53 Who completes the inventory? The school principal assigns the assessor. The assessor must have training in the content area being assessed and must work routinely with the student during instruction. The NCDPI recommends that the regular education content teacher collaborate with the resource teacher to complete the NCAAAI.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction54 Are OCS students required to be assessed in writing? No For 10 th grade students on a block schedule, can the reading and math inventories be done in the semester they have that subject? No, the assessment is associated with the grade and not a course. It must be done over the entire year.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction55 Where can I find more information about the NCAAAI? Test Administrators Guide –For Grades 3-8 and 10 –For End-of-Course –For End-of-Course Field Tests testing/ncaaai Performance Assessment Summer Institute

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction56 North Carolina Alternate Assessment Portfolio (NCAAP)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction57 NCAAP is an alternate for: Grade 3 Pretest – Reading and Mathematics End-of-Grade Tests in Reading and Mathematics at grades 3-8 Writing Assessment at grades 4, 7, and 10 High School Comprehensive Test at grade 10

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction58 Who is it designed for? Must have an IEP Assigned to grades 3-8 or 10 Unable to participate in standard test administration with or without accommodations that do not invalidate the test results AAAI is an inappropriate assessment

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction59 Components of AAP 3 Reading Tasks 3 Math Tasks For grades 4, 7, and 10 – one reading task must be designated as writing task (from Essence 4 or 5) Tasks are derived from IEP goals and aligned to Essences of the Standard Course of Study

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction60 End-of-Year Processing Data must be collected through April 20 Processing Guide currently in print

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction61 Upcoming Developments for the AAP Data collection requirement changes ( ) Proposed Essences for mathematics Development of grade-level standards

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction62 Where can I find more information about the AAP? Administrative Guide Portfolio Development Designee/Teacher Handbook testing/alternate Performance Assessment Summer Institute

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction63 Performance Assessment Summer Institute June 27-30UNC Charlotte July 11-14UNC Wilmington July 25-28UNC Asheville August 8-11McKimmon Center NC State University Separate sessions for new and experienced teachers (NCAAAI and NCAAP)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction64 Guidelines for Making Decisions for the Participation of Students with Disabilities in the NC Testing Program

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction65 Types of test administrations NCCATS: not available NCAAAI On Grade Level includes EOC Significant cognitive disability considerations

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction66

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction67 Resources NC Department of Public Instruction. (February 2003). Testing Students with Disabilities. Raleigh, NC. Council for Exceptional Children. (2000). Making assessment accommodations: A toolkit for educators. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children. testing/alternate

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction68 Questions