Alternate Assessment Aran M. Felix, Program Manager Alaska Department of Education & Early Development Special Education Directors Conference September 29, 2005

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept What Is the Alternate Assessment? Part of the Comprehensive System of Student Assessments (CSSA) For a special population of students with disabilities (SWD) Portfolio assessment consisting of data collection and supporting evidence Content areas: Reading, Writing, Skills for a Healthy Life, (Science in )

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Who Takes Alternate Assessments? Designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities Approximately 1 to 2 % of the student population (approximately 550 students) IEP Team makes the decision Eligibility Criteria in Participation Guidelines, Page Grades 3-10, no AA in grades 11 or 12 Expanded Format Criteria on website l/05-06/ExpandedFormatPartCriteriaAug05.pdf l/05-06/ExpandedFormatPartCriteriaAug05.pdf

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Criteria for Eligibility for AA IEP Team Decision –Use: Participation Guidelines, page –Use: Expanded Format Criteria Significant Cognitive Disability –Extensive Direct Instruction to apply, transfer skills –Cognitive abilities, adaptive skills prevent completion of standard curricula leading to diploma –Not for program administration reasons

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Criteria for Eligibility for AA Inclusion in AA NOT primarily due to: –Extended absences –Expectation of poor performance on state assessments –Visual, auditory, physical, emotional-behavioral disabilities –Inability to read at grade level –Anticipated test stress/anxiety –Specific Learning disabilities –Social, cultural, or economic differences.

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Participation Guidelines

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Expanded Format Criteria

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA is a Non-Diploma Track Parental Notification required Signature required on IEP acknowledging the student is: –Eligible for Alternate –On a Non-Diploma Track Student must still have access to and make progress in general education content areas: reading, writing, math

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept How is the Test Given? IEP Team participants write objectives to target specific skills in English/Language Arts, Math, and Skills for a Healthy Life that the student will learn that year Teachers, paraprofessionals, and others collect data and tangible evidence to show a students progress toward achieving the skill Test Window: Data and Evidence collected monthly from October through April 4, 2006

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Test Materials Portfolio Wallet Three Content Area Folders –English/Language Arts –Math –Skills for a Healthy Life Forms

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA Required Test Forms –Test Security Agreement –AA Portfolio Requirements Checklist –Pre-Code Label –Student Profile –AA Cover Sheets –Data Collection Forms –Supporting Evidence Cover Forms

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director and DTC Forms Test Security Agreement Students Teacher fills out, signs, keeps a copy, and sends the original to the DTC (Sept/Oct) Please follow-up and collect these forms for DTC. Portfolio Checklist District decides who will review portfolios for completeness, sign/date (Mar/April) Usually Sped director, principal, AA mentor, or DTC. Pre-Code Label Pre-Code Labels are sent to DTC in March. District must decide if teachers, reviewers, or DTCs will affix the labels to the portfolio wallets.

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Test Security Agreement

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Test Security Agreement, Pg.2 Note: Original to DTC

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Portfolio Requirements Checklist NOTE

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Example of 2005 Pre-Code File Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) sends memo to DTC requesting information for pre- code test booklets and pre-code labels for AA portfolios Draft Memo in Packet Data Fields District Code School Code Grade Group Name State Student ID District Student ID Student Last Name Student First Name Student Middle Name Birth date AA Flag - Y/N

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Student Pre-Code Label Affix to Portfolio Wallet

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Teacher Forms Student Profile 1 per student assessment Supporting Evidence Cover Sheet for Paper or Text types of Evidence 3 AA Cover Sheet 1 for each content area Supporting Evidence Cover Sheet for Photo Evidence 9 to 12 Data Collection Forms, 1 for each setting Supporting Evidence Cover Sheet for Multi-Media Evidence

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Student Profile

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA Cover Sheet (formerly AA IEP form) Parent signature required 1 time only. Not needed on all 3 AA cover sheets.

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA Data Collection Form

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Data Collection Periods 1 - October/November 2 - December/January 3 - February/March –April 4, 2006 – Last day to collect data or supporting evidence 4 – Optional: Some students will have data collected in April/May 2005 – That is okay.

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Supporting Evidence Form #1 Paper/Text

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Supporting Evidence Form #2 Photos

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Supporting Evidence Form #3 Multi-Media

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Supporting Evidence One piece minimum of supporting evidence per content area Good supporting evidence shows student progress on the skill Supporting Evidence requires a Supporting Evidence Cover Form

Important Procedures Important Dates

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Training: AA Mentor Program Purpose: Mentors act as district trainers to train teachers on how to implement the Alternate Assessment for qualified students in grades 3 through 10, and act as an advisory group to the department. Contacts: sessment/AlternateOptional/0506/2005AA MentorsContact.xlshttp:// sessment/AlternateOptional/0506/2005AA MentorsContact.xls

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Mentor Qualifications Be a certified teacher in Alaska Current or recent experience in low- incidence disabilities Be experienced in the development or scoring of AA Have classroom experience Be a teacher or trainer rather than an administrator

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Mentor Obligations Attend Mentor Training Act as AA advisory group (review material and provide feedback) Conduct district training with EED provided materials Answer staff questions throughout year Assist administrators in reviewing portfolios before scoring

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA Calendar & Procedures

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director Awareness Director Responsibility August –Test Materials arrive from EED to DTCs –Student Reports arrive for districts/parents –Special Education Directors notify DTCs which teachers need AA test materials September –Distribute portfolio test materials to teachers –Teacher copies of student reports arrive, distribute to teachers with copy of Guide to Interpreting Student Reports

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director Awareness Director Responsibility September –Work with Mentors to schedule teacher training dates during school day –If no AA Mentor, Director trains staff –Training materials provided by EED October –Teachers begin Alternate Assessment

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director Awareness Director Responsibility January –Update AA student information –Student Pre-Code Information due to DRC March –Student Pre-Code Labels arrive by March 20 –Affix student labels to portfolio wallets (districts decide the processmake sure teachers know) –Last data collection period –Directors, Mentors, DTCs to train teachers in end of assessment procedures

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director Awareness Director Responsibility April –Last day to collect data/supporting evidence: April 4 –Last day to order extra labels: April 7 –Teachers send Portfolios to Special Education Directors and/or AA Mentors –Designated administrator reviews portfolios, signs, dates –Deliver Portfolios to DTCs for shipment

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Director Awareness Director Responsibility April (continued) –Shipping Window: April 5 – 21, 2006 –Remote? DTCs will arrange pickup before April 21 May –Portfolios must arrive at DRC by May 1 –AA scored at DRC –Nominate AA Mentors to EED

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept AA Test Results and Reports AA Web Reports available June 14, 2006 Test Results to districts August 11, copy of the Guide to Interpreting Student Reports sent from DRC Make copies of Guide to include with reports Mail Student Reports to parents with Guide Retain District copy of student report

What is New?

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept New Alternate Assessment Request for Proposals issued October 2005 Performance-Based Tasks (Not a portfolio) Web based training, administration & reports Field Test planned Spring 2006 –Recruiting teachers/students –Field test training: February (tentative) Test Window: 6 weeks in March-April Continue mentors as district trainers

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Emphasis on Accessing Grade Level Content NCLB requires that ALL students must have access to and make progress in general education curriculum. Alaska has Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) Improved Alignment of AA to GLEs –Mentors: Reviewed and revised Extended GLEs to provide Entry Points to grade level content –Workgroups of Content Specialists and Intensive Needs Teachers: Write Proficiency Descriptors –Broad Stakeholder groups to review Notification to Special Education by January 2006

EED-Special Educ Director Conference, Sept Websites Alternate Assessment Website: ment/alternate_optional.html ment/alternate_optional.html Assessment Website: ment/ ment/ Data Recognition Corp (DRC) Website:

Questions? Contact: Aran M. Felix