March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Step 4: Who are the Students who take Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards? Articulating the population Articulating the theory of learning for this population The National Alternate Assessment Center is supported through a cooperative agreement through the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (Grant Number H324U04001). However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Office of Special Education or the US Department of Education, and participants should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities General Assmt.AA-GLASAA-AAS Content Standards taught and assessed (access and alignment targets) Grade level Grade level linkage to content standards Achievement StandardsGrade level Alternate level Participating StudentsMost students, including those with disabilities (with or w/o accommoda- tions) Students with disabilities who need alternate way(s) to show what they know Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities How Students with Disabilities Participate in Assessment

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Cognition Effective Assessment Practice: Interconnected Assessment Elements Pellegrino et. al (2001). Knowing what students know. National Research Council: National Academy Press. ObservationInterpretation Cognition - A theory of what students know and how they know it in a subject domain Observation – tasks or situations designed to collect evidence about student performance Interpretation - a method for drawing inferences from the observation(s)

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Participants in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards The number of students participating in alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards as compared to the total population of student learners and students with disabilities…

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities More different than alike… SOURCE: Education Week analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data Analysis System, The total student population receiving special education services broken down by disability category

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Issues in Teaching/Assessing Students in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities present challenges with learning in these areas: Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities present challenges with learning in these areas: –Memory (Working or short term; long term) –Meta-cognition and Skill Synthesis (Self-Regulation) –Development and Learning (Attention to Stimuli) Limited motor response repertoire Limited motor response repertoire Sensory Deficits Sensory Deficits Special Health Care Needs Special Health Care Needs –Practice and Feedback Power law of practice Power law of practice Knowledge of results Knowledge of results –Transfer of knowledge (Generalization)

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Working or Short-term Memory Experience difficulty remembering when to use skills or what skills to use; difficulty applying isolated skills in natural contexts. Experience difficulty remembering when to use skills or what skills to use; difficulty applying isolated skills in natural contexts. –Related to: Inadequate learning opportunities Inadequate learning opportunities Insufficient opportunities to practice Insufficient opportunities to practice Meaningful contexts Meaningful contexts (Westling and Fox, 2004)

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Metacognition and Skill Synthesis Experience difficulty in not only selecting a problem solving strategy, but in monitoring and evaluating one’s use of that strategy, and to self- correcting as necessary (Pellegrino et al.) Experience difficulty in not only selecting a problem solving strategy, but in monitoring and evaluating one’s use of that strategy, and to self- correcting as necessary (Pellegrino et al.) Metacognitive strategies can include Metacognitive strategies can include –explicit steps in setting goals –developing action steps to reach that goal –evaluating one’s progress toward that goal (Agran, King-Sears, Wehmeyer, &Copeland, 2003)

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Development and Learning For students with significant cognitive disabilities, we may not be able to make the distinction between development and learning Explicit instruction may be required due to sensory deficits in the areas of: sensory deficits in the areas of: –Vision –Hearing –Both vision and hearing Limited motor responses impacting Limited motor responses impacting –Oral language production (speaking) –Fine motor skills needed for writing and/or signing Special Health Care Needs impacting Special Health Care Needs impacting –Attendance –alertness

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Practice and Feedback Power Law of Practice: Adequate instructional opportunities to practice a skill for acquisition and fluency Power Law of Practice: Adequate instructional opportunities to practice a skill for acquisition and fluency –Refers to increasing the rate of learning trials within an instructional lesson, not simply slowing down the pace of the lesson Knowledge of Results: positive and specific, corrective feedback Knowledge of Results: positive and specific, corrective feedback –Refers to instructive feedback, not just simple feedback on the accuracy of a skill

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Transfer of Knowledge Experience difficulty applying what was learned in one situation to another different situation. Experience difficulty applying what was learned in one situation to another different situation. –Must be demonstrated with different people, different materials, different settings, and at different times. (Haring, 1988; Fox, 1989) Also experience difficulty in recognizing how and when to apply a skill Also experience difficulty in recognizing how and when to apply a skill –Should be taught and assessed in ways other than a simple listing of settings, but in a variety of authentic activities that exhibit an understanding of the underlying academic concept.

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Participants in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards The following videos will share examples of students who participate in alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards.

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Participation Guidelines Have you identified who the kids are that participate in alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards? Have you identified who the kids are that participate in alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards? Do you have guidelines for determining how a student will participate in large scale assessment that can be used during IEP meetings? Do you have guidelines for determining how a student will participate in large scale assessment that can be used during IEP meetings?

March 31, 2006Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Let’s revisit our needs assessment to be sure we have addressed everyone’s questions. Let’s revisit our needs assessment to be sure we have addressed everyone’s questions. Checkpoint