How to Think, Plan, Develop and Implement Alternate Assessment in - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Larger Picture: A Comprehensive Process of How to Think, Plan, Develop and Implement Alternate Assessment in 2018 CCSSO National Conference on Student Assessment June 29, 2018 11:00-12:00 PM

Presenters  Dr. Jan Sheinker • President, Sheinker Educational Services, Inc.  Nannette Pence • Assessment Specialist, Alabama Department of Education  Toni Wheeler • Alternate Assessment Coordinator, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Moderator  Dr. Jenni Norlin-Weaver • Vice President, Government Affairs, Data Recognition Corporation

Overview  Many states have or are beginning to re-think and re-write their content standards and assessments for ESSA  States also have or are beginning the very same process with their state’s alternate standards and assessments  As with all accountability assessments, the Alternate Assessment is part of a larger, comprehensive system that requires high quality design, development and implementation of standards and assessments which, most importantly, assist in improving the student achievement outcomes, improving instruction and closing the opportunity and achievement gaps of this population of students 3

Overview This presentation will highlight:  Best practices, strategies and national research that states have utilized to systematically create extended standards and alternate achievement level descriptors from state standards over the past 15 years and their very vital role in the design of quality alternate assessments  Strategies, research and lessons learned concerning the Alabama experiences in the writing and release of their new Alabama Alternate Assessment proposal and related alignment proposal  Process by which Washington State works with all contractors to determine the Sections and Critical Elements for which contractors will collect and provide evidence to inform Washington’s Peer Review process  The importance of knowing what the State must require of and collect from contractors in order to prepare for Peer Review 4

Dr. Jan Sheinker President Sheinker Educational Services, Inc . Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 5

Effective Processes  What states have found effective over the past 15 years to systematically create extended standards and alternate achievement level descriptors from state content standards  Whatever you call them (Essential Elements, Common Core Connectors, Key Concepts, Big Ideas, Extended Standards), the TARGET FOR PROFICIENCY must be clear to teachers, item developers, and users of assessment results  Alternate Assessment Achievement level descriptors must be clear about what students at each achievement level know and can do AT EACH GRADE LEVEL and differentiate achievement at each grade level Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 6

ESs and AALDs Creating extended standards (ESs) and alternate achievement level descriptors (AALDs) from state content standards Extended standards emerge from the content standards  Developed AFTER content standards are final  Developed using a similar process Alternate achievement level descriptors emerge from the extended standards  Initially developed simultaneously with the extended standards  Revised when cut scores are set Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 7

Best Practices Matter Best practices for creating extended standards linked to state content standards  Clearly link to the standards for all – Can you see the GRADE LEVEL content?  Standardize meaning – Is the meaning clear to all users?  Create consistency in expected performance – Are the expectations comparable for all students taking the AA-AALD?  Accommodate diverse disabilities – Can students perform the same content in different ways?  Ground alternate assessments – Are the ESs clear enough for test developers to create precise items? Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 8

Quality Design Principles Best practices for creating alternate achievement level descriptors aligned with extended standards  Ideally draft with ESs – Are stakeholders involved at every step?  Clearly align with ESs – Is proficient performance aligned?  Describe performance at, above, and below ESs - Does achievement escalate from grade to grade and achievement level to achievement level?  Review and finalize with cut scores – Do final AALDs describe performance consistent with actual achievement within each achievement level? Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 9

Quality Design Principles  Narrative Grade 8 ELA Alternate Achievement Level Descriptor descriptions at each Eighth grade students performing at a Level Three achievement level on the alternate assessment, in addition to Level Two skills:  Identify specifics from a text that describe or support an author’s purpose or point of view [RI]  Narrative  Identify how two texts on the same topic disagree [RI]  Identify quotes or information relevant to a topic descriptions for each from a print or digital source [W] grade and domain  Present details to support a point that can be used in a presentation [SL]  Identify a verb to complete simple sentences [L] Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 10

Quality Processes Strategies for ensuring quality Extended Standards and Alternate Achievement Level Descriptors  Include appropriate stakeholders (general and special education teachers, disability specialists (VI, HI, speech/language, etc.)  Target key concepts in grade level content standards for development of ESs  Align the ESs and proficient AALDs horizontally  Align ESs and AALDs vertically across grades and achievement levels  Evaluate ESs and AALDs for clarity, specificity, and measurability Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 11

Apply the Research What the research tells us that is important to the development of extended standards and achievement descriptors  Most students with significant cognitive disabilities (ScD) can learn some reading and math skills despite limited opportunities to learn  The upper limits of students with ScD capabilities are not fully known Allor, J. H., Mathes, P., Roberts, K., Cheatham, J. P., & Al Otaiba, S. (2014). Is scientifically-based reading instruction effective for students with below-average IQs? Exceptional Children, 80 , 289-308. Browder , D., Hudson, M.E., & Wood, A.L. (2013) Teaching students with moderate intellectual disability who are emergent readers to comprehend passages of text. Exceptionality: A Special Education Journal , 21 , 191-206. Kleinert, H., Towles-Reeves, E., Quenemoen, R., Thurlow, M., Fluegge, L., Weseman, L., & Kerel, A. (2015). Where students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are taught: implications for general curriculum access. Exceptional Children, 81 , 312-328. Spooner, F., Root, J., Saunders, A., & Browder, D. (2018). An updated evidence-based practice review on teaching mathematics to students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities. Remedial and Special Education. Thurlow, M. L., Wu, Y., Quenemoen, R. F., & Towles, E. (2016, January). Characteristics of students with significant cognitive disabilities (NCSC Brief #8). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center and State Collaborative. Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 12

13 Washington State Teacher Reported Statistics for 2017-2018-based on approximately 6000 AA-AAAS participants General Reading Skill Level Reads basic sight words, simple sentence, directions, bullets, and/or list in print or Braille 42% Reads fluently with critical understanding in print or Braille (e.g., to differentiate fact/opinion, 28% point of view, emotional response) Aware of print/Braille, follows directionality, makes letter distinctions, or tells a story from the 17% pictures that is not linked to text Has no observable awareness of print or Braille 13% General Math Skill Level 46% Does computational procedures with or without a calculator 26% Counts with 1:1 correspondence and/or makes numbered sets of items to at least 999 Has no observable awareness or use of numbers 13% Counts by rote to 5 10% Applies computational procedures to solve real-life or routine problems from a variety of 5% contexts Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 13

ESs and AALDs for Quality Design Importance of the role of extended standards and alternate achievement level descriptors in the design of Alternate Assessment Extended standards make clear • Targets for proficient achievement • Links to grade level content Alternate achievement level descriptors make clear • Differences in achievement at each grade level • Differences in content breadth and complexity at each achievement level • The type of items needed to measure each achievement level Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. 14

Nannette Pence Assessment Specialist Alabama State Department of Education 15

Alabama Alternate Assessment Challenges  Personnel  Timing  Funding 16

Alabama Alternate Assessment Alignment Study  Vendor-facilitated  Independent national alignment experts  Alabama education experts  Transitioning from a portfolio to performance based  Areas of weakness • Alabama Extended Standards • Items New proposal – Alternate Achievement Standards 17