N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Sandy Thompson and Martha Thurlow National Center on Educational Outcomes University of Minnesota Effective

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National Center on Educational Outcomes

Sandy Thompson and Martha Thurlow


University of Minnesota

Effective Implementation of Alternate Assessments

for Studentswith Severe Disabilities

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Alternate Assessment

– for those students unable to participate in general state

assessments

New part of state and district assessment systems

- Did not exist in most places before IDEA, 1997

- Lots of activity in the past three years!

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ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN

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Alternate Assessment Steps

1. Inform stakeholders about the importance of alternate assessments in the context of school reform.

2. Educate all students in challenging content, with high expectations for their success.

3. Identify partners to support alternate assessment participants in their work toward high standards.

4. Use a practical process to decide how students will participate in assessments.

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Alternate Assessment Steps

5. Develop standards-based IEPs and integrate with alternate assessments.

6. Use a variety of assessment strategies to collect alternate assessment data.

7. Score, report, and use alternate assessment results.

8. Evaluate alternate assessment implementation.

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Step 1.Inform stakeholders about the

importance of alternate assessments in the context of

school reform.

Standards-Based Reform Context

--- Everything else is negotiable ---

schedules, place, time, structure, curriculum, methods of assessment, instructional methods . . .

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IDEA Regulations 1999General Comments

“The new law has a goal of including children with disabilities in the general curriculum and improving results for these children, in contrast to the focus in prior law of simply providing disabled children access to public schools.”

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Sec 612(a)(17). Participation in State Assessments

• Children with disabilities will be included in general state and district wide assessments with appropriate accommodations.– SEA or LEA shall develop guidelines for

participation; and develop, and, no later than July 1, 2000, conduct alternate assessments

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No Child Left Behind

. . . reinforces standards-based education for all students and introduces accountability for results

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Stated purpose of No Child Left Behind

“…to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments”

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NCLB does NOT require Student Accountability

NCLB requires SYSTEM level accountability to ensure all

students learn to high levels.

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Clarification of Assessments

Classroom TestsEligibility

Assessments

Large-Scale Assessments

Districtwide Statewide National

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Step 2Educate all students in

challenging content, with high expectations for their

success.

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Standards!Content standards = what all children should know and be able to do

Performance/achievement standards = how well children must demonstrate what they know and are able to do

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Title I“While some students with

disabilities may need modified instructional

approaches, generally all students need to be working toward the same challenging

standards.”

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Focus of Alternate Assessments is Evolving

1999 2001

Functional skills 16 states 4 states

Standards 20 states 43 states

No decision 24 states 3 states

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ALL STUDENTSSAME STANDARDS!!

• Broadly define content standards– “use math models to solve problems in

everyday life”

• Avoid narrowly defined standards– “master principles of trigonometry and the

properties of algebraic functions”

• Tie alternate assessments to the same standards (Kleinert & Kearns, 2001)

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Critical Functions focus on function of standard in

enhancing a student’s life• Standard: “Student communicates ideas

through speaking to various audiences”

• Critical Function: “Communicate ideas”

• Alternate Form: “Use augmentative and alternative communication system”

» Kleinert & Kearns, 2001

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Step 3 Identify partners to support

alternate assessment participants in their work toward high

standards.

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Stakeholders Bring Different Values and Beliefs to the Table

• Alternate assessment developers in nearly all states included: – State special education and assessment personnel

– Local administrators, special and general educators, assessment coordinators, and related service providers

– Parents and advocates

– A few states included students and adults with disabilities

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Alternate Assessment Roles

• Bring info. about standards and assessment to IEP team

• Bring info about student to IEP meetings• Decide how student can work toward standards• Provide instruction and support student in work

toward standards• Make alternate assessment participation decision• Conduct alternate assessment

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Step 4Use a practical process to decide how students will

participate in assessments.

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Assessment Decision-Making Process

Is the student working toward academic content standards?

If no, adjust the student’s instruction so that he/she

is working toward standards.

When yes, go on to the next question.

Can the student show what he/she knows on a general assessment,

using accommodations?

If no, consider alternate assessment participation

for the student.

If yes, the student should participate in the general

assessment with a careful plan for the use of accommodations.

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Example from MA training -Who should take MCAS-Alt?

• A student with a disability…

– Who requires substantial modifications to instructional level and learning standards in a content area, and

– Who requires intensive, individualized instruction in order to acquire and generalize knowledge, and

– Who is unable to demonstrate achievement of learning standards on a paper and pencil test, even with accommodations

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Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Kentucky’s State-Wide Assessment

ALL STUDENTS140,757 Students

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES(8.5% of Total Students)

23% Regular Test - No Accommodations

69% Regular Test - With Accommodations

8% Alternate Portfolio (.7% of Total)

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Recent article in the Boston Globe (December 22, 2002)

Katie Bartlett has spent all of her 17 years exceeding the expectations the world placed on her when she was born with Down syndrome. . . Still no one was quite sure what would happen when Bartlett took the MCAS exam, now a requirement for a high school diploma in Massachusetts.

This is what happened: She passed

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Step 5Develop standards-based IEPs

and integrate with alternate assessments.

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Lara’s IEP Goals Before Alternate Assessment

• Lara will be fed

• Lara will be cleaned up

• Lara will be moved

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“The minimum that is needed for alternate assessment

achievement is one observable, measurable

voluntary response.”(for examples, see:www.uncc.edu/aap

Diane Browder

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Step 6Use a variety of assessment strategies to collect alternate

assessment data.

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Variations in Approach

• Body of Evidence/ Portfolio 24 states• Checklist 9 states• IEP team determines strategy 4 states• IEP analysis 3 states• Combination of strategies 4 states • Specific performance assessment 4 states• No decision 2 states

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Step 7Score, report, and use

alternate assessment results.

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Variations in Student Performance Measures

• Skill/competence 40 states

• Independence 32 states

• Progress 24 states

• Ability to generalize 18 states

• Other 7 states

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Variations in System Performance Measures

• Variety of Settings 21 states

• Staff Support 20 states

• Appropriateness (e.g, age, challenge) 20 states

• Gen. Ed. Participation 12 states

• Parent Satisfaction 9 states

• No system measures 8 states

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Example: Arkansas Scoring Domain Definitions

• Performance - demonstration of skill while attempting a given task. Each entry is scored

• Support - assistance provided to a student during performance of tasks. Each entry is scored

• Appropriateness - The degree to which the tasks 1) reflect the chronological age of a student, 2) provide a challenge for the student, and 3) are representative of real-world activities that promote increased independence. Each entry is scored

• Settings - settings or environments in which tasks are administered/performed for math entries; and for ELA entries. Scored once for each content area across entries

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Why Report Results

• Reporting all results ensures inclusion of all students in accountability system

• Failure to report scores of students with disabilities sends message that they are not important and do not count

• “What is measured is treasured”

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Step 8Evaluate alternate

assessment implementation.

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Positive Consequences0 5 10 15

Increased access to the general curriculum

Increased inclusion in accountability system

More rigorous education

Increased participation in state assessments

Increased academic expectations

Improved performance on some stateassessments

Increased general and special educationnetworking

Number of States

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Visit: education.umn.edu/nceo

or Search for NCEO

New links to your state’s Alternate Assessment

information!

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Resources on Alternate Assessment• Alternate Assessment: Measuring Outcomes and

Supports for Students with Disabilities (2001) by Harold Kleinert and Jacqui Farmer Kearns – Brookes Publishing

• Curriculum and Assessment for Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities (2001) by Diane M. Browder - Guilford Press

• Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (2001) by Sandra Thompson, Rachel Quenemoen, Martha Thurlow, and Jim Ysseldyke – Corwin Press

Documents

N C E O National Center on Educational Outcomes Sandy Thompson and Martha Thurlow National Center on Educational Outcomes University of Minnesota Effective