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FAA
Florida
Alternate
Assessment
Karen SchaferOffice of Testing and Accountability
Brevard Public Schools
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6A-1.09981
(5) School performance grades shall be based on a combination of the following three components:
(b) Annual learning gains, aggregated for each school which indicate the percent of eligible students who have:
1. Improved their FCAT Achievement Level or Florida Alternate Assessment Performance Level, as applicable, from one year to the next, or
2. Maintained their proficient Achievement Level on FCAT or the Florida Alternate Assessment.
WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FAA?
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WHY DO WE HAVE AN ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT?
Because Florida Statutes, IDEA & NCLB hold
schools, districts, and states
accountable for the
ACADEMIC achievement of
ALL students in
reading, math, language arts, and science,
Every student takes either FCAT or FAA
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• Students with significant cognitive disabilities and students with autism who are functioning at that level for whom FCAT is not appropriate.
• Students whose IEP Team has decided that all five statements on the FAA Participation Checklist accurately characterize a student’s current educational situation
WHO TAKES THE FAA?
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FAA Participation Checklist
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• The FAA is based on the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) in reading, math, writing and science
• The SSS provide academic Access Points for students with significant cognitive disabilities and students with autism who are functioning at that level
• Access Points reflect the key academic concepts of the SSS with reduced levels of complexity
WHAT ARE STUDENTS TESTED ON ?
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ACCESS POINTS
More Complex Less Complex
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WHAT ARE LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY ?
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• Access Points provide students with significant cognitive disabilities and students with autism who are functioning at that level access
• To the general education curriculum
• To academic skills and concepts
• Access Points should drive academic instruction for students who qualify to take the FAA
WHAT ARE ACCESS POINTS ?
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Standards Driven System
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HOW IS THE TEST CONSTRUCTED ?
• 16 items in each content area (RMWS)
• Each item has 3 questions• One each written at the Participatory,
Supported and Independent level
• There are 3 answer choices per question
• Students start with the Participatory question and are presented with more complex questions as they provide correct responses
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HOW IS EACH ITEM SCORED ?
Q1P Q2S Q3I
Remove incorrect choice #1: Repeat prompt with 2 cards
Remove incorrect choice #2: Repeat prompt with one card
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Q1 at the Participatory level presented first.
For each question answered correctly, student moves to next question of higher complexity.
If Q1 is answered incorrectly, “scaffolding” occurs
Students earn 1, 2, 3, 6 or 9 points per item
Item 1
3 response choices for each question
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• Scoring each item
• Students earn 1,2,3,6, or 9 pts per item
• Refusal to participate scores 0
• Total Score
• Sum of points earned on each of the 16 items
• Maximum score possible in each content area is 144 points (16 items x 9 pts.)
HOW IS THE TEST SCORED?
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HOW IS PROFICIENCY DETERMINED?
2007-08
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HOW IS PROFICIENCY DETERMINED?
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HOW DID BREVARD’S STUDENTS DO ON FAA?
# Assessed
Emergent1 2 3
Achieved4 5 6
Commended7 8 9
Proficient 4 - 9
Reading 412 29% 31% 40% 71%
Math 412 30% 48% 22% 70%
Science 166 28% 43% 28% 71%
Writing 147 35% 33% 32% 65%
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Reading Math Science Writing
Brevard 71% 70% 71% 65%
Okaloosa 81% 83% 86% 84%
Santa Rosa 80% 80% 90% 79%
Seminole 67% 68% 65% 68%
St. Johns 67% 65% 69% 60%
Volusia 68% 62% 73% 60%
State 68% 66% 70% 62%
Percent at Proficiency
HOW DID BREVARD’S STUDENTS DO ON FAA?