New Mexico Alternate Performance Assessment

1. New Mexico Alternate Performance Assessment (NMAPA) Test Administrator & Rater Training New Mexico Public Education Department/ American Institutes for Research March 2007

2. NMPEDAmerican Institutes for ResearchNMAPA Team • Dan Farley, Assessment Administrator, NMPED • Deb Segner, Project Director, AIR • Lynnett Wright, Alternate Assessment Specialist, AIR • Steve Ferrara, Technical Advisor, AIR

3. Thank You!! Video Clips Mr. Bob Juday - Piedra Vista High School Mr. Ron Maestas - Kennedy Middle School Ms. Jenn Pena - West Mesa High School Ms. Deborah Chavez - McCollum Elementary Ms. Amalia Tomlinson - Kennedy Mid. School

4. Thank You!! • To our Hosts!!

5. Alternate Assessments Alternate assessments are designed for the small number of students who are unable to participate in regular grade-level State assessments even with appropriate accommodations. (IDEA 97 & NMAC)

6. OLD Four IEP-team developed activities Not tied to grade level expectations Functional NEW Prescribed tasks in LA, math, and science Tied to grade level expectations Academic Old Alt. v. New Alt.

7. Alternate Assessments • Must be linked to the State’s content standards • Must yield results in both English language arts and mathematics and must be designed and implemented in a manner that supports use of results as an indicator for AYP • Can measure progress based on alternate achievement standards (NCLB)

8. Alternate Achievement Standards • Set an expectation of performance that differs in complexity from a grade-level achievement standard • Must be linked to State’s academic content standards • Must promote access to the general education curriculum • Must reflect professional judgment of the highest achievement standards possible NCLB 34 C.F.R.§200.1(d)

9. NM Participation CriteriaNMAC 6.31.2.11 • (a) the student’s past and present levels of performance in multiple settings (i.e., home, school, community) indicate that a significant cognitive disability is present; • (b) the student needs intensive, pervasive, or extensive levels of support in school, home, and community settings; and, • (c) the student’s current cognitive and adaptive skills and performance levels require direct instruction to accomplish the acquisition, maintenance and generalization of skills in multiple settings (home, school, community).

10. NMAPA: Purpose • To promote maximum access to the general education curriculum • To ensure that all students are included in the statewide assessment program • To drive instruction and appropriate pedagogical practices with high expectations

11. Collaboration with content experts and special education teachers Small scale try-outs Bias and Content Review Development of the NMAPA

12. Review and Refinement Process • Rigorous review and refinement by NMPED and AIR, as with any content area achievement test (e.g., fairness, psychometric) • Bias and content review panels of expert New Mexico Teachers • Small-scale tryouts of all tasks

13. New Mexico Expanded Grade Band Expectations (EGBEs) Assessment Frameworks

14. Your Role • All NMAPA administrations must be double-scored: The Test Administrator’s record is scored for AYP; the Rater’s record is used for our inter-rater reliability study • Test Administrator: Teacher, Related Service Provider, Diagnostician • Rater: Any of the above and paraprofessionals (EAs)

15. EGBE Development • Began task force work in early spring 2006, finalized on December 15, 2006: focus on academic expectations • Involved a variety of diverse stakeholders from throughout the state, including our Alternate Assessment Advisory Council

16. EGBE Development • Special, ELL, and general education teachers and administrators wrote and reviewed the EGBEs • They are available on the Assessment and Evaluation Bureau’s homepage, along with an approval memo from Dr. Garcia and a user’s guide

17. EGBE Assessment Frameworks • Difference between “alignment” and “linkage” • Linked to grade-level content standards • Basis for IEP goals and objectives • Basis for classroom instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities

18. Importance of fontEGBE • Bold = this EGBE is assessed on this year’s NMAPA • Italic = this is an instructional objective which may be on future tests, but is currently to be used for classroom assessment only

19. Levels of Complexity Complexity in terms of demands on students • Content (e.g., from simple to complex standards) • Cognitive (e.g., from concrete to more abstract understanding) • Communication levels • Extended Symbolic (Clusters 7-8) • Symbolic (Clusters 5 - 6) • Pre-symbolic (Clusters 3 -4) • Engagement (Clusters 1 - 2)

20. Review EGBEs Math Science Language Arts 10 minutes Teacher Activity

21. Student Placement Questionnaire

22. Student Placement Questionnaire • Teachers complete a series of questions regarding student knowledge of the content • Based on responses, they compute a score to determine most appropriate starting task in the test form TAM pgs 10, 14, 42

23. Student Placement Questionnaire con’t • Each SPQ is located in the Student Answer Form • Directions for computing the SPQ score are on the SPQ and on a more detailed directions sheet • Directions for concluding the NMAPA administration appear in the directions sheet TAM pgs 10, 14, 42

24. Student Placement Questionnaire con’t SPQ directions. Contains directions for: • Identifying the starting task using the SPQ • Administering and concluding the NMAPA All students will complete at least tasks: • 1-5 or • 3-9 or • 6-12

25. Student Placement Questionnaire con’t Students who “respond successfully” to the concluding task • Continue to the next task, then the next task, and so forth • Until they no longer can respond successfully Responding successfully: • When the student gets at least one point on at least three items in the concluding task

26. Student Placement Questionnaire con’t For example: • Starting at task 1: Tasks 1-5, 6, 7, … • Starting at task 3: Tasks 3-9, 10, 11, … • Starting at task 6: Tasks 6-12

27. Start Example Do not re-administer the original starting task.

28. Move Forward or Stop Example

29. NMAPA Tasks

30. NMAPA Tasks A task is a collection of items and materials organized around a theme (e.g., a story, a writing activity, a math activity) • Tasks contain 4-6 items Each item • Scripted • Scaffolded to reduce complexity • Students can respond verbally or non-verbally • Includes directions for scoring student responses TAM pg. 12

31. NMAPA Tasks • Materials include printed and physical manipulatives, story books • Almost all materials provided in a manipulatives kit

32. Task Information Cover page • EGBE addressed by the task • Measurement guidelines for each item • Materials needed • Special adaptive instructions • Access limitations and instructions • Introductory statement • Closure statement TAM pgs. 15 - 20

33. Item Information For each item: • Materials • Directions for setup • Placement of manipulatives • Response cards • Displaying a text TAM pgs. 15 - 20

34. Item Scripting • Scaffolded scripting • Opening statement in a say/do format • Tell me or show me TAM pgs. 16

35. Item Scripting Opening statement or question • “Here is a _______________.” • “Look at/touch the ______.” • Followed by: • The student showing or telling which one is the correct response option or which one is correct TAM pgs. 16

36. Scaffolding • If the student does not answer correctly or fails to respond, there are specific instructions for the test administrator • These instructions are in boxes within each test item TAM pgs. 17

37. Scaffolding (cont.) For example: • If a student indicates _________, record a 3. If not, continue with the scaffolded script below. TAM pgs. 17

38. Video Clips Let’s watch: • O.J. as he is administered an engagement task: Magazine • Chris is administered a high task: Spying Follow along in your training booklet

39. Adapting and Accommodating to Meet Student’s Needs

40. Allowable Accommodations • Mayer-Johnson pic – syms have been used throughout the tasks and items. • If your student uses a different symbol for the same word, you my substitute that symbol for the one provided. For example:

41. Teacher can say the response option aloud Teacher can point to all of the response options or concrete objects Have student touch or hold the object Place the objects in a specific location or orientation when the student has a limited visual field Change the background Adapting and Accommodating TAM pgs. 21-25

42. Wording • You may substitute a more familiar word or term for scripted language as long as doing so does not change what is being measured. “Tennis shoes” for “sneakers” is fine TAM pgs. 21-25

43. Assistive Technology

44. Low-Tech Not electrical or mechanical Specifically designed devices for a specific purpose: Special spoons Corner chairs Large pencil grips Photographs Raised lines Assistive Technology

45. Medium-Tech Less sophisticated high-tech devices May have electronic or mechanical components Single-message communication devices Computer programs Assistive Technology (cont.)

46. Assistive Technology (cont.) High-Tech • Sophisticated technologies • Computer • Speech to text • Text to speech • IntelliKeys with custom overlays

47. New Mexico Technology Assistance Program NMTAP’s - Goal is to make assistive Technology accessible to all New Mexicans in need.

48. Assistive Bank of Loanable Equipment (ABLE) • The purpose of ABLE is to offer special education personnel, DVR Counselors and, case managers the opportunity to try an assistive device with their clients/students prior to purchase. • Therapists, teachers, DVR counselors, & case managers are welcome to check out equipment to get more familiar with a device or software.

49. New Mexico Technology Assistance Program • Andy WinnegarDirector(505) 954-8521 andy.winnegar@state.nm.us • Web address: http://www.nmtap.com

50. Access Limitations • Clearly marked • Do not administer • A bubble is provided for all items marked as Access Limited (AL)