STAAR Alternate is the state assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

2. STAAR Alternate is the state assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

3. TEA Resources STAAR Alternate Resources Page on the TEA website http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staaralt List of Responsibilities Policy Information Training Center Information

4. Assessment Window January 7th -April 19th Monitoring Test Assignments • Check to see if any recent ARD decisions have been made that would affect how the student assignments are set up in the system • Ensure that student assessments are linked to the appropriate alternate assessment teacher in the Assessment Management System so evaluations can begin • Unregister any students no longer being assessed with STAAR Alternate and add any new students or alternate assessment teachers • Ensure that all test administrators have completed all required training before access to the Assessment Management System is provided Have the alternate assessment teacher verify the grade level and courses!

5. Pearson Resources Home>Resources>Training> Texas Assessment Management System

6. The information has been updated from last year.

7. New Feature: When a registered student’s records are moved to another district due to a student transfer, an email will be sent to the District Testing Coordinator at the previous district. To the District Testing Coordinator Addressed:This email is to inform you that a STAAR Alternate test assignment for a student has been moved from your district. No further action is needed from you at this time. Student Name: First LastCampus: Example SchoolIf you have questions about this email or believe that you received this email in error, please contact Pearson's Austin Operations Center at TxPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com or via phone at 800-627-0225 Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM (CT). Access http://www.TexasAssessment.com/support for additional help. The transfer cut off date is March 29, 2013. Districts do not have to begin or complete an assessment after that date.

8. To see a list of students that have been moved from your district to another district, go to Test Management>Register Students and select the Student Moves report from the Reportsdrop-down list. Check the Select All box and click Search. A list of students will appear. This list will show both the sending and receiving campus names and the date the students were moved. Please contact Pearson or TEA if a student should not have been moved.

9. Monitoring Completion of Assessments District Testing Coordinators did a great job last year in monitoring! Monitor progress on the assessments. Number of registered students Need to have “0” in these columns to ensure that all students will be tested.

10. Test Administrator Training Monitor test administrator training by verifying that … • all training modules have been completed and the qualifications passed with 80% accuracy • supplemental support is provided before the third attempt is given to the teacher • supervision is occurring for any test administrator that has not passed all the modules but is continuing to implement the assessment Check to verify the training status of all test administrators on the TrainingCenter by viewing the STAAR Alternate At-A-Glance Training & Qualification Report

11. Interrater Reliability Study 2013 STAAR Alternate Interrater Reliability Study Checklist

12. http://www.texasassessment.com/2013STAARAlternateIRRDetails Links Available for: Interrater Online Tool Final Roster Summary Reports Implementation Steps Interrater Checklist

13. Expected number of surveys is based on the • request of twostudents per campus as • indicated on the Detailed Roster of Selected • Districts and Campuses. • If you called to inform Pearson or TEA that • the district did not have the requested • number of students available, the adjustment may not have been made in the report.

14. Second Rater Interrater Reliability Tool http://www.texasassessment.com/2013STAARAlternateIRR

15. Storing the Documentation Forms • develop and communicate the district policy on where the documentation forms will be stored • ensure that only one official documentation form exists and that all forms are stored in the same location for the campus • make sure that test administrators know that the form must remain secure and confidential while it is in their care until given to the testing coordinator for storage • secure all forms by the close of the assessment window • inform staff that forms will not be accessible after April 19, 2013 at 7:00pm CST District Testing Coordinators must: Test administrators should use caution when taking the documentation forms out of the classroom or building or when forms are stored on computers, laptops, or flash drives.

16. Audit Procedures Cover Letter District and Campus Instructions Envelope Labels The same procedures used for the 2012 audit will be used in 2013.

17. STAAR Alternate Timeline • New Postings : • Parent Training Materials • Performance Level Descriptors • Standard Setting Information Essence Statement documents will not be posted until April since the statements will be reviewed during the February educator meetings.

18. Parent Materials will be a new section on the Resources page. Grades 3-8 Parent Brochure for Grades 3-8 Available in English and Spanish PowerPoint available in English and Spanish EOC

19. Performance Level Descriptors Accomplished Satisfactory Available for all tested grades and subjects Developing Level I, II, and III Performance Levels do not refer to Complexity Levels 3, 2, and 1.

20. Complexity Level Selection by the ARD Committee Distribution among the three complexity levels should be more equally distributed to reflect the range of developmental levelsof students with cognitive disabilities and demonstrate that students are being challenged with higher expectations and more challenging tasks.

21. Process for Selecting the Complexity Level for STAAR Alternate Student Characteristics for the STAAR Alternate Complexity Levels

22. Use the New ARD Forms for All 2013-2014 Assessment Decisions For 2013-2014 the complexity level decision must be made by the ARD committee and must be recorded at the bottom of the second page of the form for each assessed subject. Reading Grade 6 Complexity Level(s) 3 and 2 Level 3 Combinations of Level 3 and 2 Level 2 Combinations of Level 2 and 1 Level 1 NRO Options

23. Implementing High Standards • Meaningful information about students is difficult to obtain if a perfect score is achieved. • STAAR Alternate results should be comparable to the other state assessments. The validity of the assessment is in question when the passing rate is significantly higher than the other assessments. • With 34% of students being assessed at Complexity Level 1 for 2012, the over selection indicates that a third of students being assessed with STAAR Alternate are not expected to demonstrate skills at this time and are in the beginning stages of awareness of the concepts being taught.

24. Most students should be assessed with either some or all assessment tasks at higher complexity levels in order to meet the state expectation. • The state assessment is only one piece of information the ARD committee should consider when evaluating if a student is making progress. • The state assessment only measures academic performance. Students with cognitive disabilities have IEP goals for many other areas of development such as objectives for language and communication, behavior, mobility, social interactions, vocational preparation, and independent living. A student can show growth in many areas.

25. Growth Measure • The range of available points for STAAR Alternate (0-84)will be divided into stages that will be applied to the student’s performance. • When two years of results are available, the growth measure will compare the two years of results to determine if growth occurred between the stages. • Positive growth between stages will be factored into AYP calculations. • An adjusted cut score for satisfactory performance for the 2012 administration will be applied to the January results. • The final cut scores will reflect the standard that will be applied to raw scores for the 2013 administration reported in May. Adjusted Cut Scores

26. Standard Setting Information A new Standard Setting Information section will be added to the STAAR Alternate Resources page that will feature the following: • Standard Setting Report • Frequently Asked Questions • Performance Labels and Policy Definitions • Performance Level Descriptors

27. More detailed information about STAAR Alternate can be found at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staaralt

28. STAAR Modified

29. What is STAAR Modified and who is it for? • An alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards • Different passing standard than STAAR • Test questions that are based on STAAR • For students receiving special education services who meet participation requirements • For the 2012-2013 school year, applies to students in grades 3-8 and entering grades 9 and 10 • Students repeating grade 10 and in grades 11-12 are still held to the requirements of the TAKS program

31. What subjects are assessed with STAAR but are not assessed with STAAR Modified? STAAR Modified English III and U.S. History will be administered in 2014 Algebra II, chemistry, and physics will NOT be assessed with STAAR Modified.

32. How have the test designs for STAAR Modified grades 4 & 7 Writing changed? For the Spring 2012 administration, these writing tests included the revising section and a prompt on day one and the editing section and a prompt on day two. For the Spring 2013 administration, revising and editing passages will be administered on both day one and day two. In addition, the answer document will now be separated into day one and day two sections.

33. How does an ARD committee determine whether STAAR Modified is the appropriate assessment? Participation Requirements Review the student’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP). Review the student’s instructional plan, which includes the goals, objectives, accommodations and/or modifications the student will need in order to access the grade-level/course Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Determine the appropriate assessment for the student based on the instruction the student is receiving and whether the student meets the participation requirements. Document the assessment decision, including any accommodations.

35. What does “State-required Documentation Form” mean? TEA requires the STAAR Modified Participation Requirements Form to be completed and retained by the district. 2012-2013: STAAR Modified Participation Requirements may be included in the student’s IEP. 2013-2014: STAAR Modified Participations Requirements must be included in the student’s IEP.

36. Which district personnel can complete this form? • A member of the ARD committee who participated in the meeting where the statewide assessment decision was determined • Example: special education teacher, ARD facilitator, administrator

37. For the 2012-2013 school year, where can this form be retained and for how long? • Can be filed at the campus level • Local determination • Best practice-retain documentation as long as helpful for decision-making purposes from year to year • Can be filed in the IEP (although it is not a required part of the IEP, for the 2012-2013 school year) • Best practice-complete form during the ARD committee meeting when assessment decisions are made • If form is filed in the IEP, the normal IEP retention policies apply

38. Does an ARD committee need to complete the participation requirements and retain the document if a student is receiving modified instruction in a course in which STAAR Modified is not available? • Yes. This applies to English III, U.S. history, chemistry, physics, and Algebra II • If the student meets participation requirements in these courses, then he/she does not test since an assessment is not available. • If the participation requirements are not reviewed or the answer to any of the three questions on the STAAR Modified Participation Requirements is No, the student takes STAAR.

39. If a student takes STAAR Modified in high school but is dismissed from special education before graduation, will the student now have to take STAAR? Yes. The student is now held to the same requirements as all other general education students.

40. Is the STAAR Modified science assessment appropriate for a student when the IEP only addresses reading skills, with no goals specific to science? No. All subjects need to be addressed. The ARD committee is required to confirm that the “student’s IEP contains standards-based (TEKS-based) goals indicating the modified content the student required in order to access the grade-level or course curriculum.”

41. Available Resources What resources are available to help with STAAR Modified? http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staarm/

43. Where do we look for accommodation information for TAKS, TAKS Accommodated, & TAKS-M? • Accommodation information for students who are assessed with TAKS is located in the 2010-2011 Accommodations Manual. • Additional resources for TAKS accommodations are located at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/taks/accommodations/

44. What are Accommodations for Students with Disabilities? • Are not changes to the content being assessed and should not replace the teaching of subject-specific knowledge and skills as outlined in the TEKS • Should not be provided to an entire group of students, such as those in the same class or disability category • Changes to instructional materials, procedures, or techniques that are made on an individual basis and allow a student with a disability to participate in grade-level or course instruction and testing • Should be evaluated regularly to determine effectiveness and to help plan for accommodations the student will need each year

45. What students are eligible for accommodations? • Applies to students taking STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR Modified, STAAR L, and TELPAS • For purposes of statewide assessments, a student needing accommodations due to a disability includes • a student with an identified disability who receives special education services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations • a student with an identified disability who receives Section 504 services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations • a student with a disabling condition who does not receive special education or Section 504 services but meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations

46. Who has the authority for decision and documentation? • Special education services‒the ARD committee; documented in IEP • Section 504 services‒the 504 placement committee; documented in • IAP • No special education or Section 504 services‒the appropriate team of people at the campus level; documentation determined at local level • Response to Intervention (RTI) team and student assistance team are examples. • This applies to a small number of students. • In the case of an ELL, the LPAC works in conjunction with the applicable group; documented in permanent record file

47. The Accommodation Triangle

48. What is the purpose of the Accommodation Triangle? • Organizes accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with • the specificity of the eligibility criteria • the need for TEA approval (Accommodation Request Form) before the accommodation can be used on a statewide assessment

49. 1 What are Type 1 Accommodations? • Involves one eligibility criterion for students with a specific need: • Student must routinely, independently (when applicable), and effectively use the accommodation during classroom instruction and testing

50. What does Routinely, Independently, and Effectively Mean? • Routinely • Used often enough that the student is familiar with and comfortable using accommodation on a statewide assessment • Not necessarily used every day or in every class • Independently • Only applicable to some accommodations (e.g., applies to use of a calculator but not to an oral administration) • Effectively • Accommodation meets student needs as evidenced by data and observations with or without accommodation use