Testing Students with Disabilities Office of Assessment Update

1. Testing Students with DisabilitiesOffice of AssessmentUpdate Suzanne Swaffield Anne Mruz November 2012

2. Existing Resourcesfor Teachers The Office of Assessment resources available online: • Accommodations Manual • Test Administration Manuals (TAMS)

3. Accommodations Manual • Provides guidance for the selection, administration, and evaluation of accommodations use

4. Five Step Processfor Selecting and Using Instructionaland Assessment Accommodations

5. Step 1: Expect Students with Disabilities to Achieve Grade Level Academic Content Standards • IEP teams must ensure equal access to grade-level content standards • Accommodations are provided during instruction and assessment to help promote equal access to grade level content

6. Step 2: Learn About Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment • Understand what accommodations are • Know who is involved in accommodations decisions • Understand the difference between standard and non-standard accommodations

7. Standard vs. Non-StandardAccommodations Standard Non-Standard Change, lower, or reduce learning expectations Change of the underlying construct of an assessment May yield invalid results • Do not reduce learning expectations • Meet specific needs of the student • Allow educators to know that measures of student’s work are valid

8. Considerations for Selecting Accommodations • Student characteristics • Instructional tasks expected of the student to demonstrate proficiency of grade-level content • Consistency with standards-based IEP for classroom instruction and assessment

9. Step 3: Select Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment for Individual Students • Accommodations should always be chosen based on individual student need • Document accommodations on a student’s IEP or 504 Plan

10. The Decision Making Process Instructional Assessment Student characteristics Individual test characteristics State accommodations policies and consequence of decisions • Student characteristics • Instructional tasks • Consistency between accommodations documented for use in classroom instruction and assessment

11. Step 4: Administer Accommodations During Instruction and Assessment • Accommodations during instruction • Accommodations during assessment • Administering assessments and accommodations

12. Step 5: Evaluate and Improve Accommodations Use • Collect and analyze data on use and effectiveness of accommodations • Involve students in the decision process • Adjust accommodations based on data and student feedback

13. Additional Features of the Accommodations Manual • Category of accommodation fact sheets • Accommodations based on student characteristics • Teacher tools • Glossary of accommodation terminology

14. Test Administration Manuals (TAMS) • Available for each statewide testing program • Appendix C of all TAMS addresses accommodations for Students with Disabilities • Important Reference for determining standard and non-standard accommodations for testing programs • Outlines procedures which must be used to administer accommodations during testing

15. New ResourceNow Available Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Oral Administration

16. Oral Administration FAQ • Available online as a guidance document to assist IEP teams in the consideration of Oral Administration • The guidelines are the same, the FAQ focuses on the clarification of the accommodation and the process to determine if a student is a non-reader

17. Questions Addressedin the Oral Administration FAQ • Which students should be considered • How an IEP team determines if a student is a non-reader and requires oral administration • Documentation to be considered in the decision making process • Delivery of the oral administration accommodation

18. Participation of Students with Disabilities in Statewide Testing • 43,639 students with disabilities (SWD) were tested in grades 3-8 in 2012 (includes PASS and SC-Alt students) • SWD students made up 13.2% of all students tested in grades 3-8 • 7.1% of SWD students were tested with SC-Alt • The number of students tested with SC-Alt was 0.9% of all students tested with PASS and SC-Alt (SWD and Non-SWD)

19. Commonly Used Assessment Accommodations Standard Non- Standard Oral or Signed Administrations of ELA in grades 3-4 Use of spell/grammar check or word prediction software Use of calculator in math in grades 3-4 All Content Areas Grades 3-8 with Exceptions Noted • Setting • Timing • Scheduling • Oral/ Signed Administration (except ELA grades 3-4) • Use of calculator with Math (except grades 3-4) • Response Options • Supplementary Materials or Devices

20. Use of Accommodations with PASS 2012

21. Percent of SWD ReceivingOral Administration of ELAby Grade 2009-2012

22. Rates of Oral Administration for Grades 5-8 by Disability Group • By disability group percentage, mild and moderate intellectual disability students had the highest oral administration rates (76 – 80%) • Used by 50% of learning disability students, and being the largest disability group, made up approximately 72% of all students receiving oral administrations

23. Link for testing programs. TAMS can be located under “Information for DTCs, STCs, and TAs” within a testing program’s page Link for FAQs and Accommodations Manual

24. Link for page containing FAQs

25. South Carolina Alternate Assessment(SC-Alt)

26. SC-Alt • State alternate assessment on alternate achievement standards • For students with significant cognitive disabilities • For students who participate in a school curriculum that includes functional and life skills as well as academic instruction

27. SC-Alt • Curriculum is linked to the state academic standards through extensions. • These extended standards are basis of instruction and assessment. • The assessment includes a series of performance tasks. • Student response is made in the student’s typical mode of communication.

28. SC-Alt • Only assesses academic learning. • IEP reports and other assessments provide information on how students are doing related to other areas of instruction. • Eligible students must take the SC-Alt in all content areas. • ELA • Math • Science • Social Studies

29. Participation Criteria • Demonstrates a significant cognitive disability and adaptive skill deficits, which result in performance that is substantially below grade-level achievement expectations even with the use of accommodations and modifications; • Accesses the state-approved standards at less complex levels and with extremely modified instruction;

30. Participation Criteria (cont.) • Posses current adaptive skills requiring extensive direct instruction and practice in multiple settings to accomplish the application and transfer of skills necessary for application in school, work, home, and community environments; • Is unable to apply or use academic skills across natural settings when instructed solely or primarily through class room instruction; and • The inability to achieve state grade-level achievement expectations is not the result of excessive or extended absences or social, cultural or economic differences.

31. SC-Alt Participation • Students who meet the participation criteria for alternate assessment and • Who are between the ages of 8-13 or 15 on September 1, of the testing year.

32. New Guidanceon Eligibility Criteria

33. SC-Alt Participation2007 – 2012

34. Statewide Percent of All Studentsby Disability Group Taking the SC-Alt • Severe Intellectual Disability – 100% • Moderate Intellectual Disability – 96.5% • Autism – 36.9% • Mild Intellectual Disability – 30.8% • Traumatic Brain Injury – 26.7% • Orthopedic Disability – 23.8% • Developmentally Delayed – 17.5% • Other Health Impaired – 2.8%

35. ELA Scores for SC-Alt 2012 by Disability Group

36. Math Scores for SC-Alt 2012 by Disability Group

37. Contrasts in District SC-Alt IdentificationNumber Tested and Percent of AllGrade 3-8 Students:

38. Guidance for IEP Teams on Determining Participation in the South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt)

39. Significant Cognitive Disability • Characterized by ability scores on both verbal and non-verbal scales that are at least 2 ½ ─ 3 standard deviations below the mean And • Deficits in adaptive behavior skills (skills that enable people to function effectively in their everyday lives) are at least 2 ½─3 standard deviations below the mean in two out of three domains.

40. Manual Features • Introduction • Description of SC-Alt Assessment • Eligibility Criteria • Eligibility Descriptors

41. Manual Features(cont.) • Considerations for IEP Teams • Description of Sources of Evidence • Initial Determination of Eligibility Participation Worksheet (Appendix A) • Review of Eligibility Participation Worksheet (Appendix B)

47. SC-Alt Guidance Document

48. http://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/48/documents/SC-AltParticGuidanceForIEPteams.pdfhttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/48/documents/SC-AltParticGuidanceForIEPteams.pdf

49. Anne Mruz Amruz@ed.sc.gov 803-734-3923 South Carolina Department of EducationOffice of Assessment Suzanne Swaffield Sswaffie@ed.sc.gov 803-734-8274