Guidelines for Using Supplemental Aids on State Assessments (Appendix D Exemplified)

1. Guidelines for Using Supplemental Aids on State Assessments (Appendix D Exemplified) Training presented at Special Education Assessments TETN #9005 October 26, 2010

2. Disclaimer These slides have been prepared and approved by the Student Assessment Division of the Texas Education Agency. If any slide is amended or revised for use in local or regional trainings, please remove the TEA footer at the bottom of the slide. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

3. Purpose of the Training • District/campus personnel are responsible for reviewing supplemental aids and consulting Appendix D of the 2010-2011 Accommodations Manual to determine whether a student may use them on a state assessment without the submission of an Accommodation Request Form (ARF). • This training is intended to provide guidance to district/campus personnel who are responsible for reviewing supplemental aids. • This presentation leads educators though each subject area in Appendix D and provides examples of supplemental aids. It exemplifies: • supplemental aids that may be used without an ARF; • supplemental aids that require an ARF for TAKS (Accommodated or a local review for TAKS–M; and • supplemental aids that are not allowed per Appendix D. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

4. General Information about Supplemental Aids • A supplemental aid is a resource that assists a student in recalling information. • The student must be able to understand the information, but simply needs assistance recalling it. • If a student’s disability affects memory retrieval, a supplemental aid may be allowed on certain state assessments. • Using a supplemental aid as an accommodation during instruction should not replace the teaching of subject-specific skills as outlined in the state curriculum. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

5. The supplemental aid must serve only as a tool and not a source of direct answers. • All supplemental aids must be documented in the student’s IEP (and permanent record file if the student is an ELL receiving special education services) and must be routinely used in classroom instruction and testing. • Although some supplemental aids may be appropriate for instructional use, they may not be appropriate or allowed for use on a state assessment. • Please see Appendix D in the 2010-2011 Accommodations Manual for more detailed information about Supplemental Aids. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

6. Helpful Reminders about Supplemental Aids • Supplemental aids, like all accommodations, should be individualized for each student. Students have different strengths and needs, so it would not be appropriate to provide all students the exact same supplemental aid. • Supplemental aids used during state assessments must be routinely used during classroom instruction and testing, because students need ample experience with accommodations for them to be effective. However, this does not mean that the supplemental aid must be used every day. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

7. TAKS • Supplemental aids are NOT allowed on TAKS, even for students who receive special education services,nor are they allowed on LAT administrations of TAKS. • Supplemental aids are not allowed for students who receive Section 504 services since these students are required to take TAKS. TELPAS • For the TELPAS grades 2–12 reading tests, the use of a supplemental aid requires an ARF. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

8. TAKS (Accommodated) and TAKS–M • For students who meet certain qualifying conditions specified in the Accommodations Manual, supplemental aids may be used on TAKS (Accommodated) and TAKS–M, including LAT administrations of these assessments. • Supplemental aids that follow the guidelines listed in Appendix D may be used without the submission of an ARF. These supplemental aids have been determined to be a tool and not a source of direct answers for the TEKS assessed at each grade, and may be provided in accordance with individual student needs. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

9. TAKS (Accommodated) and TAKS–M • For supplemental aids not listed in Appendix D, or those that differ from the listed guidelines: • an ARF must be submitted to TEA for review to determine whether a student may use the supplemental aid on TAKS (Accommodated);or • The district must review the supplemental aid locally to determine if it may be used on TAKS–M. • Please refer to the section of the Accommodations Manual titled “Accommodation Request Process” for more information about the submission of an ARF. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

10. Notes Regarding TAKS–M • An ARF should not be submitted to TEA for supplemental aids used on TAKS–M. • District/campus personnel are responsible for reviewing supplemental aids for use on TAKS–M. • Consulting Appendix D in the Accommodations Manual is a vital step in the local review process for use of a supplemental aid on TAKS–M. • The local review process for TAKS–M is detailed in the TEA presentation titled “Local Review Procedures for TAKS–M Supplemental Aids”. It can be found on the TEA website at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/ Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

11. Contents of this Presentation • The slides in this presentation contain examples of supplemental aids described in Appendix D. • They are intended to be merely examples of the many unique supplemental aids that educators use to address the individual needs of students. • They are not intended to represent an exhaustive list of supplemental aids that may be considered for use on TAKS (Accommodated) or TAKS–M. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

12. Contents of this Presentation • Supplemental aids marked with the symbol exemplify those that follow the guidelines listed in Appendix D and would not require an ARF or a local review. • Supplemental aids marked with the symbol exemplify those that may not be used on a state assessment as per Appendix D: • without the submission of an ARF for TAKS (Accommodated); • a local review for TAKS–M; or • may require edits to make them allowable for use. • The following references are used frequently in this presentation: • ARF = Accommodation Request Form • Appendix D = The Supplemental Aids Appendix to the Accommodations Manual Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

13. Spread the Word • It is the intent of TEA’s Student Assessment Division that all resources created for the purpose of clarification or facilitation of testing accommodations be accessible and familiar to classroom teachers. • Almost 20% of respondents to the Spring 2010 Voluntary Survey on Testing Accommodations indicated that they did not use the Accommodations Manual when making decisions about testing accommodations for students. • Help ensure that all teachers in your district or region are aware of and have access to the Accommodations Manual and all related trainings. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

14. Additional Resources • ESC Region XIII created the Supplemental Aids Project to help educators understand the appropriate use of supplemental aids as an instructional tool and as an accommodation for statewide testing. • Note: The ESC XIII project is not routinely monitored by TEA, and is not intended to replace the official approval or denial of testing accommodations via the ARF process. • The supplemental aids examples reviewed and posted in the project serve as valuable resources for educators to refer to when developing their own supplemental aids for individual students. • The ESC XIII project uses the same format and symbols as those used in the upcoming slides of this presentation. • The ESC XIII Supplemental Aids Project can be accessed at: • http://www5.esc13.net/agc/accommodations.html Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010

15. Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division 2010 Contact Information TEA’s Student Assessment Division Phone: (512) 463-9536 FAX: (512) 463-9302 E-mail: Student.Assessment@tea.state.tx.us Test.Accommodations@tea.state.tx.us Assessment.StudentsWithDisabilities@tea.state.tx.us ELL.Tests@tea.state.tx.us