STAAR Alternate Basic Training for Teachers

1. STAAR Alternate Basic Training for Teachers Education Service Center Region XI Fort worth, Texas

2. RETN Etiquette Please turn OFF or mute cell phones If you must take a call, please take it outside Be sure your microphones are muted. Remember… You may be seen or heard by other sites at any time, even if you are not speaking to the presenter. Candid Camera ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

3. Attendance and Handouts Credit for Attendance Access to Handouts Handouts are available online on the ESC Region XI website at http://www.esc11.net/Page/3706 Click on “STAAR Alternate Training Resources” on the left side menu • Your district site manager should provide you with a sign-in sheet • Please be sure that all participants who want credit for attendance sign-in • Coordinate with the site manager to return the sign-in sheet to ESC Region XI ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

4. After today, this session will be available for viewing via the VBrick system at http://vbrick.esc11.net ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

5. Notes for local district training • These slides may be used for training of local district personnel • If any slide is amended or revised for use in local trainings, please change the footer at the bottom of the slide Example Footer: Provided by _______ ISD (Source: ESC Region 11 and TEA Student Assessment Division) Provided by ESC Region 11 (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

6. Questions???Opportunities to ask questions will be provided throughout the training. srutherford@esc11.net ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

7. Objectives for this training • Understand the major components of the STAAR Alternate assessment • Understand Test Administrator (Teacher) responsibilities relative to STAAR Alternate • Understand the requirements for participation in STAAR Alternate • Review future plans for STAAR Alternate ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

8. How did we get here? • House Bill 5 • (83rd Texas Legislature 2013) • Requires re-design of the STAAR Alternate for 2013-2014 • STAAR-Alt • Replaced TAKS-Alt • 2011-2012 • House Bill 3 • (81st Texas Legislature, 2009) • Required new grade 3-8 assessments • State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness • Senate Bill 1031 • (80th Texas Legislature, 2007) • Required EOC’s for secondary courses • TAKS-Alt • Replaced LDAA • Field test 2006-2007 Operational 2007-2008 ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

9. Student Assessment Division Assessment Resources http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/ • Resource pages • STAAR • STAAR Modified • STAAR Alternate • STAAR L • TELPAS • TAKS • TAKS Modified • Student Assessment Resources • A-Z Directory • Subscribe to the Student Assessment Mailing List • What’s New in Student Assessment ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

10. STAAR Grades 3 – 8Based on GRADE enrollment Includes modified and alternate assessments ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

11. STAAR End-of-Course Assessments (EOC)Based on COURSE enrollment NEW Includes modified and alternate assessments ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

12. Which test do students take? ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

13. What is STAAR Alternate? • STAAR Alternate is an alternate assessment developed by the state to assess students with significant cognitive disabilities. • After instruction, the teacher observes the student performing assessment tasks developed by the state that are linked to grade-level TEKS. • The teacher provides access to the assessment tasks by developing supports and determining ways that the student can demonstrate the task. • The teacher documents the student’s performance on state-required documentation forms, then evaluates the performance in the online system. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

14. STAAR Reporting Category <> Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Essence Statement (A, B, C, D) STAAR Alt Assessment Tasks Complexity Level 3 Complexity Level 2 Complexity Level 1 Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria Predetermined Criteria ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

15. Who takes STAAR Alternate? • Students receiving special education services who: • Have a significant cognitive disability • Access TEKS through prerequisite skills • Require supports throughout the day for nonacademic tasks • Need specialized instruction in the natural environment • Are routinely assessed through performance tasks • There are no limits on the number of students who can take a STAAR Alternate assessment, however… • Up to 1% of the tested population can be counted as proficient for AYP when tested with STAAR Alternate. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

16. ARD Decision-Making • If STAAR, with or without accommodations, is NOT appropriate for a student, the ARD committee must review participation requirements for one of the alternate assessments. Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

17. STAAR Alternate Participation Requirements Step I Review the Eligibility Criteria Page 1 Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

18. Step I: Review the Eligibility Criteria for STAAR Alternate • The ARD committee must answer “Yes” to these five eligibility questions in order for the assessment to be considered appropriate for a student. • Does the student have a significant cognitive disability? • Does the student require specialized supports to access the grade-level curriculum and environment? • Does the student require intensive, individualized instruction in a variety of instructional settings? • Does the student access and participate in the grade-level TEKS through prerequisite skills? • Does the student primarily demonstrate knowledge and skills through performance tasks? Provided by ESC Region 11 (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

19. STAAR Alternate Participation Requirements Step II Discuss Assurances Step III Summarize the Assessment Decision Page 2 Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

20. ARD Decision-Making for STAAR Alternate • The ARD committee will make the decision for which complexity level or combinations of complexity levels are appropriate for a student for each subject being assessed. • The teacher must abide by the ARD committee decision. • If, during instruction, the teacher feels that the selected complexity level no longer reflects the student’s performance level, the ARD committee must reconvene to evaluate the previous decision. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

21. Making the Complexity Level Decision • The ARD committee will determine that the student will be assessed for each subject/course on: • A specific complexity level for all tasks for all four essence statements per subject/course, OR • A range between two complexity levels as determined by the indicators of progress Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

22. “Student Characteristics for the STAAR Alternate Complexity Levels” • The ARD committee must use this chart to find the best description of the student’s performance before determining the complexity level or combinations of levels to be used for the assessment. Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

23. ARD Decision Making for STAAR Alternate • Additional information about the ARD decision-making process for STAAR Alternate has been presented in the trainings listed below.  • Each of these trainings have been recorded and are available for viewing via the VBrick system at http://www.esc11.net/Page/1086.   • Handouts for these trainings are available on the ESC Region 11 Federal and State Assessment webpage at http://www.esc11.net/domain/423.  ‘STAAR Alternate ARD Decision Making – RETN’ Presented on October 1, 2013 ‘ARD Committee Decision-Making Process Training for 2013-2014 Texas Assessment Program (RETN)’ Presented on October 7, 2013 ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

24. STAAR Alternate Test Administrator Checklist ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

25. STAAR Alternate Test Administrator Checklist Training Requirements Step 1: Select the Assessment Task Step 2: Implement the Assessment Task Step 3: Observe/Document Student Performance Step 4: Evaluate Student Performance ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

26. Training Requirements • ALL test administrators must • View Training Modules 1, 2, 3, and 4 • Successfully pass the STAAR Alternate Qualification Activities with 80% • Receive district training on general test administration • Review STAAR Alternate Manual • Sign “Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality for STAAR Alternate Administrator” ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

27. Training Modules • Test administrators have two opportunities to pass the Qualification Activities at 80% • After a 2nd unsuccessful attempt • Teacher informs the DTC or CTC • District administration determines if the teacher will be allowed a final attempt • Supplemental training and supervision may be required ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

28. Training Modules • Only NEW test administrators are required to view the modules and pass the qualifications this year. • Any modules that have not been passed previously must be taken again before the test administrator can be given access to the Assessment Management System. • No changes were made to the modules or the transcripts. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

29. Changes to the Modules “Updates to the Information Presented in the STAAR Alternate Modules/ Transcripts” ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

30. Changes to the Modules • Many of the screenshots in the modules show old resources. • Teachers should use the STAAR Alternate Resources webpage to ensure that the most current document is being used. • The screenshots for the Assessment Management system in Module 4 have last year’s date; however, the information provided is still accurate. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

31. Changes to the Modules • The “List of Resources” provided at the end of each module is incorrect. • An updated resources list is available on the STAAR Alternate Resources webpage. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

32. Training Requirements Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality for STAAR Alternate Test Administrator ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

33. STAAR Alternate Timelines • The STAAR Alternate Timeline has been posted and will be updated periodically as specific dates for events have been determined. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

34. Step 1: Select the assessment task • View the Assessment Tasks for the subjects/courses to be assessed • Determine the targeted prerequisite skills for instruction • INSTRUCT THE STUDENT on the targeted prerequisite skills ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

35. How does STAAR Alternate measure the grade-level TEKS? • STAAR Reporting Category • TEKS Vertical Alignment • Assessed Curriculum • TEKS • Curriculum Frameworks • Prerequisite Skills • Essence Statement • Assessment Tasks Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

36. TEKS Vertical Alignment Documents • Complete listing of the TEKS academic content standards from prekindergarten through all high school courses on the minimum high school program. Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

37. TEKS Vertical Alignment – Example • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills • §113.20. Social Studies, Grade 8 • (b) Knowledge and skills. • (28) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on daily life in the United States. The student is expected to: • (A) compare the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that have influenced daily life in different periods in U.S. history; and • (B) identify examples of how industrialization changed life in the United States. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

38. TEKS Vertical Alignment – Example Science, technology, and society. The student understands ways technology is used in the home and school and how technology affects people’s lives (K.13). The student understands how technology affects daily life, past and present (1.6). The student understands how science and technology have affected life, past and present (2.17). The student understands how individuals have created or invented new technology and affected life in various communities, past and present (3.16). The student understands the impact of science and technology on life in Texas (4.20). The student understands the impact of science and technology on society in the United States (5.23).The student understands the influences of science and technology on contemporary societies (6.20). The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas (7.20). The student understands the impact of science and technology on the economic development of the United States (8.27). The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on daily life in the United States (8.28). The student understands how major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations affected societies prior to 1750 (WH27). The student understands how major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations have affected societies from 1750 to the present (WH28). The student understands the impact of technology and human modifications on the physical environment (WG19). The student understands how current technology affects human interaction (WG20). The student understands the impact of science, technology, and the free enterprise system on the economic development of the United States (US27). The student understands the influence of scientific discoveries, technological innovations, and the free enterprise system on the standard of living in the Unites States (US28). Knowledge and Skills The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on daily life in the United States (8.28). ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

39. TEKS Vertical Alignment – Example • make predictions about future social, economic, cultural, and environmental impacts that may result from future scientific discoveries and technological innovations (6) • compare types and uses of technology, past and present (7) • analyze the effects of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of Texas such as advancements in the agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace industries (7) • evaluate the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land (7) • analyze how scientific discoveries and technological innovations have resulted in an interdependence among Texas, the United States, and the world (7) • explain the effects of technological and scientific innovations such as the steamboat, the cotton gin, and interchangeable parts (8) • analyze the impact of transportation and communication systems on the growth, development, and urbanization of the United States (8) • analyze how technological innovations changed the way goods were manufactured and marketed, nationally and internationally (8) • explain how technological innovations brought about economic growth such as how the factory system contributed to rapid industrialization and the Transcontinental Railroad led to the opening of the west (8) • compare the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that have influenced daily life in different periods in U.S. history (8) • identify examples of how industrialization changed life in the United States (8) • identify the origin and diffusion of major ideas in mathematics, science, and technology that occurred in river valley civilizations, classical Greece and Rome, classical India, and the Islamic caliphates between 700 and 1200 and in China from the Tang to Ming dynasties (WH) • summarize the major ideas in astronomy, mathematics, and architectural engineering that developed in the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations (WH) • explain the impact of the printing press on the Renaissance and the Reformation in Europe (WH) Student Expectations • compare the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that have influenced daily life in different periods in U.S. history (8) • identify examples of how industrialization changed life in the United States (8) ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

40. TEKS Curriculum Frameworks STAAR Reporting Categoy Assessed TEKS Essence Statement Prerequisite Skills ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

41. Essence Statements Three of the four essence statements are NEW this year. STAAR Reporting Category Assessed TEKS Essence Statement Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

42. Essence Statements • Prerequisite skill targets have been added to the Essence Statement documents to inform teachers as to the grade-level link for the tasks Assessed essence statements are lettered ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

43. Standardized Assessment Tasks STAAR Reporting Category Complexity Level 2 Assessed TEKS Essence Statement Complexity Level 3 Complexity Level 1 Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

44. Standardized Assessment Tasks • Some tasks measure only part of the prerequisite skill. • Three predetermined criteria are identified and must be observed. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

45. Assessment TasksDefinitions and Examples • The Definitions and Examples pages for the assessment tasks have been expanded. • These pages proceed each essence statement and provide valuable information and ideas for the tasks. Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

46. Assessment tasks and Essence statements are posted ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)

47. What is the difference between the complexity levels? Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

48. Complexity Level 3 Application of Knowledge Level 3 Complexity Level Student: • Decides which materials are needed for a specific task on his or her own or from a wide array of appropriate and inappropriate options • Develops or adjusts strategies to accomplish a specific task • Interprets or analyzes information • Formulates original responses to questions requiring higher-level thinking skills Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

49. Complexity Level 3 • Complexity Level 3 assessment tasks are the most complex and involve applying knowledge beyond basic recall. • Some of the skills students at this level are expected to demonstrate may include: • determining distinguishing features, organizing information, comparing components, generating ideas, making inferences, and justifying answers. No choices can be given. The student must demonstrate the skill “on his or her own.” • Level 3 requires a student to: • internalize skills beyond basic recall • use higher–level thinking skills • arrive at answers “on his or her own” as choices cannot be provided • gather information or demonstrate skills using a wide array of materials Provided by ESC Region XI (Source: TEA Student Assessment Division)

50. Assessment Task Example Complexity Level 3 STAAR Reporting Category 4 (8.28) Essence Statement D Level 3 Prerequisite skill: describe how scientific discoveries and innovations such as in aerospace, agriculture, energy, and technology have benefited individuals, businesses, and society in Texas The student will generate a list of energy sources in Texas. From the list, the student will select an energy source that he or she would like to research. Using reference materials, the student will generate a presentation about the energy source. The student will determine ways the energy source impacts his or her daily life. Predetermined Criteria • The student will generate a list of energy sources in Texas. • The student will generate a presentation about the energy source. • The student will determine ways the energy source impacts his/her daily life. ESC Region 11 Fort Worth, Texas (Source: TEA Student Assessment)