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Enhancing Student Accommodations Through Effective Monitoring

Discover essential steps and an example from South Carolina for monitoring accommodations in educational settings. Learn about compliance requirements, improving outcomes, and the 5-step monitoring process. Enhance students' learning potential by tracking, reviewing, and evaluating accommodation decisions effectively.

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Enhancing Student Accommodations Through Effective Monitoring

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  1. MONITORING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT Martha Thurlow Laurene Christensen Courtney Foster April 22, 2010 1:15-2:15

  2. Overview of Presentation • Background and the need for monitoring • Steps to take in monitoring accommodations • An example of monitoring from South Carolina • Conclusion and Questions

  3. First steps: Common Terms Accommodations – Changes in materials or procedures that enable students to meaningfully access instruction and assessment. Assessment accommodations do not change the construct that is being measured. Accommodations mediate the effects of a student’s disability and donot reduce learning expectations.

  4. First steps: Common Terms Modifications – Changes in materials or procedures that enable students to access instruction and assessment. Assessment modifications do change the construct that is being measured. Modifications create challenges for assessment validity. Accommodations mediate the effects of a student’s disability and donot reduce learning expectations.

  5. First steps: The Need for Monitoring • Monitoring requirements of IDEA • Monitoring requirements from ESEA • Expectations from peer review

  6. What is monitoring accommodations? Monitoring accommodationsis a process of evaluating policies, procedures, and practices in order to ensure that a state’s assessment system is inclusive of students with disabilities and English language learners.

  7. Monitoring is about compliance • The State has analyzed the use of specific accommodations for different groups of students with disabilities and has provided training to support sound decisions by IEP teams. • The State routinely monitors the extent to which test accommodations are consistent with those provided during instruction. But it is about more than compliance….

  8. Monitoring is about improving outcomes Systematic attention to the provision of accommodations can ensure that students are able to show what they know and can do

  9. Monitoring Accommodations: Overview of Tool • Developed in collaboration with CCSSO • Reviewed extensively by ASES SCASS group • Based on a review of publicly available materials • 5 Step process • Each step includes examples, a checklist, additional resources • Appendices include additional examples from states • Extensive glossary at the end

  10. 5 Steps to Monitoring Accommodatiosn • Know the rules and regulations for accommodations monitoring • Document decisions about accommodations • Document the use of accommodations • Review accommodations decisions and use • Evaluate and report on accommodations

  11. Document Decisions about Accommodations • Keeping track of training • Keeping track of IEP decisions on accommodations • Are accommodations used for instruction consistent with those used for assessments? • Keeping track of requests for unique accommodations

  12. Example: Michigan IEP

  13. Document the use of accommodations • Documenting accommodations on student demographic sheets • Documenting inappropriate use of accommodations on test day • Documenting that students received their IEP accommodations on test day

  14. Review accommodations decisions and use • Direct observation on test day • Online record reviews • On-site visits on a day other than test day • Interviews with students, teachers, and administrators about the use of accommodations

  15. Evaluate and Report on ccommodations • Analyze accommodations • Report on accommodations • Revise accommodations policies

  16. State Considerations in Monitoring AccommodationsCourtney FosterSupport ED, LLC

  17. Initial Considerations • Who? • What? • Where? • When? • Why? • How? • Whew…..

  18. Considering…Who? • Students • Participation • IEP documentation • Teachers (other school personnel) • Professional development • Logistics • State personnel • Collegial planning • Collegial work

  19. Considering…What? • Want to know • State procedures • Best practice

  20. Considering …Where? • Monitoring plan • Desk audits vs. on-site audits • Two examples

  21. Desk Audits and On-site Visits • Desk audits • Gather data from multiple sources • More opportunities throughout the year • On-site visits • IEP review • Observe test administration (testing window) • School test coordinator, teacher, and student interviews • Collect evidence of good practice to share with other districts

  22. Desk Audit Components

  23. Onsite Visit Reporting

  24. Considering…When? • Testing window • Fall vs. spring • IEP planning • Annual schedule

  25. Considering…Why? • Need to know • Regulatory (federal and state) • Reporting needs of offices • “…not providing accommodations specified in the IEP or providing more accommodations than are specified in the IEP…these actions are viewed as test security violations…” • Convene an IEP team meeting (including parents) to determine the validity of the test administration (score)

  26. Considering…How? • Pre-coded Data • Student database or score sheets • Vendors and LEA reports • Material orders • Tracking mechanism • Online IEPs • More options

  27. Considering Whew…but wait! • What do we do with what we know? • Internal report for assessment and exceptional children • Letter to school principal (copied to district superintendent and district test coordinator) • Professional development recommendation from exceptional children

  28. From Monitoring the System to Improving a System • From unannounced visits to announced professional development visits (both school and district staff invited) • From random selection of schools/students with ‘on-site reviews’ to a planned, streamlined multiple step process to focus professional development (includes both desk audits and on-site visits) • From an office in isolation to a state team approach (assessment and exceptional children) • Workshop and collaborative PD for LEAs • EAG opportunities

  29. Contact Information Courtney Foster Support ED, LLC SupportED.info@gmail.com (803) 240-6947

  30. Final Considerations • What monitoring activities do you currently have in your state or district? • What challenges might there be in monitoring accommodations?

  31. Contact information National Center on Educational Outcomes http://nceo.info Martha Thurlow: THURL001@umn.edu Laurene Christensen: chri1010@umn.edu Courtney Foster Support ED, LLC SupportED.info@gmail.com

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