North Carolina Extended Content Standards

1. North Carolina Extended Content Standards American Institutes for Research Exceptional Children Division North Carolina Department of Public Instruction March, 2006

2. Seymour Sarason • “It could be argued with a good deal of persuasiveness that when one looks over the history of man the most distinguishing characteristic of his development is the degree to which man has underestimated the potentialities of men.” (Christmas in Purgatory, 1965, p. 107)

3. Early 1970s Adapting infant/early childhood curriculum for students with the most significant disabilities of all ages 1980s Rejected “developmental model” Functional, life skills curriculum emerged National Alternate Assessment Center 1990s Also: social inclusion focus Also: self determination focus Assistive technology 2000 General curriculum access (academic content) Plus earlier priorities (functional, social, self determination) Digitally accessible materials Changing Curricular Context for Students with the most Significant Disabilities

4. Walk the Wall • Divide into 4 teams – A, B, C, D • Move to designated area • Divide each team into 4 main groups (1, 2, 3, 4) - 1 group for each curricular era • Assign recorder within each subgroup • Record pros and cons for your curriculum era (timed) • Move on to next curriculum era when directed • Review pros and cons and add further points (timed) • Move on to next curriculum era when directed • Repeat until back to starting point • Review National Alternate Assessment Center

5. What it looked like… Visually track object Find partially hidden object (object permanence) Put peg in pegboard Wash hands and use the toilet Motor imitation (“Pat your head”) (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005) Why rejected… Not chronologically age appropriate Not functional (i.e., did not promote skills of daily living) Readiness- never ready Students did not follow the developmental sequence “Criterion of ultimate functioning” in community-teach what student needs for life Developmental Model (1970s)

6. Functional Curriculum (1980-1990) • First options for adults with severe disabilities to live and work in the community • Curriculum based on what is needed to live and work in the community • “Ecological inventory”- assesses the environment to identify needed skills • Chronologically age appropriate; also called “top down” curriculum • Applied behavior analysis foundation for systematic instruction methods widely supported in research (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005)

7. What it looks like… Task analysis of 10 steps to place an order at Burger King (Go to counter…place order…etc.) Repeated trials of counting out $5.00 Repeated trials of reading sight words: “hamburger,” “fries” Current status… Continues to be valued and promoted in texts in Severe Disabilities Some critics suggest that it promotes separate curriculum; atypical school experience Most educators blend functional with academic (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005) Functional Curriculum

8. Social Inclusion Movement (Mid 80s and 90s) • Inclusion in general education as a civil right • Neighborhood school, general education class, “belonging”/full membership • Activities to promote social inclusion/teach social interaction • Self determination • Emphasis on student making own choices; person-centered planning • Provide support for inclusion versus expecting student to earn inclusion by learning “prerequisite” skills (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005)

9. What it looks like Choose restaurant; choose order Greet peer in English class Self instruction to perform job task Pass item to peer in cooperative learning activity Use switch to make choice or activate a device (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005) Current Status - Some states’ alternate assessment include quality indicators related to inclusion, self-determination factored into student scores - General curriculum access as a “right”; versus earning it with progression of skills Self Determination Model (late 90s)

10. Access to the General Education Curriculum (late 90s to present) • Not just access to general education settings but access to CONTENT and expectation for learning • Even students in separate settings have this expectation • Assessing progress on state alternate content standards • Teaching grade level academic content with expectations for alternate achievements

11. What it looks like… Same/ similar materials and activities as peers in general education Indicate comprehension of main idea of story by selecting picture Use technology to solve math problem; chart data “We’re learning how to do it better each day” (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005) Current status… New for most educators; including experts in the field Many students receiving academic instruction for the first time Some educators worry about loss of focus on functional curriculum; see it as either/or Access to the General Curriculum

12. Access to the General Curriculum • All students having the opportunity to learn academic content • Sequential versus catalog approach to curriculum • Availability of assistive technology and digitally accessible materials • Less complex performances of grade level achievement standards • But high expectations are creating success stories (National Alternate Assessment Center, 2005)

13. How did we get here? • IDEIA 2004 requires that all students have access to the standard course of study in North Carolina at grade level. • IDEIA requires that all students be tested in order to demonstrate proficiency with the content standards at grade level.

14. North Carolina’s response • NC EXTEND1 will assess students who access the NC Standard Course of Study through content extensions derived at each grade level for the content areas of Science, English-Language Arts, and Mathematics. • NCEXTEND1 will replace the NC Alternate Assessment Portfolio for 2006-2007.

15. A Common Language Towards a Common Goal • Let’s establish working definitions of terms that we will be using throughout the day. • Then we’ll incorporate these terms into an understanding of DPI’s process of developing content standard extensions.

16. Terminology • Content Standard Extensions • Establish an expectation of what students should be able to know and be able to do that differs in depth and complexity from the expectations for other students at a particular grade level • A content standard that has been expanded while maintaining the essence of that standard, thereby ensuring that all students with significant cognitive disabilities have access to, and make progress in, the general curriculum

17. Terminology, cont. • Performance level descriptors • Describe how much students should know and be able to do • Describe what students at each achievement level should know and be able to do

18. Terminology, cont. • Entry points • represent a further definition of the extensions of the standard course of study • represent the breadth, depth, and complexity of the content standards at varying levels of ability • should represent a continuum of opportunities for exposure to the content standards. Exposure is a key in teaching the standards.

19. Terminology, cont. • Symbolic, Early Symbolic, Pre-symbolic levels of ability Activity: • At your table, or within your group, discuss the varying behaviors at the Symbolic, Early Symbolic, and Pre-Symbolic levels (see handouts at your table). • Identify examples of these behaviors based on your experiences with students with significant cognitive disabilities. • Assign a spokesperson who should be prepared to share with the large group

20. Behaviors Related to the Symbolic Level • Communicates with symbols (e.g., pictures) or words (e.g., spoken words, assistive technology, American Sign Language, home signs). • May have emerging or basic functional academic skills: • decoding and comprehension • knowledge of meaning in a variety of symbols (pictures, logos, signs, letters, numbers, symbols or words) • counting or number recognition • identifying or categorizing by a variety of attributes • emerging or basic number sense and/or computation • understanding of models or simple representations • emerging writing or graphic representation for the purpose of conveying meaning through writing, drawing, or computer keying

21. Behaviors at the Early Symbolic Level • Demonstrates emerging knowledge of symbols (e.g., pictures, logos, associated objects – flag for circle time). • May have limited emerging functional academic skills: • limited or emerging knowledge of graphic symbols (logos, restroom signs, etc.) • limited or emerging knowledge that objects may be ‘symbolically’ or ‘graphically’ related to an event, activity or another object (cereal box for cereal, photo of toys for ‘play area,’ picture of bus for ‘go home’) • may respond to a variety of instructions (verbal or pictorial) • may categorize by 1 or more attributes • may demonstrate knowledge of a variety of cause-effect relationships.

22. Behaviors at the Pre-symbolic Level • May demonstrate intentionality – shows interest, directed focus, purpose or desire for a result through behavior • Beginning to build intentional communication; may use idiosyncratic gestures, sounds, and movements to communicate with others • Does not discriminate between pictures or other symbols (and does not use symbols to communicate) • Associates objects or physical settings with routine activity - cup means drink, diaper means lie down • Demonstrates limited or simple understanding of cause and effect with immediate and frequent routines • May have the capacity to sort very different objects, may use trial and error • May demonstrate emerging knowledge of cause-effect relationships • May manipulate (put in mouth, touch, grab, etc.) or engage in repeated movements to gain knowledge of objects • Starts to combine objects (e.g., place one block on another)

23. Terminology, cont. • Depth: start with the standard and go deep • The Competency • The Extension • Symbolic Entry Point • Early Symbolic Entry Point • Pre-symbolic Entry Point

24. Developing the Extensions of the NC Standard Course of Study:The Process • Phase I • Content standard extensions were developed through collaborative efforts of 5 divisions of the NC Department of Public Instruction (Elementary Education, Middle Grades Education, Secondary Education, Accountability, Exceptional Children) • Developed for students who are performing at a pre-symbolic, early symbolic, and symbolic level of ability.

25. The Process, cont. • Phase II • Formation of a 48 member task force consisting of parents, school and system administrators, regular and special education teachers, and testing coordinators. • 9 subcommittees were assembled within this task force representing elementary, middle grades, and secondary science, English/language arts and mathematics. • This task force devised Extensions of the NC Standard Course of Study, reflecting access to the standards at the 3 levels of ability.

26. The Process, cont. • Phase III • The NCEXTEND1 will be developed by staff of NCDPI with stakeholder input • Performance Level Descriptors for each level of ability will be developed in the fall • Objective: to assure that the assessment provides valid and reliable means of assessing student performance on grade-level content standards, given the specific abilities of individual students.

27. The Process, cont. • Training • Overview and background • Review of standards • Translating standards into goals • Translating standards into activities and materials

28. Review of the StandardsTime to Dig In! Activity • Based on the color of the pail and shovel on your table, take 20 minutes to: • Review and discuss the content standard extensions, sampling from elementary, middle grades, and secondary and their linkage to the grade level standard • Be prepared to share with the large group examples of the extensions from elementary, middle grades, and secondary level in language that you will use when explaining this to students’ parents. Science English/Language Arts Mathematics

29. Translating Standards into Goals, Activities and Materials Creating a Balance • How am I assuring access to the general curriculum? • How am I assuring that this goal is functional, meaningful and relevant? • Am I assuring that the goal adequately addresses the student’s present skill level?

30. Identifying Instructional Goals • Step 1 Can the student address learning standards at grade-level expectations in the subject being addressed? If yes, then… Design age-appropriate instruction based on learning standards in this subject, at a level that challenges the student. If no… Proceed to Step 2

31. Identifying Instructional Goals • Step 2 Can the student address entry points at this grade level that are more complex? If yes, then… Design age-appropriate instruction based on learning standards in this subject, at a level that challenges the student. If no… Proceed to Step 3

32. Identifying Instructional Goals • Step 3 Can the student address entry points at this grade level that are less complex? If yes, then… Design age-appropriate instruction based on learning standards in this subject, at a level that challenges the student. If no… Proceed to Step 4

33. Identifying Instructional Goals • Step 4 When it has been determined through repeated attempts that the student at present cannot address learning standards even at the least complex entry point, the student should address access skills (social, motor, and communication skills) while participating in academic instruction.

34. What’s He Going to Get Out of This Class… Really?

35. Challenges of Educating Students with Severe Disabilities in General Education • Abstract Concepts • Fast Pace • Verbal Emphasis • Appear to Require Highly Academic Skills • Large Group Activities June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

36. Adapting Academic Tasks • Simplify Tasks • Add Information • Target Much Easier Concepts • Have Less to Do • Make More Active • Make Tangible • Make Materials Larger/Add Color • Make it Fun/Game-like when Possible June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

37. Analyzing a Lesson to Identify Meaningful Learning Opportunities • Can any meaningful vocabulary be targeted? • What general knowledge would be important to teach? • Can comparisons be made? (past/present, size, shape, amount, appearance) • What math skills can be targeted? June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

38. English Literature • Build Vocabulary • Identify Big Ideas • Determine color of ink to write with • Same/Different concepts • Count particular items on pages • Add page numbers • Sign name June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

39. A 7th Grade Example • Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

40. BIG IDEAS • Family • Ocean • Whales

41. Vocabulary • Family—girl, boy, grandmother, grandfather, brother, old • Ocean—water, fish, wet, dry, salt, shells, blue, white • Whales—big, small, swim, eat, ride, on, gray, fish June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

42. Comparisons • Girl vs Whales • Big vs Little • Swim vs walk • Wet vs dry • Old vs young June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

43. Numeracy • Count stranded whales • Count shells • Count family members • Compare number of boys to girls June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

44. Check for Comprehension • The girl rode on the surfboard whale • The girl loved her grandfather boyfriend car

45. Geometry • Recognize Shapes (match) • Count Like Shapes • Recognize/Sort Big/Little • Find Objects of Certain Shape • Sort by Color June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

46. Algebra • Identify Numbers (2x + 3y = 14) • Match Numbers • Use a Calculator • Create Problems with Objects (count) • Identify Largest of Two Numbers June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

47. Science • Health—Decide good vs. bad things to eat, drink, do; sort by food groups • Weather—Determine what to wear in different weather (concepts of hot/cold/rainy) • Astronomy—Count stars/planets, match by size/color, vocabulary associated with constellations June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

48. More Science • Earth Science—Care for plants, read color words (green/brown), vocabulary, read instructions (pictorial/written) • Biology—Identify body parts and functions, count body parts, sort pictures (concepts of same/different) • Electricity—Use of switches to turn on appliances, read words “on/off”, identify items needing electricity June Downing, Access Center Webinar, September 2005

49. Next Steps… • Establishment of Regional listserv to share activities as LEAs develop them. • This training presentation is available from the Regional coordinator for you to use to train LEAs. • Visit the Access Center website for additional resources, links, etc. at: www.k8accesscenter.org.