Hope Tesh-Blum Division of Accountability Services Testing Section EC Conference/July 2001

1. The North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory Hope Tesh-Blum Division of Accountability Services Testing Section EC Conference/July 2001

2. Why was it developed? Who’s Eligible? History and Timeline What is it? When is it completed? How to complete it? Where do you get it? Changes for 2001-02 school year ABCs • North Carolina Department of Public Instruction • Division of Accountability Services • July 20, 2001 What will I cover today?

3. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction • Division of Accountability Services • July 20, 2001 Why was the NCAAAI Developed? • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 • All students, including those with IEPs or Section 504 plans, must participate in the statewide testing program. • NC Alternate Assessment Portfolio (NCAAP) • NC Computerized Adaptive Testing System (NCCATS) Accommodation

4. Which students are Eligible? • Must have a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan • Must be following the NC Standard Course of Study (NCSCS) {important} • Unable to access statewide testing with or without accommodations {important} • Must have an assigned grade level of 3-8

5. Who decides? • The IEP Team determines student participation in the NCAAAI and the grade level at which the student will be assessed. • Different options

6. History of the NCAAAI • Late Fall 2000 • It was determined that a small group of students could not be supported by the NCAAP or NCCATs • Late December 2000/Development began • Discussion/Conflict concerning implementation dates (Spring 2001 vs. Fall 2001)

7. Examples of Students needing a separate Alternate Assessment: • Newly-blinded students who have not mastered Braille • Students with learning disabilities needing assessment below the third grade • Students with serious physical disabilities that prevent participation

8. Who Helped in the Development and Improvement? • NCDPI Exceptional Children Division • NCDPI Division of Instructional Services • NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/Testing Section • Regional Accountability Coordinators • Assessor Input (NCAAAI Review Sheet) {important} • Technical Outreach for Public Schools (NCSU)

9. March 2001 Inventories available on-line (TNN) Order system up April 2001 Intact notebooks are shipped June 2001 Notebooks returned to the NCDPI July 2001 2001-02 Inventories available on-line (TNN) August 2001 Reports and Notebooks returned to LEAs 2001-02 shipped Timeline for the NCAAAI

10. What will be Different in 2001-02 from 2000-01? • Teacher/Assessor feedback • Descriptors/Scales • Less repetition/Fewer forms • More training/More detailed Administrative Guide • LEAs do not return the notebooks • No Grade 10 Inventory for HSCT

11. What is the NCAAAI? • Checklist of competencies scored using individual scales for each content area (new) • Reading (Grades K-8) • Mathematics (Grades K-8) • Writing (Grades 4 & 7) • Notebook (binder) format • Collection of evidence to support scores

12. When are the Inventories Scored? • Three times per year • First month of school=Baseline data • First month of the second semester of school=Mid-Year Winter data • Last month of school=Final Spring data • Evidence is collected to support Final Spring scores.

13. How is the Inventory Scored? • The assessor uses the Description of Student Performance for a particular content area to give each competency a score from 1-8 or NA (not applicable). • Using the individual competency scores, determine the subheading score(s). • Using the subheading score(s), determine the Overall Score.

15. Assessed On-Grade Level: Level 4 (7-8) Level 3 (5-6) Level 2 (3-4) Level 1 (1-2) Assessed Off-Grade Level: Student may only receive a Level 1 or Level 2 Achievement Levels: Final Spring Overall Score

16. Examples of Evidence • Local Tests (LT) • Samples of Student Work (SW) • Teacher Observations (TO) • Teacher-Made Tests (TT) • Audio Tapes (AN) • Other (specify)

17. Data Collection 2001-02 • Scores will be transferred to student scannable sheets during the last month of school • Local Test Coordinators will scan the sheets • Data will be transferred to the NCDPI during the end-of-year process • Student Notebooks will be stored locally for six months (randomly request)

18. How do LEAs order the NCAAAI? • Local procedure to collect information (number participating) • Number of notebook binders • Number of inventories by content area (R, M, or W) and assessed grade level (K-8) • Information is passed to the LEA Test Coordinator who orders on-line (TNN) • Materials will be shipped to the LEA TC • School distribution (by secure means) is a local procedure

19. Training? • Train-the-Trainer Model • NCDPI Trains Regional Accountability Coordinators (RACs) • RACs train the LEA Test Coordinator • LEA TC trains the EC Director • Training for local staff is a collaboration between Testing and EC personnel (local decision)

20. 2000-01 Pilot Study Not included in School Accountability Number of students participating will be included in Volume II. 2001-2002 Operational administration Pending data analysis Performance Composite Growth Component NCAAAI and the ABCs

21. 2000-01 Pilot Study Not used for Student Accountability Standard at Grade 5 2001-2002 Operational administration Pending data analysis Not yet determined for Grades 3, 5 & 8 NCAAAI and Student Accountability

22. More Information • Testing Section Website: www.NCPublicSchools.org/accountability/testing • LEA Test Coordinator may contact Regional Accountability Coordinator for questions