LEP Accommodations for Alaska Statewide Assessments

1. LEP Accommodations for Alaska Statewide Assessments Department of Education & Early Development Guidance provided by Assessment and Accountability Unit September 2009

2. You need to know… • All Alaska students identified as limited English proficient (LEP), must participate in statewide academic assessments. • Immigrant Students Excluded from State Content Assessments; Alaska Regulation 4 AAC 06.805(j) • Students identified as LEP must be provided reasonable accommodations on Alaska state academic content assessments, to the extend practicable. • Participation Guidelines for Alaska State Assessment, June 2005, http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/elp.html • Alaska statewide assessments which permit LEP accommodations include: TerraNova, Standards Based Assessment (SBA), National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE). • No accommodations for the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Assessment – it measures language acquisition not academic content.

3. LEP Accommodation Facts • Definition: • Accommodations are practices and procedures in the areas of timing/scheduling, setting, presentation, and response that provide equitable instructional and assessment access for students. • Accommodations reduce or eliminate the effects of a student’s limited language and do not reduce learning expectations. • Typically, accommodation needs change or alter as an English language learner gains language acquisition. • The more that students are involved in the selection process, the more likely the accommodations will be used and be effective.

4. Accommodation Effectiveness • LEP teams must be familiar with content standards and accountability systems at the state and district level. • Collaboration between general and English language instructors must occur for successful student access. • LEP accommodations should be applied in regular classroom practices as well as statewide assessments. • Selecting appropriate accommodations are necessary • checking off every accommodation available on the form, hoping “something” will work – doesn’t work.

5. Accommodation Applications • The use of accommodations is linked through each of these areas: classroom assessments classroom instruction state & district assessments Content Standards

6. This booklet provides guidance to school district officials, administrators, teachers and other persons responsible for making decisions about the participation in assessments of students with limited English proficiency. Accommodation Guidance • The Participation Guidelines for Alaska’s Students in State Assessments is designed to help Alaska fulfill the commitment to include all students in state assessments. http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/elp.html

7. Accommodation Categories • Timing/Scheduling Accommodations • Increase the allowable length of time to complete a test or assignment and may also change the way the time is organized. (2005, CCSSO) • Considerations: • Where/when will the extended time occur/continue? • How will test security be maintained? • How much time is too much time? A student’s threshold for testing must be considered. Most statewide tests are not timed; if the student is not at or near grade level, the extended time may only increase student frustration.

8. Accommodation Categories • Setting Accommodations • Change the location in which a test or assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting. (2005, CCSSO) • Considerations: • How well does the student function in small groups? • Will the small group reflect identical instructional needs?

9. Accommodation Categories • Presentation Accommodations • Allow students to access information in ways that do not require them to read without support. This type of support can be auditory, clarification and confirmation of understanding, translation/interpretation, and visual. • Considerations: • Are there test security issues involving a translator from outside the district? • Has the student ever worked with a translator?

10. Accommodation Categories • Response Accommodations • Allow students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer. (2005, CCSSO) • Considerations: • Does the district use standardized word to word dictionaries? • Are there test security issues if a student uses his own interpretive guide/dictionary? • How can word to word translations be monitored for accurate translation?

11. Documentation Required • “A district shall appoint a team that includes parents and teachers to determine the necessary accommodations for students with limited English proficiency. The team shall document the accommodation decision and may not provide a modification.” [AAC 06.776(b)] A district can choose to create a form for documentation or use the EED suggested form. http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/elp.html

12. Accommodations Reviewed • Yearly and consistently - • Evaluate whether the LEP student should: • continue using an accommodation “as is” • use an accommodation with changes • have an accommodation discontinued • Interview the student to learn the effective accommodation. • English language students gain language acquisition throughout a school year. Accommodations should reflect this gain.

13. Alaska LEP Information • Website • State of Alaska Limited English Proficiency Assessment http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/elp.html • State of Alaska No Child Left Behind http://www.eed.state.ak.us/nclb/home.html • Personnel • Janacie Peters, Assessment Clerk, janacie.peters@alaska.gov or 907-465-2900 • Grace Gray, ELP Assessment Program Manager, grace.gray@alaska.gov or 907-463-8432