Special Education Assessment Update

1. Special Education Assessment Update

2. Cari WielandTexas Education AgencyStudent Assessment Division

3. STAAR Modified • STAAR Alternate • Accommodations for • the STAAR Program • Wrap Up and Questions

4. EOC Subjects Tested for STAAR Modified

5. Commissioner’s Rule Change • Basic issue - Courses substituted for EOC courses • Change to language • Courses aligned to those for which they substitute • Goes into effect August 2011 – specific PEIMS codes are now available.

6. The Issue of Rigor Goal of STAAR is to increase rigor (“fewer, deeper, clearer” ) • Focuses on fewer skills • Addresses those skills in a deeper manner • Provides a more clearly articulated assessment program So… How can we increase rigor from TAKS-M and TAKS-Alt but still create modified and alternate STAAR tests?

7. Start with a More Rigorous Test High school end-of-course tests will include questions that are subject-specific, not grade-specific STAAR tests will be longer STAAR tests will most likely have higher passing standards

8. STAAR Alternate and Modified • 15% Course Grade • Recommendation to the Commissioner will be that it not apply – Need confirmation • Cumulative Score and Minimum Score • will be that it not apply • College and Career Readiness • Performance Level Descriptions are in progress (includes appropriate references to post-secondary readiness)

9. STAAR Alternate

10. STAAR Alternate • Teachers must view and pass the qualifications for all 4 new training modules before administering the assessment • Teachers provided 2 opportunities to pass at 80%. After additional training with a supervisor the teacher can be given one more opportunity • Only combinations of Level 3 and 2 allowed within a subject. Level 1 tasks must stay at ALL level 1 tasks within a subject.

11. STAAR Alternate • Tasks are identified as transition if the task relates to how the skill would be used in the community once the student leaves public school. • Only two completed observations are allowed for the primary observation and only two completed observations are allowed for the generalization observation. • Generalization can only be demonstrated with a change of materials.

12. STAAR Alternate • The assessment observation must use new materials than were used during instruction to make sure that students are demonstrating skills and not just repeating the same response they gave during instruction. • No points for a prompted Demonstration of Skill performance are given. • Page 1 of the documentation form for the one attempted observation per student is required for all NRO designations.

13. STAAR Modified

14. TAKS-M Modifications Guidelines that will remain in STAAR Modified All Tests • Fewer questions • Only 3 answer choices • Verdana font and larger point size, more white space • Simplified sentence structure, vocabulary, and graphics in passages/questions • Delete extraneous information when appropriate • Direct student attention to graphics when appropriate

15. STAAR features that will directly impact Modified Reading, English, Writing • Will assess different genres since the curriculum is now genre-based • Will include multiple written compositions for students to respond to • Written compositions will include different modes of writing depending upon the grade level • Test questions will be geared toward higher order thinking skills Social Studies • Social studies skills (Obj. 5 or 6) will no longer be tested in isolation, but will be embedded into other objectives resulting in more complex questions • Questions will require a deeper understanding of concepts

16. STAAR features that will directly impact Modified Science • Process skills (Obj. 1) will no longer be tested in isolation, but will be embedded into other objectives resulting in more complex questions • Questions will be developed at a higher level, as reflected in the new science curriculum Math • Problem-solving skills (Obj. 6 or 10) will no longer be tested in isolation, but will be embedded into other objectives resulting in more complex questions • Will include more questions that require multiple steps with more than one operation

17. Accommodations

18. 2011–2012 Accommodations Manual Will not be a “Manual” as we have known it – wait for policies to be posted before training Policies will be posted as separate links as they are finalized Will address both grades 3–8 and EOC

19. 2011–2012 Accommodations Policies • Current discussions on accommodation policy regarding: • Inclusion of Section 504 in more accommodations • Supplemental Aids – SpEd only • Oral Administration – standardized options • Electronic Devices (as well as increased information about high tech assistive technology) • Read aloud test questions and answer choices vs. no DBA • Timed tests – extra time vs. extra days

20. 2011–2012 Accommodations Policies • Online Accommodation Request Form only • Faxing ARFS only in special circumstances • Documentation for accommodations that require TEA review should be noted as “pending TEA approval.” • This is especially important for STAAR accommodations since accommodation policy is under development.

21. Related Issues

22. TAKS (Accommodated)… to be or not to be? Not to be… No separate accommodated form for STAAR • Build some accommodations in to the general form (verdana font, items go across page rather than in columns, more white space) • Specific accommodations with criteria • Dictionaries, calculation devices, spelling assistance, manipulatives, supplemental aids • New ways of collecting accommodations used on answer documents

23. QUESTIONS?