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The Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) is a portfolio assessment used to measure the mastery of state extended content standards in reading, math, and science for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This assessment provides individual and group performance reports, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and tracks changes in performance over time. The AAA follows a scoring rubric and aligns with the Alabama Extended Standards. This presentation covers the IDEA 2004 guidelines, standards, writing IEPs to standards, academic and functional performance, and annual goals for students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities.
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Alabama Alternate Assessment / Extended Standards 2014-15 School Year Melanie King Carla Layton September 22, 2014
Alabama Alternate Assessment(AAA) Primary Purposes: • To assess students’ mastery of state extended content standards in reading, mathematics, and science • To report individual and group performance • To report relative strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups • To provide data to study changes in performance over time
The AAA is a criterion-referenced portfolio assessment. • The AAA is administered to students with significant cognitive disabilities working on the Alabama Extended Standards.
Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) Scoring Rubric • All 3 pieces of evidence are scored separately for each extended standard. • All 3 pieces of evidence MUST be on the same complexity level within the • extended standard for alignment.
Alabama Extended Standards 2014-15 School Year • New Extended Standard English Language Arts • New Extended Standards Mathematics • Science Extended Standards (February 2006) – to be revised at a later date, once the general education course of study is completed • Social Studies Extended Standards – Not tested on AAA
NEW Alabama E S … • Timeline • Draft released October 2013 • Final version released December 2013 • To be implemented 2014-15 school year
2014-15 Extended Standards • Mathematics 3 per grade • ELA Reading 3 per grade • ELA Writing 3 per grade • ELA English Language Arts 3 per grade
Standards-Based IEPs Alabama State Department of Education Special Education Services March 2013
DaLee Chambers, Ph.D. Education Specialist Special Education Services Alabama State Department of Education daleec@alsde.edu 334-242-8114
Reproductions of the slides and/or information from this Presentation should be credited to: Alabama State Department of Education, Special Education Services P.O. Box 302101 Montgomery, AL 36130 speced@alsde.edu 334.242.8114
Topics • IDEA 2004 • Standards • Alabama Curriculum Guides • Alabama Extended Standards • Writing IEPs to Standards
Content of the IEP, IDEA 2004 • A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children); or for preschool children as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.
Content of the IEP, IDEA 2004 • A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals, designed to meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and meet each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability. For children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards, a description of benchmarks is also required.
Academic Achievement • “A considerable gap in achievement in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies exists between youth with disabilities and their peers in the general population.” • Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., and Levine, P. (2006). The Academic Achievement and Functional Performance of Youth With Disabilities. A Report From the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). (NCSER 2006-3000). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
Functional Performance • Functional performance is the acquisition of essential and critical skills needed for children with disabilities to learn specific daily living, personal, social, and employment skills, or the skills needed to increase performance and independence at work, in school, in the home, in the community, for leisure time, and for postsecondary and other lifelong learning opportunities.
Functional Performance • Personal Living • Motor Skills • Social Interaction and Communication • Community Living • Broad Independence • Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., and Levine, P. (2006). The Academic Achievement and Functional Performance of Youth With Disabilities. A Report From the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). (NCSER 2006-3000). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
Annual GoalsStudents with MildDisabilities • Academic • Standards-Based Instruction (most likely Course of Study Standards or Essentials Course Objectives) • Intervention Programs • Functional • Communication Skills • Study Skills • Organizational Skills • Social Skills • Ages 16 and Older • Transition Skills
Annual GoalsStudents with Moderate and SevereDisabilities • Academic • Standards-Based Instruction (most likely Alabama Extended Standards) • Intervention Programs • Functional • Communication Skills • Adaptive Behavior Skills • Daily Living Skills • Ages 16 and Older • Transition Skills
Standards • Standards clearly communicate what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level. • For students with significant cognitive disabilities, standards also provide opportunities to access the knowledge and skills that Alabama has decided are important.
Alabama’s College and Career Readiness Standards • Expecting Excellence!
Opportunity to Learn • Teachers create opportunities for students to learn grade-level expectations (content standards).
What are Extended Standards? • They are extensions of the state academic content standards for each grade level. • They are designed to allow students with significant cognitive disabilities to access the general education curriculum.
Alabama Curriculum Documents To access Alabama Curriculum Guides and Alabama Extended Standards: www.alex.state.al.us/specialed Click on Curriculum
Curriculum Guide Documents Extended Standards Documents
The IEP is the cornerstone of access to the general curriculum.
Q&A, Standards-Based IEPs • www.alsde.edu • Click on Offices • Click on Office of Learning Support, Special Education • Click on Standards • Scroll down to find QandA_Standards-Based_IEPs docs.alsde.edu/documents/65/QandA_Standards-Based_IEPs.pdf
Developing Standards-Based IEPs What steps do IEP Teams need to follow to develop effective standards-based IEPs?
Step 1: Collect and examine materials for making data-based IEP decisions. • Courses of study and/or curriculum guides • Current assessment data • State assessments • Classroom assessments (curriculum-based) • Eligibility data (if current and related to learning) • Student work samples • Previous year’s IEP • Other information (e.g., grades, discipline referrals, attendance reports)
Step 2: Analyze data to develop the student profile. The profile should include general statements regarding: • Strengths • Needs • Parental concerns • Student preferences and/or interests • Evaluation/assessment data • Other • Status of prior IEP goals • Teacher/Parent/Student input • Transition needs (at least by age 16)
Annual Goals • Academic goals are based on: • Alabama content standards listed in the Alabama COS (and Curriculum Guide Objectives and/or Essentials Course Objectives) or • Alabama Extended Standards (for students with significant cognitive disabilities)
Required Components of Measurable Annual Goals • Measurable Annual Goals MUST include the following: • Who?..will achieve? • What?...skill or manner? • How?...in what manner or at what level? • Where?...in what setting or under what conditions? • When?...by what time or ending date? Benchmarks are required for children with disabilities who take alternate assessment s aligned to alternate achievement standards.
The Five Critical Components of a Well-Written Goal are: • Who • Timeframe • Conditions • Behavior • Criterion
Annual Goals Measurable annual goals must include the following: The student …(WHO) Will do what …(BEHAVIOR) To what level or degree…(CRITERION) Under what conditions…(CONDITIONS) In what length of time…(TIMEFRAME)
Timeframe Timeframe is usually specified in the number of weeks or a certain date of completion. One year is the maximum allowed length for a timeframe. • In 36 instructional weeks… • By May 2015… • By the end of the 2014-15 school year…
Conditions Conditions specify the circumstances that prompt the child’s performance of an observable behavior. Conditions are dependent on the behavior being measured and involve the application of skills or knowledge. • When presented with 2nd grade level text… • Given a story prompt and 30 minutes to write… Conditions may also integrate a related service: • Given assistive technology… • Given a pencil grip…
Behavior Behavior clearly identifies the performance being monitored, usually reflects an action or can be directly observed, and is measurable. • Sarah will read… • Clause will write the correct numbers… • Jane will indicate her wants and needs…
Criterion Criterion identifies how much, how often, or to what standards must occur in order to demonstrate that the goal has been reached. The goal criterion specifies the amount of growth the student is expected to make by the end of the annual goal period. • 45 words per minute with 5 or fewer errors. • 85% or more correct for all problems presented