Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) and Eligibility Criteria

1. Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) Martha Thurlow National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) OSEP Project Directors’ Conference How “Flexible” Are You? July 22, 2008 National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

2. Topics Current Assessment Approaches Determining Participation Accommodations

3. Current Approaches • Information is limited --- • States still deciding what to do • No data in Annual Performance Reports until 2009 (for 2007-08) • Peer review information available only in summary form National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

4. In July 2007 Five States Had an Assessment • that They Believed Was an AA-MAS: • Kansas • Louisiana • North Carolina • North Dakota • Oklahoma Marylandhad information on its Web site about an AA-MAS that the state was developing. National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

5. Type of Assessment/Types of Questions National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

6. Number of States That Made Selected Changes National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

7. Determining Eligibility Criteria for AA-MAS What do we know about the students for whom the AA-MAS is appropriate? • Previous Studies • Current Analyses • Peer Guidance Suggestions National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

8. Previous Studies National Center on Improvement of Educational Outcomes Colorado Study Requested by Legislature From Marion, Gong, and Simpson, 2005 Only .06% for Reading and .15% for Math in the gap Georgia Study of Persistently Low Performing Students Highlighted again instructional and accommodations issues National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

9. From Cortiella (2007), Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments – Alternate Assessments based on Modified Achievement Standards

10. 2008 Study Number of States With Selected Eligibility Criteria National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

11. Identifying Accommodations for AA-MAS • State Approaches • Accommodations issues for regular assessment • Integration of “accommodations” and universal design principles into the regular assessment first, then in the design of the AA-MAS National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

12. State Approaches – Accommodations Incorporated into AA-MAS Design National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

13. Reading Assessment Accommodation Rates in Elementary School: Percentage of Students with IEPs Taking the Regular Reading Assessment with Accommodations 32 54 63 2005-2006 40 8 72 47 55 52 md 22 40 md 71 md 42 53 79 77 47 52 61 52 41 49 63 36 39 59 80 69 61 11 24 33 71 66 57 69 35 67 52 47 45 20 62 AS 1 73 94 BIE 64 59 CNMI 65 73 DC Key 71 FSM ≥ 75% (n=3 regular states and 1 unique states) md GU 67 Palau 50% - 74% (n=25 regular states and 5 unique states) md PR 26% - 49% (n=13 regular states and 1 unique states) 59 RMI < 25% (n=6 regular states and 0 unique states) md VI 43 md =missing data (n=3 regular states and 3 unique states)

14. Reading Assessment Accommodation Rates in High School: Percentage of Students with IEPs Taking the Regular Reading Assessment with Accommodations 18 53 43 2005-2006 36 5 51 44 53 47 md md 37 md 70 57 45 42 76 77 53 md 38 73 49 23 41 27 35 59 79 65 43 5 46 0 59 46 81 59 22 66 56 50 62 0 61 AS 0 100 59 BIE 39 22 CNMI 28 42 DC Key 48 FSM ≥ 75% (n=4 regular states and 1 unique state) md GU 61 Palau 50% - 74% (n=17 regular states and 2 unique states) md PR 26% - 49% (n=17 regular states and 3 unique states) 46 RMI < 25% (n=8 regular states and 1 unique state) md VI md =missing data (n=4 regular states and 3 unique states) 53