NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT ASSESSMENT UPDATE

1. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT ASSESSMENT UPDATE

2. WHAT IS CODESP?Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures • A nonprofit consortium of over 660* public school districts which was formed in 1973 to combine resources to develop classified test materials. • The Board of Directors consists of ten members elected from and by the members. *Includes 312 small districts who have membership through their COEs.

3. CODESP GROWTH *average yearly membership ** as of March 25 2004

4. CURRENT COUNTY OFFICE MEMBERSHIP Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Trinity,Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba.

5. “SMALL” DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP • Districts with an ADA of less than 1,000 receive CODESP services without charge when the county office of education is a member. • Currently, approximately 312 small school districts are eligible to receive CODESP services through their county offices of education.

6. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001 H.R.1 Paraprofessionals must: • (A) have completed at least 2 years of study at an institution of higher education; or • (B) have obtained an associate’s (or higher) degree; or

7. - (C) have met a rigorous standard of quality that demonstrates, through a formal academic assessment- • (i) knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing reading, writing, and math; or • (ii) knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing reading readiness, writing readiness, and math readiness, as appropriate.

8. Title I, Part A Paraprofessionals with Instructional Duties in Core Academic Subject Areas Campus Receives Title I, Part A funds? No QualificationsNot Applicable Yes Targeted Assistance or Schoolwide Campus? Targeted Assistance campus: ONLY a paraprofessional withinstructional duties in core academic subject areas whose salary is paid with Title I, Part A funds. Schoolwide campus: ALLparaprofessionals with instructional duties in core academic subject areas without regard to the source of funding of the position.

9. Paraprofessionals hired after January 8, 2002, must meet ONE of these three criteria when hired Paraprofessionals hired on or before January 8, 2002, must meet ONE of these three criteria by January 8, 2006 Option 1: Two yearsof study at an institution of higher education. Option 2: An associate’s(or higher) degree. Option 3: A rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate through a formal academic assessment, knowledge of, and the ability to assist in, instruction of reading (or reading readiness), writing (or writing readiness), and mathematics (or mathematics readiness), as appropriate.

10. EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS • Individuals working in early childhood programs such as Head Start, that are physically located in a Title I, Part A school but are not part of a schoolwide program and are not funded with Title I, Part A funds are NOT required to meet one of the NCLB requirements. • However, paraeducators with instructional duties in Title I, Part A-funded early childhood programs MUST meet one of the NCLB requirements.

11. DIRECT SUPERVISION DEFINED • The teacher plans the instructional activities that the paraprofessional carries out; • The teacher evaluates the achievement of the students with whom the paraprofessional is working; and • The paraprofessional works in close and frequent physical proximity to the teacher.

12. WHAT ABOUT CALIFORNIA? • The State Board of Education (SBE) was left to decide on how to administer and comply with NCLB requirements, using guidance from the NCLB Liaison Committee. • Jack O’Connell (State Superintendent of Public Instruction) released a letter to the County and District Superintendents, announcing the SBE’s policy on paraprofessional requirements.

13. IS THE CDE PLANNING TO DEVELOP OR SELECT ONE STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT, OR TO POST A LIST OF ACCEPTABLE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE NCLB PARAPROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS? • No, because the State Board of Education decided that the selection or development of an assessment is to be determined locally, it would not be appropriate for the CDE to do so. • California Dept. of Ed. Website

14. WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW • Local Education Agencies (LEAs) receiving Title I funds shall also ensure that paraprofessionals, hired on or before January 8, 2002, and working in a program supported with Title I funds, must meet these requirements by January 8, 2006. • Effective January 8, 2003, all paraprofessionals, regardless of hire date, must possess a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.

15. ABILITY TO ASSIST OPTION • To meet the third option (C) of demonstrating knowledge and ability to assist in instruction, the development of an assessment is determined by each LEA. • In other words, the state will not be approving one specific assessment. • LEAs are responsible for justifying their choice of assessments.

16. IN ADDITION….. • SBE decided that each LEA may determine whether or not to accept another LEA’s assessment results for determining a paraprofessional’s qualifications.

17. CALIFORNIADEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WEBSITE www.cde.ca.gov NCLB contact: Penni Hansen phansen@cde.ca.gov

18. CODESP’S INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE TEST MATERIALS What is included in the “Sample Test” and additional options?

19. CODESP’S “SAMPLE TEST” • CODESP staff developed a sample test and optional items to assist school districts in complying with federal regulations regarding the testing of new Instructional Aides. • There is not just ONE TEST that CODESP provides for districts—each district selects from the sample test and options, choosing which items to include on their own customized test.

20. MORE ON CUSTOMIZED TESTS • Why customize? Varying difficulty levels, content validity to your district, district buy-in. • Some districts use the same test as other member districts- but each LEA is responsible for determining if they feel the test meets the rigors of NCLB and fits the IA jobs in their district. • Some districts also create a “base” IA test, and then smaller tests to supplement for specific positions (Special Ed, Bilingual, Computer Lab, etc.)

21. IA TEST DEVELOPMENT HISTORY • Initially CODESP was asked to assist in a consortium made up of school district Title I and Curriculum Specialists, IO Psychologists, HR Professionals and CSEA representatives from Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. • Several meetings took place to discuss interpretation of the NCLB Act’s IA Assessment requirements.

22. ADDITIONAL TEST DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH • Test questions were developed by reviewing current California high school graduation standards, community college placement exams, and other standardized tests currently administered in California. • Recommendations from subject matter experts were also valuable in this process. • Existing job studies for the position of Instructional Aide were also analyzed especially in the development of the Ability to Assist portion.

23. ROLE OF IAs CONSIDERED Roles include: • Instructing individual and small groups of learners using plans and strategies developed by teachers/providers. • Documenting data about learner behavior and performance and participation in other learner assessment activities under the supervision of teachers/providers. • Implementing teacher/provider-developed behavior management and disciplinary procedures.

24. MAIN SOURCE MATERIAL National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals in Education and Related Services: Strengthening and Supporting Teacher/Provider-Paraeducator Teams: Guidelines for Paraeducator Roles, Supervision, and Preparation 400 paraeducators, teachers, principals, State and local education personnel, college faculty, parents, and others, responded to the validation survey. Authored by Anna Lou Pickett, 1999

25. CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM • June 2003 • Test is postponed until 2006. A report found that 20% of the class of 2004 would fail the math portion. • November 2003 • The state Board of Education voted to remove some of the more difficult math and English questions on the test.

26. TYPICAL CODESP TEST • Members report that the average number of items on their test is 93. • CODESP suggests that candidates are allowed a generous amount of time to complete the test. • Test cost: $1,750 but includes ALL membership services including test materials for all classified positions. • Tutorial: NO cost to members or to member district trainers.

27. CODESP’S SAMPLE TEST CONTAINS THREE OVERALL CONTENT AREAS • English/Language Arts • Math • Ability to Assist in Instruction Districts can choose to have three separate tests made (one for each section) to allow ease of retesting.

28. Reading Comprehension (up to 12th grade level available) Logical Sequence of a Paragraph Main Theme of a Paragraph Multiple Word Meanings Punctuation Capitalization Spelling Correct Word Usage Correct Sentence Combination TYPES OF ITEMS IN ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS

29. Fractions (addition,subtraction, multiplication,division,simplifying,converting from decimals) Word Problems (multiplication, division, percentages) Estimation Statistics Probability Exponents Pre-Algebra/Algebra (word problems, order of operations, simplifying expressions, equations-equivalents, prime factorization, greatest common factor, least common multiple, factoring) Coordinates (grid graphs, slope coordinates) Geometry (basics, squares, rectangles, circles, triangles) TYPES OF ITEMS IN MATH

30. Instructional Aide Worker Qualities Student Discipline/ Behavior Reading Charts Following a Lesson Plan Following Directions Assisting in an Instructional Game Assisting in Interpreting Instructional Material TYPES OF ITEMS FOR THE ABILITY TO ASSIST IN INSTRUCTION

31. WRITING SAMPLE OPTION • Although writing skills are addressed in portions of the English/Language Arts segment, a writing exercise with a scoring rubric is included in the sample test materials for districts who would like to include this option with their test.

32. HOW DISTRICTS CAN HELP QUALIFIED CANDIDATES SUCCEED ON A TEST • Give candidates resource materials, including CODESP tutorial materials, to prepare for the test. • Allow retesting. • Conduct tutorial sessions.

33. PARAEDUCATOR/INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE TUTORIAL • Member’s can download a tutorial to assist candidates in preparing for the IA test. • Contact CODESP for the password to enter the “Member’s Only” portion of the website where this is located.

34. CODESP IA TUTORIAL SAMPLE 6 (2 + 4a) Remove parentheses and multiply each term by six (6 × 2) + (6 × 4a) Answer 12 + 24a

35. CURRENT AIDES: STRUCTURED OBSERVATION EVALUATION • CODESP has developed a structured observation evaluation with a series of rubrics to assess current (veteran) aides. • The CDE has stated: “The original proficiency exams were intended to address basic skills proficiency at the level of high school seniors in each district. Some districts are using their proficiency exam and adding a structured observation component; others are adopting new tests that cover both subject knowledge and ability to assist in instruction. There are also commercial exams available that test subject matter knowledge and the ability to assist in instruction.”

36. Demonstration of Proficiency in Reading • EXCEEDS REQUIREMENTS: Exceeds the required knowledge and ability to: • MEETS REQUIREMENTS: Meets the basic knowledge and ability to: • DOES NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS: Is unable to:    locate and understand written information; identify the main idea or essential message in a text; identify relevant details and facts; infer and locate technical vocabulary; clearly and concisely read materials aloud to students.

37. SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR MEMBERSHIP • Local Educational Agencies must spend at least 5% of Title I, Part A (capped at 10% for 2002-03) for professional development activities to ensure that teachers and paraprofessionals meet the requirements.

38. FEDERAL FUNDING • Title I, Part A funds may be used to support ongoing training and professional development to assist teachers and paraeducators working in a program supported with Title I, Part A funds. • Title II, Part A funds may be used to provide professional development activities that improve the knowledge of teachers and principals and, (continued on next screen)

39. FUNDING CONT’D in appropriate cases, paraeducators concerning effective instructional strategies, methods and skills and use of challenging content standards to improve teaching practices and student academic achievement. Title V, Part A (Innovative Programs) funds may be used to provide professional development for teachers and other school personnel as a part of reform strategy.

40. CODESP PROVIDES SO MUCH MORE THAN NCLB ASSESSMENT MATERIALSREAD ON…………….

41. WHAT CAN MEMBERS DO TO IMPROVE THEIR DISTRICT’S EMPLOYEE SELECTION PROCESS?

42. KNOW THE JOB

43. CONDUCT A JOB REVIEW/ANALYSIS • Ask questions of employees and supervisors. • Identify job related essential skills, knowledges, abilities and personal characteristics.

44. EXAM PLANNING PROCESS • Job Review/Analysis • Job Description Edit/Development • Posting/Advertising/Recruiting • Examination Planning • Test Construction/Administration • Item Analysis/Recruitment Review

45. INFORMATION FROM JOB ANALYSIS IS USED TO: • Write job descriptions and announcements. • Determine test methods. • Validate tests (determine job relatedness). • Determine accommodations for disabled applicants/employees. • Determine rating criteria.

46. Training Classification JOB ANALYSIS Performance Appraisal Compensation Selection

47. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS UNIFORM GUIDELINES STATE: • ALL selection processes are tests. • “Adverse impact” must be considered. • Validation required. • Documentation required. • Alternative selection procedures must be considered.

48. VALIDATION Gives meaning to test scores.

49. CONTENT VALIDITY Test items should be relevant to, and measure important requirements and qualifications for the job.

50. TYPES OF CODESP TEST MATERIALS AVAILABLE • Supplemental applications (training and experience evaluations). • Multiple choice test questions. • Interview questions. • Writing samples. • Performance examinations.