NCLB: The Law, the Expectations, and the Requirements

1. Sue Rigney and Rachel Quenemoen USOE and NCEO February 26, 2003 NCLB:  The Law, the Expectations, and the Requirements

2. Topics for Today Accountability Standards & Assessments NCLB Requirements Instruction Best Practice

3. “…to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments” Purpose of No Child Left Behind

4. It’s not just Title I All means all Schools are accountable for All students Economically disadvantaged Racial/ethnic groups Students with disabilities Students with limited English proficiency AYP requires performance, participation and progress Consequences accumulate 5 Things You Need to Know About No Child Left Behind

5. State standards for what a child should know in math and reading now, and science by 2005-06 Test every student's progress toward the standards. Beginning in the 2005-06, test in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school in math and reading. Beginning in 2007-08, science achievement must also be tested. Each state, school district, and school expected to make adequate yearly progress for all students. School and district performance publicly reported in district and state report cards. A district or school that continually fails to make adequate progress will be held accountable. An "accountable" education system

6. “A teacher is effective when a student learns. It is impossible to determine teaching effectiveness without determining learning results.” Source: NCLB website Focus on School Accountability

7. Accountability can drive improvements in instructional programs For students with disabilities, participation in assessments will increase their access to the general education curriculum, thereby increasing their opportunity to learn to high standards.

8. Same high standards of academic achievement for all Statistically valid and reliable Continuous and substantial academic improvement for all students Separate measurable annual objectives for achievement All students Racial/ethnic groups Economically disadvantaged students Students with disabilities (IDEA, Sec. 602) Students with limited English proficiency Graduation rates for high schools and 1 other indicator for elementary schools Adequate Yearly Progress Requires

9. Miss AYP Miss AYP Miss AYP School Improvement Yr 1 (choice) Miss AYP School Improvement Yr 2 (supplemental educational services) Miss AYP Corrective Action Miss AYP Restructure (planning year) Restructure (implement plan) Consequences for Schools (Title I)

10. What is “choice?” What are “supplemental services?” Who is eligible? What services for students with disabilities? 2002-03 is first year of implementation Choice and Supplemental Services

11. No Child Left Behind . . . reinforces standards-based education for all students and accountability for results Not just some . . . . . . all students with disabilities

12. We obtain data on student performance, so that we know whether students are learning and programs are working – for all students If we have no data to look at, we have no basis for making decisions, and we do not know whether students are learning and programs are successful in meeting the goals for students.

13. Trend Data for Students with Disabilities* How performance over time looks depends on how data are analyzed. It is very important to know and study state performance data. *Interpreting Trends in the Performance of Special Education Students (NCEO Technical Report 27)

14. Assessment and Accountability System based on high expectations for teaching and learning Public reporting on school performance Focus on closing achievement gap NCLB Will Work Through…

15. Standards-based Reform Context High Standards All Students --- Everything else is negotiable --- schedules, place, time, structure, curriculum, instructional methods, methods of assessment. . . AcCOUNTability

16. How the pieces fit together District Curriculum Standards Assessment

17. Academic content standards & achievement standards State responsibility Standards provide clear instructional goals for teachers, students and parents Not a new requirement, builds on the past Approval needs broad stakeholder participation NCLB adds grade-level expectations Content and Achievement Standards

18. Challenging academic content standards and challenging academic achievement standards Mathematics and reading/language arts Add science in 2005-06 Same expectations for all children At least 3 achievement levels: basic, proficient, advanced Challenging Academic Standards

19. Expository Texts Read to understand a text’s major points and supporting details. Sample Content Standard:Purposeful reading

21. Clear instructional goals What to teach, not how to teach Knowledge essential for all students, It is not the curriculum The foundation of State Assessments What’s “fair game” Not just knowledge bits, also complex processes Content Standards Provide…

22. The same assessments used to measure achievement of all children Aligned with challenging State standards Adequate technical quality for each purpose required Involve multiple up-to-date measures, including measures of higher-order thinking and understanding Measure achievement against State standards in at least mathematics, reading/language arts, and (beginning in 2007-08) science NCLB Assessment Requirements

23. Participation of all students Reasonable adaptations and accommodations for students with disabilities (IDEA & 504) Inclusion of limited English proficient students with accommodations, including, if practicable, native-language versions of the assessment Assessment in English of reading/language arts for any student in US for 3 consecutive school years Under NCLBAssessments shall provide for…

24. Include [results in AYP calculations for] students in schools in the district for a full academic year Produce individual student interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports provided as soon as possible Produce results disaggregated by gender, major racial/ethnic groups, English proficiency status, migrant status, students with disabilities (IDEA) compared to non-disabled, economically disadvantaged compared to non-disadvantaged Report itemized score analyses to district and schools NCLBAssessment shall… (con’t)

25. Clarification of Assessments Eligibility Assessments Classroom Tests Large-ScaleAssessments Districtwide Statewide National

26. VARYING Context of State Assessments • Some measure basics, others high standards • Some are high stakes for students, some high stakes for systems, some are both • Grades administered vary, as do content areas (all have Reading and Math) • Some are norm-referenced, some are criterion referenced, and some are both • Varying approaches to accommodations and alternate assessment

27. Making decisions about how individual students participate is very important and challenging – and the outcomes of the decisions must be evaluated

28. 3 Ways to Participate in Assessments • Same way as other students • With accommodations • In an Alternate Assessment But, this does not mean that it is simple

29. It's really much more complicated! • School accountability systems • High stakes for students • Bubble of students without access to the general curriculum, high expectations • Lawsuits that suggest new ways of thinking about accommodations and other alternatives

30. The IEP team has authority to make decisions. . . But this does not mean that it is simple. . . WHO needs to be part of the discussion? WHAT external constraints must be considered? IMPLICATIONS of decisions must be identified and discussed, recorded, and reconsidered each year. Access to general curriculum – at grade level! Decisions and the IEP team

31. Accommodations Accommodations are changes in assessment materials or procedures that allow the student’s knowledge and skills to be assessed rather than the student’s disability. Accommodations provide students with disabilities access to assessments, so that more can participate.

32. Good Accommodations Decisions • Starts with good instructional decisions • Systematic questions about accommodations for individual students • Collection of data to aid decision making What helps student learn or perform better? What has student or parents told you? What gets in the way of the student showing skills? What has the student been taught to use?

33. Setting Presentation Study carrel Repeat directions Small group Large print edition Individualized Braille edition Timing Response Extended time Mark test booklet Frequent breaks Word processor Unlimited time Use references Types of Accommodations Scheduling Other Specific time of day Test preparation Subtests in different order Out-of-level Across multiple days Motivational cues

34. Definitional Issues Some accommodations are considered to change the construct assessed, and others are viewed as “ok” – But the terms used to describe what is and isn’t “ok” vary across the states and districts. Know what terms mean in your state and district!

35. Is the the choice of accommodations appropriate? • Aligned with instructional accommodations, but not an excuse not to teach • Student needs it to demonstrate knowledge and skills – or to participate in assessment • Implications of using this accommodation have been identified and carefully considered • Not determined by test publisher, but by student need, what is being measured (construct), and the purpose of the test

36. ACCOMMODATIONS EXERCISE

37. Essential question: What is the meant by the construct of ‘reading’ in an assessment item(s)? The answer(s) to that question will determine the accommodations that can be used when that content standard is assessed!

38. See test specification handout by Roger Farr, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University Specifications for an Assessment Using an EXPOSITORY Text Content Standard: Read to understand a text’s major points and supporting details. Specific reading purpose: The student would be asked to read two articles about skateboarding and to identify the reasons that various groups think a skateboard park should be constructed with city funding. Assessment/content standard alignment (construct) example

39. Visual (viewing print with eyes) Tactile (feeling print) Auditory (listening to printed messages) Multi-modal (using any combination of the above modalities) Printed schedule and standings – on paper or computer screen Schedule and standings in Braille and Nemeth Codes Listen to description of schedule and standings (Radio or TV?) Computer-based “assistive” reading/ viewing programs– (e.g., digital talking news) Modes of print interaction: with examples of accommodations

40. 2. How would varying definitions of “reading” affect how students who have reading disabilities would learn “reading” skills at different grade levels? Use “reading” skills in different content areas? Questions to consider as you think about what the construct “reading” means1.Are there any reasons why a state would define what “reading” means differently at different grade levels? Why? How would it differ at different grades?

41. 4. How will this affect accommodations decisions for instruction? For assessment? 5. How do these decisions relate to future adult roles? MORE Questions to consider as you think about the construct “reading”3. What implications would an IEP team discuss as they determine how the student will learn to ‘read’ and how the definition of ‘reading’ may change? by grade level? By content area?

42. Alternate Assessments First introduced in IDEA 97 - for students unable to participate in general state assessments

43. Alternate Assessments • Required for school accountability decisions under NCLB • Reflect shifting goals for students with significant cognitive disabilities

44. “Gray areas” of assessment? Perhaps – look for universal design of assessment “Gray areas” of curriculum and instruction? Short and long term strategies to consider NCLB requires testing on grade level What about students in the “bubble”?

45. Views of An Assessment System for ALL Students Assumptions to Remember: • All students can learn – high expectations are very important • Not all students can show their knowledge and skills in the same way • Alternatives are important, but must be used carefully

46. Political Concerns may Challenge Reforms At the beginning, reform was designed to be about racheting up the educational system – high stakes through accountability for systems (schools, districts, teachers, administrators) High stakes for students can make it more difficult to focus on reforming the system, because of the potential negative impact on students

47. Exit Exams and Diploma Options Survey Just Completed (2002): 25 states have “active” graduation exams (effective anywhere from 1979 to 2008) How students with disabilities factor into the exit exams requirements and the nature of diploma options are very – Variable!

48. Status of Graduation Exams NH WA MT ND VT MN ME SD OR WI ID WY MI NY MA IA NE PA OH IL IN RI NV UT CO WV CT KS MO KY VA NJ CA DE OK TN NC AZ AR MD NM SC MS AL LA TX GA AK FL HI State Has or Will Have Graduation Exam (based on survey conducted 2001)

49. State system of academic content standards What all students should know and be able to do for future success (CS) Curriculum and instructional plans (C and I) What (general curriculum) and how (instruction) all students will learn – varied and rich, multiple settings, resources, authentic applications Individual student needs, strengths consideredServices and supports to be successful (IEP/ILP) Assessment of student performance (A) Appropriate assessments to document knowledge and skills rather than disabilities How can we ensure all are successful?

50. Take example of Expository Reading, K-12, to see what the progression is (page 7). What implications are there for choices made by IEP teams at early grades for success in later grades? As the planning for this child occurs, listen carefully: is the discussion focused around what content the student will learn, and HOW they will learn it? How do you know what, when, and how constructs are assessed? CONTENT STANDARDS, BENCHMARKS, GRADE LEVEL INDICATORS