Alabama Alternate Assessment

Alabama Alternate Assessment Alabama State Department of Education Regional Workshops Fall 2007

Eligibility for the AAA • Criteria to consider during the decision-making process regarding which assessment is appropriate • Student’s cognitive functioning • IQ of 55 and below • Student’s taught curriculum • Revised 2006 Alabama Extended Standards

Curriculum for the AAA • Alabama Extended Standards are the curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. • All extended standards for the grade-level of enrollment according to STI must be taught and tested. • The highest level of complexity the student could possibly be expected to achieve should be selected.

Extended Standards Complexity • The complexity taught and tested may vary by extended standard. Example: R. ES 4.1—Complexity 3 R. ES 4.2—Complexity 2 R. ES 4.3—Complexity 4 R. ES 4.4—Complexity 2 R. ES 4.5—Complexity 1

Teaching Extended Standards and Collecting Evidence • Teachers teach the extended standards and collect evidence of student performance throughout the school year. • Evidence is collected on every extended standard.

Scorable Evidence • Student worksheets/teacher tests • Student work samples • Photograph or series of photographs (annotated) • Scripted audio/video • Written Performance Summary (SDE form must be used)

Student Worksheets or Teacher Tests • Original student’s work should be sent for the AAA scoring. • Teachers should indicate accuracy of student answers. • Each worksheet/test must contain at least ten (10) items. (Worksheets may be combined to total at least ten (10) items. These combined worksheets will be considered one piece of evidence.)

Student Work Samples • Original student work samples will include, but not be limited to: • Student’s written work • Student drawings • Projects • Narratives

Photograph(s) • A photograph or series of photographs must clearly illustrate the student’s performance of the standard. • The “Task Summary” on the “Body of Evidence Entry Cover Sheet” must explicitly summarize the pictured activity. • Let another teacher look at the picture and read the summary to see if they can tell you what activity took place.

Audio/Video • A tape, CD, or DVD is acceptable. • The audio/video must clearly illustrate the student’s performance of the standard. • The audio/video can be no more than five (5) minutes in length per piece of evidence. • Put all pieces of evidence for reading or math using audio/video on one to two cassette tapes/CD/DVD. • Each audio/video must be accompanied by a word-for-word script.

Audio/Video Restrictions • Audio cassette tape—no restrictions • Video tape/DVD—No mini DVDs, Hi8, or any small tapes. If these are used, they must be transferred to a standard tape/DVD to be submitted. • CD—no restrictions

Written Performance Summary • This is a detailed description of the activity and the student’s performance in the activity. • It documents, in detailed sequence, the steps/behaviors the student performs that illustrates the student’s performance of the standard. • All sections must be completed with a detailed description of the activity and the student’s performance.

Written Performance Summary • Always provide the details • Name the book that was read • Give the number of coins and which coins were used • Give the words that were read • Give the letters sounded out or blended • You must be very specific • Do not just restate the extended standard.

Levels of Assistance • Independently—the student performs the task without prompting or support. The cognition of the task is performed by the student alone. • Prompting—the student is provided cues by the teacher or aide (oral cues, oral directions, or gestures that initiate or sustain a task). The cognition of the task is performed by the student.

Levels of Assistance • Support—the student receives direct assistance to achieve the skill. The cognition of the task is not performed by the student alone; however, the task is not completed by the teacher. This assistance is more than prompting.

AAA Accommodations • Approved accommodations during the performance of tasks are allowed. • Accommodations used must be approved accommodations found on the AAA Accommodations Checklist. • AAA Accommodations Checklist is found on the SDE Web site under the Student Assessment Section Publications.

Levels of Assistance/Accommodations • M. ES 10.3 Complexity 3—Determine if outcomes of familiar events are more likely, less likely, or impossible • Teacher read events to the student. • Student determined probabilities. • Assistance or Accommodation? • Accommodation • Level of Assistance? • Independently

Levels of Assistance/Accommodations • R. ES 5.1 Complexity 3—Identify words with more than one meaning • Johnny is working in a group of three students. The teacher uses flash cards. Students take turns identifying which words have more than one meaning. • Assistance or Accommodation? • Accommodation • Level of Assistance? • Independently

Levels of Assistance/Accommodations • M. ES 3.2 Complexity 3—Add and subtract single digit numbers • Problem 3 + 1 =__ Freddie instructs teacher as 3 blocks are put down for him (1, 2, one more…3). Freddie tells teacher to put 1 more block down. Freddie adds and says 4. Teacher writes 4 in the answer space on the worksheet. • Assistance or Accommodation? • Accommodation • Level of Assistance? • Independently

Written Performance Summary • Online at www.alsde.edu, Student Assessment, Publications, AAA • One form can be downloaded to be completed by hand • One form can be completed online and printed or saved to desktop • SDE working on form to be downloaded and completed as needed

Evidence Alignment • The evidence must be aligned to the extended standard. • The activity must clearly relate to the extended standard. • For reading extended standards at complexity levels 3 and 4, the intent is for the student to read the story. • More reading by the teacher allowed at complexity levels 1 and 2.

Evidence Alignment • Evidence that does not clearly relate to the standard will be given a score of zero. • The link between the evidence and the extended standard must be clear. For example, tracing numerals measure fine motor skills and are not evidence of academic performance.

Example of Misalignment • M. ES 5.3 Complexity 2—Imitate counting like coins up to $1.00 • First piece of evidence: Sheet with different coins on it. Task summary stated the teacher called out certain money (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) while the student correctly pointed to each on the sheet. • Aligned to the extended standard? • No!

Example of Misalignment • M. ES 5.3 Complexity 2—Imitate counting like coins up to $1.00 • Second piece of evidence: Worksheet with different coins on one side and values on the other side. Task summary stated the student matched the coins to their value. • Aligned to the extended standard? • No!

Example of Misalignment • M. ES 5.3 Complexity 2—Imitate counting like coins up to $1.00 • Third piece of evidence: Two worksheets divided into 6 sections. Each section had sets of coins (e.g., dime, dime, penny) in them. Task summary stated the student identified the unlike coins by putting an “X” on the coin that did not belong. • Aligned to the extended standard? • No!

Correcting Problems with Evidence Alignment • R. ES 2.5 Complexity 3—Read high frequency words • Teacher reads word and student reads word. • Aligned to standard? • No—not aligned • What should teacher do? • Look at a lower complexity level • Match high frequency words or reacting to pictures of people or objects

Correcting Problems with Evidence Alignment • M. ES 4.3 Complexity 2—Determine place value for 1’s and 10’s. • Student puts blocks into bowl as teacher counts blocks. When ten blocks are placed in the bowl, teacher covers bowl with hand, takes the ten blocks out, and replaces them with a ten block. • Aligned to standard? • No—not aligned • What should teacher do? • Look at a lower complexity • Respond purposefully to regrouping ten 1’s as 10

Correcting Problems with Evidence Alignment • R. ES 6.2 Complexity 3—Identify literary elements including main idea. • Teacher read story and asked student what was the main idea. • Aligned to standard? • No—not aligned • What should teacher do? • Have student read story and identify the main idea. • Look at a lower complexity • Identify main idea of a story when given 2 choices or identify a book by the picture on its cover

Test Materials • Teachers should turn in numbers to the Special Education Coordinator in October or early November • Materials will be ordered by your System Test Coordinator in November • Teacher will request one answer document per student • Teacher will request one Revised 2008 AAA Test Administrator’s Manual

Online Student Registration • Teachers register all students who will be taking the AAA • Used to produce Pre-ID labels • STI demographics must be accurate • Online registration demographics should match • Updates amount of materials to be shipped

Online Student Registration • New passwords will be issued this year • One password per teacher with AAA students • SDE will work with STC to update test administrator list for the LEA • New passwords will be received by STCs by December 7, 2007 • STCs must distribute to teachers by January 4, 2008

Online Student Registration • Online student registration window—January 14-18 • Teacher completes demographics for each student • Once registration is completed, teacher should review to ensure all students are registered and there are no duplicates • New “delete” feature allows teacher to eliminate duplicates

Spring 2008 AAA • The AAA is administered in reading in Grades K-8 and 11 only. • The AAA is administered in mathematics in Grades 3-8 and 11 only. • The AAA will be administered in science in Grades 5, 7 and 11 this spring. • The testing window for the 2008 AAA is March 10-28. • The AAA is no longer used as an alternate assessment for the Alabama Direct Assessments of Writing in Grades 5, 7, & 10.

Body of Evidence • Each extended standard must have three (3) pieces of evidence to illustrate the student’s performance on that standard. • Each piece of evidence submitted must stand on its own. Teachers will not have an opportunity to explain or clarify evidence once it is submitted. • The evidence alone will determine the scores on the AAA.

Scoring Rubric • Alignment determined—Yes, evidence is scored • Complexity— one to four points based on the complexity of the extended standard • Assistance—one to three points based on the level of assistance given • Content mastery • 0 points given for 0-24% mastery • 1 point given for 25-49% mastery • 2 points given for 50-74% mastery • 3 points given for 75-100% mastery

Contrasting Groups Study • Once the body of evidence has been assembled and returned to the STC, Teacher returns online to complete survey • Same CTB Web site and password used for Online Student Registration • Contrasting Groups Study window—March 12-April 4

Alabama Alternate Assessment