NCAAAI: What Is It and Why and How Should I Use It As An Assessment?

1. NCAAAI:What Is It and Why and How Should I Use It As An Assessment? Sheila Garner Brown North Carolina State University Technical Outreach for Public Schools sheila_brown@ncsu.edu

2. What is the NCAAAI? • The North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory (NCAAAI) is an assessment in which teachers utilize a checklist to evaluate student performance in the areas of reading and mathematics at grades 3-8 and 10, writing at grades 4, 7, and 10, and in high school courses in which an end-of-course test is administered. • Data are collected at the beginning of the school year or course (baseline), in the middle (interim), and at the end of the school year or course (final). • As stated in State Board policy HSP-C-005, eligible students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency may participate in the NCAAAI instead of taking the multiple-choice test. • For students with disabilities, participation must be documented in each student’s current IEP. • Students identified as limited English proficient must meet particular criteria set forth in state policy.

3. COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS • NCAAAI North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory • AAP Alternate Assessment Portfolio • HSCT High School Comprehensive Test • OCS Occupational Course of Study • EOG End-of-Grade • EOC End-of-Course • EC Exceptional Children • LEP Limited English Proficient • ESL English as a Second Language • NCLB No Child Left Behind

4. For which assessments can the NCAAAI be used as an alternate? • Grade 3 Pretest in Reading and Math • EOG Tests in Reading and Math at Grades 3-8 • Writing at Grades 4, 7, and 10 • High School Comprehensive Test at Grade 10 • EOC tests for Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, English I, Physical Science, and Physics • Statewide EOC Field Tests for Civics and Economics and U.S. History

5. What do I do first? • Decide which assessment is most appropriate for your student (IEP team process). • This decision should be made using the Guidelines for Making Decisions for Participation of Students with Disabilities and all available academic information.

6. Considerations for Students With Disabilities What should I think about when choosing an assessment for my student?

7. Academics • Where is this student functioning academically? • How does the student access the standard course of study/at what level? • What supports and accommodations are needed for the student to access the curriculum?

8. Types of Assessments Used • What types of assessment has the student used previously? • How is the student assessed currently in the classroom? • What types of modifications and accommodations are used in the classroom?

9. Other Factors That Must be Considered • Parent Input • Student Input When Appropriate • Team Consensus

10. THE DECISION FOR ASSESSMENT SHOULD BE MADE ON AN INDIVIDUALIZED BASIS AND SHOULD NOT BE PART OF A “BLANKET” DECISION FOR A PARTICULAR SCHOOL OR CLASS!!!!!! “The decision to place a student with disabilities on a particular assessment should be made as part of the IEP process after careful consideration of the student’s current academic functioning and how that student accesses the Standard Course of Study. The addition of guidelines for determining students with the most significant cognitive disabilities is a federal NCLB requirement for reporting purposes and should not affect the assessment decision of an IEP team.” DPI/TOPS Staff, TNN announcement 10/6/04

11. The team has decided to use the NCAAAI as the assessment. What do we do now? • Notify test coordinator of decision. • Upon receipt of materials, begin baseline scoring.

12. How to Complete the NCAAAI

13. Principal’s Responsibilities • Assigns assessors for each NCAAAI. • Ensure that all assessors are trained and understand the curriculum. • Monitor completion of the NCAAAI throughout the school year. • Sign at the end of the assessment period that all procedures have been followed appropriately and NCAAAIs are complete, valid, accurate and appropriate.

14. Assessor’s Responsibilities • Teach from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. • Attend a test administration training session. • Complete NCAAAI following procedures and according to established timelines. • Meet with the principal periodically to review the inventory. • Ensure that the inventory reflects student progress. • Sign at the end of the assessment period that all procedures have been followed appropriately and NCAAAIs are complete, valid, accurate and appropriate.

15. Front of folder

16. Inside of folder

17. Back of folder

18. Baseline Student Profile

19. Final Student Profile

20. Baseline Scoring • Begin baseline scoring within the first 30 calendar days of student participation. • Score all objectives based on 0-8 scale. • Date when scoring is completed. • Complete Baseline Student Profile and assessment history. • Begin collecting student work samples.

21. Interim Scoring • Score all objectives using 0-8 scale. • Date when scoring is completed. • Continue to collect student work.

22. Final Scoring • Should be done within the final 30 calendar days of the school year or course. • Score all objectives using 1-8 scores. The 0 score is not allowed at final scoring. • Date when scoring is completed. • Complete Final Student Profile. • Finish collecting student work.

23. Completing Scoring-on back of folder • Transfer final goal or category scores. • Complete transfer information, if applicable. • Answer “Did student achieve growth?’ • Complete final evaluation section. • Transfer scores to scannable information sheet. You are finished!

24. Frequently Asked Questions

25. What is the student work folder, and what goes in it? • The student work folder is the same folder that most teachers keep for all students. • Teachers place ongoing work samples in the folder that show evidence of the objectives in the student’s assessment. • Work samples can be any type of work that the student is completing in the classroom as part of instruction.

26. What information do I need to include for work samples/evidence? • DPI is not setting any requirements for work samples/folders at this time! • LEAs may place requirements on work samples/folders. • Dates and descriptions of modifications are nice…but NOT required by DPI at this time.

27. Does the evidence need to be matched to specific objectives? NO! The work samples/evidence included in the folder should match the student’s level of instruction. If the student is working on 4th grade math, the work samples should show 4th grade math concepts with or without modifications.

28. Who is responsible for completing the NCAAAI? • “The person assigned to complete the NCAAAI must have training in the specific content area being assessed and must have routine contact with the student.” p. 16 of NCAAAI Test Administrator’s Guide for Grades 3-8 and 10

29. Can a student with disabilities score proficient using the NCAAAI? • All students with disabilities have an opportunity to score proficient on the NCAAAI IF they are being assessed on grade level and are completing grade level work. • Students with disabilities assessed 3 or more grade levels below can be scored proficient based on alternate achievement standards, if they are also considered to have a most significant cognitive disability.

30. Why is it possible for some students to achieve proficiency when they are not performing “on grade level?” • The federal government has realized the need to address concerns about proficiency for those students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as they relate to NCLB. The December 9, 2003 Federal Register provided that states were allowed to report up to 1% of the tested student population as proficient based on alternate achievement standards. Only students with the most significant cognitive disabilities may be included in this group.

31. What is a “most significant cognitive disability?”

32. “To identify students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, all of the following must be true: • The student requires extensive and explicit instruction to acquire, maintain, and generalize new reading and mathematics skills for independent living. • The student exhibits severe and pervasive delays in multiple areas of development and in adaptive behavior (e.g., mobility, communication, daily living skills, and self-care). • The student’s IEP annual goals focus on the functional application of academics (reading, mathematics, and writing). • The student’s performance is evaluated against alternate achievement standards (essences of the standard course of study or 3 or more years below grade level).”

33. Can a student be assessed using the NCAAAI for reading and math, and then assessed using the AAP (Portfolio) for writing? • NO, the portfolio is an “all-or-nothing” assessment. If a student is assessed using the NCAAAI for reading and math, they must be assessed using the NCAAAI or the standard test administration with or without accommodations for writing.

34. Is the NCAAAI for Grade 10 HSCT for reading and math a yearlong assessment? • The grade 10 reading and math High School Comprehensive Test (HSCT) is administered as a yearlong assessment.

35. What if my student is not taking math or English both semesters? Who completes the NCAAAI? • The principal assigns the assessor. The assessor must have training in the content area and must work routinely with the student. • It is possible that there will be a different assessor for the fall and spring semester.

36. Can a student who is LEP, but is also identified as a student with disabilities, be assessed below grade level? • A student who is LEP, but also identified as a student with disabilities MAY be assessed below grade level. This decision would be made by the IEP team. • The EC eligibility always takes precedence over the LEP status. • The student would be eligible for the standard test administration with or without accommodations, the NCAAAI or the AAP, depending on the decision from the IEP team.

37. Do students in the OCS who are in 10th grade have to take the writing assessment at grade level? • Students in the OCS are not required to take the writing assessment at grade 10.

38. Is the Writing Assessment at Grades 4, 7, and 10 always assessed on grade level? And if so, why can this assessment not be completed below grade level? • The writing assessments are required as part of the Statewide Testing Program. They are required for all 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students (except 10th grade students in the OCS program). • The writing assessments in grades 4, 7, and 10 do not have below grade level assessments because they are not offered at all grade levels as are the EOG tests (3-8). Therefore, there would be no below grade level assessment to offer. • Below grade level assessments for 3-8 reading and math are offered because standard tests have been developed for those grades.

39. If a student with disabilities has taken the standard test administration with accommodations last school year, and scored proficient (Level III or IV), should he/she be placed on the below grade level NCAAAI this school year? • If a student with disabilities took the standard test with accommodations last year and scored proficient, there would not seem to be a reason to place the student on the below grade level NCAAAI unless there were circumstances that had resulted in a change/decrease in the student’s abilities (ex. brain injury). • The student has proven that he/she is able to perform on grade level the previous year. • To be deemed proficient for this school year using the NCAAAI, the student would have to be assessed either on grade level OR 3 or more grade levels below and be determined to have a most significant cognitive disability. • As always, this is an IEP team decision.

40. Must every objective on the NCAAAI be taught during the school year? • Every objective included on the NCAAAI must be assessed by the final scoring period. • The score of 0 is available at baseline and interim to address those objectives for which you have no assessment information. • At the final scoring period, all objectives must have a score of 1-8.

41. Why does the NCAAAI for OCS 10th graders not cover the same objectives as the OCS curriculum? • All assessments are aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. • OCS curriculum is based on the standard course of study at a lower level. Activities in the OCS should parallel the objectives in reading and mathematics, though they may not be exact. • Existing AAAIs were designed to serve as alternate assessments for specific tests. • Evidence from OCS activities would be functional applications of skills taught in lower grades in reading and mathematics.

42. Why are students in the OCS program required to take the HSCT, if it is not a requirement for graduation? • According to NCLB, all students must be assessed in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in grades 10-12. • The NCAAAI is one option for OCS students to fulfill this requirement. • A science requirement is being added in the next few years. An alternate assessment for science is in the process of being developed at this time.

43. What is the most important thing to remember when deciding whether or not to assess using the NCAAAI? • The most important thing to remember when making an assessment decision is what is best for the individual student. ALL assessment decisions should be made based on what is most appropriate and challenging for an individual student!

44. LISTEN TO THE MUSTN’TS Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child, Listen to the DON’TS Listen to the SHOULDN’TS The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS Listen to the NEVER HAVES Then listen close to me— Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be. Shel Silverstein Where the Sidewalk Ends

45. Questions/More info. Needed? • www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/ncaaai • ESL website: www.learnnc.org/dpi/instserv.nsf/Category4 • NCAAAI questions: Sheila Brown at sheila_brown@ncsu.edu • Policy questions: Pam Biggs at pbiggs@dpi.state.nc.us

46. Contributors • Pam Biggs, Testing Policy and Operations, Department of Public Instruction • Phyllis Blackmon and Marcy Roan, Technical Outreach for Public Schools, North Carolina State University