Georgia Alternate Assessment

1. Georgia Alternate Assessment 2010-2011 Fall Training Brad Bryant State Superintendent of Schools

2. Welcome to the Georgia Alternate Assessment 2010-2011Fall Training • This session will begin at 9 a.m. • While you are waiting, please do the following: • Enter/edit your profile information by going to: • Tools - Preferences - My Profile… • Fill out the info on the “Identity” tab and click “OK” • To view the profile of another user, hover your mouse over his or her name in theParticipantswindow • Configure your microphone and speakers by going to: • Tools – Audio – Audio setup wizard • Confirm your connection speed by going to: • Tools – Preferences – Connection speed

3. Welcome to the 2010-2011 GAA This slide presentation is designed to prepare designated trainers with the information and resources necessary to redeliver training for the 2010-2011 GAA in their schools and systems. Companion presentation modules are available online with information specific to various topics and audiences. These presentations serve as introductory components for training. Reading and understanding the GAA Examiner’s Manual, 2010-2011, is necessary to implement the portfolio process.

4. Topics for Today Recipe for Redelivery Planning, Preparation, Delivery, and Resources for GAA Training in Systems and Schools A Look Back at the 2009–2010 Administration Updates for the 2010-2011 Administration Portfolio Validation Ethics Test security

5. Topics for Today Peer review How to Structure a Peer Review of the Portfolio Checklist for Teachers and Portfolio Reviewers Alignment Being True to the Standard Aligning to the Specific Aspects of the Element

6. Topics for Today Documentation Completing the Entry Sheet Choosing the Appropriate Type of Evidence Annotating Evidence Documentation of Level of Independence/Prompting Scoring How Evidence is Considered During Scoring Understanding the Scoring Dimensions

7. Recipe for Redelivery–A Guide for GAA Trainers 2010-2011 Georgia Alternate Assessment 2010-2011 GAA

8. Recipe for Redelivery Systems should implement protocols that verify: designated GAA Trainers have attended the 2010-2011 Fall GAA Training (via Elluminate), when and by whom training is redelivered to test examiners, all test examiners (new and returning) have been trained in GAA procedures for the current administration, and all teachers have access to necessary professional development opportunities.

9. Recipe for Redelivery Ingredients Planning Scheduling the training session(s) Identifying the participants Preparation Familiarizing yourself with materials prior to redelivery of training Providing/preparing materials for participants Ingredients Planning Preparation Delivery Activities Resources

10. Recipe for Redelivery Ingredients Delivering Training Reviewing the manuals Leading activities Providing Resources People, materials, websites

11. Recipe for Redelivery–Planning Schedule the training session(s) Who will be responsible for training? Will training be done at the system or school level? When and where will training be delivered? Will training occur on one date or will it be recurring? Verify dates with the Building Administrator. Get the dates on the school/system calendar so that necessary arrangements can be made.

12. Recipe for Redelivery–Planning Identify the participants It will be most effective if the training is tailored to a specific audience so focus can be placed on the important issues for each group. Test Examiners new teachers, returning teachers student population being assessed Building Administrators, Test Coordinators, Special Ed Directors

13. Recipe for Redelivery–Preparation Assemble and provide training materials appropriate to audience Manuals Administration forms PowerPoints Training modules Rubric Nonscorable conditions Supplemental resources Samples for interactive activities

14. Recipe for Redelivery–Preparation Review materials before training Read the manual(s) Review updated information for current admin Practice the PowerPoint presentations Plan interactive activities using the Planning Sheets using documentation samples using the provided sample entries for scoring

15. Recipe for Redelivery–Delivery Deliver training Reference the manual Review Table of Contents Familiarize participants with information and resources provided in each section Review evidence requirements, sample entries, Blueprint and Standards documents Use the PowerPoints as your guide Determine what information is most salient to given audience

16. Recipe for Redelivery–Delivery Lead Activities Using the Planning Sheet to design/record tasks Review administration forms and supplemental resources Interactive documentation activities Interactive scoring activities Implementing the Portfolio Review Process

17. Recipe for Redelivery–Resources Provide resources People, contact information Deborah Houston,GaDOE Assessment Division Dhouston@doe.k12.ga.us (404) 657-0251 Kayse Harshaw, Division for Special Education Services Sharshaw@doe.k12.ga.us (404) 463-5281 Questar GAA Customer Service Hotline GA@QuestarAI.com Toll free (866) 997-0698

18. Recipe for Redelivery–Resources Provide resources Websites, links GAA Resources, GAA Presentations, Curriculum Access for SWSCD Gadoe.org, Curriculum, Testing, GAA Georgia Performance Standards, Frameworks Georgiastandards.org GAA Resource Board http://admin.doe.k12.ga.us/gadoe/sla/agps.nsf Contact Kayse Harshaw for login and password

19. A Look Back at the2009-2010 Administration of the GAA

20. A Look Back at 2009-2010 Congratulations on a very successful administration of the 2009-2010 GAA! Each administration has shown marked improvements in the quality of the portfolio entries. Instructional activities were well thought out and purposeful for the students. 2009-2010

21. GAA Portfolios Submitted 11,620portfolios were submitted in 2009-2010 compared to 10,933for 2008-2009. This table provides a breakdown, by grade, including the total number of entries for both 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.

22. 2009-2010 GAA Portfolios In general, the portfolios were complete and well executed. It was apparent that emphasis continues on training as well as on utilizing the manual. The portfolios provided valuable information as to areas of focus for upcoming training. Training will continue to focus on alignment, documentation, and evidence requirements. Across all grades and content areas, the vast majority of students met or exceeded expectations as demonstrated by their Performance Level Indicator.

23. 2009-2010 GAA Portfolios Number and percent of Nonscorables went down in all categories as compared to all previous administrations. There continue to be decreases in both number and percent of nonscorables seen in all categories. Analysis of nonscorables provides invaluable information for the focus of future professional development (especially in those areas that increased or remained the same). These decreases can be attributed to both the experience of 4 years of administration and the focus on training and peer review of portfolios. Continued emphasis on Peer Review is critical.

24. Frequency of Nonscorablesby Number and Percent

25. 2009-2010 GAA Portfolios The portfolios provided valuable information as to areas of focus for ongoing professional development. Alignment Documentation Evidence Requirements Portfolio Review and Ethics Training and support will continue to be provided in the form of: GAA Fall Workshops, Webinars focusing on GAA administration as well as access to the curriculum, the GAA Resource Board, and portfolio review by peers and Building Administrators.

26. Updates for the 2010-2011Administration of the GAA

27. Updates for 2010-2011 The following information is NEW for the 2010-2011 administration of the GAA. It is vital that all test examiners review and understand these changes prior to administering the assessment. Assessment of grades 1 and 2 Changes impacting the grade 11 GAA Collection Periods Entry Sheets Optional Annotation Page

28. Updates for 2010-2011 Grades 1 and 2 will not be assessed on the 2010-2011 GAA As a result of funding reductions, the CRCT will not be administered in grades 1 and 2; therefore, the GAA for grades 1 and 2 is not required. Please note: if local districts mandate an assessment for grades 1 and 2, an alternate assessment must be provided for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

29. Updates for 2010-2011 Changes to the Grade 11 GAA Beginning with the 2010-2011 administration, access courses taken by students with significant disabilities will be incorporated into the GAA in high school. The grade 11 GAA has been expanded to serve as the high school alternate assessment program, covering content from both the GHSGT and EOCT. Eight (8) entries total will be submitted for the grade 11 GAA. 2 ELA entries: Reading/American Literature and Communications 2 Mathematics entries: Mathematics I and Mathematics II 2 Science entries: Biology and Physical Science (NEW) 2 Social Studies entries: U.S History and Economics (NEW)

30. Updates for 2010-2011 Changes to the Grade 11 GAA–retest opportunities The new graduation requirements allow for GAA retest opportunities. Students entering grade 11 in 2010-2011 will have their first retest opportunity in Fall of the 2011-2012 school year. There will be two retests opportunities per year (Fall and Spring). The student will retest only in the content area(s) in which he/she was not proficient.

31. Updates for 2010-2011 Collection Periods The required number of days between collection periods has been changed from 21 to 14 calendar days. Primary Evidence for Collection Period 1 must now be dateda minimum of 14 calendar days before the date of Primary Evidence for Collection Period 2. Evidence must still represent 2 distinct collection periods. All Collection Period 1 tasks must be completed before Collection Period 2 tasks are begun.

32. Updates for 2010-2011 Entry Sheets Entry sheets required for the GAA will no longer be provided in the portfolio binders but will be available from the System Test Coordinator upon request. Hard copies of the forms for the 2010-2011 administration will still be available via request to the System Test Coordinator (STC).

33. Updates for 2010-2011 Optional Annotation Page An optional annotation page has been provided in the Tips and Tools section of the 2010-2011 GAA Examiner’s Manual (see pg. 59) available to download from the GAA website. Any annotation page included by the teacher or at the behest of the system is acceptable. An annotation page is included at the discretion of the teacher and is not required. This optional form is not necessary so long as pertinent information is included on the evidence.

34. Optional Evidence Annotation Sheet This Annotation Sheet is an optional form and may be included at the discretion of the teacher. A separate annotation page is not necessary so long as the pertinent information has been included somewhere within the evidence. Optional

35. Portfolio Validation, Ethics, and Test Security

36. Portfolio Validation

37. Portfolio Validation The portfolio validation process requires signature on the Validation Form which authenticates the student work included in the portfolio. This form is a required document that must be completed and signed by both the Building Administrator and the person responsible for submitting the portfolio. Refusal to sign the Validation Form is NOT an option This is a secure document which will be checked upon receipt.

38. Portfolio Validation By signing the Validation Form, both the Building Administrator and the person responsible for submitting the portfolio attest: The contents of the portfolio are the work of the student. No evidence was fabricated, altered, or modified. Portfolio evidence is an accurate depiction of student’s involvement and achievement/progress in tasks. All procedures and protocols have been followed.

39. Portfolio Validation Violation of any of the aforementioned requirements for compiling student work for the GAA may result in the portfolio being invalidated and could result in additional actions or consequences. Should the Building Administrator, Portfolio Reviewer, or STC discover any irregularities, the portfolio can be returned to the teacher for correction. If it is too late in the process or not feasible to return the portfolio to the school/teacher, an IrregularitiesForm must be completed by the System Test Coordinator alerting the GaDOE to the problem.

40. Validation Form The Validation Form has been improved to address certain unethical issues that should never occur during the assembly of a student’s portfolio.

41. Validation Form The teacher/test examiner must provide a signature to certify the contents of the portfolio as the work of the student. For all entries submitted by the examiner In the case of transfer students, the teacher certifies that, for all entries that they are responsible for submitting, the work is that of the student. Signature required

42. Validation Form The Building Administrator is required to check the appropriate box and sign the form verifying that he/she has reviewed the contents of the portfolio. Should the Test Examiner be unable to validate either the contents or the procedures used in compiling the portfolio, it is required that the System Test Coordinator be notified and appropriate action taken. Signature required

43. Validation Form Two Validation Forms, one from the sending school/system and one from the receiving school/system, must be submitted for students transferring between Georgia schools.

44. Ethics Portfolio Invalidations Implementation Considerations

45. Ethics The Georgia Alternate Assessment is a state and federally mandated assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities who have met the participation guidelines and have been determined appropriate for the assessment by their IEP teams. This assessment must adhere to all of the protocols and procedures required for the general assessments. A breach of any of the validation or security policies constitutes both a procedural and ethical violation necessitating an investigation and possible consequences.

46. Invalidations The majority of portfolios submitted for the 2009-2010 GAA were compiled following prescribed policies and procedures and the evidence submitted represented authentic student work. There was a significant increase, however, in the number of portfolios that were invalidated for this administration. This is cause for concern. Potential causes and contributing factors must be considered to ensure that this trend does not continue.

47. Invalidations Irregularities and questions about evidence authenticity were sometimes discovered and self-reported by schools and/or systems. brought to light during portfolio review process noted by Building Administrators during validation process reported, sometimes anonymously, by various school personnel

48. Invalidations Had these irregularities been discovered, addressed, and corrected prior to portfolio submission, it would have been unnecessary to report it to the state so long as it was dealt with at the school/system level.

49. Invalidations Issues regarding evidence authenticity and possible fabrication were also discovered during scoring. Representatives of the GaDOE along with a group of specially trained Team Leaders recognized incidents of questionable evidence and practices. Problems most frequently reported include: dates changed, covered over with White-out or collection period labels, or erased; observation and interview forms with identical information attributed to multiple students; Identical permanent products attributed to multiple students (not group work).

50. Implementation Considerations Principals are critical! The GAA must be given the same consideration, resources, and support provided for all programs. Teachers need support Planning time needs to be scheduled; substitutes provided Collaboration with general ed teachers and content experts to understand curriculum standards Collaboration with other special educators to discuss/share/review aligned tasks Professional development concerning curriculum access