North Carolina Alternate Assessment Program

1. North Carolina Alternate Assessment Program Overview of Alternate Assessment changes for 2005-2006 Jim Kroening Erin Bohner Sheila Brown

2. Federal Regulations and Alternate Assessments • Title I- Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)- Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities. • Under Title I regulations, states are permitted to develop alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and to include those students’ proficient and advanced scores on alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards in measuring adequate yearly progress (AYP), subject to a cap of 1.0%. • Information accumulated from the experiences of many states, as well as recent research, indicates that there are other students who, because of their disability, have significant difficulty achieving grade-level proficiency, even with the best instruction.

3. Federal Regulations and Alternate Assessments • New regulations allow a state to define modified achievement standards for some students with disabilities. • Modified achievement standards must provide access to grade-level curriculum and be aligned with the state’s academic content standards for the grade in which the student is enrolled.

4. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • For a student to be placed on an on grade-level alternate to the standard assessment (NCCLAS) • The student must require an alternate means to demonstrate their academic progress on grade-level concepts. This might include: • Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) who have been assessed on the state identified English Language proficiency tests as below Intermediate High in reading in their first 2 years (24 months) in U.S. Schools for participation in reading and mathematics NCCLAS, • Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) who have been assessed on the state identified English Language proficiency tests as below Superior in writing in their first 2 years (24 months) in U.S. Schools for participation in writing NCCLAS,

5. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • Some students with disabilities with a current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) who are unable to access the standard tests even with the use of approved accommodations and assistive technology.

6. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • For a student to be placed on an assessment based on modified achievement standards (NCEXTEND2), • The student must have a current IEP; • The student DOES NOT have a current 504 plan; • The student, if identified as limited English proficient (LEP), must also have a current IEP;

7. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • The student IS NOT identified as having a significant cognitive disability; • The student IS NOT receiving instruction in the SCS through the Essences/Extensions; • The student’s progress in response to high-quality instruction is such that the student is not likely to achieve grade-level proficiency within the school year covered by the IEP;

8. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • The student’s disability has precluded the student from achieving grade level proficiency, as demonstrated by objective evidence, (e.g., results from standardized state tests, IQ tests, achievement tests, aptitude tests, and psychological evaluations. It is the expectation that more than one objective measure would be used to assist in the evaluation of a student’s assessment placement.);and • The nature of the student’s disability may require assessments that are different in design.

9. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • For a student to be placed on an assessment based on alternate achievement standards (NCAAP/NCEXTEND1) • The student must have a significant cognitive disability, meaning: • 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).

10. North Carolina Response to Federal Legislation • 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.

11. NCCLAS for EOG and EOC

12. NCCLAS is: • Alternate assessment based on grade-level standards • For students who need alternate means to demonstrate their academic performance on grade-level concepts. • Designed for some LEP students and some Students with Disabilities

13. NCCLAS is: • Checklist of skills based on specific objectives from the Standard Course of Study (SCS) • Requires two assessors to score student academic performance • Scores submitted through online system

14. NCCLAS is an alternate for: • Reading grades 3-8 • Mathematics grades 3-8 • HSCT grade 10 Reading • HSCT grade 10 Mathematics • Writing grades 4, 7 and 10 • End-of-Course Exams (Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Physical Science, Civics and Economics, U.S. History, English I)

15. NCCLAS consists of: • Folder format • Checklist of individual objectives • Rubric and Objective Level Performance Indicators • Final goal level scoring worksheet • Student profiles • Required work samples • Two assessors for each student

16. NCCLAS Final Scoring Requirements • Completed by Assessors 1 and 2 • Assessors 1 and 2 complete final scoring independently • Assessor 2 uses the student work samples to complete the final scoring • Scores submitted through online system

17. NCCLAS assessors • Principal assigns the assessors. • Assessor 1: • should have routine contact with the student, • be the primaryinstructor for the specific grade-level subject area, • be able to document the student’s academic performance through the use of work samples, observations, and other student work. • Assessor 2: • should also have some knowledge of the student’s academic performance, • may not be the primary instructor for the specific grade-level subject area.

18. NCCLAS Scoring • Scores from both assessors submitted online • Score points and achievement level assigned through computer program • Standards were approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) in December • EOC conversion chart will be made available to schools • Based on a scale of 4-16 • Goals weighted as EOC/EOG assessments

19. NCEXTEND2for End-of-Grade

20. NCEXTEND2 is an alternate for: • Reading Grades 3-8 • Mathematics Grades 3-8 • Writing Grades 4 and 7

21. NCEXTEND2 is: • On grade-level assessment • Modified achievement standards • Modified multiple-choice assessment • Shorter passages • Fewer test questions (40 items) • Fewer answer choices (3 instead of 4) • Simplified vocabulary

22. What does it mean to have Modified Achievement Standards for NCEXTEND2? • Students are assessed on grade-level Standard Course of Study (SCS) • Achievement levels are modified which means the standard for proficiency will differ for NCEXTEND2 than for the standard end-of-grade assessment • Only for students who meet the eligibility criteria for NCEXTEND2

23. Modified Multiple-Choice Format • Shorter passages • Fewer test questions (40 items) • Fewer answer choices (3 instead of 4) • Simplified vocabulary • Modified page layout • 1-2 items per page • No columns • Items go across page

24. NCEXTEND2 Writing Grades 4 and 7 • Grade-level content – modified achievement standards • Extended response • Same prompt • Same rubrics • Modified response document • Modified standards

25. NCEXTEND2 for Occupational Course of Study (OCS)

26. NCEXTEND2 OCS is an alternate for: • Required high school assessments in reading, mathematics, writing, and science. • For North Carolina, those required courses include Biology, Algebra I, English I, and Writing at Grade 10

27. NCEXTEND2 OCS Assessments • Occupational Mathematics I* • Occupational English I (Reading)* • Life Skills Science I and II* • Writing Assessment at Grade 10 • * All assessments are given upon completion of the course.

28. NCEXTEND2 OCS format • Based on the OCS curriculum • Forty item multiple-choice test • Simplified vocabulary • Fewer answer choices (3 instead of 4) • *Field tested in spring 2006

29. NCEXTEND2 OCS Writing Grade 10 • Curriculum expectations based on the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) • Extended response • Prompt stimulus • Same rubrics

30. NCEXTEND1

31. NCEXTEND1 is an alternate for: • Reading grades 3-8 • Mathematics grades 3-8 • Writing grades 4 and 7 • Science grades 5 and 8 • Required high school assessments in reading, mathematics, writing, and science

32. NCEXTEND1 is: • Alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities • Based on the grade-level extensions of the Standard Course of Study (SCS) • Students are evaluated based on alternate achievement standards

33. NCEXTEND1 is: • State developed performance tasks • Tasks are written by NC Special Education teachers • Requires two assessors to score student performance • NCEXTEND1 is an “all or nothing” assessment. Its components may not be split. • For example a student may not use the NCEXTEND1 for reading and the NCEXTEND2 for mathematics

34. NCEXTEND1 is: • Teachers will utilize an online system to select example tasks at an appropriate level for each of their students for whom the NCEXTEND1 is their designated assessment • Actual tasks will be delivered in November • Level of a student’s tasks will be based on the teacher’s selections of the task examples

35. NCEXTEND1 is: • Student will be assessed on a subset of the these tasks during a six week testing window in the spring. • Two assessors will evaluate the student’s performance. • Assessors 1 and 2 will enter their scores independently online

36. Spring 2006NCEXTEND1 Field Test • Field test of • reading (3-8 &10), • mathematics (3-8 & 10), • writing (4,7,10), and • science (5, 8, 10) • Field test of the process • Teachers only – all teachers with student’s in this year’s NCAAP

37. Spring 2006NCEXTEND1 Field Test “Field test of the process” means … • Teachers will utilize an online system to select example tasks at an appropriate level for each of their students currently on the NCAAP. • Tasks will be delivered for each student based on the teacher’s selections task examples

38. Spring 2006NCEXTEND1 Field Test “Field test of the process” means … • Teachers will give feedback about the process and about the tasks delivered. • All tasks will be linked to grade-level extensions of the SCS • Opportunity for comments or questions

39. NCEXTEND1 Operational for the 2006-2007school year

40. Contact Information • Mildred Bazemore, Section Chief, NCDPI • 919-807-3774 • mbazemore@dpi.state.nc.us • Jim Kroening, NCDPI • 919-515-4225 • jkroening@dpi.state.nc.us • Erin Bohner, TOPS/NCSU • 919-515-4202 • erin_bohner@ncsu.edu • Sheila Brown, TOPS/NCSU • 919-515-1431 • sheila_brown@ncsu.edu