Background
What are state assessments?
Achievement assessments measure students on what they know and are able to do. They replace Ohio’s proficiency tests. For the 2010-2011 school year, the tests for English language arts (reading only) and mathematics will be administered in all grades 3-8. Science will be administered in the 5th and 8th grades. Students in the 10th grade will take tests in all five subject areas.
Currently, all students must pass state tests in five subject areas to graduate from high school. The Class of 2006 was the last class required to pass the ninth-grade proficiency tests in order to meet the testing requirements to earn an Ohio diploma. Beginning with the class of 2007, students have to pass all parts of the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) to meet the testing requirements to earn an Ohio diploma. The OGT tests are given beginning in 10th grade. Students who do not pass have up to three opportunities each year to take the tests in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
State and federal regulations require that all students, including those with disabilities, participate in state- and district-wide assessments. As a means of facilitating their participation, these students may receive appropriate assessment accommodations.
It is expected that a small percentage of students in the general population, even with accommodations, will have a disability that prevents their participation.
In July 2000, Ohio implemented an alternate assessment for students with disabilities. This was designed to ensure the participation of all Ohio children in assessment and accountability systems. The alternate assessment was based upon a review of the student’s individual progress by the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. Results of the assessment were expressed in terms of a child’s individual progress, based on the IEP team review.
In 2001-2002, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) began working to develop an updated alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This work was brought about by the adoption of Ohio’s academic content standards through Ohio Senate Bill 1; requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act; and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The primary goal for updating Ohio’s alternate assessment system for students with disabilities was to ensure that the alternate assessment would document specific ways in which students demonstrate knowledge and skills relative to the Ohio academic content standards. A secondary goal was to design assessments which would report achievement in the same way as the regular assessments. The updated system of alternate assessments was developed based on a collection of evidence (COE) model.
Is the Alternate Assessment a Test?
No. Ohio’s standards-based alternative assessment for students with disabilities (AASWD) documents access to grade-level content standards that reflect an alternate level of achievement for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Grade level content standards define what all children should know and be able to do as they progress through school, an alternate level of achievement represents level of performance expectations that is less complex then the regular grade level assessment.
The alternate assessment is a collection of evidence that shows student performance of standards-based knowledge and skills within the context of classroom instruction. A COE model represents evidence documenting student performance of standards-based knowledge and skills within the context of classroom instruction. This is a specific requirement of NCLB.
Subject Areas Assessed by the
Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities, 2010-11
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all students need to participate in state assessments?
Yes. With the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there is no longer a question of whether students will participate in statewide testing; the question is how they will participate.
Do all IEP goals need to be standards-based, aligned to Ohio Academic Content Standards?
Every student in Ohio will receive instruction aligned to the Ohio Academic Content Standards. In addition, each student has a variety of learning needs that may or may not be related to the standards, and that is appropriate.
Who determines which students will participate in the AASWD?
Decisions concerning a student’s participation in statewide and district-wide assessment are made at least annually by each student’s IEP team. The State of Ohio provides IEP teams with guidelines for participation in the AASWD.
Who participates in Ohio’s AASWD?
Ohio’s AASWD was developed for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Participation in the AASWD is not based solely on disability condition, achievement level, school attendance or social/cultural factors. For further information, refer to Chapter 2 of the AASWD Administration Manual on the ODE Web site at education.ohio.gov, keyword search Alternate Assessment.
Does the 1% “cap” limit the number of students who take the AASWD?
No. The restriction is not on the number of qualifying students who may participate in the Alternate Assessment. The restriction is on the count of proficient or higher scores on the Alternate Assessment that can be used for accountability purposes. For more information, please contact the ODE Office of Accountability.
Should students who are not expected to do well on the grade-level general assessments participate in the AASWD?
The decision about a student’s participation in the AASWD must not be made on the basis of the student’s “perceived probability” of poor achievement on the general assessments. As many students as possible should participate in the general assessments.
Can students participate in the general assessment in one content area (e.g., mathematics) and participate in the AASWD in another content area (e.g., reading)?
No. If a student can participate in any part of the general assessment, then he or she should take the entire general assessment with accommodations as needed. As many students as possible should participate in the general assessment.
When is an AASWD conducted?
The AASWD is conducted as part of a student’s daily instruction over a period of several months, beginning in the fall or winter of the school year. The final Collection of Evidence (COE) is submitted to the scoring contractor in March.
If a new student arrives in my classroom in February, do I have to do an AASWD for him or her?
Yes, if a student enrolls in a district at any time prior to the last day to collect evidence and submit it to the scoring vendor, and the student’s IEP indicates that he or she is to be assessed using the AASWD, then the district MUST submit a collection of evidence binder for him or her. Depending on the exact timing of the transfer, the “sending” district may have begun to fill the binder. The receiving district should work with the sending district to determine whether some evidence has been collected and to obtain the student’s binder so that the assessment can be completed and submitted.
How do students in ungraded programs participate in the AASWD?
If a student is currently assigned to a grade for purposes of EMIS, the student must participate in assessments according to this grade classification. Students who currently are not assigned to a grade should be assigned to a grade level on the basis of their chronological age and participate in assessments with their same-age peers. It is critical that the EMIS grade assignment correspond to the grade-level Collection of Evidence submitted for the AASWD.
Students at the beginning of these grades are approximately the following ages:
Grade 3..........Ages 8 to 9
Grade 4..........Ages 9 to 10
Grade 5..........Ages 10 to 11
Grade 6..........Ages 11 to 12
Grade 7..........Ages 12 to 13
Grade 8..........Ages 13 to 14
Grade 9..........Ages 14 to 15
Grade 10........Ages 15 to 16
If a student who takes the AASWD is retained a grade but was proficient on the AASWD the previous year, do they have to take the AASWD again for the same grade level?
Yes, all students must take the assessment for the grade they are enrolled, even if they took the same assessment the prior year and were proficient.
Who assembles the Collection of Evidence (COE)?
The Collection of Evidence (COE) is collected and assembled by the educators who work with the students. The responsibility for the AASWD process should be shared by IEP team members. Joint planning and a common time line for instruction and assessment will help special and general educators, related service providers and parents collaborate and complete the AASWD process.
What role do Entry Sheets play?
Entry sheets are used for planning purposes only. Entry sheets are not to be submitted with the COE. If Entry Sheets are submitted with the COE, they will be disregarded.
What is the CoED Software?
The Collection of Evidence Developer (CoED) software program is developed by consultants working for the State Support Team Region 5. The stand alone program format allows teachers to complete paper documentation of their alternate assessment electronically. Teachers enter the alternate assessment information which then populates into the identified Entry and Evidence Cover Sheets. This reduces teacher time by eliminating repetitive data entry. The CoED software was NOT developed by ODE. The Office of Assessment does endorse the use of the CoED software, but is unable to provide technical support or be held responsible for use of the program. It has been recognized, through much positive feedback, that most teachers who use the software appreciate its ease of use and time saving contribution. The evidence cover sheets generated by the program may be used in lieu of ODE versions of the same forms.
For more information or to download the most recent version of the CoED, contact your region’s State Support Team.
When a student is receiving special education services outside his or her district of residence, which district is responsible for that student’s AASWD?
This student’s AASWD should be a collaborative effort between the district of service and the district of residence. In most cases, the district of residence is responsible for administrative functions. These include providing the student’s SSID number, ordering assessment materials, identifying the district and building IRN numbers within the district of residence, and submitting the completed COE to the test contractors for scoring. The district of service plans, collects and assembles evidence for the AASWD.
However, in some unique situations (e.g., students placed by the Department of Youth Services, students placed in a Juvenile Detention Center), the student may not count for the district of residence for accountability purposes. For testing purposes, the student scores are sent to the district and school IRNs that are recorded in the student’s record in TIDE. For EMIS reporting, it is up to the districts of residence and service, with the assistance of their EMIS coordinators, to identify how the student’s scores will be submitted in EMIS.
Who scores the AASWD?
The AASWDs follow the same procedures for scoring as Ohio’s general assessments. The AASWDs are scored by trained scorers in a central location.
What criteria will be used to score the Collection of Evidence (COE)?
The COE will be scored across four categories, known as domains: Performance, Instructional Context, Independence, and Settings and Interactions.
Who receives the results of the AASWD and how are they reported?
Student scores are reported to districts within 60 days of test submission. Scores are sent to the district and school whose IRNs are recorded in the student’s COESAD. It is up to districts to forward the scores to parents.
The achievement levels of AASWD participants will be combined with those of general assessment participants. The achievement levels of all students are used for school, district and state accountability and are part of the Local Report Card. It is the responsibility of districts to determine where each student counts and appropriately have their scores reported in EMIS.
The district and school which receive a student’s scores from assessment and where the student’s scores are ultimately reported in EMIS are separate issues.
How do teachers get training and technical assistance to administer the AASWD?
State Support Teams in Ohio provide training and technical assistance for school districts in the planning and administration of the AASWD.
What’s the status of the AA-MAS or 2% Modified Assessment?
Adopted final federal regulations (effective 5/9/07) and guidance (7/20/07) provide states with an opportunity to develop a new, optional alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The Ohio AA-MAS grants additional flexibility, up to 2% of proficient scores, for states and districts in their assessment and accountability systems. The population for whom such assessments would be appropriate is NOT the same population as students eligible for the AASWD.
The ODE received a federal grant to begin development of the AA-MAS in 2007. In Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, the ODE conducted pilot testing of 7th and 8th grade students who were general education (as a control group) and eligible students with disabilities. The ODE also conducted field testing in Spring 2010 of eligible students with disabilities in 5th – 10th grade. The ODE received an additional federal grant beginning July 1, 2010 for 3 more years to continue researching the characteristics of persistently low performing students and how to make statewide assessments more accessible for these students to demonstrate their knowledge of grade-level content.
For AA-MAS eligibility guidelines and resources, go to education.ohio.gov, key word search “AA-MAS”.
Do third graders who take the AASWD OAA in spring have to take the grade 3 Reading OAA during the previous fall administration?
No. The students who are eligible for AASWD cannot take a standardized test and provide meaningful information. The AASWD is given over a lengthy period of time, so practically there is no opportunity to collect sufficient third grade reading evidence for a “fall” administration of the AASWD.
Can a student who takes the fall grade 3 Reading OAA take the grade 3 AASWD OAA in the spring?
No, in most cases. It is possible that an IEP team is unsure about the severity of a student’s disabilities in terms of taking standardized tests of academic content and providing meaningful information for a younger student (such as a third grader), and so the IEP team may choose to have such a student take the OAA for third grade reading one time, in order to establish the student’s level of achievement, and then reconvene and decide that the AASWD is the most appropriate test participation for the student. However, second grade diagnostic measures, released test forms and practice tests for grade 3 reading OAA are readily available and should be used locally to help guide the IEP team in making this determination prior to the fall grade 3 reading administration.
Can a student who takes the regular OGT in grade 10 take the AASWD OGT the following year?
No, in nearly all cases. A tenth grade student whose IEP team has determined that the regular OGT is an appropriate testing option should be able to participate a second time in the regular OGT, unless some traumatic event has affected the student.
Can a student take both a regular OAA or OGT test AND the AASWD in the SAME year?
No. There are no circumstances (beyond the scenario described above) where this is allowable. Test vendor records for the regular OAA/OGT and the AASWD are annually audited to monitor compliance with this requirement.
Resources
Ohio Department of Education Web page for the AASWD, including alternate assessment manuals and other related resources, at education.ohio.gov, keyword search Alternate Assessment.
The Ohio Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or provision of service.
Publication date: July 2005
Revised: September 2011
Guidelines for Participation in AASWD8
Federal Regulations9 and ORC 3301.07.11 stipulate that all students, including those with disabilities, must take state-required assessments. In Ohio, the following three options exist for meeting this requirement:
- Participation in the general statewide assessment without accommodations;
- Participation in the general statewide assessment with accommodation; or
- Participation in a state-approved alternate assessment
The AASWD is appropriate only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are either completing a curriculum that is modified substantially (in form and/or substance) by the IEP from the general education curriculum or completing the general education curriculum but have a disability that presents unique and significant challenges such that the IEP provides for accommodations that exceed the allowable criteria for statewide assessment accommodations.
Ohio’s experience also indicates that students with disabilities who take the AASWD share all of the following characteristics: they have a significant cognitive disability documented in their evaluation team report; they require instruction focused on the application of state standards through essential life skills; they require instruction at multiple levels below age or grade-level; and they are unlikely to provide valid and reliable measures of proficiency in content areas in a standardized assessment even with allowable accommodations.
Generally, participation in the AASWD is not appropriate for students who are engaged in and making progress in the general curriculum. Although these students required individualized instruction, they have developed the skills that enable meaningful participation in statewide assessments. AASWD is appropriate for students who have the most significant cognitive limitations and, therefore, require the highest level of individualized instruction.
How a student with disabilities will take statewide and district-wide assessments is determined by each student’s IEP team, at least annually. If the IEP team determines that AASWD is appropriate for a student, that student will take AASWD across the board (i.e., in all subject areas). Participation in the AASWD should not be based on disability condition, achievement level, school attendance or socio-cultural factors.
The IEP team should document test-taking status in the appropriate section of the student’s IEP. Pertinent statues codes should be recorded through EMIS.
Excusal from the Consequences and the AASWD
To be excused from the consequence of one or more test of the OGT, a student must meet one or both of the following criteria: The student is completing a curriculum that is significantly different form the curriculum completed by other students required to take the tests; and/or the student requires accommodation that are beyond the allowable accommodations.
Students who take the AASWD, by definition, are students who are completing a curriculum that is significantly different from the begin completed by other students. Therefore, all students who take the OGT-AASWD meet the criteria to be excused from the consequences of all OGT tests. Students who take the OGT-AASWD must take the test at least once, as do all students. As long as it has been properly recorded on their IEPs, there is no requirement to test a second time. These students have met the participation requirement.
8 Sources: Ohio Department of Education, Office for exceptional Children, July 2007
9 No Child Left behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997.
|
