Step 4: Who are the Students who take Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards?

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Step 4: Who are the Step 4: Who are the Students who take Alternate Students who take Alternate

Assessments on Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement Standards?Achievement Standards?

Articulating the populationArticulating the population

Articulating the theory of learning for this Articulating the theory of learning for this populationpopulation

The National Alternate Assessment Center is supported through a cooperative agreement through the The National Alternate Assessment Center is supported through a cooperative agreement through the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (Grant Number H324U04001). US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (Grant Number H324U04001).

However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Office of Special Education or the US Department of Education, and participants should not assume Office of Special Education or the US Department of Education, and participants should not assume

endorsement by the federal government. endorsement by the federal government.

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

General Assmt. AA-GLAS AA-AAS

Content Standards taught and assessed (access and alignment targets)

Grade level Grade level Grade level linkage to content standards

Achievement Standards Grade level Grade level Alternate level

Participating Students Most students, including those with disabilities (with or w/o accommoda-tions)

Students with disabilities who need alternate way(s) to show what they know

Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities

How Students with How Students with Disabilities Participate in Disabilities Participate in

AssessmentAssessment

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Cognition

Effective Assessment Effective Assessment Practice: Interconnected Practice: Interconnected

Assessment ElementsAssessment Elements

Pellegrino et. al (2001). Knowing what students know. National ResearchCouncil: National Academy Press.

Observation

Interpretation

CognitionCognition - A theory - A theory of of whatwhat students students know and know and howhow they they know it in a subject know it in a subject domaindomain

ObservationObservation – – tasks or tasks or situationssituations designed to collect designed to collect evidence about evidence about student student performanceperformance

Interpretation Interpretation - a - a method for method for drawing drawing inferencesinferences from the from the observation(s)observation(s)

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Participants in Alternate Participants in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement StandardsAchievement Standards

88%

11% 1%Total population ofstudent learners

Students withdisabilities

Studentsparticipating inalternateassessment

The number of students participating in alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards as compared to the total population of student

learners and students with disabilities…

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

More different than More different than alike…alike…

SOURCE: Education Week analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data

Analysis System, 2002-03.

The total student population receiving special education services broken down by disability category

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Issues in Teaching/Assessing Students in Issues in Teaching/Assessing Students in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Alternate Assessments on Alternate

Achievement StandardsAchievement Standards

Students with the most significant cognitive Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities present challenges with learning disabilities present challenges with learning in these areas:in these areas:– Memory Memory (Working or short term; long term)(Working or short term; long term)– Meta-cognition and Skill Synthesis (Self-Meta-cognition and Skill Synthesis (Self-

Regulation)Regulation)– Development and Learning (Attention to Stimuli)Development and Learning (Attention to Stimuli)

Limited motor response repertoireLimited motor response repertoire Sensory DeficitsSensory Deficits Special Health Care NeedsSpecial Health Care Needs

– Practice and FeedbackPractice and Feedback Power law of practicePower law of practice Knowledge of resultsKnowledge of results

– Transfer of knowledge (Generalization)Transfer of knowledge (Generalization)

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Working or Short-term Working or Short-term MemoryMemory

Experience difficulty remembering Experience difficulty remembering when to use skills or what skills to when to use skills or what skills to use; difficulty applying isolated skills use; difficulty applying isolated skills in natural contexts.in natural contexts.– Related to:Related to:

Inadequate learning opportunitiesInadequate learning opportunities Insufficient opportunities to practiceInsufficient opportunities to practice Meaningful contextsMeaningful contexts

(Westling and Fox, 2004)(Westling and Fox, 2004)

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Metacognition and Metacognition and Skill SynthesisSkill Synthesis

Experience difficulty in not only selecting a Experience difficulty in not only selecting a problem solving strategy, but in monitoring problem solving strategy, but in monitoring and evaluating one’s use of that strategy, and evaluating one’s use of that strategy, and to self-correcting as necessary and to self-correcting as necessary (Pellegrino et al.)(Pellegrino et al.)

Metacognitive strategies can include Metacognitive strategies can include – explicit steps in setting goals explicit steps in setting goals – developing action steps to reach that goal developing action steps to reach that goal – evaluating one’s progress toward that goal (Agran, evaluating one’s progress toward that goal (Agran,

King-Sears, Wehmeyer, &Copeland, 2003)King-Sears, Wehmeyer, &Copeland, 2003)

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Development and Development and LearningLearning

For students with significant cognitive disabilities, we may For students with significant cognitive disabilities, we may not be able to make the distinction between development not be able to make the distinction between development and learningand learning

Explicit instruction may be required due toExplicit instruction may be required due to sensory deficits in the areas of:sensory deficits in the areas of:

– VisionVision– HearingHearing– Both vision and hearingBoth vision and hearing

Limited motor responses impactingLimited motor responses impacting– Oral language production (speaking)Oral language production (speaking)– Fine motor skills needed for writing and/or signingFine motor skills needed for writing and/or signing

Special Health Care Needs impactingSpecial Health Care Needs impacting– AttendanceAttendance– alertnessalertness

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Practice and FeedbackPractice and Feedback

Power Law of Practice: Adequate Power Law of Practice: Adequate instructional opportunities to practice instructional opportunities to practice a skill for acquisition and fluencya skill for acquisition and fluency– Refers to increasing the rate of learning Refers to increasing the rate of learning

trials within an instructional lesson, not trials within an instructional lesson, not simply slowing down the pace of the simply slowing down the pace of the lessonlesson

Knowledge of Results: positive and Knowledge of Results: positive and specific, corrective feedbackspecific, corrective feedback– Refers to instructive feedback, not just Refers to instructive feedback, not just

simple feedback on the accuracy of a skillsimple feedback on the accuracy of a skill

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Transfer of KnowledgeTransfer of Knowledge

Experience difficulty applying what was learned Experience difficulty applying what was learned in one situation to another different situation.in one situation to another different situation.– Must be demonstrated with different people, Must be demonstrated with different people,

different materials, different settings, and at different materials, different settings, and at different times. (Haring, 1988; Fox, 1989)different times. (Haring, 1988; Fox, 1989)

Also experience difficulty in recognizing how and Also experience difficulty in recognizing how and when to apply a skill when to apply a skill – Should be taught and assessed in ways other Should be taught and assessed in ways other

than a simple listing of settings, but in a than a simple listing of settings, but in a variety of authentic activities that exhibit an variety of authentic activities that exhibit an understanding of the underlying academic understanding of the underlying academic concept.concept.

March 31, 2006March 31, 2006 Assessing Students with the Most Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesSignificant Cognitive Disabilities

Participants in Alternate Participants in Alternate Assessments on Alternate Assessments on Alternate Achievement StandardsAchievement Standards

Alternate Assessment Participants

MR

MD

Autism

The following videos will share examples of students who participate in alternate assessments on alternate achievement

standards.

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Participation Participation GuidelinesGuidelines

Have you identified who the kids Have you identified who the kids are that participate in alternate are that participate in alternate assessments on alternate assessments on alternate achievement standards?achievement standards?

Do you have guidelines for Do you have guidelines for determining how a student will determining how a student will participate in large scale participate in large scale assessment that can be used assessment that can be used during IEP meetings?during IEP meetings?

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Let’s revisit our needs Let’s revisit our needs assessment to be sure we have assessment to be sure we have addressed everyone’s questions.addressed everyone’s questions.

CheckpointCheckpoint