alternate assessment transitions in west virginia melissa gholson office of assessment
TRANSCRIPT
Alternate Assessment Transitions in West Virginia
Melissa GholsonOffice of Assessment
Transitioning
• Reviewing Policy 2340 & Participation Guidelines
• Moving towards an online test• Personal needs profile (PNP)
and First Contact Survey• Professional development-
state and regional trainings on the alternate assessment achievement standards, instruction and assessment.
First Contact Survey
Opportunity To ReviewParticipation Criteria
The Online IEP has these criteria as part of the process. When you sign an IEP you are confirming the student meets the criteria.
Do all students identified as taking an alternate assessment meet this new criteria?
Participation Criteria established across consortia.
Online ChallengeHow do we know if student are being assessed?
Maintaining data security and PII.
Professional development around decision making for available supports and embedded tools.
How do we assure students are provided identified supports and accommodations from IEP’s?
Online Challenge: Opportunity To Practice Online
– Diagnostic tests created to support the instruction of a unit and provide opportunity to practice
– A variety of item types and built in accessibility features– Items were written to cover all Essential Elements – Can be used to assess all standards, select specific standards, a
selected cluster or strand– Diagnostic tests assist in pinpointing instruction – Data collection forms for progress reporting and present levels.
English Language Arts
Story Boards are button provide the adapted literary and informational text.
Students should be exposed to original texts.
All items are related to these texts. Lesson plans are included in the unit.
Adapted versions
Adapted versions are for independent practice. Vocabulary is controlled.
The Six Strands of ELABuilt in accessibility.
Organization and DataEssential Element
Audio button-reads the response to the student. Goal is to promote independence.
ELA Strands
Math
Math Clusters at grade level
Self-Determination
Lessons Learned
• Need a comprehensive training plan• Training IEP teams to consider allowable supports for
PNP and First Contact considerations• Using the data extracts• Using the accessibility extract to prepare and monitor
provision of computer delivered accommodations
Selecting Accessibility Features
PNP (Teacher Selected) Magnification
Considering options and documented need
Common Supports
Allowable Not Allowable
The following supports are not allowed. • Repeating the question again, even after the
student has selected a response, in order to prompt the student to choose a different answer
• Using physical prompts or hand-over-hand guidance
• Removing answer options or giving content hints • Modifying the content of a performance task in a
computer-administered testlet in an attempt to help the student arrive at the correct response
Educator & Student Feedback
Noteworthy
• Students spent less time testing• Engagement-students loved using
computers• Adaptive equipment-alternate
keyboards, touch screens, switches.• Item types appropriate• PNP-embedded accessibility
features were locally set
Challenging
• Manipulatives were time consuming for teachers and unfamiliar to students
• Magnification caused some items to increase scrolling
• What to do when the IEP did not consider some of these embedded features?
Where were the challenges?
Challenges
• High volume of calls to DLM help desk• Manipulatives • Monitoring was burdensome• Data errors• Generation of testlets• Training of staff• Overlap of testing windows with other
tests• Scheduling staff
What we did about the challenges
• Provided webinar and e-mail communications around frequently asked questions.
• State help desk to support districts• State level data monitoring of
districts and frequent status up dates.
• State and regional training and weekly webinars.
Accommodations Monitoring• The WVS.326 monitoring process
has a form with all state testing accommodations
• Coding process includes data for accommodation refusals and is used for invalidations of over and under accommodations.
• Information about WVS. 326 process is included in the Participation Guidelines.
Accessibility Data Extracts
Supporting Progress Monitoring
DLM Test Administration Short FormState Monitoring & Communication
Focus on regular monitoring and communication
How are you planning for 2015-16?
• Alternate Assessment Advisory Team• Revision of the accommodations monitoring form • Participation Guidelines Stakeholder Meeting• Comprehensive communication plan• Continued support for DLM assessment for districts• Continued professional development
