August 28, 2012

Liz Jones Suzanne Swaffield Douglas Alexander Anne Mruz Chris Webster 2

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 Improvements to End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) online administration  National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) update  Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium update 4

 Online testing of EOCEP is now compatible with oral administration  Students needing the following accommodations will have the option to test online this fall:  Oral Administration  Loose-Leaf  Sign Language (enter responses only online; will still need to use the DVD, as applicable) 5

Update

To develop a system of assessments supported by ◦ Curriculum and instruction ◦ Professional development To ensure that students with cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for post-secondary options.

To determine the needs of students and teachers and to inform test and curriculum development the project conducted: ◦ Focus Group of SC teachers ◦ Survey of SC teachers ◦ Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI)

 Curriculum is in process of development ◦ aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) through core content connectors (CCC) ◦ includes instructional modules  We will be providing materials for teachers to review and provide feedback

 Community of Practice ◦ SC teachers who have committed to assisting with the review of materials and tasks ◦ They have participated in training webinars throughout the year ◦ Additional webinars are planned for this school year  Communication Triage ◦ Training designed to equip all students with a communication system before entering school ◦ Seminar held this summer to build teams in partner states to implement communication training ◦ Plan in process for implementing in SC  Training on use of curriculum and instruction materials will be rolled out as soon as materials are ready

 Performance or selected response tasks similar to SC-Alt  Computer-based and computer- adaptive  Census Field Test of ELA and math scheduled for Spring 2015 As a state partner we have input on design, and the SC teachers will have the opportunity to review items throughout development.

 Onsite monitoring visits during testing windows from staff from Office of Assessment  Desk audits by staff from Office of Exceptional Children 13

 Report the rates of use of IEP and 504 Plan accommodations for Writing, ELA, and Mathematics for the 2010 – 2012 PASS administrations  The reports were posted on the Advanced Data Transfer System (ADTS) for access by your DTC.  Contact your DTC for a copy of the report; address questions about the report to Doug Alexander. 14

Total Number of Student Records (All Students) Total IEP/504 Students in Writing * Total IEP/504 Students in ELA Total IEP/504 Students in Mathematics Change in Percent from 2010 Count% % % IEPs Plans ELA Standard Accommodations: Setting Timing Scheduling Oral/Signed Administration (Grades 5-8) Presentation – Other Response Options Non-standard Accommodation: Oral/Signed Administration (Grade 3 or 4) Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) Use of Testing Accommodations for 2010–2012 Sample District

 Oral Administration FAQs  Guidance for IEP Teams on Determining Participation in the South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt) 16

 The State Board of Education adopted and the Education Oversight Committee approved the Common Core State Standards for South Carolina  Current assessments are not aligned to the Common Core State Standards  The State Board of Education adopted the assessments being developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

 Group of states working together to develop assessments to be administered beginning in the school year o Aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) o Measure progress toward college- and career-readiness  English language arts/literacy and mathematics  Grades 3-8 and 11  Computer Adaptive Tests

School Year Summative Assessments Formative Assessment Tools Interim Assessments

 Formative Assessment Tools o Resources for teachers  Interim Assessments - Optional  Summative Assessments o Computer adaptive test o Performance tasks

 October 15 to November 2, 2012  Computer-administered o 15–18 items o Selected-response and constructed-response o Approximately 60–90 minutes to complete  Schools selected from member states o One classroom in one grade (4, 7, or 11) o Schools select test days within the test window

 Pilot Testing o February – May, 2013 o Participation open to all schools in consortium states  Field Testing o Spring 2014

 Advisory committees helping guide decisions for accessibility and accommodations  Comprised of more than 20 national experts in: o Student assessment o Accommodations strategies o Language acquisition o Learning disabilities

 Online  Early October  Illustrate the rigor and complexity of items  Items do not include accessibility tools and accommodations options

 Under development for operational assessment in  Sample items to give students chance to become familiar  Decisions about tools guided by consortium’s: o Accessibility and Accommodations Work Group and o Advisory committees for English language learners

Questions?

Ensuring the Validity of NAEP Results

Agency responsible for NAEP implementation: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education Only ongoing nationwide assessment Representative sample across states State- and national-level results State grades 4 and 8 National-grades 4, 8, and 12

Valid cross-state comparisons Designed primarily to provide data to state- and national-level policy makers With passage of ESEA/NCLB, state’s participation became required NAEP policy is set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB)

 Focuses on states’ inclusion of students with disabilities (SD) and English language learners (ELLs)  As a percentage of total population, total excluded (SD/ELL) should not be more than 5%.  As a percentage of each identified group (SD/ELL), excluded should not exceed 15%.

SC Exclusion Rates: 2009/2011

Key points regarding participation:  NAEP provides most accommodations typically offered on state tests.  NAEP does not produce scores for individual students and participation is anonymous.  Federal law requires that schools notify parents of their child’s selection for the assessment.  Students who meet participation guidelines for the SC-Alternate Assessment are not expected to participate in NAEP. All others are.

 The IEP/504 Plan team should determine how the student will participate.  Students are not required to complete the entire test and may skip any test question. Even when a student does not complete the entire test, valuable information is still obtained from the item responses provided.  NAEP assessments are “low-stakes” and are solely intended to provide an overall measure of educational achievement for the nation and individual states.

Questions?

44 Contact Information South Carolina Alternate Assessment Suzanne Swaffield Douglas Alexander Smarter Balanced Liz Jones NAEP Chris Webster Accommodations and Customized Material Anne Mruz