The Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) Nannette Pence Student Assessment Alabama State Department of Education

Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) Reading- Grades 3-8 and 10 Mathematics- Grades 3-8 and 10 Science- Grades 5, 7, and 10

Alabama Extended Standards Alabama Special Education Services COS Webpage 2015 Alabama Extended Standards in Reading 2015 Alabama Extended Standards in Mathematics 2016 Alabama Extended Standards in Science

Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) Administered 1:1 (Test Administrator and Student) Paper Test (30 questions per subject) Answer Document (contains all subjects) Student Booklets (one per subject, per student) Test Administrator Manual (TAM)

Training Test Administrators are required to attended local training on the AAA administration prior to administering the assessment to students. Test Security Ethics Confidentiality Roles and responsibilities Training should occur no later than two weeks prior the first day of testing.

Test Security Do NOT photocopy, make an electronic copy, keep a personal copy of the test, or take notes on test items. Disclosure of test content is strictly prohibited by state law. Do NOT access or obtain a student test booklet or test questions prior to the test for any reason.

Scheduling There is a six (6) week testing window Test administration should not begin before the testing window opens and all assessment administration must be completed by the end of the testing window. Independent student needs should determine each student’s test administration schedule. fatigue physical or emotional needs

Breaks Students may require multiple testing sessions to complete each content area assessed. Test Administrators should plan testing sessions accordingly. (multiple days: administering a subject over 3 days etc.) When stopping a session of the assessment, it is recommended that the session end after the student has completed an item. When resuming the assessment, all items that have already been administered may not be repeated. The Test Administrator must pick up the assessment at the point where it was stopped during the previous administration.

Breaks The assessments are untimed Every student must be given sufficient time to respond and complete every item. Students are allowed breaks (i.e., 10-15 minutes) during the testing period. Test materials must not be left unsupervised, in the testing environment. Before the student leaves the room, the Test Administrator must collect the student’s test booklet, answer document, and scratch paper (if applicable).

Testing Schedule-School (sample)

Test Administrator’s Receipt and Return of Testing Materials Form (sample)

Handling Test Materials Complete the Test Administrator’s Receipt and Return of AAA Test Materials form. All testing material is to be returned to the BTC in a secure and locked location after the student’s testing session. Materials should not be left unattended or in a classroom overnight. Materials should be checked out and returned daily to the Building Test Coordinator. Test Administrators should have only one student’s testing materials checked out.

Testing Materials Student Test Booklets (for each student, one per grade level, per content area – not to be reused) Teacher Book (one per student per grade level – reuse if needed) Student Answer Document (one per student – not to be reused) Test Administrator’s Manual (TAM) (one per three students per grade level – reuse if needed) Student Barcode Label (one per student)

Answer Document A pre-coded Student-ID label must be applied to each answer document. Labels are school specific. Students without a pre-coded Student ID label will use the generic system/school barcode label and complete the demographic section of the Student Answer Document. When using the generic label, the demographic information entered on the Student Answer Document should be accurately bubbled in. (iNOW)

Student ID Label (sample) The labels contain barcodes that indicate the answer document should be processed and scored for the student whose name is printed on the label. These labels eliminate the need to hand bubble the student’s name, birth date, and Student Number. SAMPLE

System/School Label (sample) If a student does not have a Student-ID Label, school personnel must use a System/School Label and hand bubble all student information on the Student Answer Document. The labels contain barcodes with system/school-specific information that indicates the document should be processed and scored for the student whose information is bubbled on the Student Answer Document. SAMPLE

Student Answer Document (sample)

Sample Student Answer Document (sample)

Student Transfers System Test Coordinator/Special Education Coordinator should contact HelpDesk. Student transferring within a system or to a new system, contact the Alabama HelpDesk, alalthelpdesk@datarecognitioncorp.com 1-800-282-5082.

Test Administrator The student’s special education teacher should administer the assessment. If this is not possible, a certificated Test Administrator may administer the assessment. Tests must be administered to individual students (no group testing).

Test Administrator No relative of a student who is taking the test may serve as the Test Administrator or Proctor for that student. No student or student teacher may serve as a Test Administrator or Proctor.

Test Administrator Students may only use the materials and/or supplies that are specified in this manual or provided with the Student Test Booklet for a specific test and grade level. Any adaptations or modifications must fall within the guidelines specified in the “Accommodations” section of the TAM for the AAA.

Test Administrator The Test Administrator should arrange to have the permissible materials available for each student to use during the testing session prior to administering the test. There are instructions/scripts in the Alabama Alternate Assessment Teacher Books provided that must be read to students to ensure fairness and accuracy during testing. These instructions/scripts may only be changed in accordance with the “Accommodations” section of the TAM for the AAA.

Test Administrator Prior to and during testing, the Test Administrator must follow the script provided in the Teacher Book. He or she cannot provide additional assistance or direct the student’s attention to any materials in the room for the purpose of enhancing test performance. However, the Test Administrator may provide additional assistance to direct the student’s attention to the testing materials as specified in the TAM.

Test Administrator Each content area in the Student Test Booklet should match a specific content area on the Student Answer Document. All items for a given content area should be completed. Using a No. 2 pencil, only enter one response per item or the item response will be invalid. If a mistake is made, completely erase the mistakenly filled bubble then bubble the intended response. If a content area is not assessed, the section of the Student Answer Document should be left blank. The Test Administrator must record the individual student responses on the AAA Answer Document.

Accommodations Accommodations are available to allow assistive technology devices to be used by students with visual impairments, students with hearing impairments, and/or students with limited physical ability and/or mobility, and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students. All accommodations used during the administration of the assessment should align with what the student uses on a daily basis during classroom instruction.

Permissible Materials for Use by Students During Testing Calculators, number lines, generic counters, and/or scratch paper and pencils may be set out on the work surface for the student to use with any mathematics item. However, it is important to only place these tools on the work surface if the student uses them during instruction in mathematics.

Augmented/Alternative Devices The AAA is to be completed using the student’s communication modality (e.g., sign language, pointing, eye gazing, assistive technology). This does not mean an augmentative/alternative device should be programmed to do the cognition for the student.

Braille and Low Vision Accommodation Braille materials are available along with teacher notes. If needed and supported in the student’s IEP for students with low vision or with blindness, Test Administrators may describe the pictures to the student for Reading, Mathematics and Science.

Low Vision Accommodation Low vision generally refers to a severe visual impairment. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read text at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of vision and other senses to learn, although they may require adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and, sometimes, Braille. Totally blind students learn via Braille or other non-visual media. The AAA Low Vision Accommodation Form should be completed for students who qualify for this type of accommodation. The System Test Coordinator should submit the form to ALSDE prior to testing. ALSDE will review the students IEP to verify the student qualifies for the Low Vision accommodation.

AAA Low Vision Accommodation Form (sample)

Test Design There are a total of 30 test items per grade per subject (reading, mathematics, and science) assessed. The test is untimed. Each item has four answer choices including “No Response.”

Test Design If the Test Administrator attempts to administer the test to a student, but the student does not provide a response for an item, fill in the bubble on the Answer Document for “No Response”.

Test Design 10 Item Rule- Test Administrator may stop the test when a student provides “No Response” to the first 10 items. (FORM) The student will count as a participant on the AAA.

Test Design Test items have been designed to be meaningful and engaging to students. The different test items should give all students the opportunity to show what they know across content. Each content standard has been assessed by items written at different Depths of Knowledge (DOK).

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Depth of Knowledge (DOK) consistency between standards and tests indicates alignment if what is elicited from students on the test is as demanding cognitively as what students are expected to know and do as stated in the standards. The following definitions were used in conjunction with the Alabama Extended Standards in creating the AAA test items.  

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) DOK 1- Recall and Reproduction- requires simple recall of information as a fact, definition, term, or simple procedure. DOK 2- Skills and Concepts- involves some mental skills, concepts, or processing beyond a habitual response; students must make some decisions about how to approach a problem or activity.  DOK 3- Extended Thinking- requires reasoning, planning using evidence, and thinking at a higher level.

Testing Materials

Sample Grade 5 Teacher Book

Reading Sample Grade 5 Teacher Book

Sample Grade 5 Student Test Booklet

Sample Grade 5 Student Test Booklet

Reading Sample Grade 5 Teacher Book

Sample Grade 5 Student Test Booklet

Sample Test Items Booklet Sample Test Items booklet has been posted to the AAA Webpage under Student Assessment. The sample items are a useful tool for Alabama educators to use in preparing students for the format of the AAA.

Sample Test Items Booklet The document contains three multiple-choice items per grade and content area for Reading and Mathematics in grades 3−8 and 10; and Science grades 5, 7, and 10. The DOK levels for each group of items are shown (in the order in which they appear) in the table listed in the booklet.

Teachers Teach the Alabama Extended Standards. 2015 Reading and Mathematics ES 2016 Science ES Minimum content Do not limit the student’s education to just what is stated in the ES. Prepare classroom tests similar to Sample Test Items Booklet. (this is not the test)

Contact Information Student Assessment Nannette Pence npence@alsde.edu 334.694.4817