Master Training for Educators Working with ELLs THIS VERSION IS FOR THE TRAINER ONLY See the notes view of this slide for the materials you’ll need for the training.

DC OSSE Testing Accommodations Manual Training Winter 2012 OSSE policy and guidance on the appropriate assignment of testing accommodations for SWDs and ELLs in the DC CAS 2

Group Expectations Cell phones on silent/vibrate Be present Speak loud enough for all to hear Phrase questions for the benefit of everyone Challenge ideas, not people Share talk time 3

Today's Agenda Background on the Need for Refinements OSSE Testing Accommodations Manual 1.Introduction 2.Section 1: Accommodating Students with Disabilities 4

Background on the Need for Refinements

U.S. Dept. of Ed. Feedback on DC State Standards and Assessment: 3 Main Accommodation Issues OSSE must ensure the read aloud accommodation cannot be provided during the reading assessment. OSSE must create accommodation guidelines on those accommodations that do not invalidate student’s scores. OSSE must create trainings designed to ensure appropriate use of accommodations by general education teachers, special education teachers, ELL teachers, and test administrators.

Overview of Revisions 1.Improve Introduction section – Coordinated information OSSE state Assessment Program – General information on accommodations and test practices – Clearer quick reference list of accommodations 2.Customized and updated Section 1: Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 3.Coordinated and updated Section 2: English Language Learners 4.Updated Tools and Resources in each section 7

Overall Goal: Messages to Share with Your Schools and Staff OSSE’s goal is to ensure consistent participation in national and state assessments in all District of Columbia districts, schools and programs; accommodations are provided to all eligible students; accommodations used in assessment do not invalidate the construct of the assessment; and accommodations used for assessments are also used in instruction. 8

9 Introductory Section of the OSSE Testing Accommodations Manual

OSSE Testing Accommodations Applicable to students in – all public schools and – non-public settings whose education is supported by District of Columbia public funding. Applicable to eligible – students with disabilities, i.e., students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan (504 plan); and – students who are English language learners. 10

OSSE State Mandated Assessments DC CAS DC CAS Alternate – Links to information on the portfolio approach used with students with significant cognitive impairments WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® – links to WIDA accommodations guidelines for the English language proficiency test NAEP – links to NAEP accommodation guidelines 11

Test Security Must Be Ensured for All Assessments Adhere to uniform administration procedures and conditions during an assessment Maintain the confidentiality of test questions and answers See page 4 in the Test Accommodations Manual for additional reminders c/sites/osse/publication/attachments/ 2011_DC_CAS_Security_Guidelines.pdf

Introduction Appendix A: Overview of NAEP and State Accommodations 13

Activity 1 Practice Here are four specific scenarios related to state assessments and accommodations. Using Appendix A as a reference, discuss with your partners and develop a response to each. Be prepared to share with the larger group 14

Four Scenarios Mrs. Carter (parent) calls and says her son’s IEP says he gets the math section read to him. She wants to be sure that will happen. Mr. Venzuela calls through his interpreter to find out what kind of help his daughter will get for the state reading test next month. Ms. Dubois is requesting testing so her child can have accommodations next week on the state assessment. Mr. Carbon (science teacher) has stated he does not believe in allowing extra time for the science test even though he has 3 students whose IEP requires such. 15

Group Sharing 16

Section 1 Students with Disabilities OSSE Testing Accommodation Manual 17

1.Expect Students to Achieve Grade-Level Academic Content Standards; 2.Learn About Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment; 3.Select Accommodations for Individual Students; 4.Implement Accommodations During Instruction and Assessment; and 5.Evaluate and improve accommodation use. Introduce the 5 Step Decision-Making Accommodation Process

Step 1 – Expect Students to Achieve Grade level academic content standards 19

Who Qualifies? A student with a disability (SWD) is one who has been found eligible for services under either: – The IDEA and has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in effect – Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and has a 504 plan in effect 20

Authority The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Requires a measure for all students of their academic achievement relative to the state academic content and achievement standards State guidelines must result in valid assessments, including the accommodations allowed. – a student taking an assessment with accommodations that invalidates results shall not be counted as a participant. 21

Authority The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) Students must be included in state and district-wide assessment programs with appropriate accommodations. The state’s guidelines must identify only those accommodations that do not invalidate the score and instruct IEP teams to select only those accommodations that do not invalidate the score. 22

Authority Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Eligible students have the right to aids and services to meet their educational needs. is considered an individual with a disability and guaranteed the protections thereof. have a 504 plan that MAY identify accommodations for instruction and assessment. 23

District and School Responsibility Must engage in a planning process that addresses: – The provision of accommodations for assessments – The appropriate use of alternate assessments to assess for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. 24

Equal Access to Standards All students receive instruction in the state and district grade level standards To assure equal access, IEP and 504 team members must: – Be familiar with the state and district learning standards – Know where to locate standards and updates – Collaborate between general and special education to plan and provide instruction 25

Achievement of Standards Requires: Instruction provided by teachers who are qualified in the content area and who know how to differentiate instruction for diverse learners IEPs and 504 plans are developed to ensure specialized instruction Appropriate accommodations are provided to access grade level content 26

Resources The District of Columbia Educational Standards and the Common Core State Standards may be found at the following link: standards. standards 27

Step 2: Learn about Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment 28

Accommodations 29 Reduce effects of a disability while maintaining learning expectations Are identified for individual students on a case by case basis and documented in the IEP or 504 plan Disability category does not dictate type of accommodation.

Accommodations Used in classroom instruction and assessments – Student are familiar and comfortable with accommodation BEFORE it’s use on an assessment – Some accommodations used in the classroom may not be appropriate for state assessments 30

Accommodation Categories Presentation accommodations Response accommodations Setting accommodations Timing and Scheduling accommodations 31

Accommodations vs. Modifications Do not reduce learning expectations Provide access to the standards and objectives being taught through the curriculum Change, lower, or reduce learning expectations May result in implications that could adversely affect students throughout their educational career

Students with Disabilities who are also English Language Learners Disability and English language learning each create different and unique needs for accommodations. – Must be considered separately – Collaboration of the IEP or 504 team and the ELL accommodations committee 33

Step 3: Select Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment for Individual Students 34

Selecting Accommodations The IEP team or the 504 team selects the accommodations for each student on an individual basis. Appendix B-3 provides detailed information about the usage and implementation of allowable accommodations for SWD. 35

IEP Documentation The IEP must clearly document the need for: accommodations during – Instruction – Classroom assessments – District or state testing Be specific to content areas May differ from one content area to another. 36

504 Plan Documentation The definition of disability is much broader and may include students with: – Communicable diseases, temporary disabilities, medical conditions, drug or alcohol addictions, environmental illnesses, or attention difficulties The 504 plan must clearly document the need for accommodations during – Instruction – state and district testing 37

Decision-Making Effective accommodation decisions begin with effective instructional decisions. – Instruction based on District of Columbia Educational Standards and the Common Core State Standards – Accommodations to ensure access to the standards 38

Decision-Making For DC-CAS accommodation decisions are based on: – Student characteristics – Individual test characteristics – OSSE accommodations policies and allowable accommodations for the assessment 39

Guiding Questions What are the student’s learning strengths and areas for further improvement? How do the student’s learning needs affect the achievement of grade-level content standards? What specialized instruction does the student need to achieve grade-level content standards? 40

Guiding Questions What accommodations increase access to instruction and assessment by addressing learning needs and reducing the effect of the disability? What accommodations are regularly used by the student during instruction and assessments? What were the results of assignments and assessments when accommodations were used and not used? 41

Guiding Questions What is the student’s perception of how well an accommodation worked? What are the perceptions of parents, teachers, and specialists about how the accommodation worked? Should the student continue to use an accommodation, are changes needed, or should the use of the accommodation be discontinued? 42

Selected Accommodations Must be used regularly by the student and be effective in providing access – New accommodations require time to become an effective tool for the student Must involve students in the selection and evaluation process 43

Selected Accommodations Must be allowable by District of Columbia so as not to result in invalidation. Requesting the Use of an Accommodation – B-6 Selecting Nonstandard Accommodations for students with an IEP or 504 Plan – Submit request to Michelle Blakey-Tuggle at by March 23,

Step 4: Implement Accommodations during Instruction and Assessment 45

Accommodations During Assessment Plan for the implementation of accommodations during test administration. 46

Accommodations During Assessment All test administrators need to understand who needs accommodations and how to administer them. – Appendices B-3 provides details about each allowable accommodation and how to implement. – Appendices B-4 and B-5 provide tools for planning the implementation and administration of accommodations. 47

Before Test Be certain test administrators and proctors: – Know what accommodations each student will be using for each content areas – How to administer them appropriately How to “read” the test to the student (and not to read the reading section) Where the separate setting is and who will administer in that location How to scribe the assessment 48

During Test Ethical testing practices and standardization – Unethical practices not allowed include editing student responses or giving clues with voice or gestures Appendix B-3 provides guidelines for implementing the accommodations to maintain standardization. 49

After Test Specific procedures are required – To store or return test materials – To document and report any irregularities during testing – To document the provision of accommodations These must be followed as outlined in the test directions manual 50

Activity 2 51 Practice Using Appendix B-3 as a reference and the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Questions on the handout, table talk with a partner and develop responses to the questions. Be ready to share with the larger group.

When may the reading section of the test be read aloud? 52 Is it allowable to use a screen reader for the science test? May a student with a physical disability which results in very slow processing have extra time in the amount of 2.5 times? If a student is using a noise buffer during testing, what does the test administrator need to consider? If using a scribe for a high school math test, what do you think the word “trained:” implies?

Group Sharing 53

Step 5: Evaluate and Improve Accommodations Use 54

Data Collect and analyze data to: Evaluate the use or overuse of accommodations or certain types of accommodations Determine if test was administered as required by the IEP or 504 plan Determine effectiveness for students Indicate areas where personnel need more training 55

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Activity 3 Putting Guidelines into Practice With your group, describe Guidelines and requirements you have to pay particular attention to Processes and procedures you will need to put in place and what resources you will use. How to use the resources to implement guidelines 57

Group Sharing 58

Final Thoughts OSSE Testing Accommodation Manual 59

Key Messages You are part of the DC State Assessment Program. It has a unified focus and the rules and regulations must be adhered to. The guidelines in the Test Accommodations Manual are to be followed. There are allowable accommodations and there are accommodations that are not allowed because they impact test validity. 60

Key Messages You need to be thoughtful when determining accommodations for students. Accommodations break down barriers to accessing the assessment by minimizing the impact of the linguistic need or disability. Accommodations need to be implemented with fidelity and evaluated to see whether or not they are appropriate. 61

QUESTIONS? 62

Resources B-2: Do’s and Don’ts When Selecting Accommodations for Students with Disabilities B-3: Accommodation Conditions for Students with Disabilities B-4: Assessment Accommodations Plan for Students with Disabilities B-5: Logistics Planning Checklist for Accommodations for Students with Disabilities B-6: Selecting Nonstandard Accommodations for students with an IEP or 504 Plan 63

Contact Information Tamara Reavis Director of Assessment and Accountability Office of the State Superintendent Michelle Blakey-Tuggle Special Populations Assessment Specialist

OSSE Website Resources Testing Accommodations Manual and Policy 65

Technical assistance support on the OSSE Test Accommodations Manual provided by the Mid- Atlantic Comprehensive Center (MACC) and the Mid-South Regional Resource Center. SWD Specialists:ELL Specialists: Dr. Allison LaylandDr. Lynn Shafer Willner Nancy O’HaraLottie Marzucco 66