ARD Training Education Service Center and School District Training TEA Student Assessment Division

Reference Manual Cover2

3 Agenda  Introductions/General Information  Purpose of the Training  Components of the 2007 Assessment Program  Subject Area Assessment Information  Writing/ELA Achievement Levels  LEP Students in Special Education  Testing Accommodations  Student Success Initiative (SSI)  Resources  Future Assessments for Students Served by Special Education

Reference Manual Page 124 Purpose of Training  How to make decisions about student placement in the Texas Assessment Program by using the TEKS curriculum as documented in the student’s IEP;  How to determine which of the accommodations documented in the IEP are appropriate and allowable for the assessments; and  How to set student expected achievement levels (ARD expectations) on an SDAA II assessment.  Updates to the assessment program for the school year.

Reference Manual Page 125 Who Needs to Be Trained?  Region Level ESC Staff  District Level Superintendents Administrators Special Ed. Administrators Testing Coordinators  Campus Grades 3-11 Principals and other administrators Ed. Diagnosticians Licensed Specialist in School Psychology Counselors Special Ed. Staff General Ed. Staff Testing Coordinators Test Administrators Parents

Reference Manual Page 136 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)  TAKS is an assessment that measures a student’s mastery of the state-mandated curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), for: Grades 3–9 reading Grades 3–10 and Exit Level mathematics Grades 4 and 7 writing Grade 10 and Exit Level English language arts (ELA) Grades 5, 8, 10, and Exit Level science Grades 8, 10, and Exit Level social studies

Reference Manual Page 137 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program TAKS Inclusive (TAKS-I)  TAKS-I is an assessment that measures the academic progress of students receiving special education services for whom TAKS, even with allowable accommodations, is not an appropriate measure of academic progress. Students may take TAKS-I tests only at their enrolled grade level. TAKS-I will be administered for students receiving special education services in the TEKS curriculum on or near grade level in: Exit Level mathematics Exit Level ELA Grades 5, 8, 10, and Exit Level science Grades 5 Spanish science Grades 8, 10, and Exit Level social studies

Reference Manual Page 138 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Spanish TAKS  Spanish TAKS also measures a student’s mastery of the TEKS. The Spanish TAKS is aligned with the TAKS test and is administered in Spanish. Spanish TAKS is administered for: Grades 3–6 reading Grades 3–6 mathematics Grade 4 writing Grade 5 science

Reference Manual Page 149 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program State-Developed Alternative Assessment II (SDAA II)  SDAA II is aligned with TAKS and measures the degree to which students understand the TEKS. SDAA II measures the academic progress of students receiving special education services for whom TAKS, even with allowable accommodations, is not an appropriate measure of academic progress. These students are receiving instruction in the TEKS at Instructional Levels K–9 in reading, K–10 in mathematics, K–9 in writing, and 10 in ELA. SDAA II is administered for: Enrolled Grades 3–9 reading Enrolled Grades 3–10 mathematics Enrolled Grades 4 and 7 writing Enrolled Grade 10 ELA

Reference Manual Page 1410 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Locally Determined Alternate Assessment (LDAA)  A TEKS-based LDAA measures the learning of a student receiving special education services when TAKS, TAKS-I, and SDAA II are not appropriate because the student requires non-allowable accommodations. These students must be given a TEKS-based LDAA if they are enrolled in grades where TAKS tests are administered.  A “functional” LDAA will no longer be an assessment option. The TAKS- Alternate (Alt) field tests have replaced the “functional” LDAA as an assessment option.  The SDAA II assessments do not include science, social studies, or Exit Level tests. When TAKS-I assessments are not appropriate, LDAAs are administered to students receiving special education services for: Grade 5 science Grade 8 science and social studies Grade 10 science and social studies Grade 11 (Exit Level) for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies

11 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program TAKS-Alternate (TAKS-Alt) Field Test  TAKS-Alt is an assessment designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Unlike other state wide assessments in Texas, TAKS-Alt is not a traditional paper- and-pencil or multiple-choice test. Instead, the assessment involves teachers observing students as they complete teacher-designed activities that link to the grade-level TEKS curriculum. Teachers then score student performance using the TAKS-Alt rubric and submit results and evidence through an online instrument.  Students who meet the participation requirements for TAKS- Alt MUST participate in the TAKS-Alt spring 2007 field tests.

Reference Manual Page 1512 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)  TELPAS is designed to assess the progress that limited English proficient (LEP) students make in learning the English language. TELPAS has the following components: Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE) are one part of TELPAS. RPTE measures annual growth in the English language proficiency of LEP students for:  Grades 3–12 reading

Reference Manual Page 1513 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Texas Observation Protocols (TOP) are also a part of TELPAS. These assessments enable teachers to holistically rate a LEP student’s English language proficiency level based on daily interactions and observations of the student during classroom instruction. TOP is administered for:  Grades K–2 listening, speaking, reading, and writing  Grades 3–12 listening, speaking, and writing

Reference Manual Page 1514 Components of the 2007 Texas Assessment Program Linguistically Accommodated Testing (LAT)  LAT is an alternative assessment process for students who are LEP exempt in mathematics and, therefore, eligible to participate in LAT administrations of the TAKS mathematics tests. LAT administrations are available for: Grades 3–8 mathematics Grade 10 mathematics

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16 Subject-Area Assessment Information  Reading  Mathematics  Writing  English Language Arts  Social Studies  Science

Reference Manual Page 1717 Assessment Decision Considerations  Students working on or close to their enrolled grade level may benefit from being assessed with TAKS. TAKS should always be the first consideration when making assessment decisions.  All students have the right to be exposed to as much of the TEKS curriculum as possible to reach their academic potential.  Instructional decisions made by the ARD committee and documented in the IEP must always guide assessment decisions.  Each subject area is considered separately when making assessment decisions (except for those students who meet the participation requirements for TAKS-Alt).

Reference Manual Pages 18–2118 Making Assessment Decisions Step 1: Review the student’s current information to determine the student’s present level of functioning (IEP, work samples, informal and formal assessments, CSR). Step 2: Determine student’s TEKS mastery level and appropriate assessment (TAKS, TAKS-I, SDAA II, TAKS-Alt field tests, or LDAA). Stop here if TAKS, TAKS-I, TAKS-Alt field tests, or LDAA is to be given.

Reference Manual Page 2219 Reference Manual Page

Choosing the Appropriate Assessment for Students Receiving Special Education Services in Subjects Tested by SDAA II Reference Manual Page 23 20

Choosing the Appropriate Assessment for Students Receiving Special Education Services in Subjects Not Tested by SDAA II Reference Manual Page 24 21

Reference Manual Page 2522 Setting Appropriate SDAA II Achievement Expectations  Step 3: Determine the appropriate SDAA II instructional level.

Reference Manual Page SDAA II Available Instructional Levels Reading and Mathematics

Reference Manual Page SDAA II Available Instructional Levels Writing/ELA

Reference Manual Page Setting Appropriate SDAA II Achievement Level Expectations  Step 4: Select an SDAA II expected achievement level based on the student’s growth expectations.

Reference Manual Page Setting Appropriate SDAA II Expectations  Determine if a student is receiving on- or near-grade-level TEKS curriculum, modified TEKS curriculum, or curriculum that is linked to the grade-level TEKS.  Determine if the student has mastered few, some, many, or all of the objectives for the TEKS curriculum the student is receiving.

Reference Manual Page 28–3127 Setting Appropriate SDAA II Expectations  Determine which allowable accommodations will be used during testing.  Set the expected achievement level (ARD expectation) for each SDAA II subject area test based on expected growth from one test administration to the next administration.  Document in the IEP the rationale for all assessment decisions including why a student can not participate in TAKS and why the chosen alternative assessment is appropriate.

Reference Manual Page 2828 Achievement Levels for Reading and/or Math

Reference Manual Page 3329 Overview of Setting Appropriate Achievement Level Expectations for Students Taking SDAA II Reading and/or Mathematics Reference Manual Page 33

Reference Manual Page 3430 Sample ARD Committee Documentation Reading

Reference Manual Page 3431 Sample ARD Committee Documentation Mathematics

32 Writing/ELA Achievement Levels

Reference Manual Pages 3733 SDAA II Achievement Level Descriptions Writing  SDAA II Writing Achievement Level Descriptions are provided to assist ARD committees in determining an achievement level which best represents a student’s likely performance on the SDAA II writing test.  This section describes typical student performance at each writing instructional level cluster and achievement level.

Reference Manual Page 3734 Emergent Developing Developed The K/1 writing test is comprised of five tasks. The score for the first four tasks (writing numbers, writing name, writing letters, and labeling pictures) is determined by the student’s degree of literacy development. The graphic below depicts the way in which this development is charted for each student: SDAA II Writing Performance Instructional Levels K/1

Reference Manual Pages 3735 The fifth task (responding to a picture prompt) is based on the language level the student is able to use to write his or her response. Development of language is divided into six levels for this task with 1 as the least developed level and 6 as the highest. The student’s achievement level (combined performance on all five tasks) should represent his or her overall stage of literacy development in the fundamentals of writing at the time of assessment. SDAA II Writing Performance Instructional Levels K/1

Reference Manual Page 5036 Overview of Setting Appropriate Achievement Level Expectations for Students Taking SDAA II Writing/ELA Reference Manual Page 50

Reference Manual Page 4637 SDAA II Writing Performance by Achievement Level for Instructional Levels 2-8/9

Reference Manual Page 4638 SDAA II Writing Performance by Achievement Level for Instructional Level 10

Reference Manual Page 5139 Sample ARD Committee Documentation Writing/ELA

Summary of Steps for Making Assessment Decisions and Setting Appropriate Achievement Level Expectations Reference Manual Page 32 40

41 LEP Students Who Receive Special Education Services

Reference Manual Page 5442 LEP Students Who Receive Special Education Services  ARD committees make assessment decisions for every student served by special education, including LEP students.  The ARD committee must include a school representative who is a member of the student’s LPAC.

Reference Manual Pages 5543 LEP Students Who Receive Special Education Services Exemptions ARD-exempt: An ARD committee exempts a student from SDAA II or TAKS-I for reasons associated with the student’s special education needs LEP-exempt: An ARD committee exempts a student from state assessments for reasons associated with the student’s limited English proficiency

44 More LEP Information  LEP exemptions have certain eligibility requirements. (Refer to LPAC Manual for more information.)  Frequently Asked Questions concerning LEP students are located on pages of the ARD Manual.

45 Testing Accommodations

46 Testing Accommodations TAKS  Allowable Accommodations Reference Manual Pages  Oral Administration Reference Manual Pages  Dyslexia Bundled Accommodations Reference Manual Page 64  Nonallowable Accommodations Reference Manual Page 65  Related Testing Procedures Reference Manual Page 66  Large Print and Braille Test Booklets Reference Manual Page 71 * Please check the 2007 District and Campus Coordinator Manual for any updates to this information.

47 Testing Accommodations TAKS-I and SDAA II  Allowable Accommodations Reference Manual Page 67  Non-allowable Accommodations Reference Manual Page 67  Oral Administration Reference Manual Page 68  Related Testing Procedures Reference Manual Pages  Large Print and Braille Test booklets Reference Manual Page 71 * Please check the 2007 District and Campus Coordinator Manual for any updates to this information.

48 Student Success Initiative

Reference Manual Page 7349 Student Success Initiative (SSI)  This Student Success Initiative (SSI) section of the ARD manual provides a summary of the grade advancement requirements as they pertain to students served by special education.  For more information about the grade advancement requirements of the Student Success Initiative for all students, including those receiving special education services, consult the Grade Placement Committee Manual for Grade Advancement Requirements of the Student Success Initiative (GPC manual) located on the TEA website at  In addition to the GPC manual, the SSI section of the website also includes sample forms, parent notification letters, and periodic updates about the program.

50 SSI Important Information to Review SSI Grade Advancement Requirements for Students Served by Special Education Reference Manual Page 74 SSI General Flowcharts Reference Manual Pages SSI Flowcharts for Students Served by Special Education Reference Manual Pages 80-82

51 SSI Important Information to Review Students Who Take an LDAA or the TAKS-Alt field tests for Reading and/or Math Reference Manual Page 83 Student Scenarios Reference Manual Page 84 SSI Questions and Answers Reference Manual Pages 97-99

52 Resources

53 Resources Test Administration Calendars Reference Manual Pages 4-10 Frequently Asked Questions Reference Manual Pages Sample Forms Reference Manual Pages Accommodations Request Form Page 117 Glossary Reference Manual Pages

54 Resources Appendices Test Development Process Pages Confidential Student Reports Pages Contact Information Reference Manual Pages TEA Website: Student Assessment Division: (512)

55 Future Assessments for Students Served by Special Education