Presented by: Laura Hines MCAS-Alt Teacher Consultant October 2014 MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) Creating Portfolios that Address Access Skills and Early Entry Points

“Although a student’s IEP objectives may be the overriding learning focus for that student, providing him or her with the opportunity to practice those objectives in the context of the general classroom and to receive instruction on those objectives in the context of general education activities represents one fundamental way of ensuring that students with significant disabilities do participate in the general curriculum.” Kleinert,H.L. & Kearns, J.F. (2001). Measuring outcomes and supports for students with disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. 2 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

IEP as Written “Lee will grasp a toothbrush for 2 to 4 seconds.” WHAT’S THE CRITICAL SKILL? “Given a tool, Lee will be able to grasp it for 2 to 4 seconds without dropping it in 50% of sessions observed.” 3 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Critical skills also allow students to access the curriculum.  Grasp materials as they are counted.  Grasp materials representing a key idea or detail in a story, poem, folktale, or myth.  Grasp materials related to plants. 4 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Access Skills, including language that links them to the essence of the standards, are located in the lowest grade level, typically in the Pre-K grade level, but not always... To find aligned access skills for the identified standard:  For ELA standards (always in Pre-K–2), see Table 1 on page 7 of the Resource Guide  For Science and Tech/Engineering, use the Topic Grids at the beginning of each strand of the Resource Guide  For Mathematics, use the Domain and Conceptual Categories Table of Progressions on page 7 of the Resource Guide Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 5

6 English Language Arts and Literacy (ELA)  Access skills always located Pre-K–2

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 7 Mathematics Progressions  Access skills are located at the lowest grade in each Domain and Conceptual Category

Science and Tech/Eng (STE) Topic Grid Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 8  Access skills located at the lowest grade of each topic

9 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Teacher-Scribed Work Sample  For students who do not produce written work  Documentation of a series of trials conducted at the same time  Contains more information than a field data chart  Specifically describes the materials/context of the activity  Indicates the student’s response (accuracy, independence) to each item/trial using his mode of communication  Labeled with name, date, accuracy, independence, and other information as needed 14 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Asked if she wanted to preview “Glee” or “Lion King” video she eye gazed to Glee

16 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

1) One field data chart + 3) One additional piece of primary evidence (e.g. teacher-scribed work sample) Acceptable Core Set of Evidence 2)One bar or line graph summarizing the same data shown on field data chart + = core set of evidence 17 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Teacher-Scribed Work Sample: Not Enough Information to Score What was the activity? What was the correct response? What was the student’s actual response? What materials were used? 18 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Teacher-scribed student response on a worksheet Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 19

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Activity Materials Correct Response Student’s Response 20 What was the activity? What materials were used? What was the correct response? What was the student’s actual response?

Teacher-scribed student response on photos of actual materials used Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 22 Measurable Outcome : When presented with a structured, predictable teacher –directed group and vocabulary representations, student will attend visually to materials related to vocabulary acquisition with 70% accuracy and independence. (i.e. after initially looking at the object student will return her vision 1 or more times) Activity Description: During a structured group, the student was read aloud a story about water (part of unit on weather). The student was presented with objects that represented the vocabulary of the water cycle and asked to explore them visually and tactily. Data was taken on whether the student was able to return her visual attention (eye gaze) back to the object 1 or more times after her initial glance. Student Name 1/14/15

Teacher-scribed student response on thumbnail screen shots 23 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

24 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education A=100% I= 30% “Screen Shots” of slides from computer program- “Shape Shifters”. Data was taken on first 10 slides on whether she activated her switch to continue through the program independently or with prompts. (Standard 7.G.A.1) Student NameDate: 2/24/15

Teacher-scribed student response to each material presented to create art project (recorded on a Work Description label) 25 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

26 +P -P

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 27 33% 0%

Thinking about Self-Evaluation  Student choice-making and evaluation of one’s own work are essential components of the concept of self-determination, which is an important predictor of successful post school outcomes (Wehmeyer& Palmer, 2003; Wehmeyer & Schwartz, 1998). Kleinert,H.L. & Kearns, J.F. (2010). Alternate Assessment for students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. 28 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Students Making Choices  Choices of materials, response format, order of events  Choice of partner  Choice of continuing or terminating the activity  Do you see evidence of the “student’s voice” in the self-evaluation? Is it authentic? (Educator’s Manual, p. 39) 29 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Frequently Asked Questions  Can the same access skill be used in more than one strand?  What if the student doesn’t make progress?  Why must access skills be practiced during standards-based (i.e., academic) activities?  Others? 30 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education