Resources to Support a Standards-Based Education for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Ricki Sabia edCount, LLC Senior Associate and NCSC Technical Assistance and Parent Training Specialist

NCSC Background NCSC received a federal grant in 2010 and began developing a new alternate assessment in math and ELA to be completed by the 2014-15 school year.* NCSC also developed curriculum/instructional resources for teaching students with significant cognitive disabilities for use by any state: https://wiki.ncscpartners.org. Twenty-four partner states and five national centers comprise NCSC: http://www.ncscpartners.org/. *Individual states may have different implementation timelines for the NCSC assessment.

NCSC Member States NCSC’s original states are Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Pacific Assessment Consortium (PAC‐6), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming. States that joined later are Arkansas, California, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and the US Virgin Islands.

Importance of NCSC Resources for Parents and Advocates Free online curriculum and instruction resources support access to standards-based education for students with significant cognitive disabilities: https://wiki.ncscpartners.org. Resources for parents (and others) summarize NCSC curriculum and instructional resources, assessment, and related issues: http://www.ncscpartners.org/resources. There is a lot of state discretion, so follow up with your state’s Department of Education.

NCSC and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) NCSC’s work is based on the CCSS because almost all states had adopted those standards at the time NCSC was created. Some partner states are no longer using CCSS, but still value the NCSC resources. Much of the content covered by NCSC instructional resources is covered in the instruction for any state math and ELA standards.

College and Career Readiness Includes Community Readiness The NCSC definition of college and career readiness includes readiness for success in the community. Without college and career ready skills, students with significant cognitive disabilities will likely: need greater supports throughout their lives; live and work in more segregated environments; have more difficulty finding and keeping employment; have more difficulty learning about and engaging in community activities; and be easier to victimize.

College and Career Ready Skills Important skills for ALL students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, to obtain: Communicative competence Social skills to function well in small groups Independent and teamwork skills Problem solving Reading, writing, and math Skills for identifying and requesting supports See Parent Resources on College and Career Readiness and Communicative Competence Communicative competence means to come to school with a communication system that enables the student to express personal needs and share information, ideas, questions, and comments about daily life and the world in which they live. Communicative competence is necessary in order to have access to the curriculum.

Communicative Competence NCSC Framework for Assessment and Curriculum/Instructional Materials College Career Community Curriculum Common Standards Learning Progressions Core Content Connectors Each component of the triangle (curriculum, instruction and assessment) is used to inform the other components which are all directed toward the goal of College, Career, and Community readiness. In order for any student to benefit from challenging curriculum and high quality instruction, he or she has to be able to communicate what they know and can do. Communicative Competence is the base. Consistent communication intervention is needed to ensure that students can access the content. Communication toolkit is being developed. Over the past several decades, powerful insights have been gained into how students represent knowledge and develop competence in specific content areas, as well as how tasks and situations can be designed to provide evidence for inferences about what students know and can do for students across a full range of performance. Researchers are finding strong evidence of academic skill and knowledge development among students who participate in the alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including abstract concepts and application of learning. Instruction Grade-Level Lessons Accommodations Systematic Instruction (carefully planned sequence for instruction) Assessment Formative (ongoing during school year, monitors learning) Summative (end of year or course, evaluates learning) Communicative Competence

NCSC Curriculum and Instructional Resources: https://wiki.ncscpartners.org

Over the past several decades, powerful insights have been gained into how students represent knowledge and develop competence in specific domains, as well as how tasks and situations can be designed to provide evidence for inferences about what students know and can do for students across a full range of performance. To provide evidence of student learning consistent with the increased expectations of the CCSS, the NCSC instructional resources schema defines the “what” and “how” when planning for and teaching academic content to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. In the schema, the purple band describes the “what to teach” containing the Common Core Sate Standards, the Core Content Connectors and the Learning Progressions. In the schema, the orange band identifies instructional tools to support how to teach this content - based on over a decade of research on academic instruction, communication, and learner characteristics of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Today, we will visit each component of the schema. We will discuss the purpose for each component as well as view samples.

Learning Progressions Framework (LPF) Shows the steps students typically take as they progress in a content area (e.g. math) towards a deeper, broader, more sophisticated understanding Represents the essential core concepts and processes learned in a content area (sometimes called the “big ideas”) This project uses a developed learning progression framework (Hess et al., 2010) in ELA and math to inform what content is taught as well as the stream of content that helps students reach the concept/big idea; The LPF is a hypothesized pathway that typical peers may take, and is meant to inform what typical peers will be working on grade by grade. In the past, we have struggled to understand how to choose content grade by grade to ensure inclusion of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grade AND age appropriate content even though they may not have built all the skills in a previous grade. The LPFs give us the educational logic to help move these students along with their peers in a logical, educationally sound way. The LPF contain learning targets and progress indicators that are referenced in C & I materials. Learning targets(general/broad performance descriptors) are defined by grade spans, K-4, 5-8 an high school. The related specific skills and concepts are called the progress indicators (PIs). The Curriculum and Instructional materials were developed to help promote how students can engage in the CCSS while following the learning progressions. Hess, Karin K., (December 2011). Learning Progressions Frameworks Designed for Use with the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts & Literacy K-12.

Core Content Connectors (CCCs) NCSC used the LPF to identify key knowledge and skills (the “big ideas”) in each grade of the CCSS needed to make progress in later grades. The “big ideas” were broken down into more teachable and assessable segments of content called CCCs, which are relevant even with non-CCSS standards. CCCs operate as a starting point for instruction based on the CCSS. The CCCs represent academic content designed to frame the instruction and assessment of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Kindergarten through high school while retaining the grade level content focus of the CCSS and the LPFs. The CCCs preserve the sequence of learning outlined in the LPF to the extent possible while identifying the basic parts of the progress indicators into teachable and assessable segments of content.

CCC Example CCSS – Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. CCC – Ask and answer* questions about key details in a text. *Instead of an oral or written response, some students may use picture symbols, character figures, props, etc.

Content Modules Modules provide teachers with a deeper understanding of content to support effective planning, teaching, and learning. The Content Modules include: Explanations and examples of the concepts Key vocabulary UDL tables with adaptations and modifications for a variety of student needs Ideas for linking academic activities to real-world uses and college and career ready skills Additional resources such as links, articles, PowerPoints, and sample lesson plans Content modules help teachers who need greater understanding of the content.

Instructional Families Related CCCs grouped into families to show how they develop and work together across grades and grade bands (e.g. grades 6-8), and within a grade Help educators see what is coming next so they can prepare students for future learning Can be used to inform standards-based IEP goal-writing. Represents “what” should be learned. It isn’t important for purposes of this presentation to understand all the details on the following charts—just understand that they help educators process how learning progresses for related CCCs so that they build the needed foundation for future learning

Grade-span Learning Target from the Learning Progression Frameworks Instructional Families for Data Analysis I (K-4) Reference to related CCSS This view of the instructional families illustrates the distribution of families and the specific CCCs in each family by grade-band (K-4). It also reflects the instructional families and CCCs’ relationship to the learning progressions by demonstrating the relationship to the elementary grade band learning target (big ideas). Additional charts in this view illustrate the overview of the CCCs by grade-bands 5 – 8 and high school. There is a difference in the number of CCCs within a family within and across the grade levels. It clearly shows the instructional family emphasis and specific CCCs within and across grades K - 4. In this example of the CCCs chart, the specific CCCs are indicated by families in the Strand of Data Analysis I (DPS-1). Three of the Instructional Families in Data Analysis, Formulate Questions/ Plan Research; Represent & Interpret Data and Draw Conclusions from Data Collection, are shown. Notice the relationship between the three families at the five grade levels (K-4). There is a difference in the number of CCCs within a family within and across the grade levels. Note that for each CCC, there is a reference to the CCSS. Provide language around the model and why all is this – how the pieces go together; add language that Mariel said; Distribution of CCCs by Instructional Families and grade

Element Cards Help teachers plan instruction that promotes UDL and includes students with a wide range of abilities and needs Provide suggested instructional strategies and supports Are already written for many CCCs; these are meant to serve as models A blank template is expected to be available as part of the post-project work by states The Element cards, when used in combination with other NCSC CCSS instructional tools, define the “how” by providing ways in which teachers can address grade-specific academic content for students with SCD, even if students have not had an opportunity learn this content previously.

Element Cards The first component of the Element Card is the CCSS: This is the Common Core State Standard on which the CCC is based. The second component is the Core Content Connector: The code used to identify the CCC is followed by a statement of the grade-specific CCC. The third row provides the related LPF Strand followed by the Instructional Family that contains this CCC. In this example, the instructional family is Draws Conclusions from Data Collection. There are element cards for ELA as well. The next row on this slide denotes the related Progress Indicator of the LPF. The next row contains the Essential Understandings including Concrete and Representation. Mathematical Concrete: Fundamental mathematical concepts and skills to address the content described in the grade-level CCCs. Mathematical Representation: Specific symbols or referents related to the concepts and skills to apply when problem solving (e.g., mathematical symbols and operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, equations). The Suggested Instructional Strategies section provides examples of evidenced-based strategies supporting instruction at varying levels of challenge; and The Supports and Scaffolds section provide suggestions of possible tools and materials that assist in the promotion of understanding and engagement with concepts. These suggested supports and scaffolds can provide a way for students to demonstrated what they know and can do.

Curriculum Resource (CR) Guides Provide: Examples of how the content is taught by general educators (e.g. essential knowledge, common misunderstandings, prior knowledge/skills needed, and activities used to teach the content) UDL tables with adaptations and modifications for a variety of student needs Ideas for linking academic activities to real-world uses and college and career ready skills CCCs covered in the topic and performance examples The Curriculum Resource Guides help teachers to better understand how to teach the CCCs. Both the Content Modules and Curriculum Resource Guides were developed and validated by content experts and special educators with extensive experience in adapting general curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Curriculum Resource Guides describe how to teach the content to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whereas the Content Modules describe the mathematics content (what is being taught) in general education. Together, the Content Modules and the Curriculum Resource Guides provide teachers with the necessary background knowledge to prepare students for the NCSC alternate assessment and offer examples of how the content is taught in general education, ideas for real life use, examples of universal design for learning, and ways to promote college and career readiness.

Example of UDL Table in ELA Curriculum Resource Guide

UDL Units and Lessons For more info on UDL, please visit www.udlcenter.org . Purpose is to model how to plan for ALL students using the principles of UDL (multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression) Structure: One unit for math and one for ELA for each grade-span (ES, MS and HS) Several lessons in each unit plus a “culminating activity” to tie the lessons together Provides additional considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators Contains objectives, essential questions, vocabulary, and a list of materials The lessons follow a learning progression to ensure the student has been taught the skills needed.  Lesson one begins with a review and practice of foundational or prerequisite skills.  This is an important step for students who may not have been instructed on this concept or have not yet become proficient.  The steps outlined to develop the necessary skills and knowledge are then used within the entire unit, so that the student has repeated practice throughout.  Other concepts taught and used throughout the unit are stressed as necessary to ensure chunking of content knowledge for generalization of the skills and concepts.  Each unit is composed of multiple lessons. Each lesson consists of the following components: Materials and Vocabulary Lesson Introduction Build background knowledge Review of Lesson objectives Body of the Lesson Practice Closure Review of Lesson Objectives Exit Assessment (Formative Assessment)  

Math/Language Activities for Scripted Systematic Instruction (MASSIs and LASSIs) Provide intensive instruction on key concepts and symbols for use in any instructional setting Incorporate evidence-based instructional practices Provide teaching scripts to help teachers with systematic instruction Designed with graduating levels of difficulty Can be used in any educational setting, including general education classes and after school or weekend tutoring The MASSIs/LASSIs offer intensive instruction based on evidence-based practices known to be effective in teaching skills to mastery for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. They identify the concepts and symbols needed to move toward mastery of the Core Content Connectors. Using scripts, the MASSIs and LASSIs present instruction in grades bands 3-5, 6-8 and high school and help teachers plan and prepare for instruction with suggested teacher and student materials. They offer a guide for instruction with graduating levels of difficulty – ranging from the first steps of teaching the content to students with little or no understanding of the content to building understanding of the target concepts of the CCCs using real-life word problems and using hand-on activities aligned to grade-level content. After teaching the UDL Instructional Units and utilizing the MASSIs and LASSIs as appropriate for individual students, teachers will gain practice in instructional strategies that are effective for teaching content to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

Math/Language Activities for Scripted Systematic Instruction (continued) Provides examples of different ways a student can respond (e.g. writing, typing, speaking, eye gaze, and pointing) Explains how to use the least intrusive prompts, to support independence Describes other instructional strategies Designed for use with MASSIs and LASSIs but can be used with UDL lessons

Professional Development Communities of Practice in partner states received professional development about the curriculum and instructional resources via webinars that are now publicly available at http://www.ncscpartners.org/resources-cop-presentations. Interactive professional development modules, including a communication toolkit, are available on the NCSC wiki at https://wiki.ncscpartners.org.

Assessment Note: Details regarding the assessment are subject to change. NCSC assessments are in math and ELA, which includes reading and writing, for grades 3-8 and one in high school.

NCSC Assessment Participation States that will use the NCSC test in Spring 2015 for accountability purposes: AR, AZ, CT, DC, ID, IN, ME, MT, NM, PAC 6 (6 Pacific territories such asGuam), RI, SC, SD, US Virgin Islands A state partnership has formed that will take the NCSC resources forward and secure a testing vendor to administer the test in the future. Some states will secure their own testing vendor and pay a fee to the state partnership . Other states may be continuing their existing AA-AAS into the future.

Assessment Details See parent documents about the assessment and talk to the school or education agency for more information. Will contain 30-35 selected response (e.g. multiple choice) and constructed response items (for assessing writing skills – various ways to respond) Can be taken in one day or paused and resumed as needed over multiple days Emphasis on optimal testing conditions for students: built-in assessment features and accommodations for individualization Taken online unless student has accommodations for paper version/scribe Can respond on computer, in writing, dictate their response , use AAC and AT devices, use eye gaze and pointing to answers.

Parent Resources http://www.ncscpartners.org/resources https://wiki.ncscpartners.org

Resources for Parents and Others More information can be found mid-page at http://www.ncscpartners.org/resources . NCSC Alternate Assessment NCSC Alternate Assessment FAQs NCSC Commonly Asked Parent Questions NCSC IEP Team Guidance For Participation in Alternate Assessment NCSC Assessment Policies College and Career Readiness NCSC College and Career Readiness NCSC College Career Ready (CCR) Policy Paper Summary

Resources for Parents and Others Communication Skills NCSC Commitment to Communicative Competence Tools for Sharing Information NCSC Newsletter and Website Information for Parents NCSC Discussion Points with Research NCSC Value in States Without Common Core State Standards * There are also PowerPoints on the main topics and one that is comprehensive.

Parent Resources – NCSC Wiki There is also a link to the Resources for Parents (and Others) from the main page of the wiki. Documents below will only be found through the main page of the wiki: NCSC Wiki Navigation (single page and a more detailed document) NCSC Tips for Parent Wiki Use – eight document series

Wiki Navigation

How to Find the Wiki The NCSC wiki is an online site that is available to the public. It can be easily accessed by entering wiki.ncscpartners.org in your browser’s search bar. You can also find it by searching for the term “NCSC wiki.”

The Wiki Main Page The main page of the wiki displays: links to other pages in the wiki; the NCSC schema; the NCSC Partners website; quick links to all resources by name; a tool bar at the top of the screen; and a search field is in the upper right corner.

The Wiki Main Page

The Wiki Main Page The organization of the wiki follows the NCSC schema. The schema is displayed on the home page to serve as a visual content guide.

The Wiki Main Page NCSC wiki main page menu Can be found on the left side of the screen Visible in all pages (or views) in the wiki Has active links to pages in the wiki Activated by clicking on the link Clicking on “Main page” or the NCSC icon will return the user to the home or main page

The Wiki Main Page There are four links at the top of the page in Wiki Resources: Curriculum Resources – resources found in the What to Teach section of the schema Instructional Resources – resources found in the How to Teach section of the schema Educator Professional Development and Parent Resources – presentations and interactive modules Parent Tips and Tools – a long and short guide to navigation for parents and the wiki tips series

The Wiki Main Page There are three links in the Quick Links section: All Resources – a browser bar that displays curriculum and instructional resources by name NCSC Partners – Parent Resources – the resources that are hosted in the NCSC Partners website, which include summaries, explanations, and descriptions of work related to the NCSC project NCSC Partners – the NCSC partners’ website homepage, which contains more information about the National Center and State Collaborative

All Resources Link (Bar) Once you are familiar with the names of the resources, this is a very quick way to go directly to the resource you want to view:

Finding What You Need Use the search bar in the top right corner of the wiki page to search for content within the wiki. “Go” assumes you know the exact name of the page or document, “search” will bring up internet-like search results.

Searching the Wiki

Tools and Aids within the Wiki At the bottom of the page, look for links to printable materials that can be used with the NCSC resources, or for links to printable versions of the online content: At the top of the page, look for links to return you to primary pages:

Tools and Aids within the Wiki Links to additional resources appear throughout the wiki. These links appear in lists and within the text.

Tools and Aids within the Wiki The wiki provides references to assist with interpreting the NCSC resources.

Conclusion The wiki provides a quick way to navigate a large number of NCSC resources. The wiki provides links to helpful outside resources. The NCSC Curriculum and Instruction resources can be used by parents, as well as educators. The NCSC Partners website has a resources tab that contains parent resources and other informative/summarized information about the work of NCSC Partners.