Monitoring Accommodations in South Dakota Linda Turner Special Education Programs

Accommodation Practices in Place Prior to Peer Review IEP Technical Manual –Directions on selecting and documenting assessments and accommodations Special Education onsite monitoring –Documentation of accommodations on IEP –Appropriate accommodations for students

Accommodation Practices Developed During Peer Review Accommodations Manual –Adopted from CCSSO template –Train the Trainer model 29 Trainers 21 workshops held, 850 participants Flowchart for Assessment Determination –Decisions on assessment and need for accommodations

Accommodation Issues from Peer Review Peer review Fall 2005 –A plan for conducting reliability studies for the scores of subpopulations and studies related to accommodated test situations to ensure that they are instructionally appropriate and that the scores yield valid and reliable results

Accommodation Issues from Peer Review Peer Review Spring 2006 –Results of studies or a concrete plan and timeline for student accommodations that examine the degree to which the IEP and the accommodations are congruent

South Dakota’s Journey Based on accommodations issues: –RFP issued to conduct Accommodation study Study to answer: –Evaluate the congruency among the accommodations received during assessment to those identified on the IEP for assessment and instruction –Evaluate the congruency among the accommodations identified on students’ IEPs for instruction and assessment

South Dakota’s Journey Collection of Evidence for study –Online survey Conducted K-12 on student instructional accommodations documented on IEP Stratified sample selected from grades 3-8 & 11 –Accommodation demographic information from statewide assessment –Student IEP’s Stratified sample selected from previous sample Used as a validity check for online survey and demographic information collected

South Dakota’s Journey Study results –High level of congruence overall 93% math 92% reading –Specific accommodations and disability categories with low congruence Ex. read aloud accommodations, high number of students received it for assessment but not instruction

South Dakota’s Journey

Test administration training and materials updated –List of “accessibility options” available to all students –Test security agreement/affidavit includes provision and documentation of accommodations

South Dakota’s Journey Test Security Agreement/Affidavit

South Dakota’s Journey Revision of Special Education Monitoring –Review team monitors IEP’s for Accommodations documented appropriately Assessment determination matches accommodation selection –Expanded to include Disability and needs support accommodations Assessment accommodations have been used for instruction Assessment accommodations were provided

South Dakota’s Journey Revision of Special Education Monitoring –Districts selected for monitoring based on State Performance Plan data –All districts selected include the accommodation review –Ensure all districts will be reviewed in a 5 year period

South Dakota’s Journey Special Education Monitoring –Districts found out of compliance place on an improvement plan Review current policy/procedure to determine why discrepancies are occurring Develop a process for the documentation and provision of accommodations for state assessments Staff training on the procedures/process by Accommodations Trainer. Implement procedures and collect data to verify Analyze data

South Dakota’s Journey Revision of Onsite Testing Visits –Visits included Verification of the process to track accommodation needs Process by which staff is informed of accommodations –Expanded to include Collection of randomly selected IEPs and 504 plans –Verification of individual student accommodations –Classroom visits if testing during visit

South Dakota’s Journey Revision of Onsite Testing Visits –Plans collected will be used for verification checks against demographic accommodation information from testing –Districts can be flagged for special education review –Sanctions followed as appropriate

South Dakota’s Journey Submitting final evidence of for accommodation provision in June State has been receiving technical assistance in cooperation with federal DOE Developed a timeline and implementation plan with federal DOE Final approval expected