Georgia Alternate Assessment: A Review

This session will cover: An overview of the GAA Lessons learned from year 1 Scoring Putting together this year’s portfolio Avoiding non-scoreables Available resources

What is the GAA? Both IDEA and NCLB allow for alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities based on alternate achievement standards. Achievement standards have to do with expectations for student learning of curriculum standards. Alternate achievement standards allow for differing expectations of student learning based on the unique characteristics of students participating in alternate assessments. Alternate achievement standards can differ from grade-level achievement standards in terms of complexity.

Alternate Achievement Standards May reflect prerequisite skills rather than grade-level skills. According to US ED, alternate achievement standards (expectations), “must be aligned with the state’s academic content standards, promote access to the general curriculum, and reflect the professional judgment of the highest achievement standards possible.”

Alternate Achievement Standards For the GAA, each teacher determines the alternate achievement standard (expectation) for each student, based on the learning characteristics and needs of the student. The GAA portfolio is reviewed for alignment to the grade level content standard, albeit an alternate achievement standard.

GAA The purpose of the GAA is to ensure all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, are provided the opportunity to access a challenging curriculum and demonstrate the progress they have made towards achieving the curriculum standards Works best when IEP goals are embedded Focus should be on academic progress, however Academic instruction can be functional

GAA – Year 1 Major year of transition for both students and educators Alignment of the activities and tasks was strong Evidence abounded of students engaged in interesting and creative tasks Approximately 10% of the entries submitted were deemed non-scoreable – for a first year alternate assessment, this was great!

Lessons Learned Commonly encountered problems resulting in a non-scoreable or lower scores: Focus on achievement (100% performance on all activities, no variation or challenge) Different elements used within the same entry (IE-D) Primary and Secondary Evidence documenting the same task and event NOTE: This will result in a non-scoreable this year! Only one photograph was submitted for Primary Evidence (IE-B) No answer key or annotation of student performance (IE-E) This was the most common non-scoreable

Lessons Learned Commonly encountered problems resulting in a non-scoreable or lower scores: Lack of customization in documentation Students can complete the same tasks but how they participate and complete will likely be different If the same task is used for different standards, the documentation should be unique for each standard Simple, clear, concise documentation and evidence is all that is needed

Lessons Learned Unfortunately we did see some unethical practices – Falsification of student evidence Falsification of documentation Collection of evidence on the same day

Overview of Scoring After GAA portfolios are received at Questar, they are processed for scoring. A random sample of portfolios is brought back to Georgia and a committee of Georgia educators is convened to conduct rangefinding. Rangefinding is a process wherein teachers score actual student entries to set the score point ranges in each dimension (e.g, describe what it takes to get a “4” in Achievement/Progress).

Overview of Scoring Entries scored by the Georgia teacher committee are used to create training and qualifying sets for readers. Readers must show that they know how to apply the scoring rubric before they can begin scoring. Readers are monitored throughout the scoring process to ensure they are scoring accurately and consistently.

Overview of Scoring Each entry is scored for Fidelity to Standard, Context, and Achievement/Progress. Scoring is holistic – all pieces of evidence within an entry are considered and the totality of the information documented in the evidence is used to make scoring decisions. A score for Generalization is given considering all of the entries in the portfolio. In other words, Generalization does not have to be shown for every content area/entry; students should be given opportunities to work in different settings and interact with others across the different entries in the portfolio.

Overview of Scoring Students may receive different scores for the same dimension when the task is the same for a group of students. Students’ access to the curriculum should and usually does differ. Documentation should individualized. Adjacent scores are not considered discrepant.

Overview of the GAA The GAA is a showcase portfolio of student work provided as evidence that a student is making progress toward grade-level academic standards. Evidence provided must show instructional activities and student work that is aligned to specific grade-level standards. Remember, grade-level materials and tasks can be adapted to meet the needs of the students QUESTIONS/NOTES: 1)

Putting together the 2007-2008 GAA: Portfolio Components Grades K-2 English/Language Arts: 2 standards/entries Mathematics: 2 standards/entries Grades 3-8 and 11 Science: 1 standard/entry, paired with Characteristics of Science Standard Social Studies: 1 standard/entry

GAA Blueprint Identifies the current curriculum standards that are required and eligible for assessment on the GAA. Located in the Examiner’s Manual as well as on the GAA webpage. http://www.gadoe.org Click on ‘Curriculum and Instruction’ Click on ‘Testing’ Click on “Georgia Alternate Assessment’ Look in the box on the right labeled ‘GAA Resources’

Portfolio Components Entry #1: Reading Comprehension Grades K – 2 English/Language Arts Entry #1: Reading Comprehension Entry #2: Communication – either Writing or Listen/Speaking/Viewing Mathematics Entry #1: Numbers and Operations Entry #2: Choose from Measurement, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Probability The window between Collection Period 1and Collection 2 is from a minimum of 3 weeks to a maximum of 5 months. Teachers will collect evidence of student performance of tasks aligned to a specific content standard. The evidence will show the student’s progress toward these standards.

Portfolio Components Grades 3 – 5 English/Language Arts Entry #1: Reading Comprehension Entry #2: Communication – either Writing or Listen/Speaking/Viewing Mathematics Entry #1: Numbers and Operations Entry #2: Choose from Measurement, Geometry, Algebra or Data Analysis and Probability Science Entry #1: Choice from blueprint, paired with Characteristics of Science standard Social Studies Entry #1: Choice from blueprint

Portfolio Components Grades 6 - 8 English/Language Arts Entry #1: Reading Comprehension Entry #2: Communication – either Writing or Listen/Speaking/Viewing Mathematics Entry #1: Numbers and Operations or Algebra Entry #2: Choose from Measurement, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Probability Science Entry #1: Choice from blueprint, paired with Characteristics of Science standard Social Studies Entry #1: Choice from blueprint

Portfolio Components Grade 11 English/Language Arts Entry #1: Reading Comprehension Entry #2: Communication – either Writing or Listen/Speaking/Viewing Mathematics Entry #1: Algebra Entry #2: Choose from Measurement and Geometry, or Data Analysis and Probability Science Entry #1: Choice from blueprint, paired with Characteristics of Science standard Social Studies Entry #1: Choice from blueprint

Entry Components There are two collection periods for each entry over the course of the school year—minimum time between collection periods is 21 calendar days. There must be 21 calendar days between the date on Primary Evidence Collection Period 1 and the date on Primary Evidence Collection Period 2 Secondary Evidence should be collected in the same time period as the Primary for each Collection Period Teachers collect evidence of student performance within tasks aligned to a specific grade level content standard and element (if applicable). Note: The same standard/element must be used for all four pieces of evidence This evidence should show the student’s progress toward those standards.

Types of Evidence Primary (shows what the student knows) Student work sample Permanent product Videotape; audiotape (with script) Series of Captioned Photos Secondary (reports what the student knows) Data sheet (Charts/Graphs) Interview Observation (Anecdotal record) An additional piece of primary evidence

Primary / Secondary Evidence Primary Evidence differs from Secondary Evidence Secondary Evidence is not a repackaging of the same exact event captured in Primary Evidence Secondary Evidence provides additional information about the student’s achievement (on the same standard/element) Secondary Evidence documents additional instructional opportunities the student has had and how the student performed Secondary Evidence can differ in terms of the activity, materials, prompts, events, settings, etc. Secondary Evidence that re-documents Primary Evidence will result in a non-scoreable code

Primary / Secondary Evidence Both Primary Evidence and Secondary Evidence should include a clear description of the student’s use of the skill described on the Entry Sheet and be clearly seen in the evidence submitted Ensure that the evidence is clearly marked as Primary or Secondary and that the dates are clear Follow the evidence guidelines provided in the Examiner’s Manual (pages 13-29)

Documenting Student Evidence All evidence should include the following information: Student name Date Collection Period Accuracy / level of performance (how the student did) Material supports used (adapted book, assistive technology) Type and frequency of prompting (beyond natural instruction) Setting in which the evidence was collected Interactions the student had with others

Entry Collection Period 1 Collection Period 2 Primary Evidence Initial/Baseline Secondary Evidence Entry (e.g., Reading Comprehension Standard) Primary Evidence Collection Period 2 Progress Secondary Evidence

Collection Phase 1: Initial Performance/Baseline Collect evidence from instructional activities that show the student’s initial skill associated with the selected standard. Include Primary and Secondary Evidence Think about: grade-appropriate materials (materials can be adapted) real-world or natural (meaningful) applications opportunity for a variety of settings and interactions with peers and community members across the portfolio

Collection Phase 2: Progress Collect evidence that shows student progress on the same content standard and the same element (if applicable) as Collection Period 1. Determine the most appropriate way to show what the student is now able to do Include Primary and Secondary evidence Think about: grade-appropriate materials (materials can be adapted) real-world or natural (meaningful) applications opportunity for a variety of settings and interactions with peers and community members across the portfolio

Data Collection Periods 1 & 2 Evidence collected during the Collection Period 2 should differ from evidence collected during Collection Period 1 Collection Period 2 evidence can differ in terms of the task completed by the student materials used the type and level of prompting

Remember… The focus is on student progress across the two collection periods There are multiple ways to demonstrate progress increase in accuracy of performance increase in complexity of task decrease in type and/or frequency of prompting

Updated Forms All forms, including the Entry Sheets, are available electronically. The Electronic versions of Entry Sheets require: Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (or higher) for printing Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1 to save For teachers who are not comfortable with the electronic forms, the option of printing the documents and handwriting information on to the form is available.

Entry Sheets Complete an Entry Sheet for each entry. The Entry Sheet must be completed correctly for the entry to be scoreable. Be certain that you have recorded the correct standard number (and element, if applicable) and its matching description (see appendix E of the GAA Examiner’s Manual). Briefly describe the overall content or skill that connect the tasks to the standard/element – what in the task connects it with the “big idea” of the standard and element Briefly describe how the prerequisite skill that the student will be using to participate in the activity connects to the standard/element, if applicable. If the student is not working on a prerequisite skill, leave this area blank

Entry Sheets Complete an Entry Sheet for each entry. Remember that the Entry Sheet for 2007-2008 has 2 pages Describe both the Primary Evidence task and Secondary Evidence task for each collection period. Readers are looking for a brief description of the activity in order to better understand the evidence they will be examining Include the type of evidence included for each collection period Check dates on Entry Sheet and evidence included in the entry to ensure a match of dates and that adequate time (21 calendar days) has been allowed.

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them ME = Missing Entry The entry is missing from the portfolio Have someone other than yourself check to ensure all entries needed are in the portfolio before submission Remember there must be two entries for ELA and two for Mathematics; in grades 3 – 8 and 11 there must be one entry in Science (paired with a Characteristics of Science standard) and one entry in Social Studies

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them ES = Entry Sheet Error The entry sheet is incomplete or incorrect Use the Electronic Entry Sheet when possible to help ensure correct standards/elements are chosen Complete both pages of Entry Sheet Have someone other than yourself check to ensure all entries needed are in the portfolio before submission

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them NA = Not Aligned The entry does not reflect a connection between the instructional tasks and the curriculum standard Review ideas for tasks and materials with others, including general education teachers, to ensure that the activity AND the student’s work address the “big idea” of the standard and element (even if at a prerequisite level) Be able to explain the relationship and connection between the instructional task, student work, and the curriculum standard, and record that on the Entry Sheet Be sure the same standard and element (if applicable) are used for all four pieces of evidence.

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them OG = Off Grade The standard selected is not at the appropriate grade level Check each student’s FTE grade BEFORE beginning the portfolio to ensure all required components for the grade are addressed Check and use the correct Blueprint and Curriculum Standards for the student’s grade Have someone other than yourself check to ensure all entries needed are in the portfolio before submission

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them IE = Insufficient Evidence The entry cannot be scored because it contains insufficient evidence of the student’s performance, or the student’s performance cannot be verified by the information provided. Be sure to document/annotate ALL EVIDENCE Provide the documentation/annotation on the evidence itself, not on Entry Sheet Be sure to include a key for data sheets, work samples are checked and graded (with answers) for correctness Ensure that both Primary and Secondary Evidence is included for each collection period in an entry AND that the evidence matches the task description on the Entry Sheet

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them IE = Insufficient Evidence The entry cannot be scored because it contains insufficient evidence of the student’s performance, or the student’s performance cannot be verified by the information provided. Be sure to include at least 2 captioned photos when using Captioned Photographs as evidence Ensure that the photos taken show the STUDENT WORK, not the instructional material utilized Show the student participating in the task, completing the task, or the finished product, along with the annotation, NOT the teacher created material used for instruction only.

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them IE = Insufficient Evidence The entry cannot be scored because it contains insufficient evidence of the student’s performance, or the student’s performance cannot be verified by the information provided. Be sure to include at least 2 captioned photos when using Captioned Photographs as evidence Have someone other than yourself review the evidence to ensure that all pieces are: included in the entry clearly documented /annotated – including student performance! accurately dated accessible (when using Audio or Video format, can be opened on more than one machine and includes an understandable script)

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them IS = Ineligible Standard The standard selected is not eligible for assessment as required by the Blueprint (Appendix D). Check and use the correct Blueprint and Curriculum Standards for the student’s grade Use the Electronic Entry Sheet when possible to help ensure correct strands/standards/elements are chosen Ensure that a different stand/standard/element was chosen for both Entry 1 and Entry 2 in ELA or Mathematics Have someone other than yourself check to ensure all entries needed are in the portfolio before submission

Non-Scoreable Entries: How to Avoid Them IT = Insufficient Time There is less than the minimum required time (3 weeks) between collection periods. Ensure that all dates on the evidence are accurate Use a calendar to count the number of days between the date of Primary Evidence in Collection Period 1 and the date of Primary Evidence date in Collection Period 2 Secondary Evidence should be collected within the same time vicinity as Primary Evidence for each Collection Period Have someone other than yourself check to ensure all pieces of evidence are clearly dated and meet the timeline requirements

GAA Resources GAA webpage http://www.gadoe.org Click on ‘Curriculum & Instruction’ Click on ‘Testing’ Click on ‘Georgia Alternate Assessment’ Access to the GPS for Students w/Significant Cognitive Disability http://www.georgiastandards.org/impairments.aspx

GAA Resources Found on the GAA Webpage 2006-2007 Score Interpretation Guide 2007-2008 Examiners’ Manual 2007-2008 Test Coordinators’ Manual Electronic Forms Attend to the GAA Blueprint: Functional life skills and IEP goals are still important Curriculum standards selected should be meaningful for the individual student and when possible, support functional skills/IEP goals

GAA Resources Found on the GAA Webpage Frequently Asked Questions Fall 2007 Workshop Presentation 2006-2007 Post Administration Workshop Presentation Attend to the GAA Blueprint: Functional life skills and IEP goals are still important Curriculum standards selected should be meaningful for the individual student and when possible, support functional skills/IEP goals

Access to the Curriculum Resources Found on the Access to the GPS for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities website PowerPoint Presentations Videos of initial Access to the GPS trainings and students participating in aligned activities Worksheets/rubrics/datasheets Aligned activities Resource Guide Attend to the GAA Blueprint: Functional life skills and IEP goals are still important Curriculum standards selected should be meaningful for the individual student and when possible, support functional skills/IEP goals

Access to the Curriculum Resources Access to the GPS Electronic Resource Board PowerPoint Presentations Activities and materials submitted by teachers (covering all grade levels, content areas and various standards) Datasheets Resources Questions and Answers Updates Attend to the GAA Blueprint: Functional life skills and IEP goals are still important Curriculum standards selected should be meaningful for the individual student and when possible, support functional skills/IEP goals

Elluminate Sessions Presented by Assessment Division: http://elluminate.gavirtualschool.org/testing/index.html 2006-2007 Post Administration Workshop (7/13/07) GAA Review (12/10 or 12/13/07) Presented by Special Education Division: http://elluminate.gavirtualschool.org/doe/index.html Access to the GPS Cognitive Disabilities (9/13/07, 10/11/07,11/8/07, 1/10/08, 2/7/08, 3/13/08) Attend to the GAA Blueprint: Functional life skills and IEP goals are still important Curriculum standards selected should be meaningful for the individual student and when possible, support functional skills/IEP goals

GaDOE Resources GAA Curriculum Access Deborah Houston Kayse Harshaw Assessment Administration Division Deborah Houston 404.657.0251 dhouston@doe.k12.ga.us Division for Special Education Services and Supports Toni Bowen 404-463.0616 tbowen@doe.k12.ga.us Curriculum Access Division for Special Education Services and Supports Kayse Harshaw 404.463.5281 sharshaw@doe.k12.ga.us Jessie Moreau jmoreau@doe.k12.ga.us