1. 2012-2013 Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) Changes
Virginia Department of Education
August 2012

2. Presentation Topics Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Overview
DLM Essential Elements
DLM Benefits
DLM Timeline
VAAP Changes for Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science
Levels of Performance
Technical and Scoring Changes
VAAP History/Social Science
Supporting Your Staff

3. Changes in
In Virginia will implement a new online alternate assessment program for students with significant cognitive disabilities to replace the current “Collections of Evidence” in reading, writing, and mathematics.

4. Online Alternate Assessment
The online alternate assessment is being developed by the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Alternate Assessment System Consortium
DLM Consortium which includes 13 states was awarded a grant from the US Department of Education in 2010
The DLM Assessment is based on research on how students with significant cognitive disabilities learn

5. DLM Alternate Assessment
The DLM system is designed to map a student’s learning throughout the year. The system will use items and tasks that are embedded in day-to-day instruction. In this way, testing happens as part of instruction, which both informs teaching and benefits students.

6. DLM Project Core Belief
“all students should have access to challenging grade-level content.”

7. Definition of the Essential Elements
The Essential Elements are specific statements of the content and skills that are expected of students with significant cognitive disabilities in reading, mathematics and writing.
They are linked to the grade level
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Standards of Learning (SOL).
Note: These CCEE has been linked to Virginia’s SOLs by way of the Math and Reading SOL Comparisons with the Common Core.

8. Essential Elements: Design Decisions
Focus on student learning
Create comparable expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD)
Use performance terms to describe what students should know and be able to do
Insure that final elements are measurable and observable

9. Essential Elements Are: Are not: Links to grade level
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)/Virginia’s SOL
Statements of content and skills that provide a bridge for students with SCD to achieve grade differentiated
expectations
Provide challenge and rigor appropriate for students with SCD in consideration of the significance of their disabilities
Are not:
Downward extension to
pre-K
General essence statements
Statements of functional skills

10. DLM Benefits
Embedded design will link day-to-day instruction to summative assessment.
Essential Elements and Levels of Performance will address the needs of the most challenged learner.
Online format for Reading, Writing and Mathematics will address the intensive time and labor associated with current VAAP for these content areas.
Computer adaptive feature will ensure that student are administered tasks/items appropriate to their ability levels.

11. DLM Benefits
Wide range of contributors provides access to teachers and experts from across the nation.
Grade level content and skills provided the forum for increased collaboration between general educators and teachers of students with significant disabilities.
Virginia teachers will have ongoing access to professional development and resources developed by national experts.
Support and contribution of multi-state consortium will address NCLB technical requirements critical to peer review.

12. DLM Implementation Time
By , the DLM will be fully implemented in the areas of Reading, Mathematics and Writing.
History and Science will continue to be offered as an evidence-based assessment.

13. VAAP changes will
support the transition to DLM by exposing Virginia educators to important DLM features:
Essential Elements in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
Levels of Performance

14. 2012-2013 VAAP Changes will affect...
Reading
Writing
Science
Mathematics

15. VAAP Changes
New tests in reading, writing and science based on SOL adopted in 2010
Aligned Standards of Learning (ASOL) based on the 2010 SOL needed for VAAP Collections of Evidence

16. VAAP Changes
To support the transition to DLM, ASOL in reading, writing, and mathematics will be based on the DLM content
Science ASOL will change to reflect the new 2010 Science Standards of Learning

17. Changes in Selection of ASOL
Teachers must select ASOL listed at the student’s grade of enrollment for Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science.
Teacher will not be allowed to select ASOL at a higher or lower grade level for these content areas.

18. Levels of Performance
Beginning in , teachers will be allowed to determine the level of performance for ASOL in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science.
Levels of Performance will provide flexibility for instruction and assessment.

19. (Applies to Reading, Writing, Science and Mathematics)
Levels of Performance
(Applies to Reading, Writing, Science and Mathematics)
Level I: Student demonstrates the ASOL with significant support and modification
Level II: Student partially demonstrates the
ASOL
Level III: Student fully demonstrates the ASOL

20. Level III: Fully Demonstrated
To fully demonstrate an ASOL means:
To demonstrate the skills and concepts of the ASOL including the stem and related sub-statements referred to as bullets
Skills and concepts may be demonstrated with allowed accommodations documented in the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

21. Level III –Fully Demonstrated
ASOL
Sample ASOL
Full demonstration May Mean:
HSE-RW 2 (b)
The student will demonstrate understanding of multiple-meaning words and figurative language
Student will demonstrate understanding of multiple-meaning words and figurative language using a scribe to record answers.
8S-FME 5 (c)
The student will investigate and understand the nature of matter. Key concepts include:
Solids, liquids and gases
The student will investigate and understand the nature of matter- solids ,liquids and gases by using an augmentative device to indicate responses on a worksheet.

22. Level II – Partially Demonstrated
To partially demonstrate an ASOL means:
To reduce the number of skills or concepts addressed
To reduce the number of tools, instruments, type of texts required
To reduce the number or range of numbers required
To decrease rigor by changing the depth of knowledge

23. ASOL contains more than one skill or concept
Level II – Partially Demonstrated To reduce the number of skills or concepts
ASOL contains more than one skill or concept
Sample ASOL
Partial May Mean:
HSE-RW 2 (b)
The student will demonstrate understanding of multiple-meaning words and figurative language
Student will demonstrate understanding of multiple-meaning words
8S-FME 5 (c)
The student will investigate and understand the nature of matter. Key concepts include:
Solids, liquids and gases
The student will investigate and understand the nature of matter- solids and liquids

24. Level II – Partially Demonstrated To reduce the number of skills or concepts
ASOL contains more than one skill or concept
Sample ASOL
Partial May Mean:
3M-NSCE 2
The student will solve addition and subtraction problems when result is unknown with number 0-30.
The student will solve addition problems when the results is unknown with number 0-30.
HSE-WE4 (a)
The student will edit writing for grammatically correct use of language, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence/paragraph structure
The student will edit
writing for grammatically correct use of spelling, punctuation and capitalization.

25. ASOL contains more than one tool, instrument, text or environment
Level II – Partially Demonstrated To reduce the number of tools, instruments, texts and/or environments required
ASOL contains more than one tool, instrument, text or environment
Sample ASOL
Partial May Mean:
3E-RW 4 (d)
The student will demonstrate comprehension of information in reference materials by using dictionaries, glossaries, and indices.
The student will demonstrate comprehension of information in reference materials by using dictionaries and glossaries.
5S-SI1 (k)
The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which data are communicated with simple graphs, pictures, written statements and numbers.
The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which data are communicated with pictures and numbers.

26. Level II – Partially Demonstrated To reduce the number or range of numbers required
ASOL contains a specific number or range of numbers
Sample ASOL
Partial May Mean:
7M-NSCE 2
The student will solve multiplication problems with products to 100.
The student will solve multiplication problems with products to 50.
5E-RW 1 (c)
The student will read more than 20 common high-frequency words.
The student will read more than 10 common high-frequency words.

27. Level I Demonstrates with significant support and modification
To demonstrate an ASOL means:
To modify the skills and concepts to a basic skill or concept
To provide significant allowed supports that will assist the student in performing the basic skill or concept

28. Sample Significant Supports
Allowed in VAAP COE
Manipulatives
Pictures
Assistive technology
Not Allowed in VAAP COE
Hand-over-Hand instruction (full physical assistance)
Hints, clues, or prompts that provide answers and violate testing conditions

29. Level I Demonstrates with significant support and modification
ASOL contains a number of complex skills
Sample ASOL
Significant support and Modification may mean:
3S-LPS1
Investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow. Key concept include animal life cycles
Modify the ASOL to a single basic skill of matching adult animals to their babies.
HSE-WE4
The student (a)
Edit writing for grammatically correct use of language, spelling punctuation, capitalization, and sentence/paragraph structures
Modify the ASOL to one skill such as correct use of capitalization of single words (i.e. Capitalization of Names).

30. Level I Demonstrates with significant support and modification
ASOL addresses a single skill
Sample ASOL
Significant support and Modification may mean:
4E-RW 1 (d)
The student will demonstrate understanding of opposites
Provide support by pairing each opposite word with a picture to help the student distinguish between the two words
HSM-FS 2 (a)
The student will indicate general trends on a graph or chart
Provide support by using an object graph of familiar items to help the student identify trends

31. Examples of Levels of Performance for Mathematics
3 M-MG 3 (a) The student will tell time to the hour on a (sol 3.11) digital clock.
Level I Demonstrated with significant support and modification
The student is able to identify the clock as the tool to tell time.
Level II Demonstrated partially
The student will identify the location of the hour on a digital clock.
Level III Fully demonstrated
The student will look at a digital clock and read the time to the hour.

32. Examples of Levels of Performance for Reading
3 E-RW 2 (b) The student will demonstrate understanding of (SOL 2.6) the meaning of newly acquired vocabulary.
Level I Demonstrated with significant support and modification
The student is able to identify a new vocabulary word when presented with a pair of words.
Level II Demonstrated partially
The student is able to identify new vocabulary in a reading selection.
Level III Fully demonstrated
The student is able to correctly answer questions using new vocabulary per its definition.

33. STUDENT EVIDENCE ID (SEI) TAG
Technical Changes
New SEI Tags must include:
Content Area
ASOL
Bullet
Level of Performance must be included for Reading, Writing, Science and Mathematics
STUDENT EVIDENCE ID (SEI) TAG
VAAP
CONTENT AREA:
ASOL: BULLET:
LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE:

34. Technical Changes New Content Area Cover Sheet must include:
Student Information
Reporting Category
ASOL & bullet if applicable
Level of Performance for each ASOL assessed must be indicated for Reading, Writing, Science, and Mathematics
Virginia Alternate Assessment Program
VAAP Content Area Cover Sheet
Student Name:__________________________________________________________
State Testing Identifier (STI)_____________________________ Grade:____________
School Division Name_______________________ School Name_________________
Check Content Area: __ Reading __ Writing __Mathematics __ Science
__History/Social Science (does not require Level of Performance)
Reporting Category
Aligned Standard of Learning (ASOL) and Bullet (if applicable)
Level of Performance
Indicated Level I, II, or III

35. Changes in Scoring Rules for Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science
If Level II is listed on the SEI tag --- the highest score the student can get is a “3”.
If Level I is listed on the SEI tag --- the highest score the student can get is a “2”.
If the level of performance is not indicated on the SEI tag, the evidence will be scored as though it were Level III.

36. What about VAAP History?
History/Social Science ASOL will not change in
Teachers will be allowed to selected ASOL at a higher or lower grade level than the student’s grade level of enrollment.
Levels of Performance will not apply.

37. Supporting Your Staff with VAAP Changes
Provide each staff person involved in VAAP with:
2012 – 2013 VAAP Implementation Manual
New SEI tags
New Content Area Cover Sheet
Ongoing VAAP Professional Development
A system for monitoring and pre-scoring collections
Access to division technical assistance and support
Accurate grade levels for each student participating in the VAAP

38. QUESTIONS Virginia Department of Education (804) 225-2102
Division of Student Assessment and School Improvement
(804)
Division of Special Education and Student Services
(804)