1. What’s Up, What’s Down and What’s Next in Connecticut
AA-AAS
What’s Up, What’s Down and What’s Next in Connecticut
Non-secure assessment CMT/CAPT Skills Checklist
Downward extensions
Trained teacher dependent

2. Key Concepts Communicate academic content standards
Sensitive enough to document achievement
Foster greater inclusion
-Skills checklist and training helped to make teachers aware of the state standards,
-Training critical component-teacher dependent
-Sensitive instrument-prompt levels and access skills
-Inclusion- vehicle for communication around standards and students in gen ed
CCSSO Conference 2010

3. Gathering Information
Teacher Training
Advisory Committee
Skills Checklist Data
GSEG validity study
Surveys, focus groups, interviews
-Yearly teacher training over 3200 face to face, evaluations, feedback both solicited and unsolicited
-Committee representative teachers support staff, parents, higher education, skills checklist and MAS- new development communicate effectively
Data from skills checklist over time from online submissions and surveys
GSEG 3 studies to develop a validity argument for the skills checklist including data analysis, focus groups, surveys interviews, looking at intended and unintended consequences
CCSSO Conference 2010

4. Considerations Maintain flexibility in student communication mode
Meaningful information for teachers and parents
Depth and breath coverage
Balance adaptive living skills and academic skills
Resources to support teachers
Online teacher training
Communication to other stakeholders including parents
Common Core Standards, ESEA , technology
-Impact assistive tech with this population want to maintain variety of communication modes
- Worthwhile experience provide information that can be used to improve student outcomes
-Balance alignment issues with needs of student-time constraint, excessive number of items especially when these students require more time to learn appropriateness for most significantly impaired
-Balanced demands of IEP and need to incorporate adaptive skills- college and career ready
-Resources for teachers and other educators- general ed, administrators
-Continue to use feedback and current info to enhance training- online convenience, cost ,use of video
-Training for non-special ed working wit parent support group re skills checklist and MAS
- Create ways to assist understanding of population and assessment tool- shift attitudes, culture within schools
-Impact of common core standards, changes in ESEA renewal, technology advancement
CCSSO Conference 2010

5. Potential Next Steps for Connecticut
Explore most significantly impaired group considering a screener component
Item analysis
Explore learning progressions
Inclusion adaptive skills
Add hybrid elements such as evidence for a performance task
Enhance online training include modules for parents, non-special education staff, higher education, administrators
Develop resource bank
-Look at learning progressions within content areas to inform development of teacher resources as related to the downward extensions
-Look at developing screener component with basal and ceiling items so support teachers working with most significantly impaired and to address the extensive number of items on the assessment( to fulfill alignment requirements)
Currently doing item analysis to look at relationship between downward extension items
-National focus on college and career ready –especially for this population must include adaptive skills
-Consideration of evidence, standardization and validity because so teacher dependent look into adding additional component such as a performance task
-Expand and enhance online training modules, currently 2 levels of training which include video examples
- Develop resource bank
CCSSO Conference 2010