Accommodations in OregonOregon Department of Education

Fall Conference 2009Staff and Panel Presentation

Dianna Carrizales ODEMike Boyles

Pam Prosise

Objectives

Provide Oregon’s definitions for Accommodations and Modifications

Increase awareness of Oregon’s expectations for the implementation of Accommodations

Develop awareness of Oregon’s Accommodation deliberation process

Provide information on national trends in Accommodations and implications for Oregon

Provide information on the state of Oregon’s decisions regarding Accommodations

Provide an update on recent changes in Oregon’s Accommodations format

Accommodations and Modifications(Definitions revisited) Accommodations – practices and procedures in

presentation, response, setting, and timing or scheduling that, when used in an assessment, provide equitable access to all students. Accommodations do not compromise the learning expectations, construct, grade-level standard, and/or measured outcome of the assessment

Modifications – (instructional) practices and procedures that if applied to an assessment setting may compromise the intent of the assessment through a change in the learning expectations, construct, grade-level standard, and/or measured outcome.

How we got here

Historical purpose (ASK Settlement, 2001): Broaden the list of accommodations available to

students with learning disabilities Provide an alternative to the standard assessment for

those learning disabled students who are disadvantaged by the regular assessment

Institute an appeals process Conduct further research to ensure the validity of the

tests with respect to students with disabilities, and Provide greater training and information about the

assessment to students, teachers, and parents.

Information Sources

United States Department of Education (April 2007) A state must: Develop, disseminate information on, and promote the

use of appropriate accommodations to increase the number of students with disabilities who are tested against academic achievement standards for the grade in which a student is enrolled;

Research National Center on Educational Outcomes

http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/ Council of Chief State School Officers Current university and educational research

Accommodations Panel (review of district, school, parent, and student recommendations)

State Level Evaluation of Accommodations (NCEO)

States will be evaluated on: Selection of accommodations

Validity of process Agreement of assessment accommodations with

instructional accommodations Consistency of implementation (validity)

Monitoring accommodations availability and use IDEA fidelity

Accommodations use provides valid inferences and meaningful scores about students’ knowledge and skills Maintaining the integrity/construct of the assessment

District and School Level Considerations (CCSSO 5-steps)

Step 1: Expect Students with Disabilities To Achieve Grade-level Academic Content Standards

Step 2: Learn About Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment

Step 3: Select Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Individual Students

Step 4: Administer Accommodations During Instruction and Assessment

Step 5: Evaluate and Improve Accommodations Use

Accommodations Panel Guiding Principles Instruction should allow for access to information and

practice of skills Assessment should allow for demonstration of

knowledge and skills without compromising rigor of expectation

Accommodations wherever provided, should be part of a plan toward increased independence (during both instruction and assessment)

Accommodations, used correctly, can contribute to a heightened awareness of student ability and should inform the decision-making cycle

Educators should maintain an awareness of the relationship between instruction and assessment

Guiding Principles (cont’d)

Validity at the forefrontFollowing appropriate testing expectationsProvision in the classroom as a

prerequisiteStudent familiarity with AccommodationsStudent awareness of the limitations of

assistance (based on location)Adult interaction at an item level

National trends in Accommodations

Electronic Accommodations tracking systems

Electronic Accommodations decision making tools

Re-examination of categoriesDevelopment of validation processesMore interest in national alignmentAllowing only validated Accommodations

to be used during a statewide assessment

Oregon’s current trends and future hopes in Accommodations Support changes that ensure clarity of intent Determine a consistent and reliable process that

allows educators to accurately monitor Accommodations use between classroom and assessment settings

Respond to needs generated by ongoing developments in the OAKS system (e.g. online Writing, Assessment of Essential Skills, Reading Performance Assessments)

Link Accommodations to assessment electronically

Consistency Between Instruction and Assessment

(1) Accommodations used in the classroom should allow for (a) students to have access to instruction and (b) the opportunity to demonstrate learning.

(2) Accommodations used for assessment should be routinely used for instruction (i.e. Assessment accommodations should not be used for the first time on test day.)

(3) The goals of instruction and assessment should be considered before making decisions about accommodations.

Implications for Oregon

Accommodation changes, reassignment, removal

Continued streamlining of Accommodations decision-making process to ensure that assessment validity is maintained

Involvement in national discussions on Accommodations

Changes to Expect

Structural changes Change in format and structure of tables (now manual)

Technical changes Removed mistakes and oversights (e.g. hearing aids) Provided Accommodations by population Provided administration definitions

Theoretical changes Reassigned some accommodations to allowable

resources Administration Conditions (e.g., Extended time,

Frequent breaks)

Oregon’s Accommodations Manual

Walk through manual Table of contents Structure of chapters Structure of Accommodations and tables Selected definitions

Questions?

Questions

Contact Information

Accommodations questions and recommendations:

Office of Student Learning and Partnerships Dianna.Carrizales@state.or.us (503) 947-5634