Options for Participationand Related IEP

Decisions

http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/toolkit/index.asp

Options for Participation inCurrent Federal Regulations:Option of the General Assessment

Assessment Option

Foundation for Content

How Performance is

Evaluated

Who Can Participate

Caps on Using for AYP

General Assessment

State’s academic content standards

Grade level achievement standards

Open to all students including any student with a disability

None

General Assessment with Accommodations

State’s academic content standards

Grade level achievement standards

Any student with a disability

None

Option of Alternate Assessments:Type 1- Grade Level Achievement

Assessment Option

Foundation for Content

How Performance is

Evaluated

Who Can Participate

Caps on Using for

AYP Alternate Assessment Judged Against Grade Level Achievement Standards

State’s academic content standards

Grade level achievement standards

Any student with a disability

None

Option of Alternate Assessments:Type 2- Modified Achievement

Assessment Option

Foundation for Content

How Performance is

Evaluated

Who Can Participate

Caps on Using for

AYP Alternate Assessment Judged Against Modified Achievement Standards

State’s academic content standards

Modified achievement standards

Students with a disability who have persistent academic difficulties

2% can be counted as proficient for AYP; no limit on participation

See the U.S. Department of Education’s interim policy on modified achievement standards at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/raising/disab-options.html (retrieved October 20, 2005).

Option of Alternate Assessment:Type 3- Alternate Achievement

Assessment Option

Foundation for Content

How Performance is

Evaluated

Who Can Participate

Caps on Using for

AYP Alternate Assessment a Judged Against Alternate Achievement Standards

State’s academic content standards

Alternate achievement standards

Students with significant cognitive disabilities

1% can be counted as proficient for AYP; no limit on participation

Options Summary

AYP Cap

Options for Participation Students Achievement Standards

1. General Assessment All 2. General Assessment w/ Accommodations

SWD*

None

3. Alternate Assessment SWD*

Grade Level

2% 4. Alternate Assessment SWD Modified 1% 5. Alternate Assessment SW

w/SCD Alternate

* Some states make this option available to other students.

The Decision Framework

IEP teams must determine how students with disabilities participate in statewide assessments for accountability, not whether they participate.

Premise:

All students with or without disabilities, should participate in the general assessment without accommodations unless the IEP team determines otherwise.

Implications for IEP Teams In Choosing Assessment Option What is not relevant What is relevant

What is Not Relevant for the IEP Team’s Decision “Exemption”

All students participate Separate, Specialized Curriculum

All options are aligned with general curriculum/ grade level content standards

Placement Disability Label Boosting Schools Outcomes on AYP

What is Relevant Prerequisite Considerations

Has the student had access to grade level content?

Has the student had evidence-based instruction? Was instruction by highly qualified teacher?

IF answer to above is “NO”, continue to apply grade level achievement standards and evaluate response to intervention

What is Relevant Student’s Educational Needs

How does the student access the general curriculum?

What has been the student’s response to academic interventions?

How does this student interact with text? Do the supports the student requires change the

complexity of grade level material? What inferences can be made about

generalization?

When an option for test participation is selected

what will it mean?

What Inferences can Be Made

When the team chooses grade level achievement standards

Inferences from test results can be made to the breadth, depth, and complexity of the standards in the test specification for the general assessment with the general assessment, general assessment with accommodations, or alternate assessment-grade level achievement

What Inferences can Be Made

When the team chooses modified achievement standards

Inferences from test results can be made to grade level expectations with specified level of breadth, depth, and complexity Alternate assessment judged against modified

achievement standards

What Inferences can Be MadeWhen the team chooses alternate achievement

standards Inferences from test results can be made to grade

level content that is extensively prioritized but maintains expectation for progress in general curriculum

And assumes student performance is contingent on having the supports specified for the assessment

Alternate assessment judged against alternate achievement standards

Who might take the Alternate Assessment

Judged Against Modified Achievement

Standards?

No final regulations had been established at the time this paper was released.

What are Modified Achievement Standards? Designed to enable inferences about grade

level content expectations somewhat reduced in

breadth, depth, or complexity

Inferences are constrained

Who are the 2% students? Students with IEPs who are very, very, very

hard to teach

Who are the 2% students? Students who can learn grade level content,

but in the time available Cannot cover as much content Cannot cover the content in as much depth Cannot learn the content to the same degree of

cognitive complexity

Grade Level ContentContent Standards and Achievement Standards specified for the general assessment.

Content reduced in breadth

Content Standards and Achievement Standards specified for grade level content with reduced breadth.

Content reduced in depth

Content Standards and Achievement Standards specified for grade level content with reduced depth.

Content reduced in cognitive complexityContent Standards and Achievement Standards specified for grade level content with reduced cognitive complexity.

Who are the 2% students? Have persistent academic difficulties

Despite intensive, appropriate, relentless, evidence-based interventions

Over sufficient length of time Cannot close the achievement gap

The time there is to learn it!All t

h er e

i s t

o le

a rn

Most Students

Start lower; Work harder and longer; Achieve the same amount?

Students with DisabilitiesNeed to learn more, faster to end at same place

The time there is to learn it!

Start lower; Work hard to maintain pace; Achieve less.

All t

h er e

i s t

o le

a rn

Most Students

Students with persistent academic difficultiesLearn slower and less, and can’t catch up despite…

Decision Framework applied to 2%

1. In what way does the student access the general curriculum?

S’ can learn a ‘streamlined” version of the content

2. What has been the student’s response to academic interventions

S’ has persistent academic problems despite appropriate, intensive interventions

Decision Framework3. How does the student interact with text? Controlled vocabulary reduced reading levels May need text reader4. Do the supports needed by this student to

perform or participate meaningfully change the complexity or cognitive demand of the material?

Needs supports that reduce complexity, breadth, depth of the contentTeacher scaffolding & Fewer choices

Decision Framework

5. What inferences can be made about student’s generalization/transfer of learning

Inferences constrained Transfer of learning more limited

May transfer only to similar or familiar contexts

Who are the 2% students?Simply stated, they are students

for whom: The alternate assessment

judged against alternate achievement standards is too easy

The general assessment judged against grade level achievement standards is too hard