Measured Progress Professional Development

1
UDA vs. DOK Is there a conflict between
universal design principles and depth of
knowledge? Stuart Kahl, Measured Progress Chris
Johnstone, National Center on Educational
Outcomes MaryAnn Snider, Rhode Island Department
of Education Joanne Jensen, WestEd CCSSO
National Conference on Large-Scale Assessment
San Francisco, 2006
2
Two questions, not necessarily with the same
answers

• Should UDA principles conflict with the use of
  higher order items?
• Can or do UDA principles conflict with the use of
  higher order items?

3
4 of 7 NCEO-identified elements of universally
designed assessments are

• Precisely defined constructs
• Amenable to accommodations
• Maximum readability/comprehensibility
• Maximum legibility

4
Precisely defined constructs

• Items addressing multiple skills/standards
• Improving Data Quality for Title I Standards,
  Assessments, and Accountability
  ReportingGuidelines for States, LEAs, and
  Schools, (Non-Regulatory Guidance), U.S.
  Department of Education, April, 2006
• States should ensure that assessment instruments
  clearly associate each item with one state
  academic content standard.

5
Authenticity Issues

• Amenable to Accommodations
• use of construct-irrelevant graphs or pictures
• use of vertical or diagonal text
• keys/legends on left or at bottom
• graphic representations without verbal/textual
  descriptions
• distracting or decorative pictures

6
Authenticity Issues (cont)

• Maximum readability/comprehensibility (items vs.
  passages)
• common words (plain language/linguistic
  simplification)
• unnecessary words
• define technical terms

7
Authenticity Issues (cont)

• Maximum legibility
• type face and size, spacing, justification,
  leading, line size, gray scale
• strict rules for graphs, tables, illustrations

8
The Look of Authentic Reading Material
newspapers, ads, Web sites, math texts
9
Some Clients Reasons for Math Item Rejection
(not all necessarily UDA, but for reasons of
accessibility)

• no multi-step problems (e.g., substitution and
  order of operations in algebraic expression
  conversion of units in volume problem.
• no constructed-response math items that are not
  scaffolded (Part A simple or lead students
  through steps needed)
• no items asking student to invent scenario (e.g.,
  write story problem, given numbers or
  computation write rule, describe situation)
  opposite NCTM
• no 2-stage number patterns at grade 5 only
  simple arithmetic or geometric sequences
• elimination of contexts