WyCAS-Alt Implementation Guide

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WyCAS-AltImplementation Guide

• A Workshop for Pilot Implementation Sites
• Jim Ysseldyke, Martha Thurlow,
  Sandy Thompson
• National Center on Educational Outcomes
• University of Minnesota

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These slides are available for your use on NCEOs
website

• http//www.coled.umn.edu/nceo

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Part 1

• The Big Picture

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The Push for Accountability

• Goals 2000
• Improving Americas Schools Act - Title I
• 1997 Amendments to Individuals with Disabilities
  Education Act
• Wyomings Enrolled Act 2

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All of the Laws Require

• Participation of ALL students in state and
  district assessments
• Information about the performance of students
  with disabilities relative to other students

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New IDEA Provisions

• Participation in State Assessments
• Availability of Alternate Assessments
• Reporting of Results on the performance of
  students with disabilities

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Sec 612(a)(17). Participation in State
Assessments

• Children with disabilities will be included in
  general state and district wide assessments with
  appropriate accommodations.
• SEA or LEA shall develop guidelines for
  participation and develop, and, no later than
  July 1, 2000, conduct alternate assessments

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Reporting

• SEA must report, with the same frequency it does
  for nondisabled students
• of children participating in regular
  assessments and in alternate assessments
• performance on regular assessments, beginning not
  later than July 1, 1998 (NOW)
• performance on alternate assessments beginning
  not later than July 1, 2000

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Fundamental Assumptions Underlying
Accountability Systems

• An accountability system is needed for all
  students (regardless of the type of assessment
  used), and should apply to all students
  regardless of their characteristics.
• When schools are required to account for students
  with disabilities and report on the results of
  their performance, schools are more likely to
  focus on improving results for students with
  disabilities.
• When students with disabilities participate in a
  state accountability system, it enhances the
  possibility that educators will assume
  responsibility for them, and it raises
  expectations for their performance.

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Accountability v assessment v testing

• Accountability is a systematic method to assure
  those inside and outside the educational system
  that schools are moving in desired directions
• Assessment is a process of collecting data for
  the purpose of making decisions about students
• Testing is a process of administering a test to
  an individual or group for the purpose of
  obtaining a score. Testing is one way to gather
  assessment information.

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Why an Inclusive Assessment System is Necessary

• For an accurate picture of education
• For all students to benefit from reforms
• To make accurate comparisons
• To avoid unintended consequences of exclusion
• To meet legal requirements
• To promote high expectations and access to high
  standards

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What We Know About Assessment

• 48 states have statewide assessments
• 2 states do not have statewide assessments
  (Nebraska and Iowa)

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What We Know About Standards

• 49 states have state standards. Iowa has local
  standards.
• About 50 of states specify that their standards
  are for all students

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Participation Issues Across the U.S.

• Large numbers of students with disabilities are
  excluded from assessments
• Students in unique settings (separate schools,
  institutions, jails, homebound) are excluded
• Exemption rules are applied differently by
  different schools or for different assessments

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The Wyoming Comprehensive Assessment System
(WyCAS)

• Developed as part of school reform legislation in
  1998
• Standards based on the work of local communities,
  reflecting what they want students to learn
• Designed to complement classroom and district
  assessments

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The Wyoming Comprehensive Assessment System
(WyCAS)

• Administered in grades 4, 8, and 11
• Measure of state standards in language arts and
  mathematics
• Benchmarks are used in making judgments about the
  performance and progress of students

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Six principles supported by WyCAS

• WyCAS must account for the performance and
  progress of ALL Wyoming students.
• The performance and progress of ALL students must
  be considered when education policy decisions are
  made.
• ALL students must be challenged to higher levels
  of achievement.
• ALL students must have the opportunity to learn
  the content necessary to meet the Wyoming state
  standards.
• Wyoming standards are expanded for a small group
  of students with significant disabilities.
• Standards, assessments, curriculum and
  instruction must be aligned for ALL students

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WyCAS is designed to include each Wyoming student
through

• Participation in the general assessment without
  accommodations
• Participation in the general assessment with
  accommodations
• Participation in the alternate assessment

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Participation decisions

• Made by each students (IEP) team
• Based on a students current level of functioning
  and learning characteristics
• NOT based on category of disability

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Alternate Assessment Defined

• A substitute way of gathering information on the
  performance and progress of students who cannot
  participate in typical state or district
  assessments.

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Alternate Assessments Offer

• Individual administration
• Progress toward standards measured through real
  world performance indicators
• Focus on authentic skills and on assessing
  experiences in community and other real life
  environments
• Both quantitative and qualitative information

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NCEO Alternate Assessment Cyber Survey

• NCEOs website http//www.coled.umn.edu/nceo
• What you can do at our Website
• Review your own states responses to the
  alternate assessment survey
• Review other states approaches to alternate
  assessment
• E-mail the respondent of a particular state
  through the use of hyperlinks
• Hyperlink to other NCEO reports

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WyCAS-Alt

• Alternate assessment within Wyomings
  Comprehensive Assessment System
• Measures progress toward expanded standards
  through Real World Performance Indicators
• Includes less than 2 of Wyomings students
• Consists of a body of evidence rather than a
  single test

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Criteria to Guide WyCAS-Alt Participation
Decisions

• Start with the premise that ALL students will
  participate in WyCAS or WyCAS-Alt
• Participation decisions are made by each
  students IEP team
• Consider a students IEP goals
• Dont let category of disability influence
  participation decisions
• Inform parents of participation options and
  include them in decisions
• Record decision, with rationale, on IEP

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Questions to Guide WyCAS-Alt Participation
Decisions

• Is the student working toward Wyomings regular
  standards and benchmarks?
• If YES, the student should participate in WyCAS,
  with accommodations as needed.
• If NO, is the student working toward Wyomings
  expanded standards through Real World Performance
  Indicators?
• If YES, the student should participate in
  WyCAS-Alt.

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Myths and Truths about Alternate Assessment
Systems

• IDEA 97 says that states must have alternate
  assessments in place by July 1, 2000.
• Alternate assessment is clearly defined in IDEA
  97 statutes and regulations.
• Alternate assessments are intended for students
  who arent very good at taking tests.

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Myths and Truths about Alternate Assessment
Systems

• Offering alternate assessments is one way to
  ensure that all students count in state
  accountability systems.
• Most states already have alternate assessments
  for students with significant disabilities.
• There is one alternate assessment that will work
  with all students with significant disabilities.

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Myths and Truths about Alternate Assessment
Systems

• WyCAS is an acronym for Wyoming Cares about All
  Students
• Wyomings Alternate Assessment System is aligned
  with Wyomings Expanded Standards
• Real World Performance Indicators show progress
  toward Expanded Standards

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Part 2

• Wyomings Educational Standards and
• Expanded Standards

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Wyomings Educational Standards

• Content Standards - define what students are
  expected to know and be able to do
• Benchmark Standards - specify what students are
  expected to know and be able to do at the end of
  grades 4, 8, 11
• Performance Standard Descriptors - describe how
  well students must perform the benchmark standards

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Wyomings Expanded Standards

• Expanded Content Standards - essential skills in
  Language Arts and Mathematics for students not
  able to meet regular standards
• Real World Performance Indicators - Measurable
  skills that show progress toward expanded
  standards

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Wyomings Expanded Standards

• Expanded Performance Standard Descriptors -
  Judgment of student performance in relation to
  expanded standards. Levels include
• Skilled
• Partially skilled
• Beginner

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Differences Between Regular and Expanded Standards

• Regular Reading Standard Students read a variety
  of grade level materials, applying strategies
  appropriate to various situations.

• Expanded Reading Standard Students read a
  variety of materials, applying strategies
  appropriate to various situations.

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Differences Between Regular and Expanded Standards

• 4th Grade Benchmark Students use decoding skills
  to read fluently.
• Performance Standards
• Advanced
• Proficient
• Partially Proficient

• Real World Perf. Ind Students recognize
  functional words in a variety of contexts.
• Expanded Perf. Standards
• Skilled
• Partially Skilled
• Beginner

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Activity Use Handout,Work in Small Groups

• Match Real World Performance Indicators to
  Expanded Standards

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WyCAS-Alt Requirements

• Expanded Standards selected by IEP team based on
  student goals and needs
• Select 4 Expanded Standards to work toward
• Language Arts
• 1 expressive standard (speaking or writing)
• 1 receptive standard (listening or reading)
• Mathematics
• 2 expanded standards

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WyCAS-Alt Requirements

• Assess at least 1 Real World Performance
  Indicator for each Expanded Standard
• Use at least 2 assessment strategies
• Observation
• Recollection
• Record Review
• Test (performance event)
• Collect evidence over time

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Real World Performance Indicators and IEP Goals

• A students current goals should guide an IEP
  teams selection of Real World Performance
  Indicators to assess as evidence of progress
  toward meeting expanded standards.

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Real World Performance Indicators and IEP Goals

• Choose a student who might participate in an
  alternate assessment
• Find an example of a Real World Performance
  Indicator that the student is currently working
  on (may be an IEP goal)
• Do these indicators include all students?

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Part 3

• Assessment Strategies

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Assessment Strategies

• Observation
• Recollection (interview, survey, rating scale)
• Record review (IEP, other records)
• Testing (performance event, portfolio)

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Observation Defined

• Watch and record student behavior
• Systematic (staged, set up) or nonsystematic
  (naturally occurring behavior)
• Behavior could be video or audiotaped
• Conducted at home, school, work, or in community
  settings
• Observed by teacher, parent, employer, or others

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Effective Observation

• Clearly define
• behavior to be observed
• procedures for gathering information
• Observe student
• in natural settings
• in a variety settings
• several times
• using more than one observer for reliability

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Recollection Defined

• Recall behavior and events and document via
  interview or rating scale
• Interviews may be conducted face-to-face, by
  phone, or in small group
• Rating scales gather data in structured and
  sequenced way and facilitate data aggregation

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Effective Recollection

• Select people to provide recollections who know a
  student well
• Interviews should include introduction, focus,
  information gathering, and summary
• Construct rating scale based on specific
  information needed
• Generally use 5 points on rating scale
• Verify information with additional sources

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Record Review Defined

• Document existing information through review of
  records
• Records can include
• student records (i.e., IEP)
• databases
• student products
• anecdotal records
• non-school records

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Effective Record Review

• Develop standardized record extraction forms and
  procedures
• Maintain confidentiality
• Make sure information is current
• Use clear, objective, and measurable information
• Use multiple records when possible for reliability

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Tests Defined

• Process of measuring competency by presenting a
  challenge or problem and having student generate
  a response.
• Scores are assigned to indicate student standing
• Portfolio system - collection of information
  about student skills

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Effective Tests

• Select specific areas to test and design test to
  fit behavior tested
• Develop accessible formats for presentation and
  response
• Design systematic scoring procedures and criteria
  to interpret student performance
• Test using same materials a student uses in
  natural environments

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Practice Using Assessment Strategies

• Review examples individually
• As a small group, select an Expanded Standard and
  Real World Performance Indicator
• Demonstrate use of one assessment strategy for
  large group

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Alternative Views on Alternate AssessmentTake
a Stand and Defend Your Position!
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Expanded Standards

• 1. Help include all students in Wyomings
  Accountability system
• 2. Arent worth the bother

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Real World Performance Indicators

• 1. Connect the functional skills students are
  working on to standards
• 2. Are too much of a stretch to relate to
  standards

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WyCAS-Alt

• 1. Is part of WyCAS
• 2. Is really a different assessment system from
  WyCAS

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WyCAS-Alt

• 1. Includes all students who cant take WyCAS
• 2. Still leaves some students out

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WyCAS-Alt

• 1. Could raise expectations for students with
  significant disabilities
• 2. Wont change anything

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Every student with severe cognitive impairments

• 1. Should be included in WyCAS-Alt
• 2. Should have a team that makes individual
  decisions about what assessment they participate
  in
• 3. Should be exempt from any testing

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IEPs

• 1. Should be referenced to standards (some goals
  align with standards)
• 2. Should be based on standards (all goals
  align with standards)

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I have

• 1. Enough information to start talking about
  recording and reporting alternate assessment
  results
• 2. Specific questions that need to be answered
  before we can move on
• 3. A headache

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Part 4

• Reporting Performance on WyCAS-Alt

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Why Report Results of WyCAS-Alt

• Reporting all results ensures inclusion of all
  students in accountability system
• Failure to report scores of students with
  disabilities sends message that they are not
  important and do not count
• What is measured is treasured

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All Wyoming Students Count

• All students will be reported in Wyomings
  Accountability System
• Participation 1 group
• WyCAS WyCAS-Alt participation
• Reports include rates of non-participation and
  reasons
• Performance 2 groups
• WyCAS and WyCAS-Alt

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WyCAS-Alt Requirements

• IEP team review body of evidence and determine
  performance level on each expanded standard
• District submit record of WyCAS-Alt results to
  Wyoming Dept. of Ed. by date of WyCAS
  administration

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Performance Levels for Math Expanded Standards

• Skilled consistent command of knowledge and
  skills in the mathematics expanded standard
• Partially Skilled partial knowledge and skills
  in the mathematics expanded standard
• Beginner emerging knowledge and skills in the
  mathematics expanded standard

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Part 5 Tough Issues and Commonly Asked Questions

• Why isnt there a single alternate test for
  everyone who cant take WyCAS?
• Alternate assessment needs to be flexible enough
  to include EVERY STUDENT
• Why isnt the IEP considered to be a students
  alternate assessment?
• The IEP is not designed to show performance
  across a group of students

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Part 5 Tough Issues and Commonly Asked Questions

• How can we avoid making WyCAS-Alt a dumping
  ground for students who arent expected to do
  well on WyCAS?
• Allow only students working on expanded standards
  to participate in WyCAS-Alt
• Can students who take WyCAS-Alt still graduate
  from high school?
• Passing WyCAS/WyCAS-Alt is not required for a
  high school diploma

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Part 5 Tough Issues and Commonly Asked Questions

• Do students have opportunities to learn what is
  tested?
• WyCAS-Alt is designed to assess progress toward
  expanded standards
• How can confidentiality be maintained?
• To protect the privacy of individual students,
  there will not be reports issued on schools with
  less than 10 participants in WyCAS-Alt.

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Part 5 Tough Issues and Commonly Asked Questions

• How technically adequate is WyCAS-Alt?
• We dont know yet.
• What other tough issues and questions need to be
  addressed?
• 1
• 2
• 3

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Standard for piloting WyCAS-Alt

• In small groups, write a standard you expect to
  achieve in the pilot administration of WyCAS-Alt.

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Indicators showing that the WyCAS-Alt pilot
standard has been met

• In small groups, list measurable indicators that
  the pilot of WyCAS-Alt has successfully met your
  standard.

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Logistics of WyCAS-Alt Pilot

• List Questions that need to be answered in order
  to effectively implement the pilot
• For example
• When do we start?
• How do we keep track of how its going?
• What do we do with the info. collected?
• Develop responses to questions
• Responses will be sent to all participants