Alabama Extended Alabama Extended StandardsStandards

& Body of Evidence& Body of Evidence

Marla Davis Holbrook & Susan Marla Davis Holbrook & Susan SkipperSkipper

Fall Leadership ConferenceFall Leadership ConferenceAugust 17, 2006August 17, 2006

Federal Legislation & Federal Legislation & State ResponseState Response

Federal legislation mandates:Federal legislation mandates: State content standardsState content standards Access to the general curriculum Access to the general curriculum

for for allall students students Participation of Participation of allall students in state students in state

assessmentsassessments

Federal Legislation & Federal Legislation & State ResponseState Response

State responseState response:: Content standards listed in Alabama Courses of Content standards listed in Alabama Courses of

StudyStudy All content standards must be taught and testedAll content standards must be taught and tested State assessments measure achievement of State assessments measure achievement of

content standardscontent standards For students with significant cognitive disabilitiesFor students with significant cognitive disabilities

Teacher task force developed the Alabama Teacher task force developed the Alabama Extended Standards (linked to state content Extended Standards (linked to state content standards)standards)

Alabama Alternate Assessment Alabama Alternate Assessment measures measures achievement of the Alabama Extended achievement of the Alabama Extended StandardsStandards

Student Achievement & Student Achievement & AccountabilityAccountability

State State AssessmentAssessment

State State

StandardsStandards ParticipantsParticipantsAlabama Alabama Reading and Reading and Math Test Math Test (ARMT)(ARMT)

Alabama Alabama Content Content

StandardsStandards

Most students Most students including students including students with disabilities, with disabilities, with or without with or without accommodationsaccommodations

Alabama High Alabama High School School Graduation Graduation Exam Exam (AHSGE)(AHSGE)

Alabama Alabama Content Content

StandardsStandards

Most students Most students including students including students with disabilities, with disabilities, with or without with or without accommodationsaccommodations

Alabama Alabama Alternate Alternate Assessment Assessment (AAA)(AAA)

Alabama Alabama Extended Extended StandardsStandards

Students with Students with significant cognitive significant cognitive disabilitiesdisabilities

Changes in Curriculum & Changes in Curriculum & AssessmentAssessment

Then…Then… Now…Now…No required content No required content for students with for students with significant cognitive significant cognitive disabilitiesdisabilities

Students with significant Students with significant cognitive disabilities cognitive disabilities must be taught and must be taught and tested using grade level tested using grade level Alabama Extended Alabama Extended StandardsStandards

Functional curriculum Functional curriculum and academic and academic curriculum seen as an curriculum seen as an either/or choiceeither/or choice

Functional and academic Functional and academic skills are blended in the skills are blended in the curriculumcurriculum

Students with Students with significant cognitive significant cognitive disabilities were disabilities were assessed on IEP assessed on IEP goals/benchmarks by goals/benchmarks by the IEP Teamthe IEP Team

Students with significant Students with significant cognitive disabilities are cognitive disabilities are assessed on Alabama assessed on Alabama Extended Standards Extended Standards based on a body of based on a body of evidence submitted to a evidence submitted to a third partythird party

Alabama Extended Alabama Extended StandardsStandards

The Alabama Extended The Alabama Extended Standards are the Standards are the courses of courses of studystudy for students with for students with significant cognitive significant cognitive disabilities who participate in disabilities who participate in the the Alabama Alternate Alabama Alternate Assessment.Assessment.

Teaching Alabama Extended Teaching Alabama Extended StandardsStandards

All Alabama Extended StandardsAll Alabama Extended Standards for for the student’s grade of enrollment the student’s grade of enrollment must be taught and tested.must be taught and tested.

Materials used for teaching Materials used for teaching Alabama Extended Standards and Alabama Extended Standards and documenting performance should documenting performance should be age appropriate. be age appropriate.

Materials are age appropriate if a Materials are age appropriate if a same age peer without a disability same age peer without a disability would use something similar.would use something similar.

Monitoring Student Monitoring Student ProgressProgress

Student performance should be Student performance should be continuously measured.continuously measured.

Classroom instruction should be Classroom instruction should be driven by the results of ongoing driven by the results of ongoing student progress monitoring.student progress monitoring.

Body of EvidenceBody of Evidence

A variety of evidence must be A variety of evidence must be collected on each Alabama collected on each Alabama Extended Standard throughout Extended Standard throughout the academic year. the academic year.

Teachers will select the items Teachers will select the items most representative of student most representative of student performance for inclusion in the performance for inclusion in the body of evidence.body of evidence.

Body of EvidenceBody of Evidence

The Body of Evidence includes a The Body of Evidence includes a variety of products that illustrate variety of products that illustrate student achievement on each student achievement on each Alabama Extended Standard for the Alabama Extended Standard for the grade level of enrollment.grade level of enrollment.

A Body of Evidence may include A Body of Evidence may include actual student work, captioned actual student work, captioned photographs, videotapes, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, data charts, and graphs. audiotapes, data charts, and graphs.

Documenting Student Documenting Student PerformancePerformance

Evidence must document the Evidence must document the student’s student’s demonstration of knowledge and skills demonstration of knowledge and skills while attempting a given task. while attempting a given task.

Teacher lesson plans, teaching Teacher lesson plans, teaching materials, and classroom schedules DO materials, and classroom schedules DO NOT document student performance. NOT document student performance.

Entries into the body of evidence that Entries into the body of evidence that document only when and/or how a skill document only when and/or how a skill was taught will be given a score of was taught will be given a score of zero.zero.

Collecting EvidenceCollecting Evidence

Documentation must be clear, Documentation must be clear, readable, and easily interpreted by readable, and easily interpreted by a third party. a third party.

Record the date, standard, and a Record the date, standard, and a brief description as each piece of brief description as each piece of evidence is collected. evidence is collected.

Evidence should not include Evidence should not include unidentifiable materials, inaudible unidentifiable materials, inaudible tapes, or unreadable copies.tapes, or unreadable copies.

Collecting EvidenceCollecting Evidence

Evidence must clearly relate to Evidence must clearly relate to the standard. the standard.

The link between the evidence The link between the evidence and the extended standard must and the extended standard must be clear. For example, tracing be clear. For example, tracing and coloring measure fine motor and coloring measure fine motor skills, and are not evidence of skills, and are not evidence of academic performance.academic performance.

Submitting the Body of Submitting the Body of EvidenceEvidence

The body of evidence will be sent The body of evidence will be sent to a third party for evaluation. to a third party for evaluation.

The evidence alone will The evidence alone will determine the scores on the AAA.determine the scores on the AAA.

Teachers will not have an Teachers will not have an opportunity to explain or clarify opportunity to explain or clarify evidence once it is submitted.evidence once it is submitted.

Submitting the Body of Submitting the Body of EvidenceEvidence

Documentation submitted as part Documentation submitted as part of the body of evidence must of the body of evidence must stand on its own. stand on its own.

Evidence stands on it own if Evidence stands on it own if persons unfamiliar with the persons unfamiliar with the student can look at the student can look at the submitted documentation and submitted documentation and draw consistent conclusions draw consistent conclusions related to student performance.related to student performance.