National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS)

Martha Thurlow

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

OSEP Project Directors’ Conference

How “Flexible” Are You?

July 22, 2008

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Topics

1. Current Assessment Approaches

2. Determining Participation

3. Accommodations

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Current Approaches

Information is limited ---• States still deciding what to do• No data in Annual Performance

Reports until 2009 (for 2007-08)• Peer review information available

only in summary form

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

In July 2007 Five States Had an Assessmentthat They Believed Was an AA-MAS:

• Kansas• Louisiana• North Carolina• North Dakota• Oklahoma

Maryland had information on its Web site about an AA-MAS that the state was developing.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Type of Assessment/Types of Questions

State Portfolio Multiple Choice

Constructed Response

Writing Prompt

KS XLA X X XMD XNC XND XOK X X

Total 1 5 1 2

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Change No. of States

Distractor Removed 4

Fewer Items 4

Simplified Language 4

Shorter Passages 3

Segmentation of Passages 1

Number of States That Made Selected Changes

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Determining Eligibility Criteria for AA-MAS

What do we know about the students for whom the AA-MAS is appropriate?

• Previous Studies• Current Analyses• Peer Guidance Suggestions

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

From Marion, Gong, and Simpson, 2005

Previous StudiesNational Center on Improvement of Educational Outcomes

Colorado Study Requested by Legislature

Only .06% for Reading and .15% for Math in the gap

Georgia Study of Persistently Low Performing Students

Highlighted again instructional and accommodations issues

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

From Cortiella (2007), Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments – Alternate Assessments based on Modified Achievement Standards

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Number of States With Selected Eligibility Criteria

CriteriaNo. of States

Student has IEP 10

Student not progressing at expected rate 8

Student is learning grade-level content 6

Student has attempted/failed other tests 6Student is not receiving instruction on extended/ alternate standards or functional skills

6

Not based on disability category 5

Not based on attendance 5

Not due to social, cultural, language, economic, or

environmental factors

5

2008 Study

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Identifying Accommodations for AA-MAS

• State Approaches• Accommodations issues for

regular assessment• Integration of “accommodations”

and universal design principles into the regular assessment first, then in the design of the AA-MAS

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

State Approaches – Accommodations Incorporated into AA-MAS Design

Accommodation No. of States

Fewer items/page 3

Larger font size 3

Calculator 2

Breaks as needed 2

Key text underlined/bolded 1

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Reading Assessment Accommodation Rates in Elementary School: Percentage of Students with IEPs Taking the Regular Reading Assessment with Accommodations

50% - 74% (n=25 regular states and 5 unique states)

26% - 49% (n=13 regular states and 1 unique states)

< 25% (n=6 regular states and 0 unique states)

Key

≥ 75% (n=3 regular states and 1 unique states)

11

41

52

md

3263

40

49 63

1

71

73

57

39

42

47

54

8

71

59

55

67

65

35

52

22

52

4520 62

66

52

69

47

36

47

33

61

53

md

72

69

80

7761

md

40

64

24

79

AS

CNMI

DC

FSM

PR

GU

Palau

BIE

RMI

VI

2005-2006

94

59

73

71

md

67

md

59

43

md

md =missing data (n=3 regular states and 3 unique states)

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Reading Assessment Accommodation Rates in High School: Percentage of Students with IEPs Taking the Regular Reading Assessment with Accommodations

49

56

md

1843

37

23 41

0

59

59

81

35

45

44

53

5

70

59

53

66

28

22

47

md

md

620 61

46

73

65

53

27

50

0

43

42

md

51

59

79

7738

57

36

39

46

76

AS

CNMI

DC

FSM

PR

GU

Palau

BIE

RMI

VI

2005-2006

5

100

22

42

48

md

61

md

46

53

md

50% - 74% (n=17 regular states and 2 unique states)

26% - 49% (n=17 regular states and 3 unique states)

< 25% (n=8 regular states and 1 unique state)

Key

≥ 75% (n=4 regular states and 1 unique state)

md =missing data (n=4 regular states and 3 unique states)

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)