A Charge to States:My Take-Home MessageDaniel J. WienerAdministrator of Inclusive AssessmentUniversity of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

Some Truths About Alternate AssessmentAlternate assessments, particularly portfolios, generally do not measure all the standards measured on a standard testSo, it will be important for teachers to know: What the state wants taught, andWhether the states alternate assessment will measure what has actually been taught *University of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

Do Alternate Assessments Improve Instruction?Alternate assessments, by themselves, do not necessarily improve student learning Alternate assessments wont result in improvements in teaching and learning unless:Teachers know what standards to teach, and what skills and knowledge will be assessedTeachers need to know how to move students from where they are now toward grade-level achievement*University of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

If Instructional Improvement MattersAlternate assessments wont result in improvements in teaching and learning unless mechanisms are intentionally built into the system to do that.*University of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

Implications for States Develop and provide resources to schoolsTeachers need to know what standards to teach, how to teach them, and what will be assessedProvide a guide to the standards, or content will be hit-or-missTeach data collection skills to increase the pace of instructionProvide intensive, ongoing professional development on instruction, curriculum, and assessmentPromote awareness of continuous improvementsAcknowledge 25-30% turnover of teachers*University of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

Implications for States (continued) Make alternate assessment tasks and/or items available to teachers for practice and reviewMake opportunities available for teachers to:CollaborateAssist their colleagues--share strategies for instruction/assessmentAssist in developing instructional materialsScore the alternate assessments, if possibleInvolve teachers in improving the systemDo more than simply taking the patients temperatureUse the alternate assessment as a lever to improve student learning!*University of Maryland Alternate Assessment Conference October 11-12, 2007

2007 CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Making a Case for MCAS-Alt Validity

I was asked to discuss a brief and thoughtful message for you to take home and think about as you develop or try to improve your alternate assessment model.How can a state focus its efforts at improving instruction for these students in a way that promotes self-sufficiency by teachers in designing challenging instruction based on the standards; and a reasonable expectation that what they teach is going to be included in the assessment.Given that States focus efforts at improving instruction for these students in a way that promotes self-sufficiency by teachers and a reasonable expectation that what they teach is that which will also be assessed.Given the first point, how can states focus efforts at improving instruction for these students in a way that promotes self-sufficiency by teachers and a reasonable expectation that what they teach is that which will also be assessed.Given the first point, how can states focus efforts at improving instruction for these students in a way that promotes self-sufficiency by teachers and a reasonable expectation that what they teach is that which will also be assessed.Was the original stated purpose of alternate assessments only to measure student performance, or to do more than that. The strong implication was that standards-based instruction wasnt occurring uniformly for these students and that would need to be addressed through development by states of a systematic approach to continuously improve teaching, learning, and opportunities for students to participate in the academic activities and resources of a school. Counting results for AYP through the 1% rule went a long way to raising the profile, but states have to be very clear about expectations, and realize that teachers werent originally trained to teach the range of academic content to very disabled students.