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SUMMARY September 14, 2018 Meeting

Indiana State Advisory Council (SAC) on the Education of Children with Disabilities

Central Indiana Education Service Center Indianapolis, IN

Present Council Members: (Yes/No) Steven Cook, INARF N Kim Dodson, ARC of Indiana Y Bethany Ecklor, Division of Mental Health & Addiction, Indiana FSSA Y Melaina Gant, Indiana Department of Child Services Y Kylee Hope, Division of Disability & Rehabilitation Services, Indiana FSSA N Jodi Ichikawa, disability community representative N Funmi Ige-Wright, parent representative Y Latha Joseph, Indianapolis Public Schools N Donald Koors, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired N Lisa Kovacs, Hands & Voices International and parent representative N Tom Lindenman, parent representative Y Mary McCoy, Archdiocese of Indianapolis Y Danielle Molter, parent representative Y John Nally, Indiana Department of Correction N Dr. Leah Nellis, Indiana University-Kokomo N Danny O’Neill, parent representative N Lesa Paddack, parent representative Y Shirley Payne, Children’s Special Health Care Services, Indiana State Department of Health Y Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley, Lake Ridge New Tech Schools Y Kristi Tesmer, parent representative Y Dr. George Van Horn, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation N Lucy Witte, Indiana School for the Deaf N Dr. Nancy Holsapple, Office of Special Education, Indiana Department of Education Y

Also Present: Tracy Brunner, Karen Stein, Dr. Kristine David, Nancy Zemaitis, Indiana Department of Education

Call to Order Chair Pro Tem Sharon Johnson-Shirley called the meeting to order at 9:37 a. m. and briefly introduced new members attending the council meeting for the first time. Dr. Shirley asked all members to take turns briefly introducing themselves and describing their roles on the council. Twelve of twenty-three members were present. Action Items Tom Lindenman moved and Funmi Ige-Wright seconded to approve the summary of the June meeting. The motion passed.

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Information Items

1. Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Updates

Accommodations during assessments:

In response to council members’ questions and concerns, Karen Stein and Dr. Kristine David of the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Office of Assessment presented information regarding accommodations during statewide assessments (ILEARN and IAM). Karen explained that Indiana’s new tests are computer adaptive and described the additional supports and accommodations available to make these tests accessible for all students, including students with disabilities. They showed slides on the federal and state requirements for testing as well as the logistics and timelines for administering statewide assessments. The presenters responded to members’ questions and addressed concerns that council members expressed about state policies limiting the use of accommodations for sudents with disabilities during standardized testing. The presenters concluded by sharing information on where to find online resources available for school personnel, parents and students. SAC members present commended the Office of Assessment on its efforts to be transparent about Indiana’s new assessments and to make resources and technical assistance available. Part B – Indiana’s State Determination per US DOE and Results Driven Accountability:

Nancy Zemaitis, Assistant Director of the Office of Special Education (OSE), announced that, in its latest determination of compliance with IDEA Part B requirements, the U.S. Department of Education determined that Indiana “meets requirements.” Nancy then presented slides on the OSE’s work to improve results with respect to student learning, in accordance with federal guidance to focus on results driven accountability when measuring schools’ compliance with IDEA Part B requirements. Nancy shared information on the State’s process for collecting and analyzing data to determine compliance on an LEA-specific basis as well as the levels of assistance the State offers, depending on those determinations of local compliance with Part B requirements, then responded to SAC members’ questions and comments.

2. Council Member Reports

SAC Legislative Committee: None. Committee Chair Kim Dodson advised she will share a link for council members to watch a live stream of the upcoming October legislative committee discussion of services for students with autism.

Other: One member noted a growing practice of some Applied Behavior Analysis Centers to pressure parents to reject public schools’ offer of “FAPE” (Free Appropriate Public Education) in favor of placing their children with autism in an ABA Center for treatment 40 hours per week. The member asked others present to share their perspectives, understanding and experiences with this issue. General discussion followed regarding the medical versus academic components that must be addressed to meet the educational needs affecting school-age students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to comply with state and federal laws on compulsory education in the least restrictive environment.

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Public Comments There were no public comments. Next SAC Meeting Date The Chair noted that the advisory council’s next meeting is scheduled for November 9, 2018. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11:41 a.m.

ILEARN: Understanding the New Assessment

Computer Adaptive

• Math and ELA• Unique student

experience that always meets the blueprint

• Adapts on difficulty, not across grade levels unless content aligns at multiple grade levels

Assesses Grades 3-8

• Math (Grades 3-8)• English/Language Arts

(Grades 3-8)• Science

(Grades 4 and 6)• Social Studies

(Grade 5)• Custom-built for IN

standards• Includes open-ended

items for all content areas

Additional Student Supports and

Accommodations

• Translations• Glossaries• Embedded

Dictionary/Thesaurus• Spell Check• Rich Text Tools• Accessible Calculator• Intuitive Graphing

Interfaces• American Sign

Language

Improved Testing Times

• Single testing window at the end of the year

• Decreased test length (average 2 hours shorter total at each grade level)

• Untimed sessions

Improved Reporting Structures

• Individual student results in 12 days*

• Final results by July 1*

• More detailed student reports for computer adaptive tests

• Revised cut scores and proficiency levels (by educator committee)

*These times will begin in 2020 due to setting cut scores in Summer 2019. Final reporting will be available Aug 15 for 2019.

Accessibility from the Start

Accessibility Advisory

Group(Special

Education & EL Educators

PATINS staff, Indiana IEP)

National Accessibility

Expert

New Accessibility Specialist at

IDOE

Considering Accessibility from the StartIt’s Intentional…

We are building ILEARN from the ground up, and educators are involved in

every step!

Considering Accessibility from the Start

INDIANA ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Educators defined the knowledge and skills student should achieve at each grade level for each content area.

BLUEPRINTS Educators define essential content from the standards and appropriate proportions of the standards for the assessment.

ITEM SPECIFICATIONS

Educators determine how each standard should be measured (e.g., evidence statements, item types, cognitive complexity, etc.)

ITEM ACCEPTANCE Educators review items from licensed banks to determine alignment with Indiana Standards.

ITEM DEVELOPMENT

Educators develop new items to ensure the assessment of the breadth and depth of Indiana Standards.

DATA REVIEW Educators review statistical data from field-test items to determine if the items can be used operationally.

SCORING Educators score open-ended items for field test (calibrate the scoring through range finding) and operational data.

STANDARD SETTING

Educators determine cut scores for each proficiency category.

Considering Accessibility from the StartFocus on Accessibility during Test and Item Development

Quality Criteria Checklist• Universal Design• Prior Knowledge• Accessible for all

Populations• Language Complexity• Auditory and Visual

Considerations

Construct = what we intend to find out about what a student knows and can do based on academic standards

Clarity of the Construct = creating an item in a way that clearly measures the construct for allstudents

Considering Appropriate Accommodations

Accommodation = a change in the testing materials or proceduresthat enables students to participate in a way that measures abilities.

Accommodation ≠ a change in the construct being measured.

Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance

Computer Adaptive and Standards-Based

Measures content within a narrower difficulty range,

providing a narrower set of data.

Measures content within a broad difficulty range, providing more

granular, detailed data.

Same content, same difficulty, same items for all students.

Same content, individualized difficulty, individualized items for all students.

Computer Adaptive FormFixed Form

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

DIF

FIC

ULT

Y LE

VE

L

QUESTION NUMBER

POSSIBLE PATHWAYS THROUGH AN ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENT

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3

Advantages of Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)

• Content priorities are maintained by the test blueprint.

• Item difficulty is selected based on student needs.

• Results have smaller margins of error.• Results are more accurate across the

range of students.• Online platform provides many

accessibility features and built in accommodations.

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Paper Testing • Fixed Form (does not adapt)

• Item difficulty does not adjust to match student performance.

• Provides fewer accessibility features• Glossaries are not available• Spell check and writing tools are not available

• Provides limited data• Should only be provided to students who cannot interact with

online testing.

Released Items Repository• Provide sample tests at all grade levels for each content area• Familiarize students with the online platform• Familiarize students with embedded accessibility features• Confirm compatibility of non-embedded software or hardware

Accessibility Framework and Features in the

Online Platform

Organization of Accessibility Features and Accommodations

Embedded/Online Non-Embedded

Universal Features Provided to ALL students May be provided to ALL students

Designated Features May be provided to ANY student with a need.

May be provided to ANY student with a need.

Accommodations

Provided based on identified need within IEP, Section 504 Plan, or ILP only.

Provided based on identified need within IEP, Section 504 Plan, or ILP only.

• Answer Eliminator• Calculator for calculator allowed

items (Mathematics Grades 6-8)• Dictionary (Writing) New• English Glossary for pre-

selected construct-irrelevant terms (all content areas) New

• Notepad New• Highlighter• Line Reader• Mark for Review• Mathematics Tools (e.g. ruler)• Thesaurus (Writing) New• Tutorial New• Writing Tools (e.g. rich text,

spell check) New• Zoom

Embedded/Online

• English Dictionary (Writing) New• Headphones or noise buffers to

block out distractions• Low-tech assistive writing

instrument• Preferential seating• Scratch/blank paper, including

lined or graph paper• Small group• Thesaurus (Writing) New

Non-Embedded

• Color Contrast• *Translation Glossary (for pre-

selected construct-irrelevant term in Spanish, Burmese, Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese for all mathematics, social studies, and science New

• Masking• Mouse pointer (size and color)

New• Print size (zoom in and out) New• *Translation-Spanish (Stacked) for

Mathematics, Science and Social Studies New

Embedded/Online

• American Sign Language (ASL) videos for media items New

• Braille transcript for audio items New

• Closed caption for online audio items New

• Refreshable Braille New• Permissive mode to use

assistive technology devices New

• Print on Demand New• Streamline format New• Text to speech (except for

items testing comprehension

Embedded/Online

• Assistive technology to magnify/enlarge

• Color Overlay• Sound amplification system• Special furniture or equipment for

viewing test• Special lighting conditions• Time of day for testing altered

Non-Embedded

Universal Features: Available to ALL students

Designated Features: Available to ANY student with a need determined by educators

Accommodations: Available to students with an IEP, 504 Plan or Nonpublic Service Plan

*Intended for English Learners (EL)

ILEARN Accessibility Framework

Accommodations: Available to students with an ILP (English Learners)

Text to speech (except for items testing comprehension

• Extra time • Read aloud to self• Test individually• Approved bilingual word-to-

word dictionary

• Alternative indication of response • Braille Booklet• Computer or other Assistive Technology (AT)• Extra time• Calculator for calculator allowed items

(Mathematics Grades 6-8) New• Hundreds Chart (Mathematics Grades 3-8) New• Interpreter for sign language• Large Print Booklet• Multiplication Table (Grades 6-8) New• Paper Booklet• Paper Booklet (Spanish Translation) New• Read aloud to self• Read aloud script for paper booklet• Scribe• Test individually

Embedded/OnlineNon-Embedded

Non-Embedded

Embedded/Online Non-Embedded

Universal Features: Available to ALL students

• English Dictionary (Writing) New

• Headphones or noise buffers to block out distractions

• Low-tech assistive writing instrument

• Preferential seating• Scratch/blank paper, including lined or graph paper

• Small group• Thesaurus (Writing) New

• Answer Eliminator• Calculator for calculator allowed items for Mathematics (Grades 6-8)

• English Dictionary (Writing) New• English Glossary for pre-selected construct-irrelevant terms (all content areas) New

• Notepad New• Highlighter• Line Reader• Mark for Review• Mathematics Tools (e.g. ruler)• Thesaurus (Writing) New• Tutorials New• Writing Tools (e.g. rich text, spell check)• Zoom

New Universal Features

• Features for the Writing Task (Performance Task) Only:

• Dictionary• Thesaurus• Spell Check• Rich Text (HTML) Tools

New Universal Features

• Features for all Content Areas

• Notepad• Item Tutorial• Glossaries

Embedded/Online Non-Embedded

Designated Features: Available to ANY student with a need determined by educators

*Intended for English Learners (EL)

• Color Contrast• *Translated Glossaries for pre-

selected construct-irrelevant terms for Mathematics, Science and Grade 5 Social Studies New

• Masking• Mouse pointer (size and color) New• Print size (zoom in and out) New• *Translation-Spanish (Stacked) for

Mathematics, Science and Grade 5 Social Studies New

• Assistive technology to magnify/enlarge

• Color Overlay• Sound amplification system• Special furniture or equipment

for viewing test• Special lighting conditions• Time of day for testing altered

Choosing and Providing Designated Features

• Tool and features should reflect typical supports provided to the student during classroom instruction and assessment.

• Students should be included in the discussion regarding which supports best meet their needs.

• Students need to be metacognitive about choosing and using tools and features.

• Tools and features should not be introduced for the first time on the day of testing.

New Designated Features• Translated Glossaries

(Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)• Arabic• Burmese• Mandarin• Spanish• Vietnamese

• Guidance Criteria for Use• Reflect supports used during instruction• Discussed by school staff familiar with the

student’s academic and linguistic background• Include student input as appropriate

New Designated Features

Spanish Stem

English Stem

English Answer ChoiceSpanish Answer Choice

Spanish Translations (Stacked)(Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

New Designated Features

• Color Contrast (new color options)

• Masking• Mouse Pointer

(size and color)• Print size

Accommodations: Available to students with an IEP, 504 Plan or Nonpublic Service Plan

Accommodations: Available to students with an ILP (English Learners)

Embedded/Online Non-Embedded

Text to speech (except for reading comprehension)

• Extra Time• Read aloud to self• Test individually• Approved bilingual word-to-word dictionary

• Alternative indication of response • Braille Booklet• Computer or other Assistive Technology (AT)

device• Extra time• Adaptive calculator for calculator allowed items

(Grades 6-8) New• Hundreds Chart (Grades 3-8) New• Interpreter for sign language• Large Print Booklet• Multiplication Table (grade 6-8) New• Paper Booklet• Paper Booklet (Spanish Translation) New• Read aloud to self• Read aloud script for paper booklet• Scribe• Test individually

• American Sign Language (ASL) videos for listening items New

• Braille transcript for audio items New• Closed caption for Listening/ audio items New• Refreshable Braille New• Permissive mode to use assistive technology

devices (e.g. Speech to text) New• Print on Demand New• Streamline format New• Text to speech (except for reading

comprehension)

Non-EmbeddedEmbedded/Online

New Accommodations

• American Sign Language• Closed Captions for Listening Items

New Accommodations• Braille Transcript for Audio Items• Refreshable Braille• Braille Embosser• Streamline Mode

New Accommodations

• Permissive Mode

• A test setting that allows the use of approved accessibility software/devices in conjunction with the online platform.

• Examples of accessibility software may include:

Magnifiers Speech-to-Text

Braille Screen

Readers

Refreshable Braille

Displays

New Accommodations

• Print on Demand• The printing of items/stimuli during testing.• Intended for rare instances when a students cannot interact

with items online due to a vision impairment or medical issue (e.g., seizures)

• The use of print-on-request should be minimal.

• Print on Demand requires:

Prior IDOE Approval Test Security Management 1:1 Test Administration

Two Devices (one for TA and one for Student) A printer in a Secure Location Additional Time

Why has the Calculator Accommodation Changed?

Accommodation = a change in the testing materials or proceduresthat enables students to participate in a way that measures abilities.

Accommodation ≠ a change in the construct being measured.

Based on these definitions and discussion of Accessibility panel: • No calculator, even as an accommodation, for Grades 3-5• No calculator, even as an accommodation, for “non-calculator” items

as defined on the item specifications for Grades 6-8

Resources

• Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance• ILEARN Accessibility Framework• Released Items Repository• Calculator Policy• Inassessments@doe.in.gov

Thank you!

Nancy Zemaitis

Assistant DirectorOffice of Special Education

September 14, 2018

Results Driven AccountabilityDifferentiated Monitoring and

Support

@EducateIN

Impetus of RDA

Over the last decade, nationally, state compliance with IDEA has increased to nearly 100%, yet the actual achievement outcomes for students with an IEP has not improved in kind.

Office of Special EducationCompliance focused

Results focused

OSEP Dear Colleague Letter on the Provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Indiana RDA Building Blocks

Shared Assumptions

All

stud

ents

… have the right to access equal opportunities to learn and grow.

are capable of meaningful learning aligned with grade level standards.

personnel and parents share the responsibility of educating all students.

High Expectations Lead to High Performance

• Goal: Improve outcomes for all children and youth with disabilities regardless of their age, disability, race/ethnicity, language, gender, socioeconomic status, or location.

• Provision of differentiated supports and interventions based on each district’s unique strengths, progress, challenges, and needs.

• Encouraging districts to direct their resources to where they can have the greatest positive impact on outcomes and the protection of individual rights for all children and youth with disabilities, and minimizes burden and duplication of effort.

Differentiated monitoring/support will be aligned in a manner that best supports districts in improving education results for children and youth with disabilities

“ABC’s of RDA” www.excent.com

Indiana Results Driven Accountability Vision

Indiana Department of Education,

Office of Special Education will

differentiate levels and types of

monitoring and support based on

each district’s unique strengths,

progress, and challenges.

Bottom Line

FEDERAL INDICATORSINDICATOR INDICATOR

1) Graduation: % of youth – regular diploma R 10) Disproportionate Representation: disability category C

2) Dropout: % of youth – dropping out R 11) Child Find: 50 day evaluation

3) Results of Statewide Assessments R 12) Part C to B Transition: IEP by 3rd birthday C

4) Suspension/Expulsion of students w/IEPs – significant discrepancy C 13) Secondary Transition: IEP components C

5) Least Restrictive Environment Placement R 14) Secondary Transition: Student location one year after leaving school R

6) Early Childhood Settings (LRE) R 15) Hearing Requests Resolved R

7) Preschool Skills Attainment R 16) Mediation Agreements R

8) Parent Involvement R 17) State Systemic Improvement Plan for improving results for students with disabilities R

9) Disproportionate Representation: Special Education (Identification of students w/IEPs) C

Federal Indicators

• A Compliance Matrix that includes scoring on Compliance Indicators and other compliance factors;

• A Results Matrix that includes scoring on Results Elements;• A Data Matrix includes timeliness of LEA data submission• A Calculation of Compliance/Results/Data• The LEA’s Determination of Level of Assistance Needed for District to

Implement the Requirements of Part B of the IDEA• Meets Requirements• Needs Assistance• Needs Intervention• Needs Substantial Intervention

NOTE: OSE in process of developing the calculation

RDA Components

Stakeholder Input

Core Stakeholder Group

Broad Based Stakeholder Group

Provided Input

• OSE Staff• Various Indiana

Resource Network Entities

• Had >60 People Volunteer

• >40 Attended Stakeholder Meeting

• Discussion of Data• Generated a List of

Results Data That Could Be Included

• Identified Priorities/Components Do We Need to Focus On

• All districts receive general Technical Assistance and Training through the Indiana Resource Network and DOE/OSE personnel.

• Targeted Technical Assistance based on compliance/results. • Low performing districts will get more intensive support.• State Systemic Improvement Plan Implementation Support activities, including

on technical assistance, site visits and desk support (Indiana focus is on 3rd

grade reading).• Will connect the work to Title, P-16 including Early Learning, School

Improvement and ESSA.

Differentiated Support For Districts

Indiana Resource Networkhttp://www.doe.in.gov/specialed/indiana-resource-network

www.pcgeducation.com | PCG Education

•Compliance Indicators•Results Indicator/Elements

•Data Timeliness

Data/EvidenceCollection

•District Calculation•Compliance•Results

•Overall District Percentage

District Calculation

•Meets Requirements•Needs Assistance•Needs Intervention•Needs Substantial Intervention

Determinationof Level

Assistance Needed for District to

Implement the Requirements of

Part B of the IDEA

Differentiated Support

Draft Differentiated Monitoring System and Support

Next Steps: Timeline/Roll-Out

Complete RDA Calculation

- Resource Considerations (OSE Staff, IRN Entities)

Stakeholder Meeting (Sept.)

- Status Update- Input On Work- Roll-Out Assist

Findings/Determinations

- Late November

Roll-Out- Short Share- Guidance Documents