Preparing to Administer the PASA

1
Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment

• Preparing to Administer the PASA
• 2001

2
Review Agenda for the Day
3
Purpose of Training Session

• Prepare teachers (and others) for administering
  the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment

4
PASABackground and Rationale

• Context for development of the PASA
• Standards-based reform and statewide testing for
  accountability
• IDEA 97 requirement that all students participate
  

5
Standards-Based Reform and Statewide
Accountability

• Nationwide movement based on federal requirements
• Chapter 4 defines standards
• PSSA assesses in reading and mathematics
• Benefits accrue to districts and individuals
  from participating in these assessments

6
In IDEA 97

• Congress expressed clear preference for having
  students with disabilities educated to the
  maximum extent appropriate...
• In the regular class
• Participating with non-disabled peers
• Learning the general education curriculum

7
Congress Preferences Expressed

• In the language of the law
• In the requirements of the IEP
• In the inclusion of students with significant
  disabilities in the accountability systems of
  school districts and states

8
Goal of IDEA Reauthorization

• Insure that students with disabilities
  participate in school improvement
• Raise standards of performance of students with
  disabilities

9
Philosophical Stance

• Students with disabilities count
• Scores of students with disabilities will be
  counted

10
For Most Students with Disabilities

• Participate in the standard statewide assessment

11
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)

• Grade 5 Reading and Mathematics
• Grade 6 Writing
• Grade 8 Reading and Mathematics
• Grade 9 Writing
• Grade 11 Reading, Mathematics, and Writing

12
Assessment Options

• Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
• Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
• With accommodations

13
Accommodations

• Presentation
• Response
• Test modifications
• Setting
• Timing/scheduling
• Assistive devices/equipment

14
For Students with the Most Significant
Disabilities

• Must be included in the activity called
  statewide assessment
• Design a meaningful alternate assessment for
  students with the most significant disabilities,
  who are unable to participate in the Pennsylvania
  System of School Assessment (PSSA)

15
For Students with the Most Significant
Disabilities

• The Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment,
  the PASA
• Serves the same purposes in statewide
  accountability
• Provides students, parents, educators and
  citizens with understanding of student and school
  performance
• Determines degree to which school programs enable
  student to attain proficiency in academic
  standards
• Provides results to school districts for
  consideration in development of strategic plans

16
The Target Population

• Who are they?
• NOT the gap kids!!

17
For Whom is the PASA Appropriate?

• Students at the right grade level or age
• Students with the most significant cognitive
  disabilities
• Students assigned to the PASA by their IEP team
• Fewer than 2 of a districts eligible student
  population

18
To participate in PASA, students must...

• be in grade 5, 8, or 11 (or ages 10, 13 or 16) by
  September 1 of the school year in which
  assessment is to be accomplished, and
• have significant cognitive disabilities, and
• require intensive instruction to learn, and
• require extensive adaptation and support to
  perform and meaningfully participate life
  activities, and
• require substantial modifications of general
  education curriculum, and
• participate in general education curriculum in a
  substantially different way than most other
  students, and
• be recommended by the students IEP team.

19
Relationships among PASA, the PSSA, and
Chapter 4 Standards
20
The PSSA and the PASA

• Test the same stuff
• At the same grade levels
• At about the same time of year
• Report results in about the same way

21
Chapter 4 Standards and the PASA

• The Challenge
• Interpreting the Chapter 4 Academic Standards so
  that they are applicable to the life of a student
  with significant disabilities

22
PA Chapter 4 Standards and Benchmarks

How do you get from here to there?
Alternate Assessment
23
PA Chapter 4 Standards and Benchmarks

Essence of the Standards for Students with
Significant Disabilities
Skills Embedded in Authentic and Relevant
Applications
PASA Performance Tasks
24
The Reading Standards
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
The Reading Standards
28
(No Transcript)
29
The Mathematics Standards
30
(No Transcript)
31
The Mathematics Standards
32
(No Transcript)
33
The Process

• 1. Identify relevant PA Academic Standards
• 2. Delineate essence of these standards for
  students with significant disabilities
• 3. Specify skills representing the essence that
  can be embedded in authentic and relevant tasks
• 4. Design PASA performance tasks

34
Characteristics of PASA

• Consists of four performance tasks, each with 3
  levels
• 2 related to literacy standards 2 related to
  mathematics standards
• Designed to take a snapshot of students typical
  performance on a small sample of academic skills
  derived from the PA academic standards
• Administered to students by their teacher,
  one-to-one

35
Characteristics of the PASA

• Can be adapted so that even students with the
  most severe disabilities can perform some aspects
  of the task and receive points in the scoring
• Includes tasks representing authentic, relevant,
  and age appropriate activities into which several
  literacy- or numeracy-related skills are embedded
• Performance recorded via narrative notes or
  videotape
• Performance contextualized with supporting
  documentation

36
Characteristics of the PASA

• Submitted to the contractor at the University of
  Pittsburgh, along with supporting documentation,
  for scoring
• Scored by a team of scorers (practicing teachers,
  supervisory/administrative school personnel, or
  college/University faculty) trained to review the
  videotapes or read the narrative notes, and using
  specific rubrics, to score students performance
• Reported back to service provider, school
  district, and parents

37
Criteria used in Selection of Tasks for the PASA

• Derived from standards
• Related to the PA Chapter 4 Standards as
  interpreted into authentic and relevant
  demonstrations
• Important
• Perceived as socially valid having a critical
  effect on an individuals life
• Age appropriate
• Performed by non-disabled peers of the same age
• Permits performance by all students
• Designed such that all students will be able to
  demonstrate some component(s) of the task

38
Criteria used in Design of Tasks for the PASA

• Useful in multiple environments
• The skill is useful in multiple environments may
  be another indicator of its importance
• Educational placement neutral
• Can be demonstrated in the environment where
  students receive their educational programs
• Location neutral
• Can be demonstrated regardless of the community
  (urban, suburban or rural) in which the students
  live

39
Criteria used in Selection of Tasks for the PASA

• Permits demonstration of skills using different
  sensory modalities
• May be performed utilizing alternative expressive
  modes of communication without penalty in
  scoring
• Amenable to presentation through different
  modalities and adaptations
• May be presented using alternative modalities
  without penalty in scoring

40
Switch equipment to show video of tasks
41
PASA Tasks

• Important, relevant tasks in which literacy and
  numeracy skills can be assessed

42
Scoring the PASA
43
Scoring

• Scoring Conference final week of June
• Teams of teachers using scoring rubric
• Consensus scoring
• Inter-rater reliability on scoring
• Summarize scores

44
Reporting Results

• Results analyzed and reported by late Autumn
• State level
• Provider level
• Home district
• Parents
• Changed as PSSA changes reporting style and
  format

45
Balancing Standardization and Individual Needs

• Each student has a unique combination of
• Motor
• Sensory
• Cognitive
• Communication
• needs.

46
Balancing Standardization and Individual Needs

• Common accommodations to elicit typical
  performance
• Enlarging pictures, fonts
• Using adaptive prosthetic equipment
• Using assistive technology aids
• Braille
• Sign language, communication boards, devices
• Changes in setting
• Changing in timing and schedule

47
Balancing Standardization and Individual Needs

• Other decisions the examiner needs to make
• Level of task to administer
• Cues used in presenting the tasks
• Materials to be used

48
Level of Task

• Three levels of each task
• Differ in complexity
• Same number of scorable components
• Same skills related to standard

49
Materials

• Sample materials provided
• Use if appropriate
• Familiar
• Matched to strengths of modalities
• Matched in level of concreteness
• Matched in size visual contrast
• Need to be cut and pasted
• Adapt as needed to personalize the assessment

50
Cues

• Language
• Use and elicit students routine mode of
  communication
• Prompts
• Number of prompts matter
• Scoring rubric values independence

51
Task Packet

• Includes
• Specification of critical reading or math
  components
• Description of authentic and relevant tasks in
  which components can be demonstrated
• Description of ways in which the task can be
  demonstrated varying in complexity
• Description of types of materials to be used to
  be selected by the teacher based on individual
  needs of student to be assessed

52
PASA Sample Task

• Task Description-Reading
• Side one
• Derivation of the task
• Instructions for selecting level
• Side two
• Task description by level
• Key components by level

53
Selecting Task Level

• Read task descriptions by level
• Note key components assessed within each level
• If necessary, read TASK CARD with scorable
  components to help you make the decision
• Select task level most appropriate for student

54
Selecting Task Level

• Repeat for each of the four tasks
• Student may be tested on any level of any task,
  but not more than one level of each task
• Find appropriate TASK CARDs
• Set others aside

55
Selecting appropriate materials

• Look at listing of Materials on TASK CARDs
• Look at sample materials for task/level provided
  in bound booklet
• Use if appropriate
• Familiar
• Matched to strengths of modalities
• Matched in level of concreteness
• Matched in size visual contrast
• Remove from booklet and prepare as needed
• Select alternative materials and prepare as needed

56
Selecting appropriate materials

• If you substitute your own materials, make
  certain that
• They still permit student to demonstrate the
  targeted skill
• They dont change the skill listed on the
  scorable components card

57
Adapting the assessor cues

• Description of intent provided
• Adapt method for getting student to demonstrate
  key components to individual student while
  maintaining the intent -- To assess typical
  performance on essence of reading or mathematics
  skills

58
Adapting the assessor cues

• Use wording familiar to student
• Use cues familiar to student
• Use prompts typically used, taking into
  consideration benefits of using least intrusive
  types

59
Note of Caution

• Intent is to assess reading and math skills
• Tasks are vehicles for assessing skills in
  meaningful ways
• Change materials and cues
• BUT DO NOT OMIT SCORABLE COMPONENTS OR CHANGE
  SKILLS ASSESSED!

60
Teacher Decisions that Affect PASA Scores

• Level
• Number of prompts
• Skipping scorable components
• Adding task components
• Changing components/materials

61
Eleven Steps to Getting Started

• 1. Select task level
• 2. Read task descriptions
• 3. Gather/make materials
• 4. Make notes on language, cues, and prompting

62
Eleven Steps to Getting Started

• 5. Make schedule
• 6. Determine method for recording responses

63
Recording Student Performance

• Options
• Narrative note taking
• Video recording

64
Narrative Note-Taking

• See
• Directions for Taking Narrative Notes

65
Videotaping

• see
• Directions for Videotaping

66
Eleven Steps to Getting Started

• 7. Notify childs parents
• 8. Arrange assessment setting
• 9. Tell student about the assessment and what
  he/she can expect

67
Eleven Steps to Getting Started

• 10. On the day of the assessment, remind student
  what to expect
• 11. Have note-taker describe (or videographer
  film) materials before getting started and use
  voice-over to clarify selections

68
Eleven Tips to Better Assessments

• 1. Utilize students routine mode of
  communication
• 2. Use assistive devices if they are commonly
  used in instruction
• 3. Use prompts only when students need assistance
• 4. Wait for student to respond before giving
  additional prompts

69
Eleven Tips to Better Assessments

• 5. Encourage partial participation
• 6. Incorporate positive behavioral supports used
  on a routine basis
• 7. Pause or terminate assessment if student
  refuses participation reschedule for another time

70
Eleven Tips to Better Assessments

• 8. Erase video/scrap narrative notes and give
  student second try, if necessary
• 9. Capture typical performance
• 10. Include all scorable components
• 11. Narrate tape or narrative notes when
  student response would be difficult for
  unfamiliar scorer to interpret

71
After the AssessmentSix things to do

• 1. Complete supporting documentation

72
Supporting Documentation

• To help the scorers understand the student and
  the adaptations and accommodations selected

73
Supporting Documentation
Section 1 Students Name ________________________
_______________ Age _________ Date of Birth
____________ Home School District
__________________________________________________
______________________ Service Provider (i.e.,
district or IU responsible for the students
education) ____________________________ __________
__________________________________________________
_________________________________ Examiners
Name _________________________________ School
Name ______________________________ School
Address (Street) _________________________________
_____ (City) __________________________ (Zip)
_____________ ------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
-
74
Supporting Documentation
Section 2 Grade Level of the Assessement (circle
one) 5th 8th 11th Levels (A, B, or C)
Task 1 ______ Task 2 ______ Task 3 _____ Task 4
____ Students primary language (e.g., English,
Spanish, etc.) ___________________________________
_________ Students primary method of
communication for expressive and receptive
language (e.g., aural/oral manual (signing)
pictorial gestural etc.) Expressive
________________________________________
Receptive _________________________________
75
Supporting Documentation
Please place an X beside students primary
disability (check only one)

• Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Multiple Disabilities
• Other Health Impairments
• Serious Emotional Disturbance
• Neurological Impairment (traumatic brain injury)
• Speech and Language Impairment

• Physical Disability
• Blindness or Visual Impairment
• Deafness or Hearing Impairment
• Deaf-Blind Impairment
• Mental Retardation
• Specific Learning Disability
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Cerebral Palsy

76
Supporting Documentation
For the disability marked on Page 1, please
briefly describe how and in what ways learning
and performance are affected ___________________
__________________________________________________
__ ______________________________________________
_________________________
77
Supporting Documentation
Please place an X beside the category(s), which
describes the related services provided to the
student

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Other ________________________

• Speech and Language
• Vision Services
• Other ____________________

78
Supporting Documentation

• Please place an "X" beside the category(s) and
  describe the types of adaptive equipment used, if
  any

• Positioning, and mobility aids and equipment
• Positioning
• Mobility
• Other

• Assistive technology
• Switches
• Writing devices
• Computer access devices
• Eating and drinking specialized equipment
• Amplification
• Visual and Optical aids
• Tactile aids

79
After the AssessmentSix things to do

• 2. Affix preprinted label on video or cover of
  narrative notes
• 3. Fill in task number and level for EACH task
• 4. Place supporting documentation with
  pre-printed label attached and matching record of
  performance in preprinted envelope

80
After the AssessmentSix things to do

• 5. Affix third pre-printed label to sealed
  envelope
• 6. Return envelope and all test materials to
  assessment coordinator who sent the materials to
  you
• If you do not have a pre-printed label, create
  three of your own labels with all identifying
  information for the video/narrative notes the
  supporting documentation and the envelope

81
Recap Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the PASA?
• How flexible are the participation criteria?
• Can something other than the PSSA or PASA be
  assigned by the IEP team?
• Is parent permission necessary before
  administering the PASA?

82
Recap Frequently Asked Questions

• How is the PASA scored?
• How will scores be reported and used?
• Who is coordinating the PASA administration in
  each district/IU?
• What is the timeframe for administering the PASA?

83
Recap Frequently Asked Questions

• When you get the PASA Assessment Kit for a
  student, what can you change, and what can you
  not change?

84
Start to Finish Checklist

• select a task level
• read the task descriptions
• gather/make/adapt materials
• make notes to yourself on language and prompting
  to be used
• make a schedule

85
Start to Finish Checklist

• determine the method of recording responses
  (notes or video)
• make arrangements for help
• notify the students parents
• arrange the assessment setting

86
Start to Finish Checklist

• help the student become familiar with the
  note-taker or with being videotaped
• tell the student about the assessment and what
  he or she can expect on the assessment day(s)

87
Start to Finish Checklist

• remind the student that the day for the
  assessment has arrived
• have the note-taker describe (or the
  videographer tape) the materials before getting
  started to clarify for the scorers what is being
  used

88
Start to Finish Checklist

• after the assessment, affix the pre-printed
  label on the videotape or cover page of narrative
  notes
• affix another pre-printed label to the completed
  supporting documents page
• affix the last label to the return envelope

89
Start to Finish Checklist

• put ONLY the notes or videotape in the return
  envelope, along with the supporting documents
  pages check off the items included on the cover
  of the envelope

90
Start to Finish Checklist

• return the sealed envelope with the students
  materials to the assessment coordinator
• place all remaining assessment materials, used
  and unused, into the Material Booklet and return
  the booklet to the assessment coordinator

91
Logistics

• Test kits will arrive by UPS to PSSA Assessment
  Coordinators last week of February
• Test administration window
• March 1 - April 15, 2001
• Assessment coordinators return tests and all
  materials by April 23

92
Good Luck and Thank You