Monitoring Accommodations in South Carolina Courtney Foster Office of Assessment

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Monitoring Accommodationsin South
CarolinaCourtney FosterOffice of Assessment
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Statewide Testing

• Palmetto Challenge Achievement Test (PACT) at
  grades 3-8
• High School Assessment Program (HSAP) at grade
  10
• End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) 4
  courses
• South Carolina Alternate (SC-ALT) grades 3-8 and
  grade 10

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Key Factors

• What do we have now?
• Look at existing resources in your office
• Look at existing resources in other offices
• What do we want?
• Plan for a system that streamlines resources
  (multiple data points)

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The Precode Project

• SASI system
• Demographics (e.g. student name, student id,
  grade level, EIA/EFA codes)
• Process
• Data entered/corrected at the school level
• Verification and transmission to district office
• Validation and transmission to the state office
• Initial submission in January with an update in
  March
• In 2006, added a customized material field

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Working with LEAs and Vendors

• Vendor online system for ordering test materials
• Verify and report out by district
• Verify and report out by school
• LEA keeps file with student and/or teacher name
  of the specific test materials ordered
• Assists test coordinator in ordering materials
• Another check of the ordering system

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Office of Exceptional Children

• Focused monitoring
• District and school specific issues
• Regional coordinators
• In 2006, went to an online IEP system
• Team effort for providing professional
  development
• Assessment Exceptional
  Children

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Policy and Procedures

• not providing accommodations or providing more
  accommodations as specified in the IEPthese
  actions are viewed as test security violations
• Convene an IEP team meeting (including parents)
  to determine the validity of the test
  administration

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Professional Development

• Workshops for the district test coordinator and
  the school test coordinator
• Workshops for the district test coordinator and
  the district special education coordinator
• Testing presentations at special education
  conferences and special education presentations
  at assessment workshops

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Changes in the Monitoring System

• From unannounced visits to announced technical
  assistance visits (both school and district staff
  invited)
• From random selection of schools/students with
  first sight reviews to a planned, streamlined
  multiple step process to focus technical
  assistance (includes both a desk audit and an on
  site visits)
• From a one office show to a team approach
  (assessment and exceptional children)

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SC Monitoring System

• Desk audits
• Gather data from multiple sources
• On-site visits
• IEP review
• Observe test administration
• School test coordinator, teacher, and student
  interviews
• Collect evidence of good practice to share with
  other districts

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Desk Audit Chart
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Onsite Visit Recording
Primary Disability Grade Instructional Setting P L O P Accommodation in Instruction Accommodation in Testing




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Monitoring Follow-up

• Internal report for assessment and exceptional
  children
• Letter to school principal (copied to district
  superintendent and test coordinator)
• May be a need to suggest technical assistance
  from exceptional children

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Contact Information

• Courtney Foster
• Office of Assessment
• 1429 Senate Street, Room 607
• Rutledge Building
• Columbia, SC 29201
• [phone]
• cjfoster_at_ed.sc.gov