Principles and Characteristics of Inclusive Assessment and Accountability Systems
NCEO Synthesis Report 40
Published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes
Prepared by:
Martha Thurlow • Rachel
Quenemoen • Sandra Thompson •
Camilla Lehr
November 2001
Any or all portions of this document may be reproduced and distributed without prior permission, provided the source is cited as:
Thurlow, M., Quenemoen, R., Thompson, S., & Lehr, C. (2001). Principles and characteristics of inclusive assessment and accountability systems (Synthesis Report 40). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. Retrieved [today's date], from the World Wide Web: http://cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis40.html
The
National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has identified essential
principles of inclusive assessment and accountability systems. These principles
are based on a decade of NCEO’s documentation of assessment and accountability
systems and on review and comment from multiple stakeholders who share a common
goal of improving outcomes for all students. This report presents six core
principles of inclusive assessment and accountability systems with a brief
rationale and specific characteristics that reflect each principle. While we
address the principles here as they apply to students with disabilities, we
suspect that with slight modification they apply also to students with limited
English proficiency. The principles are:
Principle 1.
All students with disabilities are included in the assessment system.
Principle 2.
Decisions about how students with disabilities participate in the assessment
system are the result of clearly articulated participation, accommodations, and
alternate assessment decision-making processes.
Principle 3.
All students with disabilities are included when student scores are publicly
reported, in the same frequency and format as all other students, whether they
participate with or without accommodations, or in an alternate assessment.
Principle 4.
The assessment performance of students with disabilities has the same impact on
the final accountability index as the performance of other students, regardless
of how the students participate in the assessment system (i.e., with or without
accommodations, or in an alternate assessment).
Principle 5.
There is improvement of both the assessment system and the accountability system
over time, through the processes of formal monitoring, ongoing evaluation, and
systematic training in the context of emerging research and best practice.
Principle 6.
Every policy and practice reflects the belief that all students must be included in
state and district assessment and accountability systems.
A
companion set of self-study checklists is also
available and can be downloaded from the NCEO Web site. The checklists are based
on the principles and characteristics, and focus specifically on three topics
essential to inclusive systems – participation, accommodations, and alternate
assessment.
All
children can learn. That simple but remarkable statement represents a shift in
thinking about schools and schooling in the United States. For the past decade,
our nation’s schools have refocused their efforts toward high standards for the
learning of all children, supported by assessment and accountability systems
that will ensure that the public knows about the progress of all students toward
those standards.
At the
National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), we have been documenting the
progress of policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in defining a new
paradigm of inclusive assessment and accountability systems. We have also been
working closely with national, state, district, and school personnel to identify
issues, challenges, and initial recommendations (Quenemoen, Lehr, Thurlow, &
Massanari, 2001). These efforts have given us a broad perspective on what can be
accomplished in moving toward a more comprehensive assessment and accountability
system. We believe that it is time to revise early guidelines (Elliott, Thurlow,
& Ysseldyke, 1996) that addressed maximizing the participation of students with
disabilities in large-scale assessments.
The
purpose of the principles and characteristics in this report is to clarify what
we perceive to be the essential components of inclusive assessment and
accountability systems. We hope that it will prompt discussion of the principles
and characteristics. But, more than this, we hope it will prompt states and
districts to revisit the basic assumptions underlying their assessment and
accountability systems.
The
principles and characteristics included here complement the notion of universally designed assessments, a term that refers to the
development of assessments that are designed from the beginning to be accessible
and valid for the widest range of students, including students with disabilities
and students with limited English proficiency. Among the processes involved in
developing universally designed assessments are: (1) test conceptualization, (2)
test construction, (3) test tryouts, (4) item analyses, and (5) test revision.
See the NCEO Web site (http://cehd.umn.edu/NCEO)
for further information about this topic.
There
has been remarkable progress during the past decade in moving toward more
inclusive assessment systems. Starting from the point when the Education Summit
of 1989 set an agenda for education reform that called for higher expectations,
rigorous educational standards, and assessments of progress for all students
(later reinforced by Goals 2000, ESEA Title I, and IDEA 97), the changes have
been remarkable. In the early 1990s, most states included 10% or fewer of their
students with disabilities in state assessments (Shriner & Thurlow, 1993).
Participation and accommodation policies were either non-existent or limiting
(Thurlow, Ysseldyke, & Silverstein, 1993). Only one state had developed an
inclusive assessment system in the early 1990s – with both a general and
alternate assessment (National Governor’s Association, 1993; Shriner, Ysseldyke,
Thurlow, & Honetschlager, 1994). Negative consequences of excluding students
with disabilities became apparent: increased rates of referral to special
education, exclusion from the curriculum, and no information on the educational
results of students with disabilities (Ysseldyke, Thurlow, McGrew, & Shriner,
1994).
Participation rates in state assessments increased steadily during the 1990s; by
1998 most states had over 50% of students with disabilities in their assessments
(Thompson & Thurlow, 1999). Participation and accommodation policies have been
established in every state (Thurlow, House, Boys, Scott, & Ysseldyke, 2000).
Access to the curriculum emerged as a critical part of improving the performance
of disabilities on state assessments. All but a few states had developed
alternate assessments by 2000 for those students unable to participate in the
general state assessment even with accommodations (Thompson & Thurlow, 2001).
Positive consequences of including students with disabilities emerged and
performance increased; expectations for students rose; access to the curriculum
increased; teachers became more skilled at teaching students with disabilities
(New York State Education Department, 2001; Quenemoen et al., 2001; Thompson &
Thurlow, 2001). However, unintended negative consequences were identified as
well.
We
believe that it is possible to enhance the positive consequences and reduce the
negative consequences by carefully examining the assumptions on which assessment
and accountability systems are based, and by moving toward systems that are
designed to be more inclusive of students with disabilities. Toward that end, we
have developed the principles and characteristics of inclusive assessment and
accountability systems presented in this report. We suspect that these
principles, in slightly modified form, will apply also to students with limited
English proficiency and any other group of students who has not reaped the
benefits of the standards-based assessment and accountability systems that are
being implemented.
We
present six core principles of inclusive assessment and accountability systems
with a brief statement of rationale for each principle. For each principle, we
also present specific characteristics that reflect the principle – these provide
more precise information about the principles. Each of the characteristics is
supported by a rationale statement.
The six
principles were developed to reflect best practice, not simply compliance with
legal requirements. While the principles are consistent with the requirements of
current Federal laws governing special education and Title I services (i.e.,
IDEA 1997; ESEA 1994), they go beyond the letter of the law to the point where
research and practice suggest there will be important benefits to students and
educators.
The
principles are based on a decade of documentation of assessment and
accountability systems. Most of the documentation work is in reports available
on the NCEO Web site (http://cehd.umn.edu/NCEO). The
principles are also based on review and comment from multiple stakeholders who
share a common goal of improving outcomes for all students. This stakeholder
group included district level practitioners; parent advocates; state department
assessment, general education, and special education staff; state and federal
policymakers; and regional and national technical assistance providers.
A companion set of self-study checklists is also available. The checklists are based on the principles and characteristics, and focus specifically on three topics essential to inclusive systems – participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment. The self-study checklists may be used in part or in whole, as needed, to help stakeholder groups apply the principles and characteristics to their current policies and practices, and to determine their strengths and prioritize areas for improvement. The Self Study Guide to Inclusive Assessment and Accountability Systems contains these checklists, and provides a workbook format to assist in the study of the implementation of inclusive assessment and accountability systems in state and district settings. The Self Study Guide can be obtained at no charge by downloading it from the NCEO Web site.
The six
principles of inclusive assessment and accountability systems are listed here.
On the pages to follow, the principles, a rationale for each one, and a set of
characteristics, each with its own rationale are presented.
Principle 1. All students with disabilities are included in the
assessment system.
Principle 2. Decisions about how students with disabilities
participate in the assessment system are the result of clearly articulated
participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment decision-making
processes.
Principle 3. All students with disabilities are included when
student scores are publicly reported, in the same frequency and format as all
other students, whether they participate with or without accommodations, or in
an alternate assessment.
Principle 4. The assessment performance of students with disabilities
has the same impact on the final accountability index as the performance of
other students, regardless of how the students participate in the assessment
system (i.e., with or without accommodations, or in an alternate assessment).
Principle 5.
There is improvement of both the assessment system and the
accountability system over time, through the processes of formal monitoring,
ongoing evaluation, and systematic training in the context of emerging research
and best practice.
Principle 6. Every policy and practice reflects the belief that all students must be included in
state and district assessment and accountability systems.
In this
section we provide the details of each principle—what each one means in terms of
specific characteristics. Rationales are provided for each principle in general,
and then for each of the specific characteristics.
Principle 1. All students with disabilities are included in the assessment
system.
This
principle indicates that all students are in the assessment system in some
way—taking the assessment in the same way as all other students, or taking the
same assessment with accommodations, or for a small percentage of students,
participating in an alternate assessment. The progress of every student toward
high standards will be evaluated (i.e., assessed) in some way. Three
characteristics support Principle 1 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Principle 1
and Its Characteristics
Principle 1. All students with disabilities are included in the
assessment system. Characteristic 1.1. All students in all settings who receive
educational services are included in the assessment system. Characteristic 1.2. Alternative ways to participate in
assessment—other than the same way as other students, with accommodations,
or in an alternate assessment—are allowed only to the extent that they are
allowed for other students, and only after they have been carefully reviewed
by stakeholders and policymakers, and their use and impact has been
carefully studied. Characteristic 1.3. Exemptions or exclusions from assessment are allowed for students with disabilities only to the extent that they are allowed for other students. |
Characteristic 1.1.
All students in all settings who receive educational services are
included in the assessment system.
The definition of “all” students includes all students who receive educational
services in any setting. This includes students in traditional public school
placements, and students who change schools or placements, as well as all
students receiving federally funded educational services in non-traditional
settings such as students in home schools, private schools, charter schools,
state-operated programs, in the juvenile justice system, or any other setting
where these educational services are provided.
Characteristic 1.2.
Alternative ways to participate in assessment—other than the same way as
other students, with accommodations, or in an alternate assessment—are allowed
only to the extent that they are allowed for other students, and only after they
have been carefully reviewed by stakeholders and policymakers, and their use and
impact has been carefully studied.
Testing students out-of-level, having them take an off-the-shelf individualized
assessment rather than the state or district assessment, or other variations of
ways to participate in assessments should not be used for students with
disabilities unless they are also used for other students. Even then, they
should not be used without first being carefully reviewed and their
implementation studied to ensure high expectations are not unintentionally
lowered by this practice.
Characteristic 1.3. Exemptions or exclusions from
assessment are allowed for students with disabilities only to the extent that
they are allowed for other students.
Exemptions or exclusions are never allowed simply because a student has a
disability. To the extent that a state or district has a policy that allows
parents to request that students not participate in state or district testing
for various reasons, the same policies apply to students with disabilities. When
these kinds of options do exist, it is essential that the state or district keep
track of the number of requests for exemption/exclusion from testing, by
disability category and grade level to be sure that students with disabilities
are not being exempted disproportionately.
Principle 2. Decisions about how students with disabilities participate in the
assessment system are the result of clearly articulated participation,
accommodations, and alternate assessment decision-making processes.
This
principle focuses on the need for thoughtful student-by-student decisions about
how each student can show what he or she knows and is able to do (while still
holding high expectations), thus how each can best participate in the assessment
system. The principle also focuses on the related need for participation
decisions to be made by the IEP team with full knowledge of the implications of
the decision. Five characteristics support Principle 2 (see Table 2).
Table 2. Principle 2
and Its Characteristics
Principle 2. Decisions about how students with disabilities
participate in the assessment system are the result of clearly articulated
participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment decision-making
processes. Characteristic 2.1. Decisions about how students participate in
the assessment system are based on the student’s ability to show what she or
he knows and is able to do in the assessment formats available to all
students – not on the student’s instructional program, current level of
functioning, or expectations about how well a student will perform. Characteristic 2.2. Accommodations are available to all students,
and decisions about use are based on student need and use in instruction. Characteristic 2.3. The IEP team makes assessment participation,
accommodation, and alternate assessment decisions on an individual student
basis for each state and district assessment. Characteristic 2.4. The IEP team documents assessment
participation, accommodation, and alternate assessment decisions and the
rationale for them on the IEP, and reviews the decisions made for individual
students and the rationale for these decisions at least annually. Characteristic 2.5. There are clear and efficient procedures for collecting, compiling, and transferring assessment decision information from each student’s IEP to state and district assessment planners and administrators. |
Characteristic 2.1.
Decisions about how students participate in the assessment system are
based on the student’s ability to show what she or he knows and is able to do in
the assessment formats available to all students – not on the student’s
instructional program, current level of functioning, or expectations about how
well a student will perform.
Historically, students with disabilities were excluded from assessments. As
states and districts require that they participate in assessments, it is
tempting to try to protect students, keep them in easy levels of assessment, or
let low expectations guide decisions. This is inappropriate, and in many
cases—or for some time—the tendency will have to be counteracted by having
available a set of specific decision-making criteria to determine the ways in
which individual students should participate in the assessment system. If the
current assessment formats do not match the needs of all students, the formats
need to be made more accessible for all students. Separate assessments for some
students risk lowering expectations for those students.
Characteristic 2.2.
Accommodations are available to all students, and decisions about use
are based on student need and use in instruction.
All students have strengths and needs that result in different ways that they
effectively access instruction and assessment. Ideally, need would be the major
determinant of whether accommodations were used with any student (with or
without identified disabilities), both for instruction and assessment.
Reasonable decisions need to be made about certain accommodations that may be
used for instruction that are not appropriate for assessments because they
confound the construct being measured; it is also possible that some
accommodations are appropriate for assessment but not for instruction.
Characteristic 2.3.
The IEP team makes assessment participation, accommodation, and
alternate assessment decisions on an individual student basis for each state and
district assessment.
Decisions about participation in one particular state or district assessment may
be different from decisions about participation for another assessment that has
a different purpose or different format. For each assessment, the people who
know each student best are in the best position to understand the issues that
affect assessment for each student. These people often are members of the
student’s IEP team. Parents and the student, when appropriate, are essential
members of the team. Additionally there may be other people not normally on the
IEP team who have insight into the student’s needs; those people also should be
consulted about decisions as well. These people may include the student (if the
student is not already participating on the team), paraprofessional, counselor,
psychologist, caretaker, and others.
Characteristic 2.4.
The IEP team documents assessment participation, accommodation, and
alternate assessment decisions and the rationale for them on the IEP, and
reviews the decisions made for individual students and the rationale for these
decisions at least annually.
Participation decisions made by the IEP team, and the team’s rationale for the
decisions, are made year by year, or more frequently if needed. IEP
documentation of these decisions provides an important record of the individual
student’s needs and strengths. The documentation also helps track the ability of
the assessment system to meet all students’ needs. These decisions need to be
reviewed and changed as appropriate with the development of each annual IEP to
reflect changing student needs and skills, and to reflect changes in the
assessment system. Although IEPs often are developed all year on a schedule that
may not coincide with planning for state and district assessments, it is
important to make decisions at the IEP meeting that most closely precedes each
assessment so that the decision will be most valid.
Characteristic 2.5. There are clear and efficient
procedures for collecting, compiling, and transferring assessment decision
information from each student’s IEP to state and district assessment planners
and administrators.
It is important to ensure timely and efficient transfer of information on
assessment decisions to allow ordering and distribution of appropriate
materials. For example, accommodations decisions requiring special formats or
alternate assessment portfolio materials generally must be noted several weeks
in advance of the assessment. In addition, since many states encourage the use
of a variety of performance-based assessment strategies for alternate
assessments, getting timely materials and support to general and special
education staff who manage alternate assessment data gathering will increase the
quality of evidence included in alternate assessments.
Principle 3. All students with disabilities are included when student scores are
publicly reported, in the same frequency and format as all other students,
whether they participate with or without accommodations, or in an alternate
assessment.
This
principle provides the first level of accountability for the scores of students
with disabilities. Regardless of how students participate in assessments, with
or without accommodations, or in an alternate assessment, students’ scores are
reported, or if scores are not reported due to technical issues or absence, the
students are still accounted for in the reporting system. Four characteristics
support Principle 3 (see Table 3).
Table 3. Principle 3
and Its Characteristics
Principle 3. All students with disabilities are included when
student scores are publicly reported, in the same frequency and format as
all other students, whether they participate with or without accommodations,
or in an alternate assessment. Characteristic 3.1. All students in all placement
settings who receive educational services are accounted for in the reporting
system. Characteristic 3.2. The number and percentage of students not in
the assessment system in any way (with or without accommodations, or via an
alternate assessment) are reported and an explanation given for their
nonparticipation. Characteristic 3.3. Scores that are not aggregated because of
technical issues are still reported. Characteristic 3.4. Reports are provided to educators, parents, students, policymakers, and journalists, with a clear explanation of results and implications. |
Characteristic 3.1. All students in all placement
settings who receive educational services are accounted for in the reporting
system.
Every student must be counted and count. This includes students in traditional
public school placements, but also includes the participation and performance of
students who change schools or placements. All students receiving federally
funded educational services in non-traditional settings should be included and
reported as well, such as students in home schools, private schools, charter
schools, state-operated programs, and in the juvenile justice system. The
challenge of counting every student, and ensuring that each student’s progress
counts, is fundamental to the success of standards-based reform. There is a
national consensus that all students are to be held to high standards and all
schools are to fully support all student’s efforts to reach those standards,
regardless of the setting. If some students are excluded or set aside in
reporting, the public has no way of knowing how all students or all schools are
doing.
Characteristic 3.2.
The number and percentage of students not in the assessment system in
any way (with or without accommodations, or via an alternate assessment) are
reported and an explanation given for their nonparticipation.
At a minimum, every student who does not participate actively in the assessment
system must be detectable when scores are reported. Typically, this is done by
reporting the number of students not participating in the assessment system.
Even if a state or district factors students who do not take the assessment into
the reported scores (e.g., by giving them a score of zero), the number of
students excluded should still be reported. In addition, the reasons for
exclusion (e.g., parent request, absenteeism, noncompliance, invalid test
protocol) should be reported by subpopulation.
Characteristic 3.3.
Scores that are not aggregated because of technical issues are still
reported.
Scores of students who take assessments with accommodations that are considered
to reduce the validity of the score should still be reported, with an
explanation of why they are separated from the scores of other students, if they
are. Similarly, the performance of alternate assessment participants should be
reported, with an explanation of why they are separated from the scores of other
students, if they are.
Characteristic 3.4.
Reports are provided to educators, parents, students, policymakers, and
journalists, with a clear explanation of results and implications.
State and district staff members have a responsibility to ensure that data are
used in ways that are consistent with the purpose of each assessment. Reports
should be readily available and accessible, and should include cautions about
misinterpretation of data. Data should be suppressed without deleting from the
aggregate when any factors may compromise student privacy. Consideration should
be given to having community information sessions or special outreach to the
media to help people use the reports responsibly. Finally, for students in
placements other than the “neighborhood” school, students should be included in
reports that will most directly affect the student’s education—where his or her
performance counts, and where public reporting can make a difference. For
example, if a student with disabilities is being served in a specialized setting
outside of his or her home district (or school), the progress of that student
should be reported in the context where accountability and concern for that
student most directly lies.
Principle 4. The assessment performance of students with disabilities has the
same impact on the final accountability index as the performance of other
students, regardless of how the students participate in the assessment system
(i.e., with or without accommodations, or in an alternate assessment).
This
principle provides the second level of accountability for students with
disabilities. In order for all students to count in increased expectations for
accountable schools, all student assessment participation and performance data
must be integrated into district and state accountability indices. Federal Title
I requirements specifically require this, but districts and states should
address fully inclusive accountability in any local or state developed
accountability indices to promote equal access and opportunity for all students.
Three characteristics support Principle 4 (see Table 4).
Table 4. Principle 4
and Its Characteristics
Principle 4. The assessment performance of students with
disabilities has the same impact on the final accountability index as the
performance of other students, regardless of how the students participate in
the assessment system (i.e., with or without accommodations, or in an
alternate assessment). Characteristic 4.1. Performance data for all students regardless
of how they participate, have the same impact as all other student
performance data in accountability indices. Characteristic 4.2. There are incentives for including
all students in the accountability system, such as including participation
rates or increase in participation rates in the accountability index. Characteristic 4.3. There are phase-in and appeals processes for student accountability for students who have not had access to the general curriculum; but systems are held accountable immediately. |
Characteristic 4.1.
Performance data for all students regardless of how they participate,
have the same impact as all other student performance data in accountability
indices.
Merging all student performance data into accountability indices is technically
challenging at this time, but essential to an inclusive system. It may require
use of techniques such as multiple measures or a panel review of student
evidence of learning to determine appropriate scores for students who use
accommodations that may reduce the validity of the scores. This required extra
step should result in states and districts putting pressure on test developers
to develop more universally-designed assessments, thus reducing the dilemma in
the future. The process to integrate alternate assessment scores will put
pressure on the integrity of the purpose and design of the alternate assessment
as well.
Characteristic 4.2. There are incentives for
including all students in the accountability system, such as including
participation rates or increase in participation rates in the accountability
index.
Comparing composite scores for two schools when one school includes 100% of
students in accountability indices, and another school includes 80% of its
students (most likely excluding students who are expected to perform poorly)
would be unfair and would have the unintended consequence of promoting a
decrease in participation rates. In the short term, accountability indices can
adjust for these varying inclusion rates by rewarding schools where the
inclusion rate is already high or is increasing at desired rates until full
inclusion is in place.
Characteristic 4.3. There are phase-in and
appeals processes for student accountability for students who have not had
access to the general curriculum; but systems are held accountable immediately.
There are students who have “lost” years of access to the general curriculum,
and are now being held accountable for content they have not had an opportunity
to learn. A phase-in of student accountability should be accompanied by
interventions and support services. However, it is important to hold schools
accountable immediately as an incentive for rapid change, or students will
continue to lose opportunities. Since all schools have the same opportunities to
provide student access to instruction toward high standards, this affects all
schools equally, as long as all students are being assessed in some way in all
schools.
Principle 5. There is improvement of both the assessment system and the
accountability system over time, through the processes of formal monitoring,
ongoing evaluation, and systematic training in the context of emerging research
and best practice.
This
principle addresses the need to base inclusive assessment and accountability
practices on current and emerging research and best practice, with continuous
improvement of practices as research-based understanding evolves. By working
together on improvement of assessment and accountability systems, stakeholders
can sustain commitment to keeping the standards high and keeping the focus clear
on all students being successful. Ongoing training of IEP team members and other
key partners is an essential component of this effort. Four characteristics
support Principle 5 (see Table 5).
Table 5. Principle 5
and Its Characteristics
Principle 5. There is improvement of both the assessment system
and the accountability system over time, through the processes of formal
monitoring, ongoing evaluation, and systematic training in the context of
emerging research and best practice. Characteristic 5.1. All decisions about student
participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment are collected,
compiled, and reported, and the data are used to improve the quality of the
assessment process at the school, district, and state levels. Characteristic 5.2 The consequences of student assessment
decisions are identified, compiled, and reported, and the data are reviewed
by multiple stakeholders and are used to improve the quality of the
accountability processes at the school, district, and state levels. Characteristic 5.3. Based on the results of the
monitoring and evaluation of the assessment and accountability systems,
training is provided to multiple audiences to increase the understanding of
the purpose, options, procedures, and implications of assessment options,
including consequences for promotion and graduation. Characteristic 5.4. Appropriate training for IEP teams and other key personnel is provided through collaboration of state, district, higher education (both preservice and inservice), and advocacy organizations. |
Characteristic 5.1. All decisions about student
participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment are collected, compiled,
and reported, and the data are used to improve the quality of the assessment
process at the school, district, and state levels.
Identifying methods to use at the school level to check on appropriateness of
the decisions, and providing feedback to IEP teams on appropriateness, will
improve the quality of assessment data in the long term. Likewise, if good
participation, accommodation, and alternate assessment decisions are made at the
IEP team level, but the information is poorly documented, not communicated to
instructional settings or to the assessment personnel, the validity of the
assessment results will be reduced. By monitoring these decisions, and ensuring
the decisions are reflected in practice, schools, districts, and states can
ensure the best possible measurement of actual student progress toward
standards.
Characteristic 5.2 The consequences of student assessment decisions are identified,
compiled, and reported, and the data are reviewed by multiple stakeholders and
are used to improve the quality of the accountability processes at the school,
district, and state levels.
Typically the consequences of assessment and accountability processes are more
difficult to define and capture. In developing systems, the view of consequences
often depends on the perspective of the viewer. For that reason, the ongoing
monitoring and evaluation of consequences may require stakeholder involvement to
determine what consequences are intended and positive, and which are unintended
and negative. That also builds support for changes in the systems as they are
needed.
Characteristic 5.3. Based on the results of the
monitoring and evaluation of the assessment and accountability systems, training
is provided to multiple audiences to increase the understanding of the purpose,
options, procedures, and implications of assessment options, including
consequences for promotion and graduation.
Increasing the assessment literacy of IEP team members will improve the quality
of the assessment decisions made by each team. That in turn will improve how
well assessments measure progress toward standards for all students, regardless
of how they participate (with or without accommodations, or in an alternate
assessment). Since many of these decisions have consequences for the student,
training is essential for effective inclusion of all students.
Characteristic 5.4. Appropriate training for IEP
teams and other key personnel is provided through collaboration of state,
district, higher education (both preservice and inservice), and advocacy
organizations.
All IEP teams and other key personnel need to have access to ongoing training
and technical assistance. State departments of education can make connections,
provide leadership and incentives, develop written materials, and present
introductory workshops, but day-to-day support needs to be built into a
district’s comprehensive system of professional development. In addition, states
can partner with institutions of higher learning to rethink basic teacher
competency and licensure requirements in light of the new emphasis on measuring
the progress of all students toward high standards. Also, parent training
organizations and other advocacy groups can be essential training partners to
reach parents and the students themselves.
Principle 6. Every policy and practice reflects the belief that all students
must be included in state and district assessment and accountability systems.
This
principle addresses the core belief system that underlies inclusive assessment
and accountability systems. With this belief system in place, every question
that arises or decision to be made goes back to “what does it mean for how each
and every student counts in our system?” and “what are the possible consequences
for each and every student in our system?” Each and every student includes those
students who have disabilities of all types and students who are limited in
their English proficiency, as well as other students such as those who are
highly mobile, disadvantaged, or of minority status. Three characteristics
support Principle 6 (see Table 6).
Table 6. Principle 2
and Its Characteristics
Principle 6. Every policy and practice reflects the belief that
all students
must be included in state and district assessment and accountability systems Characteristic 6.1. There is broad support in the governor’s
office, at the state legislature and state agencies, and among professional
groups for inclusion of all students in state school reform efforts linked
to assessments and accountability, demonstrated by sufficient funding and
resources (e.g., staff development) designed to ensure the capacity in every
school for every student to succeed. Characteristic 6.2. All students are included in every aspect of
assessment and accountability systems, including the assessments, the
reporting of data, the determination of accountability measures, and the use
of data for school improvement. Characteristic 6.3. All aspects of assessment and accountability
systems are designed and reviewed collaboratively, with input from other
stakeholders (e.g., parents, advocacy groups, related service providers,
community members), as well as general education, special education,
curriculum, assessment, and administrative personnel. |
Characteristic 6.1.
There is broad support in the governor’s office, at the state
legislature and state agencies, and among professional groups for inclusion of
all students in state school reform efforts linked to assessments and
accountability, demonstrated by sufficient funding and resources (e.g., staff
development) designed to ensure the capacity in every school for every student
to succeed.
All students can be successful if there is a political and economic commitment
to build the capacity for success in each school and each classroom in the
state. States that are demonstrating best practices throughout their reform
system have unified and committed understanding and leadership at all levels. If
that commitment is not present, stakeholders work to achieve it.
Characteristic 6.2.
All students are included in every aspect of assessment and
accountability systems, including the assessments, the reporting of data, the
determination of accountability measures, and the use of data for school
improvement.
There is no aspect of the assessment system or the accountability system that
excludes a subset of students, be they students with disabilities, students with
limited English proficiency, migrant students, or highly mobile students. Every
student is represented in one way or another in the assessment system, the
reporting system, and the accountability system.
This
characteristic reinforces the need to provide concrete methods of linking
performance data reports for all students to the school improvement process, as
well as to the accountability processes defined at the state and district
levels. The state and district should provide tools to allow school improvement
teams to disaggregate performance data to answer specific questions about
performance of subpopulations, including students with disabilities. In
addition, state and district supports to schools considered “in need of
improvement” should include specific strategies designed to increase the
performance of students with disabilities as well as other special populations.
Inclusive systems assure that all students are included in the benefits of such
supports.
Characteristic 6.3.
All aspects of assessment and accountability systems are designed and
reviewed collaboratively, with input from other stakeholders (e.g., parents,
advocacy groups, related service providers, community members), as well as
general education, special education, curriculum, assessment, and administrative
personnel.
Inclusive assessment and accountability systems start before the development of
the instruments and the identification of consequences. Indeed, the very
identification of standards and how they will be measured is part of the picture
of fully inclusive systems. From the development of standards, through
systematic alignment of the curriculum to the standards, and instruction to both
of these, as well as alignment of assessment to desired results, stakeholder
groups need to review all aspects of development for inclusiveness and
accessibility. That way, through inclusive assessments that measure the progress
of all students toward standards, and inclusive accountability measures that
require systematic improvement of standards-based instruction, all aspects of
the educational system are aligned for every student.
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