NCAAAI
CHANGES
Sheila Garner Brown
North Carolina State University
sheila_brown@ncsu.edu
919.515.1431
Why change?
 New NCLB regulations
 Non-compliance with previous regulations
 Better, more appropriate assessments for
students with disabilities and students
with limited English proficiency
 Shorter testing window
NCLB Regulation Changes
 Addition of possible 2% flexibility
 Allows assessment using “modified
achievement standards”
 Only for students with disabilities
 2% is in addition to 1% flexibility for students
with most significant disabilities.
Regulations are being written at this time. Final
regulations have not yet been released.
Non-compliance?
 No out of level (below grade level)
assessment will be allowed.
 NCAAAI is used as an out of level
assessment for some students.
 Students using out of level assessments
cannot be counted in participation rates for
AYP.
Better assessments?
 New designs give more options
 All students, whatever the disability area,
assessed on grade level concepts
 Creates greater access to the Standard
Course of Study and higher expectations
 Decreases the “gray area” of assessment
Shorter Testing Window?
 Anticipate having specific testing windows
for all new assessments
 Most information will be submitted through
scannable sheets or online
Proposed Changes
2005-06 School Year
 NCAAAI
– NCAAAI has been discontinued!
– Out of level assessment for SWD (ex. 8th grader
using 1st grade assessment) will NOT continue.
– New assessment is called NCCLAS (North
Carolina Checklist of Academic Standards)
– On grade level assessment will continue
– No scoring until January
Proposed Changes
2005-06 School Year-cont.
– Final scoring of objectives/goals/categories will
be completed in an online format.
– On grade level assessment for students who
are LEP and some students with disabilities
(SWD)
– New assessment will be created to address
students with disabilities previously assessed
off grade level.
NCCLAS scoring changes
 New Descriptions of Student Performance
– Uses behavioral indicators AND performance
level descriptors to rate student performance on
specific objectives of the Standard Course of
Study
Refer to handout for Descriptors
The “New Stuff”:
Possibilities and Ideas
 Modified achievement standards
assessment
– Will be a modified multiple choice test
– Appropriate for students formerly assessed
three or more grade levels below academically,
but without a significant cognitive disability
– Aligned with assigned grade level content
standards
– Refer to handouts from Michigan Department of
Education
The “New Stuff” cont.
 Alternate achievement standards
– Current NCAAP 2005-2006 school year
– Appropriate for students identified as having a
significant cognitive disability
– Appropriate for students who might have used
the NCAAAI or the NCAAP for assessment.
– For 2006-2007 school year - task based
assessment with criteria for guidance toward
specific tasks (NCEXTEND1)
“To identify students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities, all of the following must be
true:
• The student requires extensive and explicit instruction to
acquire, maintain, and generalize new reading and
mathematics skills for independent living.
• The student exhibits severe and pervasive delays in
multiple areas of development and in adaptive behavior
(e.g., mobility, communication, daily living skills, and
self-care).
• The student’s IEP annual goals focus on the functional
application of academics (reading, mathematics, and
writing).
• The student’s performance is evaluated against
alternate achievement standards.”
Questions to be answered
 Which students had needs that were not served
appropriately in the “old” assessment program?
 If you were developing the alternate assessments,
what would “make sense” to you?
 What do you think of the proposed ideas?
 What would you change about the proposals?
What works? What doesn’t work?
 Any other thoughts/suggestions?
Small Group Activity
 Work together in groups of 5-10 to attempt
to answer the questions on the previous
slide.
 Have someone record ideas generated.
 Small group ideas will be shared with the
larger group.
 ALL input is needed and appreciated!
Questions/Comments?
 Sheila Garner Brown
North Carolina State University
Technical Outreach for Public Schools
919.515.1431
sheila_brown@ncsu.edu
Questions about the USDE
regulations?
Visit the US Department of Education website at
www.ed.gov
Visit the Council for Exceptional Children website at
www.cec.sped.org