Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Using the North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory (NCAAAI) for
End-of-Course (EOC)
October 2004
What is the NCAAAI?
Which
students
disabilities are eligible?
The North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory
(NCAAAI) for End-of-Course is an assessment in which teachers utilize
a checklist to evaluate student performance in high school courses in
which an end-of-course test is administered. Data are collected at the
beginning of the school year or course (baseline), in the middle (interim),
and at the end of the school year or course (final). Eligible students with
disabilities and students with limited English proficiency may participate
in the NCAAAI instead of taking the multiple-choice test as stated in
State Board policy HSP-C-005.
For students with disabilities,
participation must be documented in each student’s current IEP.
Students identified as limited English proficient must meet particular
criteria set forth in state policy.
with Students with disabilities are eligible for the NCAAAI if they meet the
following criteria:
• Must have a current Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Enrolled in a course for credit that requires an End-of-Course test
administration according to the school information management
system (e.g., SIMS/NCWISE).
• It is determined that the student, due to the nature of his/her
special needs, cannot participate in the standard administration or
administration using available accommodations for any statemandated End-of-Course test. In addition, the student is ineligible
to participate in the North Carolina Alternate Assessment
Portfolio (NCAAP).
Which LEP students are
eligible to participate in the
NCAAAI?
In order to be eligible to participate in the NCAAAI, the LEP student
must:
• be enrolled in a course for credit that requires and End-of-Course
(EOC) test administration;
• the student scored below Intermediate High on the reading
section of the IPT to be eligible for any EOC;
• be within 24 calendar months of enrollment into U. S. schools
(ref. State Board of Education Policy HSP-C-005).
• The decision must be made on a case by case basis. The NCDPI
recommends a “team” approach.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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October 2004
Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
Can students with Section 504 Students with a Section 504 plan must participate in the standard test
plans
participate
in
the administration with or without test accommodations and are ineligible for
NCAAAI?
participation in alternate assessments including the North Carolina
Alternate Assessment Portfolio.
Who determines if a student In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
with a disability participates in (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 (Public Law No. 105-17), the
the NCAAAI?
Individualized Education Program (IEP) team has the authority to
determine the appropriate assessment for each student.
Which guidelines do schools
follow if a student is identified
both as LEP and as a student
with
disabilities
with
an
Individualized
Education
Program (IEP); which “plan” is
followed to determine NCAAAI
eligibility?
If the student is LEP and has an IEP, the IEP determines NCAAAI
eligibility. The language proficiency and timeline requirements are
secondary. The IEP is an authorized legal document and must be
followed.
If a LEP student leaves the If a LEP student leaves a school system and later returns to the same
school, but eventually returns school system, the student’s original enrollment date in any U.S. school
to the school, does the “24- dictates his 24-month deadline.
month clock” start over or
continue?
Can
accommodations
allowed on the NCAAAI?
be The NCAAAI is based on classroom assessment and work sampling.
Therefore, accommodations used in the classroom may be used on any
provided evidence. The use of basic accommodations should not lower
the student’s score on the NCAAAI.
Who is responsible for The school principal assigns the assessor. The assessor must have
training in the content area being assessed and must work routinely with
completing the assessment?
the student during instruction. The NCDPI recommends that the regular
education content teacher collaborate with the English as a Second
Language (ESL) or resource teacher to complete the NCAAAI.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
When must assessors score The baseline assessment must be conducted during the first 30 calendar
days of student participation for yearlong courses or 15 calendar days for
the NCAAAI?
semester-long courses. In addition, the assessor completes a Baseline
Student Profile. The assessor must schedule an interim assessment period
that allows for a 30-calendar-day window for completion for yearlong
courses or a 15-calendar-day window for semester-long courses. This
must be at a midpoint month between the baseline assessment and the
final assessment. There is no Student Profile for the interim assessment.
The final spring assessment scores must be completed within the final 30
calendar days of the school year or course. The LEA test coordinator
must set a completion date by which the scannable student information
sheets must be returned to the district office. The date should mirror the
date for administration of the end-of-course test in the school system.
Final scores must be completed prior to the local deadline for returning
the scannable sheets. In addition to assigning scores, the assessor
completes a Final Student Profile.
In what timeline are the The timeline must match the school’s test schedule. If the course is
completed in a semester, the NCAAAI must also be completed in a
EOC NCAAAIs completed?
semester. If the course has an “A” section and a “B” section, such as
Algebra IA and Algebra IB, the NCAAAI is completed throughout the
series (both courses) and finalized during the completion of the series. If
the course is yearlong, the NCAAAI should be completed throughout the
school year.
Must ALL the objectives be All objectives must be scored using a whole number from the 0–8 scale
during baseline and interim and the 1-8 scale during final scoring.
scored?
Descriptions of performance at these levels are found in the Test
Administrator’s Guide 2004-05 and on the front of the assessment
instrument.
What evidence is required to Assessors are required to maintain a folder of student work throughout
support scores assigned by the the school year. Materials in that folder should support the scores
assigned to each goal within the assessed course. Materials contained
assessor?
within the student’s folder must be available for NCDPI review upon
request.
Where do you place the All evidence should be placed in a student work folder that teachers,
administrators, IEP teams, and test coordinators can easily access.
evidence?
Materials should be available for NCDPI review upon request.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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October 2004
Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
Can one work sample be used The NCDPI recommends that assessors use work samples that can
to support more than one support more than one objective in the assessed curriculum. Assessors
do not have to have work samples for every objective.
objective?
What labeling is required for Evidence must support the scores assigned to each goal but are not
required to be labeled in any standard manner. Dating material is helpful
the evidence?
and encouraged by NCDPI. LEAs may require evidence labeling.
If a student participates in the The use of the NCAAAI does not affect a student's course of study or
NCAAAI, can the student still eligibility to receive a diploma.
receive a diploma?
Why doesn’t NC offer native The majority of LEP students in North Carolina are instructed in English.
Student assessment should follow instruction. The NCAAAI allows LEP
language assessment?
students to respond through student work or teacher observations in
multiple methods.
Can evidence in the student’s If the student is being instructed in their native language in a bilingual
native language be used on program, native language evidence can be used. Evidence of assessment
must follow the type of instruction. Students, parents, etc. cannot be
the NCAAAI?
allowed to translate for the student or translate the student’s work.
Who is responsible
training the assessors?
for The school system test coordinator is responsible for training each
school’s test coordinator. The school test coordinators are responsible for
ensuring that all assessors are trained using the NCAAAI Test
Administrator’s Guide 2004-2005 which explains “how to complete the
NCAAAI”. Any curriculum support or classroom assessment support
must be provided through staff development in the school or school
system.
Who, when, where, and how The school district test coordinator is responsible for ordering, receiving,
are the NCAAAI materials and distributing the NCAAAI materials. Materials are ordered based on
the needs of the district. The materials are made available for download
distributed?
and print and may be ordered from the NCDPI/Testing Section secure
website.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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October 2004
Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
When will we receive
Student Information Sheets
for students on semester
schedules?
For the 2004-05 school year, Student Information Sheets will be mailed
beginning October 25, 2004. If students are on a semester schedule,
Student Information Sheets from the fall semester should be scanned in
January.
What happens if a student Transferring within North Carolina. In the event that a student
participating in the NCAAAI transfers to another North Carolina school
transfers out of the school?
system, the original school must complete the information in the transfer
section on the back of the inventory. The inventory must be complete and
up-to-date and the assessor and principal must sign attesting to this. The
school then returns it to its school system test coordinator. The school
system test coordinator must ship the entire student envelope to the
receiving school system test coordinator within 30 days of receiving a
written request. The original school system test coordinator must use a
receipted method to ship the secure NCAAAI envelope to the school
system test coordinator at the student’s new school system. The NCAAAI
is to be continued at the new school. The student work folder must also be
sent to the new school, though this may be sent in the same manner as the
student’s cumulative records. This process should be followed each time
a student transfers.
Transferring out of North Carolina. In the event that a student
participating in the NCAAAI transfers out of North Carolina, the assessor
must correctly code on the student’s scannable student information sheet
the reason why the inventory is incomplete. The school system test
coordinator must be notified. The assessor gives the scannable student
information sheet to the school system test coordinator at the end of the
course, for scanning purposes. Every academic inventory must be
accounted for even if the assessments are incomplete and stored in a
secure location for at least six months following the submission of student
scores.
Transferring into North Carolina during the School Year. If a student
transfers to the school system from out-of-state during the school year and
it is determined that the student will participate in the NCAAAI, the
school must begin an inventory immediately, but no later than 30 calendar
days of the decision if the student is enrolled in a yearlong course, or 15
days if it is a semester course. Baseline data must be completed for every
student, regardless of the month of enrollment, during the first month of
participation for yearlong courses or 15 days for semester courses. Once
baseline data is complete, an interim data collection date will be
scheduled.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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October 2004
Frequently Asked Questions - Using the NCAAAI to Assess Students in EOC Subjects
What is a reasonable date for The school system test coordinator is responsible for setting a local
collection of the NCAAAI at deadline date for return of the NCAAAIs for review. The date should
mirror the date for administration of the end-of-course test in the school
the local level?
system. Test coordinators should not require the NCAAAIs any earlier
than one month prior to the end of school to obtain valid scores and
equitable results that are comparable to the results of the standard EOC
administration.
Which Course of Study is The North Carolina Standard Course of Study is used as a basis for the
NCAAAI. For more information:
used for the NCAAAI?
http://www.learnnc.org/dpi/instserv.nsf
Can a student receive an The scale score range of 1-8 is the same for all students. The scale scores
achievement level of I-IV are converted into achievement levels when the answer sheets are
using the NCAAAI?
scanned. If the student is working on grade level using grade level
materials, the student may receive a final scale score of 1-8 that converts
to achievement levels of I-IV. The use of basic accommodations on the
NCAAAI should not lower the student’s score on the NCAAAI.
Are the results from the The results from the NCAAAIs are used annually in the North
Carolina ABC’s school accountability program as a component of
NCAAAI used in the ABCs?
each school’s performance composite.
What
happens
to
the The school system determines where the NCAAAIs will be securely
NCAAAI at the end of the stored. As with any state assessment, NCAAAIs must be securely stored
school year and how should
for at least six months. If the school system is selected to participate in
the NCAAAI be stored?
the NCDPI audit, NCDPI will visit selected schools to review NCAAAI
folders, student work folders, IEPs and student LEP information, as well
as cumulative records.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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October 2004