Improving Test Performance of Students With Disabilities...On District and State Assessments

Martha L. Thurlow, Ph.D., is Director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes in the Institute on Community Integration (University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) at the University of Minnesota. In this position, she addresses the implications of contemporary U.S. policy and practice for students with disabilities and English Language Learners, including national and statewide assessment policies and practices, standards-setting efforts, and graduation requirements. Dr. Thurlow has conducted research for the past 35 years in a variety of areas, including assessment and decision making, learning disabilities, early childhood education, dropout prevention, effective classroom instruction, and integration of students with disabilities in general education settings. She has published extensively on all of these topics, and also recently completed serving as co-Editor with Bob Algozzine of Exceptional Children, the research journal of the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Thurlow is a co-author of several books, including Testing Students with Disabilities, Improving Test Performance of Students with Disabilities, Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities, and Critical Issues in Special Education. Dr. Thurlow was one of the original developers of the dropout prevention program Check and Connect, which was empirically tested, and replicated in several settings. She is the author of numerous reports, journal articles and chapters on the topic of dropouts and dropout prevention, and also addresses the dropout problem within the current context of federal legislation, high stakes testing, and standards-based education.

"This is a practical and accessible guide to improving the measurement of performance of students with disabilities that also provides concrete and research-based strategies for the inclusion of students with specialized instructional needs in the general education classroom. This is a book that should be within reach of classroom teachers and school administrators as they strive to provide effective instruction that yields measureable results."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors1. Maximizing the Performance of Students With DisabilitiesIncorporating Standards Into Assessment and InstructionUsing Data to Drive Assessment and InstructionMaking Good Decisions About AccommodationsHelping the Student Prepare for TestingAddressing the Needs of IEP/ELLsImproving Test Performance on the General Assessment Through InstructionImproving Performance on the Alternate Assessment Through InstructionGenerating Parent Support – and the Support of Others, TooSummaryTest Your KnowledgeResourcesInternet Resources2. Standards-Based Assessment and InstructionChanging the TideWhere is Lake Wobegon, Anyway?Trademarks of a Standards-Based ClassroomAligning IEPs With StandardsLinking the IEP to StandardsContent Standard: ReadingSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet Resources3. Using Data to Drive InstructionOpportunities and ChallengesBasic Data to KnowCase Study DiscussionQuestions You Should Be Asking, Answers You Should KnowPrincipals/District Site AdministratorsTeachersParentsBoard MembersSuperintendentsSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet ResourcesChapters 1-3. Self Check: Where Do I Stand?4. Making Sound Accommodations DecisionsOpinions Versus Research-Based Knowledge on AccommodationsCourt Cases and SettlementsConsiderations in Making Decisions About AccommodationsConsiderations in Making Decisions About AccommodationsSteps to Take in Identifying Accommodations for Individual StudentsRolling Classroom Accommodations into District and State AssessmentsA Word About Technology AccommodationsA Word About Technology AccommodationsA Word About Technology AccommodationsNon-Approved AccommodationsAlternative Route to Diploma or PromotionSummaryTest Your KnowledgeResourcesReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet Resources5. Preparing Students for TestingCauses and ConsiderationsAssessment LiteracySetting Goals, Targets, and ExpectationsPreparing Daily for the TestHelping Students Become Advocates for Their Own Testing NeedsSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet Resources6. Addressing the Needs of IEP/ELLsWho Are IEP/ELLs?Participation of IEP/ELLS in District and State AssessmentsAccommodationsAssessment PerformanceInstruction for IEP/ELLSSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet ResourcesChapters 4-6. Self-Check: Where Do I Stand?7. Improving Performance on General Assessment Through InstructionWhere the Rubber Meets the RoadThe RealitiesThe Million Dollar QuestionPreparing for Instruction: The Planning PyramidWhat Do We Know About Effective Instruction?Improving Student Performance: A Model of Effective InstructionPlanning InstructionManaging InstructionDelivering InstructionEvaluating InstructionSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet Resources8. Improving Performance on Alternate Assessments Through InstructionFederal Requirements That Guide Alternate AssessmentsWhat We Knew ThenWhere We Are NowWhat Has ChangedHigh Standards for Learning for Alternate Assessment StudentsThe Impact of Alternate Assessment on InstructionSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet Resources9. Parent Support for Student PerformanceInforming Parents About TestsEquipping Parents to Make Good Participation and Accommodation DecisionsHelping Parents Understand Test ResultsUnderstanding General Test ResultsUnderstanding Their Child’s Test ResultsSummaryTest Your KnowledgeReflections on ChangeResourcesInternet ResourcesChapters 7-9. Self Check: Where Do I Stand?Appendix A: Reflection on ChangeAppendix B: Technical Assistance and Dissemination NetworksIndexFigures and Reproducible FormsBox 1.1: Key Elements of IDEA 97 and NCLBBox 1.2: Assumptions About Including Students With DisabilitiesBox 2.1: Examples of Content and Performance StandardsBox 2.2: IEP Format Linking District Standards and Student Annual GoalsBox 2.3: Steps for Unpacking StandardsBox 2.4: Bloom’s TaxonomyBox 2.5: A Framework for Unpacking StandardsBox 2.6: Unpacking Standards: Supporting the ProcessBox 3.1: Strategies for Success (SFS) OverviewBox 3.2: SFS Grade ResultsBox 3.3: Reading Program ComparisonBox 3.4: A Case StudyBox 4.1: Examples of Six Types of Assessment AccommodationsBox 4.2: Kyle’s Access to the General Education Curriculum With and Without AccommodationsBox 4.3: Summary of Selected Research Syntheses on AccommodationsBox 4.4: Common Instructional Accommodations, A-ZForm 4.1: Classroom Accommodations WorksheetBox 4.6: Student Accommodations QuestionnaireBox 4.7: Tracking the Effects of AccommodationsBox 4.8: Case Study on Tracking the Effects of AccommodationsForm 4.2: Form to Determine Links Between Classroom Accommodations, Classroom Testing Accommodations, and State or District Testing AccommodationsBox 4.9: Case Study on Making Accommodations Decisions for Instruction and TestingBox 4.10: Case Study on Planning AccommodationsBox 5.1: Self Regulation and Time ManagementBox 5.2: Selected Assessment Terminology and DefinitionsBox 5.3: Points to Make in discussing the Purpose of State and District AssessmentsBox 5.4: Example of a Test Matrix for a “Typical” Standards-Based State TestBox 5.5: Example of a Test Matrix for a “Typical” Norm-Referenced TestBox 5.6: Partial Test Matrix AnalysisBox 5.7: Considering the Unique Needs of Students Who Are Blind or Visually ImpairedBox 5.8: Common Test Vocabulary TermsBox 5.9: Suggestions for Answering Different Types of QuestionsBox 5.10: Self-Regulation and Time ManagementBox 6.1: Clarification of TerminologyBox 6.2: Percentages of All IEP Students and IEP/ELLs by CategoryBox 6.3: Examples of Linguistic AccommodationsBox 6.4: Considerations for Assessing LEP StudentsBox 6.5: Strategies Identified as Important for IEP/ELLsBox 7.1: Instructional Planning PyramidBox 7.2: Guiding Questions for the Planning PyramidBox 7.3: Some Research-Based Findings on Characteristics of Effective InstructionBox 7.4: Components of Effective InstructionBox 7.5: Deciding What to Teach: Think About ItBox 7.6: How to Teach: Think About ItBox 7.7: Communicate Realistic Expectations: Think About ItBox 7.8: Prepare for Instruction: Think About ItBox 7.9: Use Time Productively: Think About ItBox 7.10: Establishing a Positive Classroom Environment: Think About ItBox 7.11: Presenting Information: Think About ItBox 7.12: Monitoring Presentations: Think About ItBox 7.13: Adjusting Presentations: Think About ItBox 7.14: Monitor Student Understanding: Think About ItBox 7.15: Monitoring Engaged Time: Think About ItBox 7.16: Keep Records of Student Progress: Think About ItBox 7.17: Use Data to Make Decisions: Think About ItBox 8.1: Federal Documents that Clarify Alternate Assessments Performance BenchmarksBox 8.2: Definitions of Basic Terms Used in Relation to Alternate AssessmentBox 8.3: Examples of Standards of Learning for Alternate Assessments in MassachusettsBox 8.4: Examples of Instructional Idea, Strategies, and Entry Points in MassachusettsBox 8.5: Selections From High School Course OutlineBox 9.1: A Parent Version of a Test MatrixBox 9.2: Excerpt from Federation of Families ReportBox 9.3: Parent Questions and Answers About State and District AssessmentsBox 9.4: NRTs Versus CRTs and Standards-Based AssessmentsBox 9.5: Resource Centers and Materials for ParentsBox 9.6: Guide for Translating Testing Terminology for ParentsBox 9.7: Example of Information Presented in State Report