5  Inclusion of All Students

5.1 Procedures for Including SWDs

The Oregon assessment system provides explicit guidance regarding the participation of all public school students in its statewide assessment program (see Section 1.4).

5.1A Clear Explanations of the Differences Between Assessments

The assessment options for all public school students in Oregon are elaborated in the Oregon Test Administration Manual (see Test Administration Manual). These options include the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English language arts and mathematics in Grades 3-8 & 11, the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in science in Grades 5, 8, & 11, and in the same content areas and grade levels for SWSCD who take the ORExt (see Test Administration Manual). Social studies assessment is a district option within the OAKS portal, as well. In addition, expectations for the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) and the Kindergarten Assessment are provided.

5.1B Eligibility Decisions Made by IEP Teams

A student’s IEP team determines how a student with disabilities will participate in the Oregon Statewide Assessment program. The IEP team must address the eligibility criteria for participation in the ORExt before determining that the assessment is the appropriate option (see ORExt Eligibility Guidance).

5.1C Guidelines for Assessment Selection

As noted earlier, IEP teams make decisions regarding how students with disabilities participate in the Oregon statewide assessment program. At present, students participate in one of three options: (a) student takes the general assessment with or without universal tools, (b) student takes the general assessment with designated supports and/or accommodations, or (c) student takes the ORExt. Guidelines for making universal support, designated support, and accommodations decisions for the general assessments are provided in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. Guidelines for making these determinations for SWSCD who participate in AA-AAAS are provided in the ORExt Eligibility Guidance.

5.1D Information on Accessibility Options

Information regarding accessibility options for the general assessment can be found with the general assessment Peer Review evidence. For the ORExt, accessibility is treated holistically, with universal design for assessment concepts embedded in the item design and a wide variety of accommodations also available if needed. Items are crafted to be visually simple and clean. Graphic supports, which are always black/white line drawings, are embedded in all items at the low level of complexity but are phased out as items become more complex. Items are designed to incorporate simplified language unless specific academic vocabulary and concepts is what is being tested (see Reducing the Depth, Breadth, and Complexity of Items). The items on the ORExt are all selected response, with three response options allowing for multiple modes of access (e.g., saying the answer, pointing to the answer, eye gaze, switch, etc.). All text presented to students is at least 18-pt font (larger, of course, in the large print version). Sample items are presented in the ORExt Electronic Practice Tests. All accessibility supports, designated supports, and accommodations for the ORExt are published in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. For students who have very limited to no communication and are unable to access even the most accessible items on the ORExt, an Oregon Observational Rating Assessment (ORora) was implemented in 2015-16. The ORora is completed by teachers and documents the student’s level of communication complexity (expressive and receptive), as well as level of independence in the domains of attention/joint attention and mathematics. The administration instructions for the ORora are included here (Appendix A).

5.1E Guidance Regarding Appropriate Accommodations

Guidance regarding appropriate accommodations is published in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. District and School Test Coordinators provide annual training on test security and administration. The ORExt approaches access as part of test design, as noted above in Section 5.1D. The complexity of SWSCD communication systems demands such an approach. In addition, comprehensive accommodations are allowed in order to decrease the chances that a disability may interfere with our ability to measure the student’s knowledge and skills.

5.1F All SWDs Eligible for the ORExt

ODE’s eligibility guidelines make it clear that all SWDs are eligible for the ORExt, regardless of disability category, and that specific disability category membership should not be a determining factor for considering participation (see ORExt Eligibility Guidance).

5.1G Parents Informed of AA-AAAS Consequences

The Parent FAQ section of the General Administration Manual makes it clear that parents must be informed of the potential consequences of having their child assessed against alternate achievement standards, including diploma options. Parents are also informed that alternate achievement standards are designed to reflect a significant reduction in depth, breadth, and complexity and are therefore not comparable to general academic achievement standards (see Test Administration Manual).

5.1H State Ensures ORExt Promotes Access to the General Education Curriculum

The ORExt is strongly linked to the CCSS/ORSci/NGSS, as evidenced by our linkage study results (see Oregon Extended Assessment Alignment Study). The claim is based on the following warrants: (a) ORExt items are aligned to the Essentialized Standards; (b) the Essentialized Standards are strongly linked to the grade level content standards; therefore (c) the ORExt items are strongly linked to grade level content expectations. It is thus expected that the ORExt promotes access to the general education curriculum by assessing general education content that has been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity yet maintains the highest possible standard for SWSCD.

In addition, ODE commissioned BRT to work with Oregon teachers of SWSCD in the 2015-16 school year to develop a variety of curricular and instructional resources that are aligned to the Essentialized Standards. These resources include: (a) curricular templates, (b) video tutorials, and (c) supporting documents that provide specific guidance regarding how to develop lesson plans, Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statements, and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and objectives that are aligned with the Essentialized Standards. It is also expected that the essentialization process will generalize to many students who are performing off grade level, not merely to SWSCD. All resources are published on the BRT Projects Website.

5.2 Procedures for Including ELs

In addition to the programmatic guidance provided in the Oregon Department of Education English Learner Program Guide related to EL program eligibility and services, ODE also provides guidance relevant to the inclusion of ELs in the statewide assessment program in the Test Administration Manual. Though the ORExt is currently published in English, an appropriately qualified interpreter can provide the assessment to any SWSCD from diverse language backgrounds, including American Sign Language. ODE has developed a training module to increase the standardization of ASL Training and Administration for its statewide assessments.

Additional information regarding the inclusion of ELs in Oregon’s general assessments is provided in the general assessment Peer Review evidence.

5.3 Accommodations

All statewide accommodation guidance is published in the Accessibility Manual (see Oregon Accessibility Manual) outlining the universal tools and designated supports available to all students, and accommodations, available only to students with disabilities or students served by Section 504 Plans. In addition, the manual defines the supports as embedded, where they are provided by the online test engine (e.g., calculator, text-to-speech), or non-embedded, where they must be provided by a qualified assessor (e.g., read aloud, scribe). The manual also makes it clear that these supports are content-area specific, as a universal tool in one content area may be an accommodation in another.

5.3A Appropriate Accommodations are Available for SWD/ Section 504

Appropriate accommodations for the ORExt are published in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. Additional accommodations for all statewide assessments are also published in this manual. The Oregon Accommodations Panel reviews the appropriateness of the supports listed annually. Practitioners may also request the addition of an accommodation through a formal process, see Appendix E in the Oregon Accessibility Manual.

5.3B Appropriate Accommodations are Available for ELs

As noted in Sections 5.2A-C, the ORExt is accessible in any communication modality through the use of an interpreter. Appropriate accommodations for the ORExt are published in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. Additional accommodations for all statewide assessments are also published in this manual. The Oregon Accommodations Panel reviews the appropriateness of the supports listed annually. Practitioners may also request the addition of an accommodation through a formal process, see Appendix E in the Oregon Accessibility Manual.

5.3C Accommodations are Appropriate and Effective

In addition to the evidence gathered during the linkage study (see Oregon Extended Assessment Alignment Study) which suggests that the ORExt items were accessible and free of bias even before final editing, the appropriateness of the supports listed in the Oregon Accessibility Manual is reviewed annually by the Oregon Accommodations Panel. Practitioners may also request the addition of an accommodation through a formal process see Appendix E in the Oregon Accessibility Manual. ODE has collected accommodations codes for the ORExt from Qualified Assessors who opt to enter this information in order to make performance comparisons feasible.

5.3D Accommodations are Appropriate and Effective

ODE has a formal process stakeholders can use to request accommodations that are not already published in the Accessibility Manual, see Appendix E in the Oregon Accessibility Manual.

5.4 Monitoring Test Administration for Special Populations

ODE monitoring of test administration in its districts and schools is elaborated within the general assessment Peer Review evidence and is therefore not addressed here.