Seminars on Inclusive Assessment: Evaluating and Improving Technical Quality of Alternate Assessments

OVERVIEW

A number of national and regional organizations have partnered to offer interactive working seminars on alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS).

More specifically, the seminars are designed to:

Assist participants in recognizing what aspects of their system should remain flexible and what might be more standardized;
Provide participants with a framework for helping states conceptualize the evaluation of technical quality; and
Provide tools for documenting the technical quality of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards.

Technical assistance providers, state practitioners, and leading researchers in the areas of students with disabilities, assessment, and accountability will present options for evaluating and improving the technical quality of AA-AAS.

The seminars are intended for state teams, preferably consisting of members from the assessment, special education, and curriculum and instruction divisions. All participants must represent a state's assessment system. If you are a consultant or vendor, you must be invited by a state to participate on its team.

Please note that registration is on a first come, first served basis, and attendance at each location will be limited to 90 participants. ***REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR ALEXANDRIA HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 10/17/06.*** Please refer to each site registration page for specific information and registration details.

TWO LOCATIONS

Denver, Colorado
October 10-11 Registration

Alexandria, Virginia
October 24-25 Registration

Organizational partners include: National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), National Alternate Assessment Center (NAAC), Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center (AACC), National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc. (NCIEA), all Regional Resource and Federal Centers, K-8 Access Center, National Drop-Out Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID).

AGENDA

Day 1

Time	Activity
8:00-8:30	Breakfast
8:30-8:45	Welcome, overview, introductions
8:45-10:00	Framing the validity argument: Who's being assessed? What's the purpose and use of the assessment? Flexibility
10:00-10:15	Break
10:15-11:45	Poster Sessions: 1. Alignment 2. Standard Setting 3. Consistency/Reliability 4. Comparability 5. Consequences 6. Who
11:45	Reflection: What did you hear that "validated" what you already knew/thought? What did you understand, but do not know how to do yet? What is still confusing or problematic?
12:00-1:00	Lunch
1:00-2:30	Group work (Workgroup 1 - Group by state/table)
2:30-2:45	Transition
2:45-4:30	Group work (Workgroup 2 - Group by topic area: Alignment; Standard Setting; Consistency/Reliability; Comparability; Consequences; Who)
4:30-5:00	Prioritize Specialty Consultations for the next morning

Day 2

Time	Activity
8:30-8:45	Overview of the day
8:45-10:45	One on one consultation with experts and mentor states
10:45-11:30	State planning for ongoing work: Needs determination and development of technical assistance plan
11:30-12:30	Closing Activity