WEBVTT 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:07,550 Narrator: Now that you've completed the module, you're ready to begin the task of improving assessment scores for students with 00:00:07,550 --> 00:00:16,170 disabilities. But before you start, let's review quickly what you've learned in this module. First, it is extremely important to know 00:00:16,170 --> 00:00:24,560 what data is included in reports from state or district assessments. It's also useful to request or collect additional data to obtain a 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,600 clear picture of the learning that goes on in a school. 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:35,790 Dr. Nolet: Principals and teams in schools need to think of themselves more like sleuths, that they're going to collect evidence 00:00:35,790 --> 00:00:42,660 to try and make some decisions. And we're always interested in the validity of those decisions. Have we collected the right evidence, 00:00:42,660 --> 00:00:49,660 have we collected enough evidence, and have we made the right decisions with the evidence that we've collected? 00:00:49,660 --> 00:00:56,870 Narrator: You also learned to examine data closely, looking at specific groups, including groups of students with disabilities. For 00:00:56,870 --> 00:01:03,220 students with disabilities to perform well on high stakes assessments, it is important that they have access to the general 00:01:03,220 --> 00:01:10,320 education curriculum. To work toward improving instruction and assessment within a school, principals should gather teams of 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:14,000 teachers to develop and implement improvement plans. 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:20,800 Dr. McLaughlin: It should be obvious that this is not something that special educators can do alone. This is not a special education 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:28,450 issue; this is a whole school issue. When we begin to talk about providing access to the general education curriculum, we must be 00:01:28,450 --> 00:01:38,350 talking about general educators and special educators working together in new ways to help all children learn this important 00:01:38,350 --> 00:01:41,380 information. 00:01:41,380 --> 00:01:48,170 Narrator: There are several key issues in improving assessment results for students with disabilities. Students have greater access 00:01:48,170 --> 00:01:55,250 to the general education curriculum when the intended, taught, and learned curricula are closely aligned. 00:01:55,250 --> 00:02:05,100 Dr. Nolet: Teachers need to understand the standards deeply because their understanding of content standards then becomes the taught 00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:12,860 curriculum in many respects. This is one of the reasons that it's so important for students with disabilities to have access to 00:02:12,860 --> 00:02:22,420 curriculum that is taught by teachers who understand the content. We really feel strongly that the best teachers of content are 00:02:22,420 --> 00:02:28,450 teachers who have deep understanding and background in that content. 00:02:28,450 --> 00:02:35,790 Narrator: Instruction and assessment for students with disabilities can also be enhanced through accommodations and modifications. 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:38,300 Sometimes these two are difficult to distinguish. 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:46,640 Dr. McLaughlin: The important concept is not what particular strategy is an accommodation but the purpose of that accommodation. 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:54,210 It is something that offsets the impact of the disability without changing the content standard or performance expectation. In 00:02:54,210 --> 00:03:04,630 contrast, a modification does, whatever it may be, and it could be exactly the type of strategy or device that I mentioned under an 00:03:04,630 --> 00:03:13,460 accommodation, but in this case, when it is applied it actually changes or alters the content standard or the performance 00:03:13,460 --> 00:03:16,570 expectation. 00:03:16,570 --> 00:03:21,900 Narrator: To account for the instruction of all students, a small group of students receive alternate assessments. 00:03:21,900 --> 00:03:35,510 Dr. McLaughlin: An alternate assessment, as used in the IDEA and other law, refers to an assessment other than the standard 00:03:35,510 --> 00:03:44,600 assessment that has been designed or being given, administered to the general population, but it is typically thought of, or at least 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:53,900 referred to, as applying to only a small percentage or proportion of students with disabilities, usually those who have the most 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:57,580 significant cognitive disabilities. 00:03:57,580 --> 00:04:04,790 Narrator: It's no easy task, but improving instruction and assessment for students with disabilities is an important goal. With 00:04:04,790 --> 00:04:10,880 your understanding of how to gather and interpret data as well as the key factors in improving instruction for students with 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,400 disabilities, you're up to the task. Go for it!