3. The Goal of this Module is
to:
Describe and illustrate how students with special
needs can gain greater access to the content
standards and learning targets on which
common assessments are based
Relate how these students can be more fully
included in the common assessments
3
4. Additional Design Issues
Having made decisions about types of
assessments to use, which is good
There are important additional issues for each
developer of common assessments to consider
as well
If done, the assessments will be useable for all
students
4
5. Providing Access
Instructional access begins with the way
learning targets are worded
In reading, does the learning target say “decoding”
or “comprehension”
What do your learning targets say?
This is also an assessment issue – making
sure that the assessment matches the learning
targets 5
6. Students with Special
Needs
Students who may need assistance in
accessing the learning targets and the
assessments:
Students with mild to moderate disabilities
Students with learning disabilities
Students with physical disabilities
English learners
Title I students
6
7. Assessing Students with
Special Needs
Help students participate in the common
assessments by removing irrelevant wording
and materials
Focus on the most essential part(s) of the
learning target – the “essence”
Use “universal design” principles to write the
assessments
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8. Essence of the Learning
Target
“Essence of the learning target ” means
determining the most essential part(s) of the
learning target - what parts of it are the most
essential for a student to know or be able to
do?
This part of the learning target is what should
be emphasized in teaching and in assessment
8
9. An Example
Learning target as written:
Students will comprehend literary text
Essence statement:
Comprehend written material
9
10. An Example
Levels of access:
1. Recognize written materials such as books
2. Pay attention to simple stories being read
3. Listen to simple stories being read and respond to
questions about it through pictures
4. Read simple stories and answer questions about it
5. Read stories and respond in writing to questions
about it
10
11. An Example
The student’s score on the assessment might
be a combination of:
Level of complexity of the task (the access level in
the previous example)
Level of independence – how much of the task the
student completed without assistance
Level of accuracy – how well did the student do on
the assessment
11
12. Assessing Students with
Special Needs
Educators familiar with the learning targets,
with regular classroom instruction, and the
types of students listed can work together to
identify the most important aspects of the
learning targets
You can determine the “essence of the
learning target” and focus on this in
assessment 12
13. Creating Essence
Statements
Three types of individuals should be involved:
Regular classroom teacher
Special education teacher
Content specialists in the content area
These three individuals should meet to create
the essence statements
13
14. Creating Essence
Statements
First, the regular classroom teacher should
describe how the learning target would be taught
The content specialist should listen to make sure
that the lesson is aligned with the learning target
and how alignment can be enhanced
The important element(s) of the learning target
can emerge from this
14
15. Creating Essence
Statements
Next, the special education or resource teacher
should describe how the lesson laid out can be
adapted or extended to work for the student with
a disability or the English learner (EL) student
Both the content specialist and general
education teacher should listen and suggest
added ways in which the student can better
access the standard 15
16. Creating Essence
Statements
The three individuals should finalize the
essence statement and develop 3 to 4 levels of
access for these students
These ideas need to be written out and shared
with the entire staff, since they any of the staff
may work with these students
16
17. Assessment Development
Once access levels have been written, these
levels can be used to create the assessments
appropriate for these students
This will permit all students to access the
same learning targets, albeit for some at a
more “extended” level
This will benefit both student and the school
17
18. Resources
MDE Extended GLCE’s on the MI-Access
website:
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-
22709_28463---,00.html
See also the handout that corresponds to this
module; it provides some complete examples
of extended standards with multiple access
levels 18
19. Summary
In this module, you have learned one way to
help students with disabilities and others (EL’s
and Title I students) access the learning
targets you teach all students
This will help these students access the
common assessments you develop and use
19
20. Series Developers
Kathy Dewsbury White, Ingham ISD
Bruce Fay, Wayne RESA
Jim Gullen, Oakland Schools
Julie McDaniel, Oakland Schools
Edward Roeber, MSU
Ellen Vorenkamp, Wayne RESA
Kim Young, Ionia County ISD/MDE 20
21. Development Support for the
Assessment Series
The MAC Common Assessment Development
Series is funded in part by the Michigan
Association of Intermediate School
Administrators
In cooperation with
Michigan Department of Education
Ingham and Ionia ISDs, Oakland Schools, and Wayne RESA
Michigan State University
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