New York State Alternate Assessment
(November 2006)
Accuracy
– The student’s ability to demonstrate knowledge, skills and understandings based on the alternate grade level indicators (number of correct responses/total number of responses X 100).Administration Period (also known as the Data Collection Period) – January 2, 2007 to March 9, 2007.
Alternate Assessment Training Network Specialist (AATN) – An AATN provides training and support to Lead Special Education Teachers (LSETs) on how to administer New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA), assists the Score Site Coordinator (SSC) in the scoring institute, and conducts training for scorers.
Alternate Grade Level Indicators (AGLIs) – Descriptions of student performance expectations for students with severe cognitive disabilities that are aligned with grade level core curriculum established for all students by the Board of Regents.
AGLI Codes – 5-digit numerical code that appears at the end of each AGLI in the Frameworks (appendix F), must be recorded on the Data Summary Sheet for reporting purposes.
AGLI Text – The written version of the AGLI found in the NYSAA Frameworks (appendix F). The LSET will write out the complete AGLI when asked for AGLI text on forms and verifying evidence.
Assessment Task – A statement that identifies what the student will do, know, or understand when given an assessment activity to perform.
BOCES – Board of Cooperative Educational Services
Choice Component – This is the component of NYSAA that the LSET is allowed to choose. Each required component has two choice components.
Collegial Review – A collegial review occurs when another teacher, administrator or specialist reviews the datafolio for accuracy. This has to occur during the administration period.
Core Curriculum – Defined by the State Education Department (SED) for each grade in ELA and mathematics and for elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels in science and social studies. The NYS learning standards are expanded upon in the core curriculums for each content area. LSETs should review the core curriculum and locate the appropriate grade level content for their student.
CSE – Committee on Special Education
Data Collection Period (also known as the Administration Period) – January 2, 2007 to March 9, 2007.
Data Collection Sheet (DCS) – Used to record student performance information.
Data Summary Sheet (DSS) – Used to summarize information from the last three dates of student performance data.
Entry Cover Sheet – This document was discontinued in 2006-07.
Essence – The essences are the “big ideas” of the grade level core curriculum from which instruction and assessment are based.
Evidence – Provides documentation of student performance of the assessed knowledge, skill, and/or understanding. It includes a Data Summary Sheet and verifying evidence (and supporting evidence as required) for each assessed AGLI.
Floor Manager – An AATN who assists Score Site Coordinators in the management of the scoring institute.
Grade Level Expectations – Each content area has expectations for student performance. These are considered the grade level performance indicators or content understandings. These are intended to assist teachers in determining what the outcomes of instruction should be.
IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP – Individualized Education Program
Independence – The degree to which a student performs a specified assessment task without support (e.g., cues or prompts). Independence is observed and measured by the teacher through the collection of data based on the frequency of cues or prompts provided to the student during an assessment activity (number of steps not needing support/total number of steps X 100).
Instructional Team – The student’s teachers, including special education teachers, general education teachers, related service personnel, and others who provide or supervise the student’s educational program.
Lead Special Education Teacher (LSET) – Primarily responsible for the coordination of NYSAA.
Measured Progress (MP) – State contractor for NYSAA who is responsible for the development, logistics, and processes related to the administration of NYSAA.
NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
NS – No Score
NYSAA – New York State Alternate Assessment
NYSAA Frameworks – The frameworks include information regarding the grade level performance expectations, essences, AGLIs, and assessment tasks for each content area at each grade level.
NYSAA Student Page – Provides information about the student, such as name, date of birth, and district of residence.
NYSAA Test Blueprints – The Test Blueprints reflect the requirements for NYSAA in each content area at each grade level. These blueprints outline the requirements for the assessment.
OSAR - Office of Standards, Assessment and Reporting at the New York State Education Department.
Observer Verification Form (OVF) – A form completed by an independent person, other than the person collecting student data, who affirms that the assessment task took place. The OVF is not sufficient evidence for scoring; it must be attached to the Data Collection Sheet and is called supporting evidence.
Parent/Family/Guardian Survey – To be completed with the student’s parent/family/ guardian; serves to encourage communication about the student's performance toward mastering the New York State core curriculum.
Performance Data – Data collected by LSET that demonstrates the student’s performance on the assessed knowledge, skill, or understanding.
Repository – A single source of standardized individual student records for analysis at the local, regional, and State levels to improve student performance and to meet State and federal accountability requirements.
Reliability – Refers to the consistency of the score assigned to a student’s datafolio.
Regional Information Centers (RIC) – Provide demographic information and scannable score documents to SED (the Big Five City Information Centers are called SCAN Centers).
Regional Lead Trainers (RLTs) – Subcontracted directly through Measured Progress and assigned to regions statewide to assist with training and provide technical assistance in addition to the AATN.
Reliability Monitoring Review (RMR) – The process whereby 20% of the datafolios scored at each scoring institute are re-scored by Measured Progress and compared to the original scores of record to ensure scoring consistency and reliability across scoring institutes.
Required Component – These are the components of NYSAA on which a student must be assessed.
Scannable Score Document (SSD) – Scores from the scorer worksheet are transcribed to the SSD, which is scanned to develop a data file.
Score Site Coordinator (SSC) – Plans, staffs, facilitates, and oversees the scoring institute.
Scorer – LSET or other certified special education professional that is qualified and trained to score student datafolios.
Scorer Worksheet (SW) – Used by scorers to document student performance and connection to grade level content and to provide feedback to LSETs.
Scoring Assistant – Provides clerical assistance to Scorers and Table Leaders during scoring institutes.
Scoring Rubric – A scoring tool used to evaluate a student’s performance based on NYSAA criteria.
State Education Department (SED) – Responsible for the development and administration of statewide testing program and related policy.
Supporting Evidence – Evidence submitted with a Data Collection Sheet (DCS) which supports performance data for the date(s) documented on the Data Summary Sheet.
Table Leader – Experienced scorer who assists in materials management and has a leadership role during the scoring institute.
Table of Contents – Organizes the datafolio and helps ensure that all required components are included in the datafolio.
Test Accommodation – A change in the standard administration of a test including test procedures or formats that enable a student with a disability to participate in assessment programs on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers.
Validity – The ability of the test to measure what it claims to measure.
Verifying Evidence (VE) – Documentation provided to confirm student performance of the assessed content that is provided for each assessed AGLI. The verifying evidence confirms the date of student performance, student name, AGLI text, assessment task, level of accuracy, and level of independence.
VESID – Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities at the New York State Education Department.