cbe.ab.ca reporting Considerations for students with Alberta Education Special Education Coding K-9

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1 cbe.ab.ca reporting Considerations for students with Alberta Education Special Education Coding K-9

2 Considerations for students with Alberta Education Special Education Coding Reporting and communicating student achievement Together, assessment and reporting are part of a comprehensive communication system between teachers, students and families. Comprehensive communication of student learning in the CBE is comprised of ongoing, informal dialogue as well as more formal aspects that support teachers, families and students in building and enriching positive learning partnerships. Effective communication practices ensure that parents are informed about how their child is doing at school. Communicating about student learning takes several forms. Student-specific communication about events in day-to-day learning, issues that arise or accomplishments to celebrate occur on an ongoing basis through multiple means such as s, notes in agendas, phone calls, after school conversations etc. As part of a school-based communication plan, families also have opportunities to attend conferences, celebrations, open houses, or other school events that help them to better understand what learning looks like for their child. In the Calgary Board of Education, formal reporting and communicating of student progress and achievement for students with Alberta Education Special Education Coding is done through the student s Individual Program Plan (IPP) and report card. The CBE Guiding Principles of Assessment state that: Individual Program Plans target the areas unique to a student in order to be an independent, successful learner, and identify strategies and supports necessary for that student s success. The Individual Program Plan does not target all learner outcomes, only those considered most critical for independent performance. The report card encompasses what a student has learned in relation to partially or fully modified outcomes drawn from the Programs of Study during that reporting period, including his/her strengths as a learner and the next steps for improvement.

3 Where students are working towards the outcomes from the Programs of Study, the Individual Program Plan and the report card together provide a comprehensive picture of student learning and provide teachers the opportunity to communicate to families and students the most significant aspects of their child s achievement. Most students work within the Provincial Programs of Study, even if they are not working at grade level. For example, a student in Grade 8 may be working towards reading outcomes from the Grade 2 English Language Arts Program of Studies, or a Grade 3 student may be working towards learning outcomes identified for Grade 6. The needs of most students can be met through provincially prescribed curriculum with adaptations, accommodations and modifications. However, when it has been determined through formal and informal assessment and the educational planning process that the student s needs cannot be met through these options, individualized programming is required. For those students working outside of the Provincial Program of Studies, the IPP is used in conjunction with a Specialized Classes Progress Report to report student growth and achievement. Programming for Students with Alberta Education Special Education Codes Adaptations Definition: Adapted programming means programming that retains the learning outcomes of the Programs of Study and where adjustments to the instructional process are provided to address the special education needs of the student (Alberta Education: Standards for Special Education p. 3). What it looks like: Adaptations refer to ongoing, instructional support that is developed and used to support an individual student or a group of students in a specialized or regular classroom setting. Frequently, teachers differentiate instruction so that each student in the classroom has the best opportunity to learn according to his or her needs and abilities. Ability, learning preferences, strengths and interests vary between students and even within an individual over time. When adapted programming is used to differentiate instruction, all students have equally engaging learning tasks. (Alberta Education: Individualized August 2014: Learning Services 2

4 Program Planning, Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies p. 9) Examples of adaptations include: Complete the first example with students Present new material in short periods of time through varied activities Use materials at a variety of difficulty levels Modify pace of instruction Demonstrate, model or act out instructions Present concepts in as concrete a way as possible Break information into steps Adapt level of questioning Use advanced organizers and graphic organizers Simplify instructions (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning, Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies pp. 9-11) On the report card: Student understanding, based on evidence, is what is used to evaluate student achievement. Use a numerical (1-4) indicator against the report card outcome if a student requires only adaptations (i.e. adjustments to the instructional process) to support learning related to a particular report card outcome. The level of achievement is based on grade-level expectations. Evaluation of student achievement does not include consideration of the supports a student accesses during learning. All students access support during learning. Accountabilities: Strategies related to adapted instruction should be discussed as part of an ongoing dialogue with the student as they develop understanding of themselves as a learner - their strengths and areas for growth, and as they set goals for their learning and develop their own strategies. Adaptations refer to ongoing, instructional support that may be either planned or informal, and are generally not recorded in the IPP. (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning, Chapter 6:Selecting Accommodations and Strategies, p.8) Accommodations August 2014: Learning Services 3

5 Definition: An accommodation is a change or alteration in the regular ways a student is expected to learn, complete assignments or participate in classroom activities. The purpose of accommodations is to ensure that each student has the opportunities and support he or she needs to learn. (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning: Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies, p.1) What it looks like: Typically, accommodations will span all the subject areas and instructional settings that the student is engaged in and may include special teaching or assessment strategies, equipment or other supports. The goal of accommodations is to give students with special education needs the same opportunity to succeed as other students. (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning: Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies, p.3) Examples of Accommodations: Environmental accommodations, e.g., alternative seating, adaptive devices Instructional accommodations, e.g., providing copies of notes, alternative reading materials Assessment accommodations, e.g., extra time, oral tests (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning: Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies, p.1) On the Report Card: Student understanding, based on evidence, is what is used to evaluate student achievement. Use a numerical (1-4) indicator against the report card outcome if a student requires only accommodations to support learning related to a particular report card outcome. The level of achievement is based on grade-level expectations. Evaluation of student achievement does not include consideration of the supports a student accesses during learning. All students access support during learning. Accountabilities: The nature of accommodations (environment, instructional and/or assessment) should be discussed as part of an ongoing dialogue with the student and parents. They are documented on the IPP to ensure that the student has access to them on an ongoing basis and that he or she will be eligible to receive these same accommodations during August 2014: Learning Services 4

6 provincial assessments. (Individualized Program Planning, Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies Individualized Program Planning, p.1) Modifications Definition: Modified programming means programming in which the learning outcomes are significantly different from the provincial curriculum and are specifically selected to meet the students special education needs. (Alberta Education: Standards for Special Education, p. 4) What it looks like: Even with accommodations, differentiated instruction and learning strategies, not all students with special education needs are able to meet all of the requirements of the regular programs of study. Changes to the outcomes are designed to provide the student the opportunity to participate meaningfully and productively across a variety of learning experiences and environments. Modifications may include changes in instruction level, content and/or performance criteria. (Alberta Education: Individualized Program Planning, Chapter 6: Selecting Accommodations and Strategies Individualized Program Planning, p.12) Examples of Modifications: Modifying learning outcomes by simplifying key concepts, major understandings and skills in content areas Omitting assignments that require timed situations or limiting assignments to a certain type Adapting or simplifying texts to address students level of ability and understanding Lowering the reading level of assignments, quizzes or tests Option of doing an independent study On the report card: 1 If the report card outcome is an area of focus for the IPP Use the indicator IPP against a particular report card outcome if the report card outcome addresses outcomes from the Programs of Study that are targeted through the student s Individual Program Plan. Progress and achievement with respect to that particular report card outcome is addressed through the Individual Program Plan. 2 If the report card outcome is not targeted on the IPP Use an asterisk with a numerical indicator (*1, *2, *3, *4) against a particular report card outcome if a student requires modifications to support learning for that report card outcome and it is not targeted on August 2014: Learning Services 5

7 the IPP. The level of achievement is based on modified learning outcomes. The following statement can be used to communicate that the student s level of achievement for that particular report card outcome is not at grade level. This achievement level is based on achievement of outcomes of the Alberta Programs of Study that are significantly different from the grade-level (X) outcomes. Accountabilities: The nature of the modifications (changes in instruction level, content and/or performance criteria) should be discussed as part of an ongoing dialogue with the student and parents. They are documented on the IPP to ensure that the student has access to them on an ongoing basis. A student may access grade-level appropriate instruction, programming and provincial curriculum in some or all courses and have an Alberta Education special education code and IPP. The level of achievement is based on grade-level expectations. Reporting Citizenship, Personal Development and Character (R3, 4, and 5) in and through Learning Results 3, 4 and 5 are assessed and reported for all learners. Descriptive feedback about each of the three Results is provided for students on at least one report card each year. In June, the summative scale indicators (EX, EV, EM or SR) are used against each report card outcome for Citizenship, Personal Development and Character. Evidence of these important aspects of learning is gathered through a variety of learning experiences, as appropriate for each student. The summative scale is strengths-based, and is used to describe how each child s approach to learning has impacted their success. The indicator IPP is rarely used for R3, R4 and R5, except where the IPP explicitly focuses on a specific outcome related to Citizenship, Personal Development and Character. Writing Effective Comments Effective report card comments are specific, descriptive and contextualized; they offer parents a glimpse into the progress and achievement a student has made over the course of a term at school. In the CBE s Guiding Principles of Assessment, six key characteristics are described for effective report card comments: student-specific, strengthbased and growth-oriented, aligned with the Programs of Study or August 2014: Learning Services 6

8 appropriate program goals, clear and unambiguous, and working in tandem with Individual Program Plans. For details about each of these characteristics, please view the link to view the full document: principles_assessment.pdf Comments do not need to cover the full range of assessment evidence gathered over the course of the term, and duplication of information already addressed in the IPP should be avoided. In general, there are a few questions that may guide decision-making around what to report to parents: What was the most significant progress made in this area this term? What supports or strategies were effective? What obstacles or setbacks were encountered? How were they resolved? What next? For more information regarding adaptations, accommodations and modifications please visit: August 2014: Learning Services 7

9 The student is formally identified through an Alberta Education Special Education Code and is on an Individual Program Plan (IPP). Decision Marking Chart: Students with Alberta Education Special Education Coding K-9 The report card outcome is targeted on the IPP....and is an English Language Learner. Use an IPP indicator against the report card outcome achievement is communicated through the IPP. Adaptations, accommodations and/or modifications for this student are related to their Alberta Education special education code. Refer to this chart. The report card outcome is not targeted on the IPP. The student is accessing modified programming in relation to the report card outcome. Modified means programming in which the learning outcomes are significantly different from the gradelevel expectations of the provincial curriculum and specifically selected to meet students special education needs. (Standard for Special Education, pg. 3) The student is accessing grade-level provincial curriculum Use an asterisk with a numerical indicator (*1, *2, *3, *4) against the report card outcome. The level of achievement is based on modified learning outcomes. With adaptations adapted programming means programming that retains the grade level learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum and where adjustments to the instructions process are provided to address the special education needs of the student. (Standard for Special Education pg. 3) With accommodations an accommodation is a change or alteration in the regular way a student is expected to learn, complete assignments or participate in classroom activities (Individualized Program Planning Chapter 6 pg. 1) Use a numerical indicator (1-4) against the report card outcome. The level of achievement is based on gradelevel provincial curriculum Adaptations, accommodations and/or modifications for this student are related to their language learning needs. See Decision Making Chart: English Language Learners K-9. The student is accessing grade-level provincial curriculum