MIDAS Teacher Module #3

Participants will be able to:

• Differentiate between school assessments and classroom assessments and analyze how the results inform instructional planning.
• Evaluate when teachers can confidently rely on school-wide and classroom assessment data to make instructional decisions for students with disabilities.
• Apply Universal Design strategies to make classroom assessments accessible to students with disabilities.
• Integrate school-wide and classroom assessment data to determine student progress and determine next steps.

Gathering data without using the findings to inform instruction does not lead to stronger outcomes for students. Useful data lets teachers, students, and families know where the student is in showing growth both in learning the curriculum and their IEP goals.

In Module 1, we introduced the Instruction and Assessment Cycle and its usefulness in ensuring progress learning to higher expectations for students who moved from the alternate to the general assessment and the importance of collaboration between general educators and special educators in using student data in providing access to the curriculum.

In Module 2, we focused on the first component of the Instruction and Assessment Cycle: Where am I going? Having clearly defined learning outcomes for each unit and lesson and sharing them with students and the team is always the starting place. As Lewis Carroll wrote, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Both teachers and students need clear, easily understood learning targets that they are working toward.

In Module 3, we will dive into the second component of the Instruction and Assessment Cycle: Where Am I Now?

This module:

• provides guidance on when you can rely on school and classroom data for determining student progress in learning the curriculum content and skills,
• considers how to make assessments accessible to all learners, and
• shares a process for integrating data to inform how instruction supports student learning and builds students’ ownership of their learning.

Teachers are responsible for the learning of all students. The focus of the modules is on using school and classroom assessments to adapt instruction and show progress in learning to state standards. While these modules are designed to support instruction for students who moved from the alternate assessment to the general assessment, the same concepts can be applied to improve assessment and instruction for all students. The more teams can use a common instructional framework across all of the students in a class, even if some students require adaptations and modifications, the more practical it is to implement in the general education class.

All students can achieve based on grade level standards when teams have high expectations for their learning. It is important to challenge biases that place low expectations on student learning, including for students who moved from taking the alternate to general assessment. For example, low academic expectations are seen when a student with more complex disabilities is believed only to be able to learn isolated skills (e.g., rote counting) and not benefit from learning grade-level concepts (e.g., solving multi-step equations). Low expectations can also be built into how schools are organized. For example, the belief that students with complex learning needs cannot be enrolled in general education classes may be based on the belief that they cannot fully learn to grade-level expectations, so it is not a valuable use of their time to be in general education. The key is to use data to determine how students learn best, provide access to the grade-level content in meaningful ways, and adapt instruction to provide meaningful engagement and meet their needs.

Using Assessment Data to Inform Instruction

Data from school-wide assessments (often referred to as benchmark or interim assessments) and classroom assessments (formative and summative assessments) provide insights so teachers can adjust their instruction to improve access and learning of the general education standards for all students. Research supports that high-quality school-wide assessments and formative assessment practices have positive effects on student learning, including for students with disabilities, when used in conjunction with goal setting and tracking progress, adjusting instruction to support student learning, and enhancing student ownership of their learning (Ghere et al., 2024).

Begin by watching this short video on school and classroom data and how these data inform instruction for all students, including those who moved from the alternate to the general assessment.

Importance of Making Assessments Accessible

One goal for instructional teams is to ensure that assessments are accessible for every student. This is key because students need to be able to access the assessment to express what they learned. Or, to say this another way, “to show what they know.” Every teacher needs to have a way to understand what each student has learned and which content and skills would benefit from additional instruction.

The question is, how can we adapt classroom assessments to achieve this?

Implementing a Universal Design for Assessment framework for all students in a class reduces the need for individual adaptations and accommodations (NCEO, 2021). Teachers start by asking what is getting in the way of students accessing classroom assessments. Based on the assumption that there is a wide variability of learners in every classroom, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines (CAST, 2024) is used when planning instruction to increase access and progress in learning the grade-level curriculum. The UDL Guidelines are equally important for providing access and engagement for assessments.

Built on three principles of

• providing multiple means for student engagement,
• multiple means for representation, and
• multiple means for action and expression for students,

these same principles can be applied to assessments so students access and engage in the assessment to share what they know.

CAST (2020) identifies seven considerations for making assessments more accessible to all learners. As you read through these, notice how well they connect with the Instructional and Assessment Framework.

1. Align assessments to learning goals
2. Offer authentic opportunities for assessment
3. Access engagement as well as content knowledge
4. Include frequent formative assessments
5. Reduce unnecessary barriers to access
6. Support learner variability through flexible assessments
7. Use and share rubrics to clarify expectations
8. Involve learners in assessing their learning progress

Instructional teams, including general education and special education teachers, collaborate based on these considerations to determine if assessment adaptations would be beneficial for students. For example,

Where would visuals in the assessment be useful?

Could the graphic organizer used during instruction be included in the summative assessment?

Could an electronic version of the assessment with a “drag and drop” option be available for a student to show his knowledge of key vocabulary rather than having to type?

The same content is being assessed but in multiple formats.

Now, take the time to explore on your own to build additional background knowledge about adapting assessments. Choose 2-3 options from the list below to expand your knowledge about applying UDL principles to assessments.

• UDL Tips for Assessment (CAST) (5 min)
• Evaluating Assessments (CAST) (video; 13 min)
• Grade Level Specific Assessments: (Videos)
  • Grades K-2 (12 min)
  • Grades 3-5 (13 min)
  • Grades 6-8 (12 min)
  • Grades 9-12 (14 min)
• UDL and Assessment (UDL in Higher Education) (Website has short embedded videos)
• TIP #4: Successfully Using Communication Practices in Inclusive Classrooms (Short article on complex communicators. Apply the content through the lens of assessment)

Integrating School and Classroom Assessment Data to Make Decisions

With meaningful data in hand, the next step is considering how to integrate multiple pieces of assessment data to answer the question Where am I now? This sets the stage for the next component of the Instruction and Assessment Cycle… What is next?

Typically, if a school utilizes a benchmark assessment, these data are available at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Classroom summative and formative data arrive in a steady stream. There is a continual need for the instructional team to analyze reliable, current data and consider how it fits with what a team knows about a student’s learning and the services that are being provided.

To integrate the data from the Schoolwide (Benchmark) and Classroom Assessments, begin by identifying key takeaways from each type of assessment and the degree to which you feel that data is reliable for an individual student. This often means looking beyond the assessment scores. Identify evidence that gives you insights into the student’s:

• level of engagement in learning
• applying new knowledge and skills in practice
• achieving, at a minimum, the essential learnings of a curricular unit
• where learning is happening beyond the essential learnings of a curricular unit
• overall growth in the content versus stagnation or regression?

These key takeaways or “ahha’s” are used to determine which instructional strategies are working for the student, which are not working, and what other options could be tried. Consider, how does the data inform instruction about:

• ways to build on the student’s strengths?
• ways to minimize knowledge and skill gaps?
• which instructional strategies are most effective in supporting student learning?
• where could instructional supports be modified?

Let’s consider an example. Figure 1, Integrating School and Classroom Assessment Data, provides a useful framework for integrating school and classroom data to enhance all students’ learning. This is particularly useful for students who moved from the alternate assessment to the general assessment to identify ways to support them in learning to grade-level achievement expectations. This teacher wants to determine the level of understanding of his class about figurative language. He uses both schoolwide assessment and classroom assessment data to clarify the whole class’s and individual student's level of understanding. Based on these data, the instructional team can move forward with determining how to support student learning for this unit.

Figure 1. Integrating School and Classroom Assessment Data

A flowchart diagram showing the cycle from Instructional Planning to Assessment Analysis and back to Instructional Planning. The diagram contains three main sections:

Left section titled 'What can be learned from school and classroom data?' explains that the teacher wants to determine student gaps in understanding figurative language before starting a new unit.

Center section shows two overlapping ovals: 'Schoolwide Assessments' describing a benchmark assessment with figurative language test items, where the teacher found some students have mastered content while others are missing prerequisite skills; and 'Classroom Assessments' describing pre-tests and assessment data on reading levels and vocabulary.

Right section titled 'How does this inform instruction?' explains that the teacher knows they need to review previous grade level content and embed tiered instruction, including additional pre-teaching for some students and enrichment for those who have already mastered the content.

Arrows connect these sections in a continuous cycle, illustrating how assessment data informs instructional planning.

Consider a current unit that is being taught in a general education classroom that includes students with IEPs. Brainstorm 10 different ways to gather meaningful classroom assessment data that would provide information on the extent to which these students are accessing and learning the general education curriculum.

• Do these measures align with the expectations for this student(s) to learn to grade-level achievement standards?
• Where can these formative (formal and informal) and summative measures be used “as is”? Where do they need to be adapted for some student(s)? Where might they need to be modified for a student?
• How could UDL framework be applied to the assessments so the data informs:
  • Multiple ways for students to show what they know?
  • Where to adapt/modify instruction to support grade-level standards?
  • Where building background knowledge is needed?
  • Ways to further engage the students in learning?

Consider what the barriers in instruction and assessment are present in your context. How might being more planful about ways to use data to remove these barriers create new learning opportunities that could benefit all students?

Document what you brainstormed using an option that is best for you (create a short video or audio, write in a journal).

Share with a collaborative partner: What did you learn, and how did your Try It! impact student learning, especially for the student who moved to the state general assessment?

• UDL Assessment Video Modules: Intro into Assessments (20 min)
• The 3 Different Types of Assessment in Education (11 min read)
• 7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment (5 min read)
• How to Use Universal Screening Data to Guide Instruction (5 min read)
• 56 Different Examples of Formative Assessment
• 10 Ideas for Building a Formative Assessment Toolkit