Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations? [html][img=/assets/blog/200711/2007_11_08_meat.jpg F:R]There's a great followup on Elizabeth Green's New York Sun story on the urban NAEP from a relatively new blogger who calls herself Eduwonkette. It shows among other things that the CPS exemption rate for 4th grade reading was 7 percent of all students for 2007, about average for big cities across the nation. The range was 3-20 percent. But when it comes to LD and ELL kids, the exemption and accommodation rates are much higher, and every city does it differently. Too high? You be the judge.[#jump#] According to Eduwonkette's analysis, CPS's exemption rates were 23 percent for LD/ELL kids on 4th reading, a substantial number though not necessarily as high as other cities or as high as they had been in previous years. Exemptions for 4th grade reading for this population ranged from 3 percent to 20 percent among the 11 big cities. Exemptions for math in CPS were 16 percent. As far as accommodations go, the CPS rates for LD/ELL kids were 31 percent for 4th grade math (an increase from previous years) and 23 percent for 4th grade reading. The range for all cities was 13 percent (LA) to 76 percent NYC). What does this mean? First off, that urban NAEP exemption and accommodation rates and practices aren't uniform. So much for comparability among cities. Comparability between years in
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Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 8:43 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I honestly do not understand how the blogger got data on the disabling condition of students who were supposedly exempted. When I looked at the NAEP data it only indicated that the student had a disability, not what that disabilty was.
Secondly, it is unclear to me what exemption means in relation to the NAEP. For the ISAT if a student with a disability is determined by an IEP team to be not able to take the standardized test then they must take the Illinois Alternative Assessment, which does not count towards AYP. The total numbers are balanced and audited by the ISBE and if there is a difference then the total difference is listed as "not tested." There are specific NCLB requirements for the percantage that are not tested.
In three other states I personally conducted such audits as a contractor in relation to the state approved tests and specific populations of students with disabilities. What the blogger appears to be saying is that NCLB rules do not apply to NAEP, I assumed that they did. I also assumed that the DOE would at least spot audit this issue. Is the blogger claiming that there is no auditing on the part of the DOE of the IEP exemption process in relation to the NAEP? Do these school district not have written rules that they follow for the exemption process that we all can examine? The rules for Illinois are on the ISBE website.
In relation to Chicago, I have great difficulty getting IEP teams to allow any child identified with only a learning disability to take the IAA instead of the state test. CPS is allowed to remove from AYP consideration 2% of the total population of the school district, under the presumption that about 2% of the population of our country has cognitive processing issues. I have worked with families that have children with composite IQ scores of 60 that the district has refused to provide with the IAA. The practices for the NAEP must be very different indeed.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Secondly, it is unclear to me what exemption means in relation to the NAEP. For the ISAT if a student with a disability is determined by an IEP team to be not able to take the standardized test then they must take the Illinois Alternative Assessment, which does not count towards AYP. The total numbers are balanced and audited by the ISBE and if there is a difference then the total difference is listed as "not tested." There are specific NCLB requirements for the percantage that are not tested.
In three other states I personally conducted such audits as a contractor in relation to the state approved tests and specific populations of students with disabilities. What the blogger appears to be saying is that NCLB rules do not apply to NAEP, I assumed that they did. I also assumed that the DOE would at least spot audit this issue. Is the blogger claiming that there is no auditing on the part of the DOE of the IEP exemption process in relation to the NAEP? Do these school district not have written rules that they follow for the exemption process that we all can examine? The rules for Illinois are on the ISBE website.
In relation to Chicago, I have great difficulty getting IEP teams to allow any child identified with only a learning disability to take the IAA instead of the state test. CPS is allowed to remove from AYP consideration 2% of the total population of the school district, under the presumption that about 2% of the population of our country has cognitive processing issues. I have worked with families that have children with composite IQ scores of 60 that the district has refused to provide with the IAA. The practices for the NAEP must be very different indeed.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 8:57 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
i don't think the blogger tried to get details on disabilities, just information on what proportion of kids in that category were exempted (i assume the more serious situations) or accommodated (less so). i don't think that undercuts the issue at all that these two strategies can be misused to leave disabled kids out of the picture in the minds of teachers, administrators, and others.
Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I was under the impression that the NAEP is built into the ISAT and all other state assessments. Then wouldn't the exemptions and rules for the ISAT be the same as the NAEP (further explaining why there is such variation from state to state).
I could be totally wrong on this one...can someone with more knowledge clarify?
I could be totally wrong on this one...can someone with more knowledge clarify?
Sat Dec 1, 2007 at 4:26 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I tried to get an exemption from the ISAT last year for two students with cognitive disabilities. Both had IQs in the low, low 60s. The case manager denied the exemption. Yes, I should have dissented but I have been told that CPS does not even monitor dissentions and I have learned to pick my battles.
Some case managers are so afraid to advocate for children-they do not want to lose their $2,000.00 case manager stipend, exta monies from discretionary funds or God forbid return to the class room. Case managers need to be ethical and follow the laws not OSS' unwritten manadates which are always detrimental to the child. Remember it was the school psychologists not the case managers who reported CPS for locking the computers so no child could be referred. ISBE finally intervened and removed the lock. No one lost their position down at OSS-interesting.
Some case managers are so afraid to advocate for children-they do not want to lose their $2,000.00 case manager stipend, exta monies from discretionary funds or God forbid return to the class room. Case managers need to be ethical and follow the laws not OSS' unwritten manadates which are always detrimental to the child. Remember it was the school psychologists not the case managers who reported CPS for locking the computers so no child could be referred. ISBE finally intervened and removed the lock. No one lost their position down at OSS-interesting.
Sat Dec 1, 2007 at 4:36 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
when did OSS lock the computers against referrals, and when and how did that end?
Sat Dec 1, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
Charlie, I've been out of schools since the NAEP was only reported nationally and administered in only a sample of schools. I just looked on the NAEP web site and apparently they now conduct "state NAEP" assessments with representative populations of students from each state. This leads me to believe it remains completely separate from ISAT. For more, check out this link:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/
Sun Dec 2, 2007 at 6:48 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
Charlie,
NAEP is not part of ISAT. As the last poster noted, some Chicago public school students take the exam. The seventh-grade ISAT has been imbeded with questions (heavily or not, I'm not sure) from one of the Standford exams. That way, schools, students, CPS can receive nationally normed test data on the seventh graders. This prevents students from taking both the ISAT and IOWA exams. Seventh graders also use these scores to apply for high schools.
NAEP is not part of ISAT. As the last poster noted, some Chicago public school students take the exam. The seventh-grade ISAT has been imbeded with questions (heavily or not, I'm not sure) from one of the Standford exams. That way, schools, students, CPS can receive nationally normed test data on the seventh graders. This prevents students from taking both the ISAT and IOWA exams. Seventh graders also use these scores to apply for high schools.
Sun Dec 2, 2007 at 4:36 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
OSS locked the computers used by the case managers to refer children for special education services in the 2004-5 or 6 school year. ISBE stepped in and I believe the Corey H. monitor was involved. OSS denied it but the evidence was irrefutable.
Mon Dec 3, 2007 at 7:08 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
When will the special education teachers receive training on new ISBE (IAA)alternate test? How can we recommend an exemption to the ISAT when we do not know the specifics of the replacement test?
Mon Dec 3, 2007 at 8:57 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I was still at the Corey H. monitor's office when this took place. The ISBE specifically cited CPS for freezing the data entry system for case managers at schools that OSS believed were significantly above the average rate of referrals for special education identification. Dr. Mitchell, ISBE, the Corey H. Monitor, myself and others were all at a meeting together when this issue was raised.
Dr. Mitchell stated that the case managers were not locked out, but rather had a warning notice posted on their PCs through the information system that the could override. As I recall the meeting because very heated, because someone argued, maybe me, maybe the monitor, that Dr. Mitchell's defense was really no defense at all since the case managers were never notified of the override process. The CPS agreed to remove what they called the "notice" from case managers information system if they referred more students for case study evaluations than the percentage the school district believed was reasonable.
No action was take against the CPS for this. However, according to Corey H. Documents filed in the case. in the Feburary of 2007 the Monitor filed a motion with the court called a "notice of a lack of cooperation," in relation to the CPS's failure to file required reports with the monitor that inculded extensive data on the numbers of students with disabilities in schools and the services they recieved while they were in what is called the "education connection process." This is a funded (with IDEA dollars) process to improve special eduation services in the least restrictive manner and these funds are overseen by the Corey H. Monitor for the Court. The CPS opposed this motion and filed a reponse in October of 2007. The presiding Judge in the case, issued a decision on Nov 29, supporting the Monitor's notice of a lack of cooperation.
So the long and short of it is the Corey H Monitor files a notice of lack of cooperation in Feburary and because the wheels of justice turn so slowly it is not decided until the end of November. Because of the way the Corey H. Settlement Agreement is written such a notice must be done before there can be any move to contempt against the CPS. The CPS can appeal even the notice of lack of cooperation and the Judge's decision supporting it to the Court of Appeal if they choose to do so. The CPS can also file the required reports with the Monitor to come into compliance.
So if special education teachers are wondering why ISBE or the Corey H. Montior just does not force CPS to fix various things that OSS does that appear to be violations of IDEA or State law it needs to be understood that the wheels of justice turn very slowly. I know that this is all very frustrating to teachers, it was to me too when I worked at the Monitor's Office and that is one of the reasons I am no longer in that job.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Dr. Mitchell stated that the case managers were not locked out, but rather had a warning notice posted on their PCs through the information system that the could override. As I recall the meeting because very heated, because someone argued, maybe me, maybe the monitor, that Dr. Mitchell's defense was really no defense at all since the case managers were never notified of the override process. The CPS agreed to remove what they called the "notice" from case managers information system if they referred more students for case study evaluations than the percentage the school district believed was reasonable.
No action was take against the CPS for this. However, according to Corey H. Documents filed in the case. in the Feburary of 2007 the Monitor filed a motion with the court called a "notice of a lack of cooperation," in relation to the CPS's failure to file required reports with the monitor that inculded extensive data on the numbers of students with disabilities in schools and the services they recieved while they were in what is called the "education connection process." This is a funded (with IDEA dollars) process to improve special eduation services in the least restrictive manner and these funds are overseen by the Corey H. Monitor for the Court. The CPS opposed this motion and filed a reponse in October of 2007. The presiding Judge in the case, issued a decision on Nov 29, supporting the Monitor's notice of a lack of cooperation.
So the long and short of it is the Corey H Monitor files a notice of lack of cooperation in Feburary and because the wheels of justice turn so slowly it is not decided until the end of November. Because of the way the Corey H. Settlement Agreement is written such a notice must be done before there can be any move to contempt against the CPS. The CPS can appeal even the notice of lack of cooperation and the Judge's decision supporting it to the Court of Appeal if they choose to do so. The CPS can also file the required reports with the Monitor to come into compliance.
So if special education teachers are wondering why ISBE or the Corey H. Montior just does not force CPS to fix various things that OSS does that appear to be violations of IDEA or State law it needs to be understood that the wheels of justice turn very slowly. I know that this is all very frustrating to teachers, it was to me too when I worked at the Monitor's Office and that is one of the reasons I am no longer in that job.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Mon Dec 3, 2007 at 5:34 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I met Mr. Estvan years ago at a Corey H. seminar and he was a breath of fresh air. Mr. Estvan is so knowledgeable and really cares about special education in CPS. It is too bad he left CPS but maybe he can do more good from afar. Special education in CPS is in shambles and the children suffer and the young good special education teachers leave. Many special education personnel are leaving as soon as they reach their 34th year. The suburbs are snapping them up. CPS should be begging these employees to stay but CPS saves monies by putting subs into special education rooms.
Keep on fighting!
Keep on fighting!
Tue Dec 4, 2007 at 6:41 AM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
I want to know what the limit of class size is for a self contained ld without an aide. I have 13 and the principal tells me that I can have 14. On ISBe it states that 10 is the limit and you can go to 12 in extreme cases after the schoolyear has begun.
mquinn
mquinn
Tue Dec 4, 2007 at 5:58 PM
Too Many Testing Exemptions & Accommodations?
You need to report this abuse AND you need to call your field rep to see if you can file a gievance under the contractual guidelines in your contract.
