Content Student
Resume:
Alabama Extended Standards &
Alabama Alternate Assessment
Alabama Department of Education
Marla Davis Holbrook & DaLee Chambers
Part 1 Outline
Overview
Putting Standards into Practice
Understanding the Standards
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
Recommendations for Practice
Important Reminders
Change
Change has considerable impact on the
human mind.
To the fearful change is threatening
because things may get worse
To the hopeful change is encouraging
because things may get better
To the confident change is inspiring
because they are challenged to make
things better!
(King Whitney Jr.)
Change and Challenge
The last decade has seen:
NCLB
Reauthorization of IDEA
State Accountability changed to align
curriculum and assessments
Courses of Study, Curriculum Guides,
Extended Standards, and Revised AAA
Standards
Standards clearly communicate what
students are expected to know and be
able to do at each grade level.
For students with significant cognitive
disabilities, standards also provide
opportunities to access the knowledge
and skills that Alabama has decided are
important.
What are Extended Standards?
They are extensions of the state
academic content standards for each
grade level.
They are designed to allow students
with significant cognitive disabilities
to access the general education
curriculum.
Extended Standards
for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
clear link to the content standards for
the grade in which the student is enrolled
grade-level content may be
reduced in complexity or modified to
reflect pre-requisite skills.
Extended Standards
NCLB requires reading and
mathematics and in 2007-2008 science
Substantially different but not wholly
independent of the state academic
content standards
Extended Standards &
General Education Curriculum
Academic Content Standards at each
grade level make up the Alabama
Courses of Study
Alabama Extended Standards are linked
to the general education standards but
are
Less complex
Less difficult
Divided into four levels
What is Access to the General
Curriculum?
General Curriculum
General Curriculum
specifically means
broadly means
Content of learning
Overall educational
Defined by state content
program and
standards for the grade
experiences students
level
have in school
For Students with
For students with
Disabilities this translates
disabilities this
into
translates into
Grade appropriate
Opportunities to
academic content
participate in the same
instruction
educational program
and activities as typical
(Diane Browder, 2006)
students
Why Access to General Curriculum?
Legal precedent
IDEA
No Child Left Behind
No research to support idea that functional
skills are prerequisite to academic learning
Increased educational opportunity
Potential unknown for students who have had
little instruction in this content
(Diane Browder, 2006)
Comparison Between Traditional and
Standards-Based Learning
Traditional Standards-Based
Learning Process Learning Process
Compares students to students and/or scores Compares student to standards (learning
on assessments (achievement tests). expectations).
Focuses only on academic skills. Academic and functional skills are often
blended.
Targets the average learner teaches to the Assumes that all kids can learn and focuses
middle. on high expectations for all students.
Relies on lecture and seat work. Focuses on interactive group work.
Quality of student work is judged by teachers Criteria for judging student work based on
according to their own expectations. established expectations.
Teacher directs classroom. Students have choices and opportunities for
self-direction.
No consensus regarding knowledge and skills Consensus is reached on what students should
that students need. know and be able to do at each grade level.
Putting Standards Into Practice
Read and study the extended standards.
1.
Prioritize the standards.
2.
Identify curricula that teach the
3.
standards.
Create and/or select classroom
4.
assessments that measure the
standards.
Focus on student work.
5.
Read and Study
the Standards
This page was
added to each
version of the
Alabama Extended
Standards (Posted
Summer 2007).
The page describes
the organization of
the document and
clarifies each
section.
Read and Study the Standards:
Organization
Course of Study Extended Complexity
Standard
General Education (4) Use strategies including summarizing
R. ES 5.2:
Standard 5.2: passages to draw conclusions
(3) Draw conclusions about characters based
Use a wide range Draw conclusions
on their actions
of strategies and skills including about characters
drawing conclusions such as based on their
(2) Identify the actions of characters in a story.
opinions about characters based actions.
on their actions and summarizing
passages, to comprehend fifth-
grade literary/recreational
(1) Respond to the actions of characters in a
materials in a variety of genres.
story
Read and Study the Standards:
Organization
COURSE OF STUDY EXTENDED Complexity
STANDARD
General Education R. ES 5.2: (4) Use strategies including summarizing
Standard 5.2: passages to draw conclusions
(3) Draw conclusions about characters based on
Use a wide range of strategies and Draw conclusions
their actions
skills including drawing about characters based
conclusions such as opinions on their actions.
Identify the actions of characters in a story.
(2)
about characters based on their
actions and summarizing
passages, to comprehend fifth-
grade literary/recreational
(1) Respond to the actions of characters in a story
materials in a variety of genres.
Read and Study the Standards
R. ES 7.1
Relate literary elements and devices to each
other including setting, characters, and
supporting details.
Literary elements and devices-things writers do
to make their writing more effective; common to
most literary works (other than poems)
Examples: conflict-man vs. machine; moral-
lesson of the story.
Read and Study the Standards
(Across the Subjects)
Look for opportunities to connect
standards across content areas.
SCI. ES 7.3
Identify inherited traits, (e.g. hair, eye
color, and height).
R. ES 7.3
Gain information from graphs
Read and Study the Standards
(Across the Subjects)
M. ES 6.4
Organize pictures into data displays
including tally charts and graphs.
SCI. ES 6.1
Identify weather conditions using an
instrument or technology (e.g., wind
direction and speed, temperature).
Read and Study the Standards
(Across the Grades)
R. ES 7.1 R. ES 10.1
Identify characters
Relate literary elements
and devices to each attitudes
other including setting, R. ES 11.1
characters, and
Identify setting, mood,
supporting details
and plot in short stories
R. ES 8.2 and drama
Identify mood of a story
based on story details
R. ES 9.1
Identify plot in short
stories and dramas
Read and Study the Standards
(Across the Complexities)
R. ES 8.2
Complexity
(4) Explain the mood of a story using story
details
(3) Identify mood of a story based on story
details
(2) Identify the mood of a character
(1) Express a range of emotions
appropriate for given situations
Prioritize the Standards
All standards must be taught and tested.
However, all standards are not equally
important for all students.
Standards that are prioritized are
referred to as power standards.
Prioritize the Standards
Questions to ask regarding priorities
Do these skills help students in more
than one area of study?
Are these skills necessary for the next
level of study?
Will the student use these skills in
years to come?
Identify Curricula
Identify Curricula that meet the
standards.
Focus on skills taught in the standards!
Standards are required, all else is optional.
Organize lessons using Big Ideas and/or
instructional topics
Examples:
Reading: 5 Big Ideas
Math: Counting, telling time, money
Identify Curricula
Best Practice includes collaborating to
share materials, ideas, lesson plans, and
classroom assessments.
Internet is a rich source for ideas.
Key words (literary elements and devices)
Content clarification (Newton s First Law)
Sample lessons
Science experiments
Identify Curricula
ALEX will have a special education web
page.
Major Initiatives
Extended Standards
Curriculum Guides
Curriculum Resources
Sample IEPs
Lesson Plans
Identify Curricula
Volunteer to serve on the Extended
Standards Instructional Strategies task
force
Link resources to standards
Share activities, ideas, and teaching
strategies
Create lesson plans and activities based on
standards
Create and Select Classroom
Assessments
How do we know if a standard has been
met?
Objective Evidence
Begin with the end in mind.
Decide on the criteria
Determine the student s present level of
performance on a standard
Pretest, teach, monitor progress, reteach,
and document achievement.
Focus on Student Work
Use student work to decide what needs
to be taught.
Look for errors. Is there a pattern? If so,
what skills does the student need? What
has he/she learned and practiced that is
incorrect?
Look for strengths. What skills/interests
does the student have that I can build
on?
Understanding the Standards
R. ES 5.1
Identify words with more than one meaning.
Multiple Meaning Words are words that have
several meanings depending upon how they
are used in a sentence.
Examples: pen, light, bat
Understanding the Standards
R. ES 5.1
Here are examples of how bat can be used in
a sentence:
1. I watched the bat flitting through the trees.
2. Raymond gripped the bat tightly as he
waited for the pitch.
Understanding the Standards
R. ES 12.1
Identify persuasive techniques in functional
and informational materials.
Functional Textual/Informational
Advertisements, flyers, Magazines, newspapers,
directions/how to manuals, online information
recipes
Understanding the Standards
M. ES 3.3
Continue an existing pattern of three
shapes using the terms first, next, last.
Which part of the standard hasn t been
addressed in this example?
Understanding the Standards
M. ES 3.3
Continue an existing pattern of three
shapes using the terms first, next, last.
Which shape is first?
Which shape is next?
Which shape is last?
Understanding the Standards
M. ES 9.2
Represent functional relationships by solving
number sentences (e.g., 8 + 4 = 5 +,
or 8 + = 12 and 5 + = 12).
In a number sentence, the student must fill in the
empty box with a number that will make the
sentence true.
Understanding the Standards
SCI. ES 4.2
Identify ways that a plant and an animal help each
other.
This standard is about the interdependence of plants and
animals. Students must identify ways plants help animals
and animals help plants.
Example:
Plants are a food source for animals.
Animals eat the young shoots, leaves, and twigs of
plants creating additional space for plants to grow.
This keeps the dominant plants from taking over which
would kill off the less dominant ones.
Understanding the Standards
SCI. ES 8.2
(4) Describe an object in motion staying in motion or
an object at rest staying at rest
(3) Identify Newton s first law of motion.
(2) Identify the effect of securing or not securing an
object in motion (e.g., identify what happens
when not wearing a seatbelt in a car that stops
suddenly)
(1) Participate in an activity demonstrating an effect
of Newton s first law of motion
Understanding the Standards
SCI. ES 8.2
Newton's first law of motion is often
stated as an object at rest tends
to stay at rest and an object in motion
tends to stay in motion with the same
speed and in the same direction
unless acted upon by an unbalanced
force.
Understanding the Standards
SCI. ES 8.2
Materials: hard-boiled egg and a raw egg
1. Spin the hard-boiled egg on its side.
2. When it's going fast, gently put your
fingers down on it to stop the spinning
and move your fingers immediately when
it stops.
3. Spin the raw egg. Stop it in the same way
you did with the hard-boiled egg. After
you let go, what happens?
Understanding the Standards
SCI. ES 8.2
Results: The egg should start to turn again. This
is because the motion of the liquid within the egg
is still going; the force you exerted was not enough
to stop both the inertia of the shell and the inertia
of the liquid inside of it. If you held the egg longer,
enough force would have been exerted to stop the
egg completely.
The results of the experiment fit in with the Law of
Inertia: an object will continue to remain in one
state until sufficient outside force acts upon it,
either to put it in motion or to bring it to rest.
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
Become familiar with the knowledge and
1.
skills students need to know and be able to
do at each grade level
Identify places in the standards that can be
2.
associated with functional skills
Plan blended lessons/activities that include
3.
both academic and functional skills
Provide opportunities for practice in multiple
4.
situations and settings
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
R. ES 7.2
Apply strategies to determine the
purpose of reading materials.
Daily living / Communication
Student will look up information in a
variety of materials (e.g., newspaper,
recipe book, phone book, dictionary).
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
R. ES 10.1
Identify characters attitudes.
Employment
Student will use video clips, stories, or role
play situations to identify the mood of boss
and/or co-workers in a work setting.
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
M.ES 5.4
Analyze data collected to determine the amount
of time required for familiar activities.
Daily Living/Classroom Routines
Student will collect data on the classroom schedule
or student s individual schedule and analyze
according to length of time spent in each activity.
Student will time other students participating in a PE
activity (e.g., sack races on field day) and compare
data.
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
M. ES 7.4
Compare weights of objects using customary
units.
Social Skills
Student will cooperate, take turns, and encourage.
Assign each student a partner to weigh a variety of
objects using scales. As partners weigh the objects,
one student records the weight and the other student
identifies which objects are the heaviest/lightest.
The two students complete one worksheet that is
signed by each student.
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
SCI. ES 1.3
(4) Identify reasons for recycling
(3) Identify items to be recycled
(2) Sort items that can be recycled
(example: paper & cans)
(1) Participate in recycling activities
Blending Academic and Functional Skills
SCI. ES 1.3
Daily Living / Teamwork Activities
Student will organize a school wide recycling
program.
Student will distribute recycling boxes to
various places in the school (e.g., lunchroom,
library, teacher work room).
Student will create poster showing items to be
recycled.
Student will collect boxes and sort recycled
items.
READING: Recommendations for Practice
Address all components of reading.
Use age/grade-appropriate literature and
social supports for story reading.
Associate images with words when
presenting new vocabulary.
Present new words in a variety of
contexts.
MATH: Recommendations for Practice
Demonstrate the concept and have the
student show you how to solve at least two
problems/equations successfully.
Vary the instructional methods.
Draw pictures of the problems.
Use manipulatives.
Use software resources.
SCIENCE: Recommendations for Practice
Involve students in active learning through
hands-on activities.
Assign a lab buddy to facilitate
participation in hands-on science activities.
Clearly label or color code equipment,
tools, and materials for enhanced visual
recognition.
SCIENCE: Recommendations for Practice
Make available cue cards, labels, or audio
tapes designating the steps of an
experiment.
Encourage students to ask questions,
make discoveries, and test those
discoveries.
Important Reminders
Ensure the current version of standards is
being used.
Know the standards! If you have a
question about the content or need
clarification, ask a content person and/or
find the answer in additional resources
such as the Internet.
Important Reminders
The Alabama Alternate Assessment
(AAA) is a measurement of student
performance on Extended Standards, not
a measurement of progress on the IEP.
Although the IEP is based on the
Extended Standards, the goals are not
verbatim copies of the standards.
Progress on benchmarks is not sufficient
evidence to demonstrate mastery of the
standard on the AAA.
Important Reminders
Read the standards carefully to ensure all
parts of the standard are taught and
evidence collected.
Note: Many standards are compound; be
sure to include all parts in standards with
the word and.
Teach the standard; reteach if necessary;
collect and submit three unique pieces of
evidence to demonstrate mastery.
How to Access the Extended Standards
www.alsde.edu
Click on Sections and scroll down to
select Special Education
Click on Standards
Scroll down and select:
Extended Standards MATH
Extended Standards READING
Extended Standards SCIENCE
For More Information
Marla Davis Holbrook (abqg0d@r.postjobfree.com)
DaLee Chambers (abqg0d@r.postjobfree.com)
Contact this candidate