What is eligible content in PA?

The Eligible Content is the most specific description of the content that is assessed on the Keystone Exams. This level is considered the assessment limit and helps educators identify the range of the content covered on the Keystone Exams.

What is alternate eligible content in PA?

The PASA Alternate Eligible Content, which represent a reduction in breadth, depth, and level of complexity of the Eligible Content such that it is appropriate for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, is available on the PDE SAS websiteOpens In A New Window.

What are assessment anchors PSSA?

The Assessment Anchors clarify the standards assessed on the PSSA and can be used by educators to help prepare their students for the PSSA. The metaphor is simple: the Assessment Anchors are designed to hold together or “anchor” both the state assessment system and the curriculum/instructional practices in schools.

What are assessment anchors?

Assessment Anchors in Pennsylvania include the content that is eligible for assessment on the State’s mandated assessments, PSSA and Keystone Exams. They are intended to ensure that the assessments remain “anchored” to the Standards.

What is alternate eligible content?

Alternate Eligible Content is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are eligible for and assessed by the PA Alternate System of Assessment (PASA).

Which process follows a pattern that lasts about one year?

Any predictable fluctuation or pattern that recurs or repeats over a one-year period is said to be seasonal.

What is PASA eligibility?

Students found eligible to take the PASA must have measurable annual goals and short-term objectives reflected in the IEP. Additional consideration: A significant cognitive disability is pervasive, affecting student functioning across all academic, social, and community settings.

What are alternative standards?

Alternate achievement standards means state academic content standards that are aligned to grade-level achievement standards with reduced levels of complexity, designed to provide students with a significant cognitive disability access to the general curriculum.

Do PSSA scores matter?

Another part of the false narrative against the PSSA tests is that they are “high stakes.” But the PSSA scores have no influence on promotion, placement, or grades for our students. For our students, they are actually low-stakes tests.

Does 4th grade take science PSSA?

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) includes assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics which are taken by students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Students in grades 4 and 8 are administered the Science PSSA.

What grades take the PASA?

Like the general assessment or PSSA, the PASA is administered in grades 3 through 8 and 11 for English, language arts, and math. The PASA science is taken in grades 4, 8, and 11.

Are PSSA tests mandatory in Pennsylvania?

Finally, federal legislation makes it mandatory for each school to have at least 95% of its population participate in the state assessment, or it will fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP). Q: Must special education students participate in the assessment? A: Yes, all students are required to participate.

What types of learners are eligible to take alternate assessments?

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) says alternate assessments are for students with “significant cognitive disabilities.” These students are often classified under special education law as having an intellectual disability.

What are alternative assessments for students with disabilities?

An alternate assessment is an assessment designed for students with disabilities for whom the general state assessment is inappropriate even when they are provided with appropriate accommodations. It is designed to be a more accurate measure of what students with disabilities know and can do.

What is a good PSSA score?

For example, a proficient score in math for a third grader is between 1180 and 1369, but a proficient score for a sixth grader is between 1298 and 1475.

Do parents see PSSA scores?

How are the results reported: Two copies of the individual student report for all assessments will be sent to all schools and districts that participate for distribution to parents, teachers, school counselors, and/or principals. The state will not receive any report with individual names included.

How do I opt out of PSSA testing in PA?

As a parent of a child in third through eighth grade in a Pennsylvania public or charter school, you should inform the school in writing of your intention to opt out of the April PSSAs. Two weeks before the test is due to be administered, the school testing coordinator should contact you to come in and review the test.

What are the 3 model of alternative assessment?

According to Simonson and others, there are three approaches in alternative assessment: Authentic assessment, performance-based assessment, and constructivist assessment.

What are examples of assessment accommodations?

Examples of the wide range of testing accommodations that may be required include:

  • Braille or large-print exam booklets;
  • Screen reading technology;
  • Scribes to transfer answers to Scantron bubble sheets or record dictated notes and essays;
  • Extended time;
  • Wheelchair-accessible testing stations;
  • Distraction-free rooms;

What types of accommodations are commonly used for students with disabilities?

Examples of accommodations include:

  • sign language interpreters for students who are deaf;
  • computer text-to-speech computer-based systems for students with visual impairments or Dyslexia;
  • extended time for students with fine motor limitations, visual impairments, or learning disabilities;

What is proficient on PSSA?

The Proficient Level reflects satisfactory academic performance. Proficient work indicates a solid understanding and adequate display of the skills included in the Pennsylvania Academic Content Standards. The Basic Level reflects marginal academic performance.

Can parents opt out of PSSA testing?

While there are federal laws requiring states to administer these tests to at least 95% of eligible students, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes a parent’s right to refuse testing in states that have opt-out laws. California Education Code section 60615 allows a parent or guardian to submit a written …

What are some examples of alternative assessments?

Alternative Assessment

  • Observation.
  • Essays.
  • Interviews.
  • Performance tasks.
  • Exhibitions and demonstrations.
  • Portfolios.
  • Journals.
  • Teacher-created tests.

What are the three learning target types?

Types of Learning Targets

Knowledge-level learning targets represent factual knowledge (knowing from memory), procedural knowledge (knowing how to execute a series of steps), and conceptual understanding (being able to explain a concept).

What are some accommodations for reading comprehension?

Provide on audio tape. Provide in large print. Reduce number of items per page or line. Provide a designated reader.

  • Provide preferential seating.
  • Provide special lighting or acoustics.
  • Provide a space with minimal distractions.
  • Administer a test in small group setting.
  • Administer a test in private room or alternative test site.