Question

Describe the four categories of accountability systems for students with disabilities.

This is for my Introduction to People with Exceptionalities class.

Answer 1

Infrequently Administered—in many standards-based systems, the external assessments used for accountability are administered infrequently. For example, Maryland's School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) is administered in only three grades (third, fifth, and eighth). Kentucky's KIRIS was originally administered in three grades (fourth, eighth, and twelfth); in the last several years, the assessments have been broken into components that are administered in more grades, but a given component, such as writing portfolios, is still administered in only three grades.

Performance Assessment—the standards-based reform movement has been accompanied by changes in the character of assessments to reflect the changing goals of instruction. In an effort to better measure higher-order skills, writing skills, and the ability to perform complex tasks, large-scale assessments are increasingly including various forms of performance assessment, either in addition to or in lieu of traditional multiple-choice testing. The term performance assessmentencompasses a wide variety of formats that require students to construct answers rather than choose responses;

Dual Purposes—in standards-based reform, large-scale assessment programs usually have two primary, sometimes competing purposes. First, they are expected to provide a primary basis for measuring the success of schools, educators, and students in meeting performance expectations.

Use for Individual or Group Accountability—many large-scale external assessments are used for accountability, although the means of doing so vary greatly. Some assessments have high-stakes accountability for individuals, meaning that individual students' results are used to determine whether a student will graduate from high school, be promoted to the next grade, or be eligible for special programs or recognition. An example is the recently announced high school assessments in Maryland, which will be required for graduation.