On March 21^st NCEO and its partners are sponsoring a teleconference to look at traditional methods of standard-setting for general assessments, and to discuss how these methods can be applied to alternate achievement standard-setting. We will facilitate an interactive exchange of state leadership and test company partners to clarify what can work for each state’s context. NCEO encourages states to invite their test company partners to join them in their regular call locations to participate in the call and the discussion of these issues.

Sue Rigney, OESE, will discuss what a documented and validated standard-setting process must include for setting alternate achievement standards in the context of Title I peer review and the 1% Rule. Gayle Potter (Arkansas Department of Education Assessment Office), along with Rachel Quenemoen and Martha Thurlow (NCEO), will share their experience working together with a test company partner to initially explore how general assessment standard-setting processes could be applied to the Arkansas alternate assessment. Documentation of that initial process, lessons learned, and subsequent refinements will be shared.

If you are interested in participating in the teleconference, a single representative from each state should e-mail Rachel Quenemoen to provide a list of who will participate on your state’s phone line: quene003@umn.edu. Please register no later than Monday, March 14. Late registrations will be accepted ONLY if additional lines are still available. Do not call in for the teleconference without pre-registering – doing so could prevent people who have pre-registered from reaching the call.

This teleconference is sponsored by NCEO, in collaboration with the network of Federal and Regional Resource Centers, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), the National Association of Title I Directors (NASTID), the Access Center, and the National Collaborative Center on Standards and Assessment Development (NCCSAD).

The National Conference on Large-Scale Assessment sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) will be held June 19-22, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. In conjunction with this year’s conference, there are two related opportunities:

Prior to the CCSSO Conference, research and technical assistance presenters will introduce and provide materials for a training module for large-scale use on Access and Alignment to the GRADE-LEVEL Content for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. This is a model for using grade level content standards for developing instruction and assessments aligned with the requirements of NCLB for students who will be assessed in alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards.

This day-and-a-half session will include multi-media presentation materials, a facilitator guide, presentation notes, and handouts for states to use for in-state training, as well as information on practices ranging from an individual student perspective to large-scale use. Participants will discuss challenges and concerns that arise as a shift to grade-level access and alignment to content standards takes place. Participants also will receive suggestions on how to anticipate and address these challenges and concerns.

This pre-conference session is co-sponsored by the National Collaborative Center on Standards and Assessment Development (NCCSAD), NCEO, the Regional Resource and Federal Centers (RRFC), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the Access Center, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), and the National Association of State Directors of Title I (NASTID).

The Training Module Pre-Session will be held June 17-18, 2005 from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Friday; and 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. The early bird registration fee is $125.00, and the fee for late registration after May 13, is $145.00. Payment must be made by check or approved purchase orders only. Online registration will be available after March 1, 2005 at http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/MSRRC/Default.htm. Minimum Registration: 50 people by May 31, 2005. Pre-registration is required. Onsite registration will not be available.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Accessible Reading Assessments is the theme of NCEO’s pre-conference clinic. It will address the importance of ensuring that state reading assessments accurately reflect what ALL students know and are able to do, even those students with disabilities that affect reading. Accessible reading assessments that produce reading scores for all students are an essential part of inclusive accountability systems. Participants will engage in "detective" work to build understanding of how to best assess students with disabilities that affect reading. The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects’ (NARAP) definition of reading proficiency will serve as a set of clues for participants. NCEO will draw on the work of NARAP (www.narap.info) and its project, the Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessment (PARA) (www.readingassessment
.info) for the clinic. Check out the new Web sites for these projects and the ETS project, Designing Accessible Reading Assessments (DARA) (www.ets.org/dara).

This clinic, which will run from
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm on Saturday, June 18^th will be part focus group, part strategy session. NCEO will share current research-based understanding of the challenging work on accessible reading assessments, but participants will also be asked to contribute to the group’s understanding. As such, it is both a topical presentation, and an exploratory/research session.

There is no fee for the clinic, but pre-registration is required for planning purposes. To register contact Dorene Scott at NCEO at 612-624-4073, or e-mail scott027@umn.edu.

The China-U.S. conference on Aligning Assessment with Instruction will convene in Beijing, China July 11-15, with strands focusing on Alignment Framework, Developing Aligned Assessments, Technical Adequacy and Fairness, Using Results, and Professional Development to Support Alignment.

China is involved in an unpreceden-ted rate of development. Social, economic, and educational reform are undergoing enormous changes. The conference is designed to both foster communication about the conference topic, and to promote knowledge about China, which is important as we prepare students to compete in the international marketplace.

The Conference provides opportunities to meet and work with Chinese educators, and to build international ties and a positive international presence. Educators and students can connect and learn from one another.

For conference information, go to http://www.globalinteractions.org. Additional papers are being sought for the area of Professional Development to Support Alignment.