Student+Assessment

**A.** Describe your plan to assess student performance in the core academic areas. Please include the current baseline standard of achievement, the outcomes to be achieved and the method(s) of measurement to be used.

Since students are placed into their core curriculum classes based off of their current levels, one classroom will share a single test date but it is likely that there will be multiple forms of assessment happening at once. Our standards of achievement will be based off of the Florida Sunshine State Standards, particularly the Access points for each grade level.

For example:

6th grade math students will strive to meet this standard: __MA.6.S.6.1: Determine the measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and variability (range) for a given set of data.__

7th grade Language Arts students will work on meeting this standard: __LA.7.1.7.4: The student will identify cause-and-effect relationships in text.__

__Grading__
 * For each subject we will come up with appropriate standards for each student to meet. It will not be mandatory for each student to meet each standard, but we will push our students to excel at their highest potential in order to make as much progress as possible.

As far as grading our students we will use the traditional letter grading system. A chart of our grading system is listed below. Please note that there we don't use "F" as a letter grade in our school because we believe that none of our students are failing; they may just need extra assistance. We also do not use plus (+) or minus (-) signs.

In order to assess our students, we will provide multiple forms of performance-based assessment. Examples of tasks for performance-based assessment include oral reports, journals, story boards, illustrations, experiments, musical compositions, art works, letters, and many more. We will also include alternative assessments such as short-answer questions, demonstrations, and portfolios.


 * B.** Describe the methods used to identify the educational strengths and needs of students and the extent to which educational goals and performance standards are being met.

Assessing and identifying student strengths and needs is a very crucial part of the goals of CIA. We will use a multitude of both formal and informal assessment tools to achieve this goal. Formal assessments would include, but are not limited to: DAR (Diagnostic Assessment of Reading), ADI-R (Autism Diagnotic Interview- Revised, Communication Assessments, Key Math and ACBC (Achenbac Child Behavior Checklist). At CIA we will also use various informal assessments including: teacher made tests, academic and behavior checklists, observations, interviews, demonstrates and performances. All of these assessments are reliable and valid. With these assessments we can assess and specifically identify the strenghts and weaknesses of our students in all areas: Reading, Communication, Math, Behavior and Other Academic Skills. Students will have a quarterly meeting which will include their IEP team and any others who offer significant and relevant ideas and suggestions about the student's academic and behavioral progress. In this meeting the students progress on individual goals will be assessed, evaluated and if necessary modified. Along with the assessment of IEP goals, the meeting will also address specific performance standards for that students grade level and how those standards are being addressed for the student. At CIA all of our students will be held to high performance standards and grade level expectations, so these aspects will be addressed on both a individual level as well as a school wide initiative to ensure student success.


 * C.** Describe how students will, at a minimum, participate in the statewide assessment program.

Students will participate in a variety of statewide assessments based on their academic needs. Some of the assessments may include the DAR, Key Math 3, DIBELS, and FCAT.

**The Key Math 3 Diagnostic Assessment** is a comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skills. Its content covers the full spectrum of math concepts and skills.
 * DAR** (Diagnostic Assessments of Reading) is a criterion referenced reading test administered individually to students who are not making progress in their reading intervention. It assesses students’ relative strengths and weaknesses in key areas of reading. The DAR can be used with students of all ages and abilities in diverse educational settings. 


 * DIBELS** (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. The measures include 3 of the 5 Big Ideas of early literacy which are Phonological Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, and Fluency with Connected Text.


 * FCAT** stands for Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test and is a standarized test that is used for grades 3-11. FCAT includes Math, Reading, Science, and Writing, specifically called Florida Writes.

To determine whether a student should not participate in the FCAT but participate in an alternate assessment, the IEP team should address the following questions: 1. Is the student unable to master the Sunshine State Standards, even with appropriate and allowable course accommodations? 2. Is the student’s demonstrated cognitive ability the primary reason for the inability to master these standards? 3. Is the student participating in a modified or functional curriculum based upon competencies in the Sunshine State Standards for Special Diploma for all academic areas? 4. Does the student require extensive direct instruction in functional academics and vocational competencies as well as domestic, community living, and leisure activities? 5. Does the student have deficits in adaptive behavior, as demonstrated by the inability to function effectively and independently in everyday living skills (interpersonal and social interactions) across a variety of settings?

Lastly, for these assessments we will use accommodations for students as needed. For example, for a student who cannot write we will record his or her responses orally.