BULLETIN NO. 061-15 ASI
Page 1
October 13, 2015
BULLETIN NO. 061-15 ASI
Page 1
October 13, 2015
October 13, 2015(X) Action Required
(X) Informational
BULLETIN NO.#061-15ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT INFORMATION
TO: Educational Service District Superintendents
Educational Service District Assistant Superintendents
School District Superintendents
School District Assistant Superintendents
School District Bilingual Directors
District Assessment Coordinators
School Principals
FROM: Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
RE:2015–16 Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM)
CONTACT:Toni Wheeler, Alternate Assessment Coordinator
, 360-725-4970
Agency TTY: 360-664-3631
In Spring 2015,the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction(OSPI) administered a new alternate assessment for students with the most significant cognitive challenges. The Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM) is designed as a performance-based assessment of student knowledge and skills linked to the current state’s learning standards in English language arts/literacy (ELA), math, and science.
As with the state’s other assessment transitions this past spring, results from WA-AIM look markedly different from previous administration years using the WAAS-Portfolio. OSPI has communicated on several occasions that comparison of results between different assessments is not productive, as each assessment is a measure of different standards and the tests are designed to measure knowledge in different ways.
The recent release of results from spring testing details the State Board of Education’s establishing of not only accountability cut scores for WA-AIM, but also the setting of a graduation cut score for the 11th grade administration. As with the general education assessment in ELA and math, the determination of a WA-AIM graduation cut score was set using an “equal impact” methodology looking at the previous three years of WAAS-Portfolio results.
For the coming school year, OSPI will not be conducting in-person trainings, but rather releasing to the website a series of online modules that teachers and administrators can access at times suited to their needs and schedule. The modules will cover elements pertinent to both the fall retake opportunity for 12th graders (to fulfill graduation requirements) and the annual spring administration for all assessed grades. There will also be a refresher module for returning educators.
Specific to the fall retake, the administration will be modified from previous yearsrather than a re-test using the same 11th grade standards from last spring, students will have the option of using either 3rd grade or 6th grade WA-AIM Access Points and Performance Tasks.And paralleling other administrations,if an IEP team believes the student is functioning at no greater than a level of awareness, WA-AIM allows for use of an Engagement Rubric, which results in an automatic waiving of the state testing high school graduation requirement.
Finally, with regard to communications for the WA-AIM program, the following changes will occur during the month of September: (1) Updates to the webpage, inclusive of fall retake guidance, fall and spring administration dates, and an updated Educators’ Guide (2) our email address has changed from to and (3) the Alternate Assessment newsletter is transitioning from the MailChimp delivery platform to the State’s GovDelivery platform. If already signed up for the Alternate Assessment newsletter, you should have received a notification that your registration for the newsletter will be automatically ported over to the new delivery platform.If you would like to sign up or manageyour notifications from the GovDelivery platform go to the Email Updates page, enter your email address, select the categories and topics of interest to you on the subscriber preferences page and follow the directions until you have completed the registration.
For questions regarding the content of this bulletin, please contact Toni Wheeler, Alternate AssessmentCoordinator at 360-725-4970. The agency TTY phone number is 360-664-3631.
K–12 EDUCATION
Gil Mendoza, Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent
BULLETIN NO. 061-15 ASI
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October 13, 2015
ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT INFORMATION
Robin Munson, Ph.D. Michael Middleton
BULLETIN NO. 061-15 ASI
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October 13, 2015
Assistant SuperintendentDirector of Select Assessments
OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-725-6162 or P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200.