December 11, 2003, TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED Letter:
SUBJECT: 2003-2004 Locally Determined Alternate Assessment (LDAA) Data Collection
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires districts and charter schools to report the performance results for students exempt from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) or the State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA) for the 2003-2004 school year. These exempted students receiving special education services are assigned a locally determined alternate assessment (LDAA) by the student’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee. According to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §101.5(c), student performance results on the LDAA assessments must be reported to the TEA. TEA, however, will no longer collect LDAA performance results on the paper/electronic data collection forms SPE-112A/B. For the 2003-2004 school year, districts and charter schools will report the performance results for students who are exempt from the state tests on the appropriate spring 2004 TAKS or SDAA answer documents. It is necessary to collect the LDAA information on the answer documents to ensure that the LDAA data are available to TEA at the same time as the TAKS and SDAA results for possible use in the 2004 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations. Therefore, in order for the performance results to be reported, an LDAA for a given subject area must be administered and scored prior to the TAKS or SDAA administration date.
For grades 4 and 7 writing, grade 9 reading, and grades 10 and 11 English Language Arts, the LDAA assessments must be completed prior to February 24, 2004. For grades 3 – 11 mathematics, grades 3 – 8 reading, grades 8, 10, and 11 social studies, and grades 5, 10, and 11 science, the LDAA assessments must be completed by April 29, 2004. Note that the LDAA results for grades 3 – 8 reading and mathematics and grades 4 and 7 writing will be submitted on the SDAA answer document. The LDAA results for grade 5 science, grade 8 social studies and each of the TAKS tests given at grades 9 – 11 will be submitted on the TAKS answer document. Specific information about reporting LDAA data on the TAKS/SDAA answer documents can be found in the 2004 District and Campus Coordinator Manual which is available on-line at the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment.
Students with Disabilities and Statewide Assessments
For students with disabilities receiving special education services, policies and procedures related to assessment decision making are detailed in the TEA publication titled Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee Decision-making Process for the Texas Assessment Program.
This publication can also be accessed from the Student Assessment website. It is critically important that local school districts follow the state policies and procedures to ensure that appropriate assessments are selected and administered to students with disabilities. Local school districts are reminded that, if possible, students with disabilities are to be involved in and progress in the general education curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Additionally, students with disabilities must participate in one of the three available assessments, TAKS, SDAA, and LDAA.
Choosing LDAA
The ARD Committee should choose an assessment that most closely aligns to the instruction the student is receiving in the TEKS. LDAAs are administered to students receiving TEKS-based instruction (1) when their accommodations invalidate the SDAA or (2) when an SDAA does not exist for the area being assessed. LDAAs are also administered to those students who are not receiving any TEKS-based instruction and may take the form of portfolios, anecdotal records with work samples, off-the-shelf tests, etc. There is no state-mandated or state-approved list of appropriate LDAAs. LDAA results must be (1) filed in the student’s eligibility folder and (2) recorded on the appropriate TAKS or SDAA answer document in order to report the results to TEA. Districts are encouraged to develop local procedures or systems to ensure that LDAA results are reported in a timely manner to parents.
Reconvening ARD Committee Meetings
If an ARD committee established a specific timeline for the administration of the LDAA that is not aligned with the 2003-2004 testing calendar, districts will be required to reconvene an ARD committee meeting for the purpose of reestablishing the LDAA administration date and reviewing the performance expectations on the LDAA relative to the new date.
Technical Assistance
For questions concerning LDAAs, please contact the Office of Special Education at (512) 463-9414 or e-mail to sped@tea.state.tx.us or education service center LDAA contacts who can provide technical assistance to districts in their region. For questions regarding statewide assessment policies and procedures, please contact the Student Assessment Division at (512) 463-9536 or e-mail to studenta@tea.state.tx.us.
Texas Education Agency | Division of Special Education
1701 North Congress Avenue | Austin, Texas 78701-1494
Telephone: 512.463.9414 | Fax: 512.463.9560
Last Updated: December 12, 2003 | Created: June 3, 2003
Send questions about LDAA to the Division of Special Education.