Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 160 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Chapter 160-3 › Subject 160-3-1 - ASSESSMENT › Rule 160-3-1-.07 - Testing Programs - Student Assessment

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1)
DEFINITIONS.
(a)
Accommodation
- an allowable
				alteration in the administration of an assessment that assists students with
				access to participate in an assessment and is clearly documented within a
				student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), Section 504 Individual
				Accommodation Plan (IAP), or English Learner (EL) Testing Participation Plan.
				An accommodation is provided to a student during an assessment so that the
				assessment measures what the student knows and is able to do.
(b)
Conditional Accommodation
-
				a more expansive test administration accommodation that provides access to the
				assessment and alters the construct being measured by the assessment, available
				for students with more severe disabilities or limited English proficiency who
				would not be able to access the assessment to demonstrate their achievement
				without such assistance.
(c)
Conditional Administration
- a test administration in which a
				conditional accommodation is utilized to provide access to an
				assessment.
(d)
English
				Learner (EL) -
a student whose primary or home language is other than
				English and who is eligible for English language instruction based on the
				results of an English language proficiency assessment. (State Board of
				Education Rule
				160-4-5-.02 Language Instruction
				Program for English Learners (ELs)).
(e)
English Proficiency
				Assessment
- an assessment administered annually to all ELs in Georgia
				for the purposes of determining the English language proficiency level of
				students; providing local educational agencies (LEA) with information that will
				help them evaluate the effectiveness of their English to Speakers of Other
				Languages (ESOL) programs; providing information that enhances instruction and
				learning in programs for ELs assessing the annual English language proficiency
				gains of students; and providing data for meeting federal and state
				requirements.
(f)
EL Testing
				Participation Committee
- a committee charged with collecting required
				information documenting students' eligibility for EL status and making
				appropriate test participation decisions, including the use of test
				administration accommodations.
(g)
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- a language
				instruction educational program provided to help ELs overcome language barriers
				and participate meaningfully in schools' educational programs.
(h)
Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0
				(GAA 2.0)
- an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement
				standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who
				require substantial adaptations and supports to access the general curriculum
				and require additional instruction focused on relevant life skills. Instruction
				for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities is based on
				extended content standards, which are aligned to the state content standards at
				a reduced depth, breadth, and complexity. The purpose of the GAA 2.0 is to
				ensure all students, including students with the most significant cognitive
				disabilities, are provided access to the state content standards and given the
				opportunity to demonstrate progress toward achievement of the state
				standards.
(i)
Georgia
				Department of Education (GaDOE)
- the state agency charged with the
				fiscal and administrative management of certain aspects of K-12 public
				education, including the implementation of federal and state mandates. Such
				management is subject to supervision and oversight by the State Board of
				Education (SBOE).
(j)
Georgia
				Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS)
- a performance
				assessment designed to provide teachers with information about the level of
				instructional support needed by individual students enrolled in kindergarten
				and their readiness for first grade.
(k)
Georgia Milestones Assessment
				System (Georgia Milestones)
- a criterion-referenced test, administered
				in grades 3 through 8 at the end of each grade and high school at the end of
				each SBOE-identified course designed to measure student mastery of the state's
				content standards as an indicator of preparedness for the next grade, course,
				or educational endeavor, be that college or career. Georgia Milestones includes
				a norm-referenced component to provide national comparison data.
(l)
Grade-Level Student
- a
				student who is reported to the GaDOE at a grade level in accordance with SBOE
				Rule 160-5-1-.07
				Student Data Collection.
(m)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- a written statement of
				special education, related services, and, as appropriate, transition services,
				that meets the unique needs of the student with a disability. An IEP also
				includes any specific test administration accommodations, needed instructional
				modifications, and supports for the student with a disability. The IEP is
				developed, reviewed, and revised by an appropriately staffed IEP team,
				including the student's parent(s). (SBOE Rule
				160-4-7-.21 Definitions).
(n)
Individuals with Disabilities
				Education Act (IDEA)
- the federal law that was enacted to ensure that
				all students with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public
				education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to
				meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment and independent living;
				to ensure that the rights of students with disabilities and their parents are
				protected; to assist states, localities, educational service agencies, and
				federal agencies to provide for the education of students with disabilities;
				and to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate students with
				disabilities. (SBOE Rule
				160-4-7-.21 Definitions).
(o)
Local Educational Agency
				(LEA)
- the public authority legally constituted by the state as an
				administrative agency to provide control of and direction for kindergarten
				through Grade 12 public education institutions.
(p)
Modification -
an alteration
				in the administration of an assessment that results in a change in the content
				or construct being assessed, typically either through the addition or removal
				of content; modifications are strictly prohibited on state
				assessments.
(q)
National
				Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
- a federally mandated and
				funded assessment program that is designed to collect information about what
				fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students know and can do in a variety of key
				subject areas and is administered to a sample of students in all
				states.
(r)
Non-Standard
				Administration
- a test administration in which the procedures and
				directions provided in test administration guidance are not followed exactly as
				provided.
(s)
Section 504
				Student
- a student who currently has an impairment that substantially
				limits one or more major life activities, who has a record of such impairment
				or who is regarded as having such an impairment, and who may not be eligible
				for services under IDEA.
(t)
Special Education -
specially designed instruction provided at no
				cost to parents that meets the unique needs of a student with a disability.
				Special education includes instruction in the classroom, in the home, in
				hospitals, institutions and other settings, physical education, travel training
				and vocational education. (SBOE Rule
				160-4-7-.21 Definitions).
(u)
Standard Accommodation
- a
				test administration accommodation that provides access to the assessment
				without altering the construct measured by the assessment.
(v)
Standard Administration -
a
				test administration in which the procedures and directions provided in test
				administration guidance are followed exactly as provided and only standard
				accommodations are used, if applicable.
(w)
State Board of Education
				(SBOE)
- the constitutional authority which defines education policy for
				the public K-12 education agencies in Georgia.
(x)
Student with Disabilities -
a student who is classified as disabled according to SBOE Rule
				160-4-7-.21 Definitions (10) and/or
				according to Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. [34 C.F.R. §
											104.33(a)]
(y)
WIDA ACCESS
- an English
				language proficiency test administered annually to all ELs in Georgia for the
				purposes of determining the English language proficiency level of students;
				providing LEAs with information that will help them evaluate the effectiveness
				of their ESOL programs; providing information that enhances instruction and
				learning in programs for ELs; assessing the annual English language proficiency
				gains; and providing data for meeting federal and state requirements.
(z)
WIDA Alternate ACCESS
- an
				alternate English language proficiency test administered annually to all ELs
				with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Georgia. WIDA Alternate
				ACCESS is intended for ELs who participate, or who would be likely to
				participate, in the Georgia alternate content
				assessment(s).