Voices From the Field on Decision Making for Alternate ACCESS

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Alternate Assessments: Research to Practice (Table 5)

Abstract

The study aimed to contribute to the field by engaging with educators to explore their decision making process for English learners’ participation in Alternate ACCESS for ELs summative assessment. Online interviews were conducted with district and school level personnel. Interview participants consisted of 29 individuals from 16 states. Initial coding of transcribed interviews could be described as a form of process coding used to understand educators’ approaches to routine actions and interactions within the decision making process (Saldaña, 2021). Preliminary analyses of interview data revealed five themes: family input, collaboration, challenges, professional development, and decision making factors. The study seeks to highlight educator voices to inform resources for assessment development, including the development of additional guidance, and training.

Authors

• Anna Rhoad-Drogalis, Wisconsin Center for Education Research

• Sharon L. Head, University of Wisconsin - Madison