MSDE Complaint Process:  Lack of PSAT Accomodations

MCPS has taken the practice SAT - the PSAT - and now uses it as a "District Wide Assessment", but was not providing accomodations.  This created an impossible scenario whereby parents had to know about the College Board accomodations request procedure, which required a long lead time prior to the assessments administration.

1. Refer to Gwen Mason's letter to parent regarding 3 ways MCPS takes responsibility to inform parents of timeline and procedures to request test accomodations.
2. Fill out the MSDE complaint form 
3. The complaint must be in writing and signed by the individual making the complaint.
4. Mail complaint to: 
   
   Carol Ann Baglin, Assistant State Superintendent
   Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services
   Maryland State Department of Education 
   200 West Baltimore Street
   Baltimore, MD 21201
5. At the same time that the complaint is filed with MSDE a copy must be forwarded to the public agency responsible for the student's educational program. It is recommended that the complaint be sent to the attention of the Director of Special Education (Gwen Mason for MCPS) or other responsible administrator for the program. 

If you want to fax the complaint, make sure procedure as stated in MSDE procedures to file complaint are followed.

MCPS Website page:  Accommodations on College Board Tests

On this page: 

"The main College Board liaison at MCPS is Ms. Carol Blum, Director of High School Instruction & Achievement (301-517-5007). Ms. Nancy Carlson, High School Guidance Specialist, may also be contacted for general information about College Board testing procedures (301-279-3593)."

A.  Yes!  You have to look at the various Accommodation Fact Sheets to figure out when you can use what.

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Q.  What do the column headers A-SA, A-NSA, and I mean?

A.  Check marks in the columns indicate the conditions under which each type of accommodation may be provided. These conditions are defined as:

(1) Assessment: Standard Administration (A-SA) — the accommodation described is permitted for assessment and results in a standard administration of the assessment;
(2) Assessment: Non-Standard Administration (A-NSA) — the accommodation described is permitted on state assessments, but will result in a non-standard administration of the assessment; and
(3) Use in Instruction (I) — the accommodation is applicable to instructional situations.

Examples of answers to questions you may have (though the book is not laid out in a Q&A format):

Q.  What is the Alt-MSA?

A.  The Alt-MSA is only for children with ‘significant cognitive disabilities’.

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Q.  What is the Mod-MSA? What is the Mod-HSA?

A.  The Mod-MSA or Mod-HSA is the State test for students:
who are unable to participate in the MSA with accommodations as indicated in their IEP, AND
whose access to the general education curriculum will be based on participation in modified academic content and achievement standards (see definition next question).

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Q.  What does ‘modified content standards’ mean?

A.   ‘Modified content standards’ means ‘reduced amount to learn, reduced complexity, reduced output’ so the student can access the content and demonstrate what he/she has learned. 

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Q.  What are the requirements for the student to be eligible to take the Mod-MSA/HSA?

A.  There are 4 requirements that must ALL be met. These requirements are slightly different between MOD-MSA and MOD-HSA.  See Section 3 

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Q.  Who decides my child takes the Mod-MSA/HSA?

A.  The decision to take the modified version of the MSA or HSA is an IEP team decision. The team will use the Decision Tools found in the Appendix

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Q.  How will the decision be made as to who takes the Mod-MSA/HSA?

A.  Schools and IEP teams should identify students for whom the Mod-MSA would be the appropriate assessment.[The decision making model starts on page 3-1 of this document.]  This information will be used by the Local Education Agency in 2006-2007 to prepare AYP appeals information, but will lay the groundwork for appropriate student participation in the Mod-MSA which will be available not earlier than the 2007-2008 school year.

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Q.  How will results from the Modifies MSA/HSA be used to calculate AYP?

A.  Results from the Mod-MSA will be aggregated with those from the MSA for accountability purposes, but the number of Mod-MSA students reported as “proficient” or above will be capped at 2% of the total number of assessed students at each grade and content.