Frequently Asked Questions
What
is Assessing One and All ?
Why do we need AOA?
How is AOA organized?
Who should be interested in AOA?
Can I pick and choose which parts of the AOA Internet course I want?
Do I have to take the AOA Internet in a fixed order?
Who distributes AOA?
Can I earn continuing education for the AOA course?
Can I earn graduate course credit for the AOA course?
How much does AOA cost?
Does CEC offer volume dicounts on the book and course?
What role does federal funding play in AOA?
Could I get a stipend to pay for a copy of the AOA book and AOA Internet
course fees?
What
is Assessing One and All ?
Assessing One &
All (AOA) is the title of a book (Elliott, Braden, & White, 2001)
and an Internet-based continuing professional development course (Braden
& Elliott, 2001) designed to enhance general assessment literacy,
and specialized knowledge and skills for including students with disabilities
in educational accountability programs. [back]
Why
do we need AOA ?
AOA was written
and developed to respond to federal, state, and local mandates regarding
educational accountability, and the inclusion of students with disabilities
in educational accountability programs. Federal legislation requires
states to annually assess students in grades 3-8, and in high school;
other federal legislation also requires students with disabilities to
be included in these assessments whenever possible (and to be given
alternate assessments when inclusion is not possible). Therefore, educational
stakeholders need information about educational assessment, large-scale
assessment, and accommodations and alternate assessment to respond to
these mandates, and to promote and protect the interests of all students
when doing so. [back]
How
is AOA organized ?
The AOA book comprises
five chapters (Educational Assessment Today, Characteristics of Good
Assessment, Understanding and Using Large-Scale Assessments, Inclusive
Assessment Tactics: Testing Accommodations and Alternate Assessment,
and Best Practices for Inclusive Assessment Programs and Educational
Accountability), and six appendixes providing supplementary information
on assessment standards and major tests of achievement. The AOA website
is divided into three content sections (Educational Assessment Principles
and Practices, Large-Scale Assessment, and Accommodations and Alternate
Assessment) and two supporting sections to enhance application of knowledge
to educational practice. The site contains text, documents, graphics,
videos, and hypertext links to relevant resources to support learners'
understanding and application of information.
[back]
Who
should be interested in AOA ?
Anybody who has
a stake in education, and in particular, the education of students with
disabilities, will have an interest in AOA. The book and course are
primarily targeted to in-service and pre-service educators (e.g., teachers,
administrators, special educators) and those with a strong interest
in educational accountability and students with disabilities (e.g.,
parents, district and state assessment specialists).
[back]
Can
I pick and choose which parts of the AOA Internet course I want ?
Yes; each of the
three content units is a separate, stand-alone course, although we recommend
learners consider taking all three units. The site is designed so that
learners who want to focus on general educational assessment and accountability
issues may take the first two units (Educational Assessment Principles
and Practices, and Understanding and Using Large Scale Assessment),
whereas those with a strong interest in students with disabilities will
find the third unit (Accommodations and Alternate Assessment) to be
of particular interest. [back]
Do
I have to take the AOA Internet units in a fixed order ?
No. We recommend
that people start with the first unit (Educational Assessment Principles
and Practices), and take subsequent units in order, but it is up to
the learner to decide what units, and what order, makes the most sense
for him or her. [back]
Who
distributes AOA ?
The Council
for Exceptional Children (CEC) publishes the AOA
book, and hosts the AOA website. Information about the book is available
at: http://www.cec.sped.org/bk/catalog2/assessment.html
or by calling 1-888-232-7733. Information about the course is available at:
http://www.cec.sped.org/pd/aoa.html.
[back]
Can
I earn continuing education units for the AOA course ?
Yes. CEC provides
continuing education units (CEUs) at no additional charge. You can earn
1.5 CEUs (equivalent to 15 clock hours) for each unit you complete,
up to a total of 4.5 CEUs. [back]
Can
I earn graduate course credit for the AOA course ?
Yes. The University
of Wisconsin-Madison (http://www.wisc.edu)
is offering on-line graduate course credit. Individuals may register for
1-3 graduate credits. Students must complete one of the course units (Principles
& Practices, Large-Scale Assessment, and Accommodations and Alternate
Assessment) for each credit. Students may complete any individual unit for
1 credit, any pair of units for 2 credits, or all three units for 3 credits.
No classes will be held on campus--the entire course can be completed on
line. Students must submit completed work via email or by post. For
more information regarding this option please visit https://uwmad.courses.wisc.edu/public/edpsych711_001_su03/index.html.
CEC does not collaborate with any specific institution, so you are responsible
for all tuition and fees charged by the institution for course credit. [back]
How
much does AOA cost ?
The book costs
$39.95 for CEC members and $49.95 for non-members, although there may
be discount sales at various times. The fee for the complete Internet
course is $295 for CEC members and $495 for nonmembers, and the fee
for a single unit is $125 for CEC members and $175 for nonmembers. However,
scholarships to pay for AOA books and course fees are available to qualified
teams for a limited time (see below).[back]
Does
CEC offer volume discounts on the book and course ?
Yes. Volume discounts
for districts, states, colleges, and other groups or agencies are negotiated
on a case-by-case basis. Please contact webcourse@cec.sped.org, or call
1-888-232-7733 ext. 516 for more information.[back]
What
role does federal funding play in AOA ?
The US Department
of Education has funded an evaluation of AOA as a means to improve IEP
decisionmaking for including students with disabilities in educational
accountability programs. The award (#H325N000064) from the U.S. Dept.
of Education Office of Special Education Programs to the Wisconsin Center
for Education Research funds up to 500 stipends for educators who are
willing to participate in the AOA program evaluation. Please note that
the AOA book and Internet course were developed by Jeffery P. Braden
and Stephen N. Elliott without federal funding; it is only the evaluation
of the materials that is federally funded.[back]
Can
I get a stipend to pay for the copy of the AOA book and AOA Internet
course fees ?
Possibly. We are
looking for educational stakeholders to take the AOA course (including
the textbook) to help us evaluate its effectiveness as part of our evaluation
of AOA. We are especially interested in recruiting small teams (5-10
people) from across the US and its territories comprising general and
special educators, educational administrators, and parents of students
with disabilities. If you are interested in volunteering, please look
at the FAQs for research participants at this site, and contact us at
AOA@wcer.wisc.edu. Tell us your
name, contact information, and current position; if you are working
with a team, please provide similar information for other team members
in your inquiry. You can also call us at 608-263-4741 for more information.[back]