Phase II Participant Information
The AOA project has
three distinct participant groups:
Phase I - Experts in education, assessment, and students with
disabilities (this phase is complete).
Phase II - Educators and parents of students with disabilities at three
selected sites around the country. [Click here for
more information on Phase II participants.]
Phase III - Educators and parents of students with disablities representing
the diversity of US education will take thecourse free of charge to
assess its value.
[Please click here if you want to volunteer for
Phase III ! ]
[Click here for more information on Phase III
participants.]
Why
am I being asked to participate?
What is the purpose of the study?
What will my participation involve?
Is my participation confidential?
Are there any risks?
Are there any benefits?
Will I be compensated for participating in the study?
If I decide to start the study, can I change my mind?
Can you remove me from the study?
Who should I contact for more information?
Why
am I being asked to participate?
We are inviting
you to participate in a study to help us evaluate whether an Internet-based
course improves people's knowledge and skills for educational assessment,
large scale testing, accommodations, and alternate assessments for students
who have disabilities. Your participation in this study is voluntary.
[back]
What
is the purpose of the study?
The study will
investigate the effects of "Assessing One and All," an Internet-based
course offered by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). We want
to know whether participating in the course changes educators' and parents'
knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to educational assessment and
accountability for students with disabilities. [back]
What
will my participation involve?
If you decide to
participate, you will meet with study representatives twice on days
about three months apart at your school (after school) for about 90
minutes each day. During the first meeting, our representatives will
ask you questions in a focus group with other participants (about 45
minutes) and complete a survey and pretest of your educational assessment
knowledge (about 45 minutes). We will ask you to complete a survey of
your continuing professional development activities related to educational
assessment and accountability every other week for 12 weeks. This will
take about 5 minutes every two weeks, or a total of about 30 minutes
over 12 weeks. During the second meeting, we will ask you to complete
a posttest and survey (about 45 minutes), and complete an activity during
the remaining 45 minutes. These required activities take about 3 hours.
All participants
will be invited to take the Internet course. If there are more than
20 participants who want to take the course, we will select 20 volunteers
by lottery. If you are not selected to take the course, we will ask
you to complete the required activities, and we will pay you for your
participation.
If you choose to
take the course, and are selected for the course, you must complete
the Internet course, readings, and Activity Book. These additional activities
take 15-40 hours, for which you will earn continuing education units,
and if you elect to do so, earn graduate course credit. Participants
who complete the course will also get to keep the course textbook. Participants
who take the course will also participate in a 45-minute focus group
at the end of the study, and must provide a copy of two IEPs that they
influenced addressing students with disabilities and participation in
educational accountability systems. One IEP should be authored within
12 months prior to the start of the study, and the other IEP should
be authored after the participants completed the course. All IEPs should
be anonymous (i.e., names removed) except for the study participant.
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Is
my participation confidential?
Yes. We will remove
participant names from all information in the study so that your name
cannot be linked to data in the study. Data from the study will be entered
on computer using an anonymous identification number. All records from
the study, and the list linking participant names to the anonymous identification
numbers, will be kept in a locked file drawer in the researchers' office
for seven years. Only the researchers will have access to the records.
The researchers may present information from the study at meetings and
in publications, but none of the information will identify you.
[back]
Are
there any risks?
No. There are no
known risks for participating in this study. [back]
Are
there any benefits?
Yes. All participants
will contribute to the profession by helping us understand whether and
how Internet-based continuing professional development can enhance the
education and assessment of students with disabilities.
[back]
Will
I be compensated for participating in the study?
Yes. Participants
who take the course will learn about educational assessment, accountability,
test accommodations, and alternate assessment. They will also have their
course tuition paid ($495), will keep the course textbook Assessing
One & All: Educational Accountability and Students with Disabilities
($40), and will earn 4.5 continuing education units from CEC. Participants
who complete the course may also earn graduate course credit for their
work, although they must pay university tuition and fees to do so. Participants
who do not take the course will be paid $XX for their time.
[back]
If
I decide to start the study, can I change my mind?
Yes. You may withdraw
from the study at any time without penalty. Because we cannot replace
people who withdraw, we would ask you not to volunteer unless you are
reasonably confident you can complete the study. Individuals who withdraw
without completing all parts of the study will not receive compensation
(there will be no partial payments or continuing education units), and
must return the textbook. [back]
Can
you remove me from the study?
Yes. We will remove
people who are selected for the course but who do not complete the study
requirements in a timely fashion. We will contact you at least twice
to remind you to complete the study requirements before we remove you
from the study, and make arrangements with participants who want to
complete the study whenever possible. [back]
Who
should I contact for more information?
Please contact
aoa@education.wisc.edu.
[back]
Phase III Participant Information
Who should participate
in Phase III?
The Phase III is
to disseminate AOA nationwide. Therefore, education administrators,
general and special education teachers, and parents of students with
disabilities from across the nation are invited to take the AOA on-line
course. We estimate the number of participants will be 500.
What will participation
involve?
Each participant
is expected to complete the on-line course and supply us with a copy
of their Activity Book (hard copy). In addition, we may also solicit
your opinion about the content, format and your learning experience
with the course through a post-course survey.
Is participation
confidential?
Yes, We will remove
all personally identifiable information from materials participants
provide (e.g., Activity Book and IEPs). Data obtained in Phase III will
only be reported in group statistics. The materials supplied by each
participant will be kept in a locked file drawer in the researchers'
office for seven years. Only the researchers will have access to the
records.
Are there any
benefits?
Yes. Each participant
will have access to the AOA on-line course, which systematically introduces
educational assessment and inclusive practice in educational assessment.
The course also provides hyperlinks that lead to rich resources concerning
assessment issues. We hope that the course will help you in making decision
with regard to educational assessment issues.
Are there any risks?
No. There are no
known risks for participating in Phase III.
What should I
do if I want to participate?
At present stage, we
are recruiting participants for Phase III B which starts in May 2003. If
you are interested, please complete the on-line registration form at: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/aoa/phase3_followup/followup.htm