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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. [back]
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]
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
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