Over $2 million in ACCESS funds were generated by IU 13 in 2006-07; these funds offset salaries/benefits, special education unit costs, and transportation costs for school districts.

Assessment

In standards-based instruction, teachers and schools continuously gather student assessment information and use it to make instructional decisions about student academic growth and about curriculum and instruction effectiveness. Therefore, districts need to have as a part of their strategic plan, an assessment plan that will determine student progress towards proficiency on the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This assessment plan includes a three-prong approach.

First, there is the external assessment prong. This includes the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and other standardized assessments used by the district. No Child Left Behind has mandated that all students in Grades 3-8 and at least once at the high school level be assessed in Reading and Mathematics on a yearly basis beginning in the 2005-06 school year. Presently, the PSSA assesses Reading and Mathematics at Grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 and Writing at Grades 6, 9, and 11. The Pennsylvania Department of Education produces Assessment Anchors for Reading, Mathematics and Writing.

The second assessment prong is district/school assessments. These assessments are used to establish a yearly baseline and monitor student progress. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is one tool that can be used by districts to identify (K-3) students at risk of reading difficulty early, before reading trajectory is established. Districts and schools can also develop their own assessments that mirror the PSSA and measure student progress towards proficiency of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards and Benchmarks. The 22 member districts of IU 13 have developed a database of standards-based assessments for Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Mathematics.

Classroom assessments are the third assessment prong. The above-mentioned assessment database along with other resources can be used to assist teams of classroom teachers in the development of classroom assessments. Classroom assessments serve as a tool to monitor student progress towards proficiency on the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.