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Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities

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Publications and Other Resources

Department of Education Resources:

Federal Register April 9, 2007 Regulations: Title I—Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); Final Rule

Fact Sheet: Measuring the Achievement of Students with Disabilities What families and schools need to know about modified academic achievement standards

Non-Regulatory Guidance: Modified Academic Achievement Standards-Draft

NCEO and NAAC Resources on Technical Documentation for AA-AAS

As a result of work done through the New Hampshire Enhanced Assessment Initiative and the National Alternate Assessment Center, we have provided a set of materials developed for the October 2006 Seminars on Inclusive Assessment in Denver and Alexandria. These include an annotated guide to technical documentation of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards, and PowerPoint presentations on several key topics.

• Alignment (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Standard Setting (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Consistency and Reliability (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Comparability (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Consequential Validity (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Assessment Population (PowerPoint Presentation)

Note : This information is meant to solely provide a quick introduction to each of these topics. For more in-depth information, please contact us or staff at the National Alternate Assessment Center.  

• Technical Documentation Workbook Volume I
• Technical Documentation Workbook Volume II
• Dealing with Flexibility in Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Synthesis Report 60) / PDF format (2006)

See: http://www.naacpartners.org/products.aspx  for additional resources.

 

AA-MAS
Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS)

Related NCEO Publications:

Online resources available at NCEO's Web site (the publications are listed chronologically, with the most recent first; Policy Directions will give a general overview of the issues with other publications providing greater depth):

• States’ Participation Guidelines for Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2008 (Synthesis Report 71) - NEW!
  HTML format / PDF format

• Thinking About the Students Who May Qualify to Participate in An Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS): A Tool for Study Groups - NEW!
  HTML format | PDF format

• 2007 Survey of States: Activities, Changes, and Challenges for Special Education - NEW!
  HTML format / PDF format

• A Brief History of Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (Synthesis Report 68) HTML format  / PDF format

• Planning Alignment Studies For Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (Policy Directions 20) HTML format / PDF format

• Aligning Alternate Assessments to Grade Level Content Standards: Issues and Considerations for Alternates Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (Policy Directions 19) HTML format  / PDF format

• States’ Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2007 (Synthesis Report 67) (HTML format available soon) / PDF format
• Dealing with Flexibility in Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Synthesis Report 60) / PDF format (2006)
• Alternate Assessments Measured Against Grade-level Achievement Standards: The Massachusetts "Competency Portfolio" (Synthesis Report 59) / PDF format (2006)
• One State's Story: Access and Alignment to the GRADE-LEVEL Content for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Synthesis Report 57)/ PDF format (2005)
• 2005 State Special Education Outcomes: Steps Forward in a Decade of Change / PDF Version (3MB) (2005)
• 2003 State Special Education Outcomes: Marching On / PDF format (2003)
• Washington Alternate Assessment System Technical Report on Standard Setting for the 2002 Portfolio (Synthesis Report 52) / PDF version (2003)
• Putting it All Together: Including Students with Disabilities in Assessment and Accountability Systems (Policy Directions 16) / PDF Version (2003)
• Measuring Academic Achievement of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Building Understanding of Alternate Assessment Scoring Criteria / PDF version (Synthesis Report 50 / 2003)
• Massachusetts: One State's Approach to Setting Performance Levels on the Alternate Assessment   / PDF version (Synthesis Report 48 / 2002)
• A Report of a Standard Setting Method for Alternate Assessments for Students with Significant Disabilities   / PDF version (Synthesis Report 47 / 2002)
• Use of Alternate Assessment Results in Reporting and Accountability Systems: Conditions for Use Based on Research and Practice (Synthesis Report 43 / 2002)
• Setting Standards on Alternate Assessments (Synthesis Report 42 / 2002)
• IncludingAlternate Assessment Results in Accountability Decisions (Policy Directions 13 / 2002)
• A Self-Study Guide to Implementation of Inclusive Assessment and Accountability Systems: A Best Practice Approach (2001) Please Note: This is a PDF file.
• Principles and Characteristics of Inclusive Assessment and Accountability Systems (Synthesis Report 40 / 2001)
• Models for Reporting the Results of Alternate Assessments within State Accountability Systems (Synthesis Report 39 / 2001)
• 2001 State Special Education Outcomes: A Report on State Activities at the Beginning of a New Decade (2001)
• Students with Disabilities in Standards-based Assessment and Accountability Systems: Emerging Issues, Strategies, and Recommendations (Synthesis Report 37 / 2001)
• Alternate Assessment Forum 2000: Connecting Into a Whole (2000)
• State Alternate Assessments: Status as IDEA Alternate Assessment Requirements Take Effect (Synthesis Report 35 / 2000)
• Gray Areas of Assessment Systems (Synthesis Report 32 / 2000)

For additional online resources on the NCEO Web site, see the State Technical Manual Forum: Alternate Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

For reports before 2000, see NCEO's Online Publications.

Other Online resources:

Developing Alternate Assessment Technical Adequacy, a project that supports states in developing technically adequate alternate assessments for students with significant disabilities. Also see DAATA newsletters at http://www.daata.org/OtherDocs.html.

National Alternate Assessment Center. Also see the NAAC October 2006 Newsletter at http://www.naacpartners.org/newsletters/Research%20Notes%2010-3-06.pdf.

Additional resources:

Browder, D. M. (2001). Curriculum and assessment for students with moderate and severe disabilities. New York: The Guilford Press.

Browder, D. M., & Spooner, F. (2003). Understanding the purpose and process of alternate assessment. In D. Ryndak & S. Alper (eds.). Curriculum and instruction for students with significant disabilities in inclusive settings. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Burdette, P. (2001). Alternate assessment: Early highlights and pitfalls of reporting. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 26 (2), 61-66.

Burdette, P. J., & Olsen, K. (2000, July). Alternate assessments: A medley of alternate assessments. Lexington, KY: Mid-South Regional Resource Center, University of Kentucky. Retrieved June 19, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/msrrc/Publications/alternate_alternates1.htm

Development of alternate assessment. (1998, November). Lexington, KY: Mid-South Regional Resource Center, University of Kentucky. Retrieved June 19, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/msrrc/Publications/devaltass.htm.

Elliott, J. L., & Thurlow, M. L. (2005). Improving test performance of students with disabilities (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Kearns, J. F., Kleinert, H. L., & Clayton, J. (1998). Principal supports for inclusive assessment: A Kentucky story. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31 (2), pp. 16-23.

Kleinert, H. L. (2001). An introduction to alternate assessment. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 26 (2), 57-60.

Kleinert, H., Green, P., Hurte, M., Clayton, J., & Oetinger, C (2002). Creating and using meaningful alternate assessments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34, (4) 40-47.

Kleinert, H. L., & Kearns, J. F. (2001). Alternate assessment: Measuring outcomes and supports for students with disabilities.   Baltimore, Maryland: Brookes Publishing.

Kleinert, H. L., Kearns, J. F., & Kennedy, S. (1997). Accountability for all students: Kentucky’s alternate portfolio assessment for students with moderate and severe cognitive disabilities. The Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 22, pp. 88-101.

Kleinert, H. L., Kennedy, S., & Kearns, J. F. (1999). The impact of alternate assessments: A statewide teacher survey. The Journal of Special Education, 32 (2), pp. 93-102.

McDonnell, L. M., McLaughlin, M. J., & Morison, P. (1997). Educating one and all: Students with disabilities and standards-based reform. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Olsen, K. (1999, May). What principles are driving development of state alternate assessments? Lexington, KY: Mid-South Regional Resource Center, University of Kentucky. Retrieved June 19, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/msrrc/Publications/whatprincip.htm.

Olson, J. F., Bond, L., & Andrews, C. (1999). Annual survey of state student assessment programs. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.

Ryndak, D., & Alper, S. (Eds.). (2003). Curriculum and instruction for students with significant disabilities in inclusive settings (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Thompson, S. J., & Quenemoen, R. F. (2001). Eight steps to effective implementation of alternate assessments. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 26 (2), 67-74.

Thompson, S. J., Quenemoen, R. F., & Thurlow, M. L. (2001). Alternate assessments: Measuring what ALL students have learned. Communique, 30 (3), 12-14.

Thompson, S., Quenemoen, R., Thurlow, M., & Ysseldyke, J. (2001). Alternate assessments for students with disabilities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. For ordering information, see http://www.corwinpress.com/.

Thurlow, M. L., Elliott, J. L., & Ysseldyke, J. E. (2003). Testing students with disabilities: Practical strategies for complying with district and state requirements (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

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