In April 2007, Federal No Child Left Behind regulations were finalized that provided states with additional flexibility for assessing some students with disabilities. The regulations allowed states to offer another assessment option, alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). States are not required to have…

This report addresses issues on the use of accommodations, modifications, or alternatives for students with disabilities in large-scale educational assessment programs. First, a set of definitions from current literature and the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are offered. The importance of agreement between instructional and…

In response to public demands for better-quality high school graduates and to requirements of No Child Left Behind legislation, states have developed a variety of policies such as high-stakes exit exams and diploma options. Additionally, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, students with disabilities must be…

The relationships between ratings on the Idaho Alternate Assessment (IAA) for 116 students with significant disabilities and corresponding ratings for the same students on two norm-referenced teacher rating scales were examined to gain evidence about the validity of resulting IAA scores. To contextualize these findings, another group of 54…

This study examined critical issues related to including students with disabilities in the Texas assessment and accountability system and recommended a plan of action to address these issues. The statewide stakeholder group examining the issues focused particularly on local implementation barriers. The report begins with a discussion of assessment…

Many students with disabilities need to use accommodations to meaningfully access instruction and to be appropriately assessed. During the past decade, the use of assessment accommodations has dramatically increased the participation rates of students with disabilities in statewide testing. Assessment accommodations can be defined as "changes…

This report describes the findings of two half-day focus group meetings that discussed experiences and concerns about the participation of students with disabilities in Minnesota's Basic Standards Exams. The focus groups included test coordinators, general classroom teachers, and special education teachers. The report discusses: (1) experiences…

States use many high-stakes assessments to make decisions about individuals. These tests may be criticized by those who believe that their purpose or application is discriminatory. Because litigation is time consuming and costly, it is advantageous for states to plan assessments carefully to maximize legal defensibility. This handbook is designed…

This report describes findings of two half-day focus group meetings that discussed experiences and concerns about the participation of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in Minnesota's Basic Standards Exams. The focus groups included test coordinators, general classroom teachers, and English as a Second Language teachers. The report…