How States Implement Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

The IDEA Amendments of 1997 mandate inclusion of students with disabilities in accountability systems. By 2001 professionals in many states had begun to develop alternate assessments to focus on students' performance relative to general education performance criteria. The purpose of this study was to examine how alternate assessments have been defined and aligned with state general education standards and to identify the methods that have been used to score the assessments. An analysis of states' documents revealed a variety of alignment and scoring methods. In most states, either assessments were linked to state general education standards or those standards were extended to include alternate assessments. Academic domains were measured in most states, but some states measured only functional skills. Most states used some form of rubric to score the alternate assessments, typically measuring mastery, progress, or level of independence. The article concludes with recommendations for enhancing national policy on alternate assessment.