UNDERSTANDING TEST-TYPE ASSIGNMENT: WHY DO SPECIAL EDUCATORS MAKE UNEXPECTED TEST-TYPE ASSIGNMENTS?

Abstract

We interviewed special educators (a) whose students with disabilities (SWDs) were proficient on the 2008 general education assessment but were assigned to the 2009 alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS), and (b) whose students with mild disabilities took the 2008 alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) and then the 2009 AA-MAS. We explored teachers’ rationales for test-type assignment, student characteristics, and quality of instruction to determine the test-type decisions’ appropriateness. All teachers based their decisions on combinations of factors in the guidelines plus subjective and noninstructional factors. Findings raised concerns about the subjectivity of the assessment assignment system and the inappropriate grade-level instruction for SWDs. Future research, implications of these findings, and limitations are discussed.