Alternate assessment
Last updated
An alternate assessment is a state test, based on alternate achievement standards, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Topic: Evaluation and assessment
In plain terms
Most students with IEPs take the regular state tests, with accommodations if needed. A small group who cannot take the regular test even with accommodations takes the alternate assessment instead. The IEP team decides, using state guidelines, and must explain why the regular test is not appropriate and why the alternate one is. Federal law limits participation statewide to about 1% of all tested students per subject.
How it shows up in an IEP
The IEP records which test the student takes. For students on alternate assessments, IDEA also requires benchmarks or short-term objectives for each annual goal.
Example
For an eighth grader with an intellectual disability who communicates with pictures, the team documents why the alternate assessment fits and writes objectives for each goal.
The rule
Federal reference: 34 CFR §300.160, 34 CFR §300.320(a)(6).
Rules vary by state. Check your state's regulations and your district's procedures.
Related terms
- Alternate academic achievement standardsAlternate achievement standards are less complex expectations, linked to grade-level content, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
- Most significant cognitive disabilitiesStudents with the most significant cognitive disabilities are a small group who need alternate achievement standards and extensive, direct support.
- Short-term objectiveA short-term objective is a smaller, measurable step toward an annual IEP goal, usually expected within a grading period or part of the year.
- Testing accommodationsTesting accommodations are changes to how a test is given or answered that let a student show what they know without changing what the test measures.
On IEP Atlas
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