Chapter V:
Alternate & Alternative Assessments

      Several state plans provided for alternate or alternative assessments, generally for disabled students. 

·        In its decision letter to Missouri, the Department clarified some of the requirements for such assessments under Title I:

“Missouri must include results for students who participate in the alternate assessment, as well as the number of students exempted from testing, if any, in State, district, and school performance reports. To the extent statistically feasible, these results and exemptions must be disaggregated by the categories required by Title I.”

·        Similarly, the Department informed Maryland that “results for students who participate in alternate assessments must be reported and included in the State’s system for measuring school progress.”

·        The Department also informed New York, North Carolina and others that they would need to report results of alternate assessment and include the results in measures of school progress.

Some states are experimenting with permitting low-achieving students to take below-grade level assessments.  The Department concluded that such a practice, whatever its utility may be at the local level, violates requirements in federal law designed to ensure that all students are taught to high standards.  The Department wrote to Texas officials:

“Texas must explain how the results from the alternative and alternate assessments will be reported and included in the standards-based measures for school accountability for the 2000-2001 test administration. Based on Texas’ Decision-making Process for the Texas Assessment Programs (grades 3-8) it appears that the alternative assessment is administered to students receiving instruction below grade level. If so, while this assessment may provide useful individual performance data, the results may not be consistent with grade-level standards. To meet Title I requirements, scores on tests must either be reported by grade appropriate performance standards or the student is counted as not tested. In addition, Texas must confirm that the results for all students, including those students taking the alternate assessment, will be publicly reported and included in measures of school progress for the 2000-2001 test administration.”