The purposes of the MCAS-Alt are to: ensure that students with significant disabilities are receiving a program of instruction based on the state’s academic standards; determine how much knowledge and skills based on the curriculum frameworks students with significant disabilities have learned; include difficult-to-assess students in statewide assessment and accountability systems; provide alternative pathways for some students with disabilities to earn a comparable score to a student in grades 38 who has taken a standard test in that subject, and in high school to earn a Competency Determination (CD) and become eligible to receive a diploma. Participation Guidelines A student with a is considered for an alternate assessment by his significant cognitive disability or her IEP team, when he or she: receives routine academic instruction based on learning standards in the curriculum frameworks for which the levels of complexity of content and skills have been modified substantially below the expectations of a non-disabled student enrolled in the same grade; AND receives intensive, individualized instruction across all settings in which a subject is taught, in order for the student to acquire, generalize, and demonstrate knowledge and skills; AND is generally unable to demonstrate knowledge and skills on a standardized test in the subject being assessed, even when accommodations are provided. In addition, students with complex and significant disabilities may be considered for an alternate assessment based on (rather than achievement standards if their grade-level alternate) disabilities would present unique and significant challenges to fully demonstrating their knowledge and skills on a standardized paper-and-pencil test, even if accommodations were provided. Using the criteria listed above, a student on a 504 plan may also be designated for an alternate assessment, which should be documented in the plan. MCAS-Alt and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) This federal education law, passed in December 2015 and effective in the 20172018 school year, imposes a statewide cap of one percent of all students eligible for statewide testing on taking alternate assessments based on (Note: This cap does not alternate achievement standards. include or portfolios; only students taking the basic MCAS-Alt who “grade-level” “competency” are achieving well-below grade-level expectations are included in the 1 percent). The Commissioner posted guidelines based on the new restrictions in March 2017 and requested that districts review their recent data on students taking the MCAS-Alt. If a district projects that more than one percent of students would take the MCAS-Alt in 20172018, a justification in
The purposes of the MCAS-Alt are to: ensure that students with significant disabilities are receiving a program of instruction based on the state’s academic standards; determine how much knowledge and skills based on the curriculum frameworks students with significant disabilities have learned; include difficult-to-assess students in statewide assessment and accountability systems; provide alternative pathways for some students with disabilities to earn a comparable score to a student in grades 38 who has taken a standard test in that subject, and in high school to earn a Competency Determination (CD) and become eligible to receive a diploma. Participation Guidelines A student with a significant cognitive disability is considered for an alternate assessment by his or her IEP team, when he or she: receives routine academic instruction based on learning standards in the curriculum frameworks for which the levels of complexity of content and skills have been modified substantially below the expectations of a non-disabled student enrolled in the same grade; AND receives intensive, individualized instruction across all settings in which a subject is taught, in order for the student to acquire, generalize, and demonstrate knowledge and skills; AND is generally unable to demonstrate knowledge and skills on a standardized test in the subject being assessed, even when accommodations are provided. In addition, students with complex and significant disabilities may be considered for an alternate assessment based on grade-level (rather than alternate) achievement standards if their disabilities would present unique and significant challenges to fully demonstrating their knowledge and skills on a standardized paper-and-pencil test, even if accommodations were provided. Using the criteria listed above, a student on a 504 plan may also be designated for an alternate assessment, which should be documented in the plan. MCAS-Alt and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) This federal education law, passed in December 2015 and effective in the 20172018 school year, imposes a statewide cap of one percent of all students eligible for statewide testing on taking alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards. (Note: This cap does not include “grade-level” or “competency” portfolios; only students taking the basic MCAS-Alt who are achieving well-below grade-level expectations are included in the 1 percent). The Commissioner posted guidelines based on the new restrictions in March 2017 and requested that districts review their recent data on students taking the MCAS-Alt. If a district projects that more than one percent of students would take the MCAS-Alt in 20172018, a justification in
2017statesum.docx