The U.S. Department of Education has awarded two consortia of states grants to develop the next generation of alternate assessments for students with severe cognitive disabilities – considered to represent about 1 percent of all students with disabilities.
As part of the assessment and accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with the most significant cognitive disabilities must participate in and be tested on a curriculum that is based on the same academic content standards that their grade-level peers are learning. To meet these requirements, individual states have each developed alternate assessments, based on alternate academic achievement standards. The new tests – slated for use by the 2014-15 school year – will be aligned to the National Common Core State Standards and will assess students’ knowledge of Math and English/Language Arts in grades 3-8 and in high school.
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