Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards : Policy, Practice, and Potential

What really works in alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards? Every state is working to know the answer--both to comply with federal requirements for evaluating students with severe cognitive disabilities, and to ensure that all students reach their full potential. This comprehensive book is the first to gather today's best knowledge about alternate assessments so professionals can act quickly to shape the future of this rapidly developing field.

An urgently needed resource for assessment developers, researchers, policy makers, special education directors, and students in graduate-level courses in both special education and assessment, this book is a rigorous investigation of the challenges, recent successes, and key components of assessing alternate achievement standards. Top assessment experts show readers

• What we know about alternate assessments. Readers will start with the foundational knowledge they need for effective development and implementation. They'll learn how to determine which students should take alternate achievement standards assessments, what these assessments should measure, how to align assessments with state standards, and how to set standards for and evaluate the success of these unique assessments.
• What's working today in states across the country. Diverse examples of programs from seven states--complete with insightful commentary from the experts behind the programs--give readers an inside look at approaches such as skills checklists, portfolios, and performance tasks. Includes in-depth information on program development and technical data.
• What we need to know going forward. Today's most prominent experts come together to give readers clear direction for future efforts. Developers and evaluators will discover what new knowledge they should expand in the next few years, and they'll get specific take-away ideas they can use to ensure validity, reliability, and documented success in alternate assessments.

With this big-picture examination of one of the most critical new topics in education, researchers and practitioners will work together toward alternate assessments that accurately pinpoint the strengths and needs of students with severe cognitive disabilities--so their teachers can help improve academic outcomes for all students.

William D. Schafer, Ed.D., Affiliated Professor (Emeritus), Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, University of Maryland--College Park, received his doctoral degree from the University of Rochester) in 1969. He is Affiliated Professor (Emeritus), Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, University of Maryland--College Park, specializing in measurement and applied research methods. He has also been Director of Student Assessment, Maryland State Department of Education. His professional offices include Chair of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG): Educational Statisticians, Chair of AERA SIG: Professors of Educational Research, founding Chair of AERA SIG: Classroom Assessment, President of the American Counseling Associationâ (TM)s (ACA) Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education (AACE), and editor of Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development (a journal of the AACE). He serves on the editorial boards of Applied Measurement in Education and Educational and Psychological Measurement and coedits Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, a free, refereed e-journal at http: //PAREonline.net. He is also on staff at the Maryland Assessment Research Center for Education Success (MARCES). A professional biography, including recent publications and presentations, may be found at his home page, which can be linked from the MARCES web site (http: // www.marces.org).

Diane M. Browder, Ph.D., is Snyder Distinguished Professor and doctoral coordinator of Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Browder has more than 2 decades of experience with research and writing on assessment and instruction of students with severe disabilities. Recently, she has focused on alternate assessment and linking assessment and instruction to the general curriculum. She is Principal Investigator for an Institute of Education Sciences--funded center with a focus on teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities to read. She is a partner in the National Center on Alternate Assessment and Principal Investigator for Office of Special Education Programs--funded projects on access to the general curriculum.

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D., is currently Assistant Dean in the College of Education at the University of Oregon supporting the administration of the college that is ranked 3rd in the nation for Special Education, and 5th overall for public colleges of education. Dr. Carrizales-Engelmann uses her background in policy, leadership, assessment, and administration to provide insight and recommendations on any policy or practice that materially impacts operations in the College. Providing senior leadership with assessments of emerging budgetary and/or operational problems or concerns, working closely with administration, faculty, and staff to resolve technical and confidential issues, and representing the college to local, regional, and national partners. Dr. Carrizales-Engelmann has provided consultation on the development of national assessments, and on accommodations for assessments.

Dr. Steve Elliott, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at UNC Wilmington. The recipient of the 2012 Chancellors Teaching Award at UNCW, his research agenda is comprised of two major foci: 1) issues surrounding the inclusion of children with special needs into regular physical education classes; and 2) the application of instructional strategies, models, and theories to enhance student learning and assessment.

Claudia Flowers, Ph.D., Dr. Flowers's research has focused on assessment and transition issues for students with disabilities. She is a partner with the federally funded National Centers and State Collaborative 28-state consortium that is developing a new alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities and Co-principal Investigator for the IES-funded Communicating Interagency Relationships and Collaborative Linkages for Exceptional Students.

Jacqui Farmer Kearns, Ed.D., is Associate Director of the Inclusive Large-Scale Standards and Assessment Group (ILSSA) at the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Among her many accomplishments at the IHDI, Dr. Kearns has served as the principal investigator on two groundbreaking initiatives for students with disabilities: the Kentucky Statewide Alternate Portfolio Project and the Including Students with Deaf Blindness in Large-Scale Educational Assessments Project. Dr. Kearns previously directed the Kentucky Statewide Systems Change Project for Students with Severe Disabilities and has extensive experience as a classroom teacher for students with moderate and severe disabilities.

Harold L. Kleinert, Ed.D., is Executive Director of the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute, University of Kentucky, and Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Previously, Dr. Kleinert served as Director of Training for the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute. A veteran educator, Dr. Kleinert taught special education at the classroom level for 14 years before directing a wide range of federal and state projects, including the Kentucky Alternate Portfolio Study, aimed at improving services for students with significant disabilities.

Marianne Perie, Ph.D., is Senior Associate, National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc., Dover, New Hampshire.

Rachel Quenemoen, M.S., conducts research and consultation/technical assistance on educational change processes to ensure that students with disabilities are included in and benefit from reform efforts. She has written numerous articles, chapters, research briefs, and presentations on improving outcomes for students with disabilities, including coauthoring a book on alternate assessment. She has worked for 35 years as an educational sociologist and currently serves on the assessment and accountability technical advisory committees for Idaho, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Washington, DC.

Shawnee Y. Wakeman, Ph.D., Dr. Wakeman's research interest includes the relationship of the principal to the education of students with disabilities, access to the general curriculum and how it is enacted for students with significant cognitive disabilities, alignment of the educational system and the policy implications of those alignment issues, and alternate assessment. Dr. Wakeman is currently involved in several federally funded projects and publications related to alternate assessment and curriculum alignment.