Assigning Alternate Standards for Instruction & Assessment

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to test no more than 1% of students with an alternate assessment aligned to alternate content expectations. Assigning Alternate Standards for Instruction & Assessment helps IEP teams determine whether a student meets the definition of a student with the most significant cognitive disability. It supports decisions about using alternate content expectations for instruction and identifying the appropriate state assessment. This interactive tool guides teams step-by-step through the decision-making process to align with federal law and state policy.

In this course, you will:

• Determine whether alternate content expectations are appropriate for a student's instruction.

• Identify the appropriate state assessment for the student, consistent with ESSA's 1% cap and state policy.

• Evaluate each required criterion in the decision-making process, using multiple sources of evidence rather than a disability category.