ABSTRACT
Alternate assessment is one of the most rapidly evolving elements of the educational system for students with significant cognitive disabilities, 1 which include students with intellectual disability, in the United States. Originally conceived as a means to include all students in large-scale assessments for accountability, alternate assessments have changed considerably since their inception around 1990. These changes have been driven by shifting policies and improvements in assessment design. The relationship between alternate assessments and research-based classroom practices for students with intellectual disability has been a tenuous one at best, although recent developments are promising. This chapter provides an overview of the history of alternate assessment and a description of students who participate in the assessments. It then describes some of the challenges associated with design and use of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). The chapter follows by identifying research-based practices impacted by AA-AAS and providing suggestions for strengthening the link between AA-AAS and classroom practices. Finally, it highlights two new alternate assessment systems and describes their implications for improving instruction and outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including students with intellectual disability.
