ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

2. Definition of terms:
SWD – STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY
IEP – INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM
SAT – STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT TEST

3. “Every student can learn, just
not on the same day or the
same way.”
- GEORGE EVANS

4. Introduction

5. No Filipino Child Left Behind
Act of 2010

6. No Filipino Child Left Behind
Act of 2010

7. Background
The “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB)” Act was first
established in the U.S. back in 2001 and was signed into a
law in 2002. With its implementation, United States’
Department of Education develop alternate assessment
standards for students with the most significant cognitive
disabilities.

8. Background
“One important change, at the time, was that states needed to link
alternate assessment standards to general education standards.”
Many states are struggling to identify alternate content standards, to find curricula that
address these standards while meeting student needs, to locate teachers who can
implement the curricula, and to ensure that alternate standards are demonstrably linked
to general education standards in accordance with expectations set by the No Child Left
Behind Act. Most also face great challenges developing and implementing reliable and
valid alternate assessments that can be implemented efficiently and comparably across
the state.
---Rabinowitz, 2008

9. Background
WHO DEFINES DISABILITY?
Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) defines disability.
There are a total of 14 different terms that a student can be
categorized under:

11. IEP (Individualize Education Program)

12. Main Objective
To discuss different alternative assessments for students with
disabilities, and for students with higher intellect.

13. “People with learning disabilities
learn differently, obviously. Does
that mean the way that they
learn is wrong?”
- JOANNE DUMM

14. WHAT IS AN ALTERNATIVE
ASSESSMENT?
o Alternative assessments, also referred to as performance tests or
authentic assessments, are used to determine what students can
and cannot do, in contrast to what they do or do not know.
oAlternative assessment measures applied proficiency more than it
measures knowledge.

15. Recall:

16. Who should participate in
alternate assessment?
In general, alternate assessment participants are those students
with disabilities who are unable to participate in regular assessments
even with accommodations.
Some of these students may have significant cognitive disabilities
and can be assessed using alternate formats aligned to the grade-
level content, but based on alternate achievement standards that
define proficiency

17. What should be included in
Alternate assessment?
All assessments for NCLB accountability purposes should measure
student achievement on the grade-level content.
These assessments should reflect the depth and breadth of the
grade-level content depends on whether the alternate assessment is
based on grade-level achievement standards or alternate
achievement standards.

18. What should be included in
Alternate assessment?
For alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement
standards, the depth and breadth of assessed content should be the
same as on the general assessment in order to draw accurate
inferences of student proficiency.
Alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards
must also assess student achievement on the grade-level content.

19. What do alternate assessment
look like for SWD?
PORTFOLIO
IEP-LINKED BODY OF EVIDENCE
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
CHECKLIST
TRADITIONAL TEST (Paper- and Computer-based)

20. PORTFOLIO

21. IEP-LINKED BODY OF
EVIDENCE

22. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
These assessments are direct measures of a skill, usually in a one-
on-one assessment.
These can range from highly structured one-on-one assessments
similar to traditional pencil/paper test, to a more flexible approach
that can be adjusted based on student needs.

23. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
(cont.)
Generally the performance assessments used with students with
significant cognitive disabilities are scored on the level of
independence the student requires to respond and on the student’s
ability to generalize the skills, and not simply on accuracy of
A scoring rubric is generally used to score responses similar to
portfolio or body of evidence scoring.

24. CHECKLIST

25. TRADITIONAL TEST

26. Informing Instruction
The focus of special education has always been on the individual
student and his or her instructional needs.
For this reason, special education assessments have typically been
individually administered.
Traditionally, the results have been used to identify areas of strength
and weakness for program planning.

28. What do alternate assessment look
like for students with intellect/gifted?
OUT-OF-LEVEL/OFF-LEVEL SAT
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
High stakes
Classroom-based Pre-Post Assessment
PRODUCT ASSESSMENT
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT

30. OUT-OF-LEVEL/OFF-LEVEL
SAT
 College admission tests, often revealed gifted students’ capacity, at
younger ages than typical college admission, to have mastered
content at levels four or more years beyond age-relevant curriculum.
Such data then become useful for documenting the level of work of
which a student is capable as well as the level of placement required
for challenge (Baska & Hubbard, 2016).

31. OUT-OF-LEVEL/OFF-LEVEL
SAT (cont.)
 The use of off-level assessment for purposes of gauging learning
may provide the best portrait of what students can do in an area of
study (Baska & Hubbard, 2016).

32. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
Performance assessments are open-ended with multiple correct responses
rather than one correct answer.
Classroom performance assessment for advanced learners focuses on the
exploration of advanced content, on higher-level thinking and problem solving,
and on the use of reflective metacognition to help students internalize their
learning.

33. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
(cont.)
Performance tasks and assessment requires additional classroom time, the
open-ended format, the support for articulation of thinking, and the resulting
development of more complex responses makes performance assessment
particularly appropriate for advanced learners.
High-Stakes Performance Assessment for advanced learners are also
such as Advance Placement (AP) program, Cambridge Advanced International
Certificate of Education (AICE) Programme, and International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme (IBDP).

34. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
(cont.)
Classroom-Based Pre-Post Assessment paradigm is highly useful in assessing
both short term and long term learning, especially in skill areas that are high level
level and articulated in the standards across years.
In the case of gifted students, tis helps build foundational abilities in subjects
like science, math, and writing. If the pre-post prompts are sufficiently
challenging, they represent an opportunity for gifted students to really show how
how much they know and can apply in a given domain.

35. PRODUCT ASSESSMENT
Development of products provides multiple opportunities to
differentiate instruction for gifted learners.
Product development encompasses so many critical elements of
differentiation for gifted learners, creation and assessment of
products are important components of gifted education curriculum
and instruction.

36. PRODUCT ASSESSMENT (cont.)
The assessment of such products require:
1. Assessment of the process of establishing the goal
2. Assessment of the focus of the product
3. The assessment of the product itself.

37. PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
Portfolio serves 2 purposes:
1. To evaluate a student’s progress over a given period of time, a
marking period, a semester, or even a year.
2. To evaluate student work against a specific list of requirements or
goals.

38. PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
The portfolio approach to assessment puts students in charge of
their own learning and shifts the accountability for that learning to
them.

40. References:
1. Almond, P. & Case, B. (2008). Alternate Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive
Disabilities. Pearson Education, Inc.
2. Anusienė, L., Kaminskienė, L., & Kavaliauskienė, G. (2007). The Challenges for ESP Learners:
Alternative Assessment of Performance and Usefulness of Class Activities.
3. Baska, J. & Hubbard, G. (2016). Learning Assessments for Gifted Learners.
4. Rabinowitz, S., Sato, E., Case, B.J., Benitez, D.T., & Jordan, K.E. (2008). Alternate Assessments for
Special Education Students in the Southwest Region States. Issues & Answers. REL 2008-No. 044.
5. Swanson, J. (2006). Breaking Through Assumptions About Low-Income, Minority Gifted Students.
Gifted Child Quarterly, 50(1), 11-25.

41. Website References:
1. Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities: FAQs
https://osepideasthatwork.org/node/132