In the United States, opposition to traditional standardized tests is widespread, particularly obvious in the admissions context but also evident in elementary and secondary education. This opposition is fueled in significant part by the perception that tests perpetuate social injustice through their content, design, and use. To survive, as well…

This Brief offers preliminary guidance for the development of interim assessment options for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. There are federal requirements that all statewide and districtwide administrations of an assessment must have an alternate assessment. Given the importance interim assessments have now when there…

This "Guide" is an update to the State Guide to Universally Designed Assessments produced by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) in 2006 (Johnstone et al.). It provides a brief overview of what a universally designed assessment is, followed by a set of steps for states to consider when designing and developing, or…

The Dynamic Learning Maps™ Alternate Assessment is based on a different set of guiding principles than other assessments. In this article we describe characteristics of the alternate assessment population and we look at the history of alternate assessment and the problems that have been faced in implementing useful assessment programs for students…

Precision is a key facet of test development, with score reliability determined primarily according to the types of error one wants to approximate and demonstrate. This article identifies and discusses several primary forms of reliability estimation: internal consistency (i.e., split-half, KR-20, a), test-retest, alternate forms, interscorer, and…

The purpose of this report is to propose a theory of action for the development of an alternate English language proficiency assessment (AELPA) system to support the integrated instruction and assessment for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities (ELSCDs). This theory of action examines the purposes of an ELP assessment system…

Evidence-based approaches to assessment design, development, and administration provide a strong foundation for an assessment's validity argument but can be time consuming, resource intensive, and complex to implement. This article describes an evidence-based approach used for one assessment that addresses these challenges. Evidence-centered…

The plentiful and steadily increasing literature on teaching and learning in higher education has produced a number of helpful frameworks and guidelines that can be applied to the development and communication of assessment practice. The continued prevalence of much imprecise, unclear and otherwise confusing terminology around the discussion of…

Some states are developing alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) to measure the academic achievement of some students with disabilities (Albus, Lazarus, Thurlow, & Cormier, 2009; Lazarus, Thurlow, Christensen, & Cormier, 2007). These assessments measure the same content as the general assessment for a given…

Describes the efforts of the language arts staff of the Edmonton (Canada) Public Schools to develop statements of student outcomes that were generalizable across grade levels and tests of writing achievement based on those outcomes. (FL)

This digest is designed to provide information to Texas testing coordinators, other educators, and interested citizens about the development procedures and technical attributes of the state-mandated criterion-referenced assessment program. The chapters are: (1) "Background"; (2) "Test Development"; (3) "Test…

This report summarizes a variety of major collaborations in which the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) of the University of California at Los Angeles participated in Fiscal Year 1992. Most of the collaborations are part of the CRESST's Program One, "Building the Infrastructure for Improved…

Assessment cannot be considered separately from teaching and learning because assessments are the motivation for both teacher and student. This book explores a new system of assessment, not just modified tests. It describes for people inside and outside the educational community the kinds of assessment frequently mentioned in talk about…

An alternative assessment instrument developed to assess oral language skills of students in Spanish immersion programs in the United States is described. Originally developed by the Center for Applied Linguistic to evaluate 6-year-old immersion students' speaking and listening skills in a school in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the Student Oral…

This keynote address reported on the current state of science education in three areas: curriculum development, attitudes toward science, and assessment in science. Three major projects in science curriculum reform were the focus of the section on curriculum development: (1) Project 2061; (2) Scope, Sequence, and Coordination; and (3) Earth…