Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

An Educator's Guide

Authors: Harold Kleinert, Jacqueline Kearns

K-12

Develop effective alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). With this practical guidebook, K-12 educators will modify assessments and ensure high-quality instruction that leads to better outcomes.


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To support K–12 students with significant disabilities and get an accurate picture of their skills and knowledge, schools need to implement effective alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). This is the guidebook every team should have—not only to develop successful AA-AAS linked with grade-level content standards but also to ensure the kind of quality instruction that leads to higher achievement.

The follow-up to Kleinert and Kearns's pioneering Alternate Assessment, this cutting-edge book synthesizes current research on AA-AAS and gives education professionals strategies for implementing assessments and improving instruction. With a strong focus on practical classroom application, the expert authors show readers how to:

understand the key principles of alternate assessment, including validity, technical quality, and content standards
align instruction with assessment across major academic content areas: reading, math, science, and social studies
implement a clear four-step process to improve student access to the general curriculum
use multiple measures to ensure that assessments accurately reflect students' abilities
link IEPs with grade-level content standards
teach relevant functional and life skills within grade level content
build students' communicative competence to improve their educational outcomes
educate families about the purpose and content of alternate assessments
decode the federal mandates for alternate assessments and the most recent regulations
see how alternate assessment works in the context of a school's broader accountability system

The definitive resource on AA-AAS—and an essential supplementary text for future general and special educators—this book will make alternate assessment meaningful and lead the way to higher academic achievement for students with significant disabilities.

Reviews

: Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities - June 1, 2012

"Succeeds in addressing some of the most difficult questions in special education in accessible language...both useful and thoughtful and will likely be highlighted, earmarked, and heavily relied upon by many educators and students of education."

Erik Carter, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison - June 7, 2010

"A thoughtful, thorough, and timely guide to the design and implementation of high-quality alternate assessment... reflects high expectations for what students with severe disabilities can and should learn."

Fred Spooner, Department of Special Education, and Child Development, College of Education, University of North Carolina, Charlotte - June 7, 2010

"A great resource for the people on the front line of alternate assessment... will help teachers in the planning and implementation of daily instruction and alternate assessment methods."

Claudia Flowers, Professor of Educational Research, University of North Carolina at Charlotte - June 7, 2010

"Exemplifies the best thinking on making a positive impact with the academic development and assessment of students with intellectual disabilities."

Margaret J. McLaughlin, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. - June 7, 2010

Authors: Harold L. Kleinert, Jacqueline F. Kearns

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How do you promote progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities?