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District staff explain alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities
Summary
Staff described the district's use of alternate assessments under ESSA, eligibility rules (IEP-team decision), two state test pathways (DLM and ELAA), portfolio-based reporting, and staffing/licensure needs; North Scott reported about 10 students are on alternate assessments.
Unidentified Speaker 6 gave a classroom-focused overview of alternate assessments used for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, emphasizing that the Every Student Succeeds Act requires access to general-education curriculum while states provide alternate assessment pathways for a small number of students.
"So when we think about students who are on alternate assessment, we're thinking about students, their needs, and kind of what best captures their true abilities," Unidentified Speaker 6 said. The presenter explained eligibility is an individualized IEP-team decision guided by three state-specified questions; disability alone, poor attendance or English-language status are explicitly not qualifying factors.
Staff described two main assessment pathways: DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps), given in grades 3'11 and aligned to alternate achievement standards, and ELAA (Early Literacy Alternate Assessment), used in kindergarten through sixth grade and structured as a portfolio. Presenters said DLM includes fall, winter and spring testing windows and that ELAA is monitored year-round with monthly reporting tied to the district's IEP/ACHIEVE system.
Concrete classroom implications were highlighted: results form a road map for teachers to sequence instruction, and the IEP team must review eligibility annually so placement on alternate assessment is not necessarily permanent. The district reported approximately 10 students across kindergarten through 11th grade are on alternate assessment, well under the 1% threshold cited in state guidance.
Presenters also noted a workforce constraint: teachers who instruct alternate-assessment students must hold an intellectual-disabilities endorsement (the presenter referenced a "strat 2" and an intellectual-disabilities endorsement). The district reported it currently has eight endorsed teachers available (four at Allen Shepherd) to meet those needs.
Board members asked questions about initial placement, reassessment and how families receive progress information; staff said families receive portfolio reports and IEP updates in line with standard reporting practices. The presentation concluded with an offer to answer additional questions and to bring more examples as needed.
The board did not take any formal action on assessment policy at this meeting; the presentation was informational.
