Statewide Assessment for Students with DisabilitiesLearning Support :

Minnesota Alternate Assessments
 
Minnesota Alternate Assessments Federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandate that all Minnesota students, including students with disabilities, participate in statewide assessments in the areas of reading and mathematics using the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA-II) or an appropriate alternate assessment. An alternate assessment is designed exclusively for use with students who receive special education services and is a way for states to measure the achievement of these students based on alternate achievement standards. During the 2007-2008 school year, a new alternate assessment will be introduced called the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)-Science. For training information or general information about the MTAS, visit The Minnesota Department of Education's Assessment and Testing section of our Website.

Determinations about how an individual student with a disability will participate in statewide testing must be made by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team. The decisions are documented on the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) and address a variety of test purposes such as accountability, requirements for granting a diploma, and as needed, English Language Learner assessments. Listed below, are the IEP Team Guides to Statewide Assessments 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. These are summaries of the decisions to be documented on the IEP. The guides also provide information on the appropriate alternate assessment to be used based on the test purpose

MDE Contact:  Eric Kloos, Supervisor; 651-582-8268; email: Eric Kloos