Alternate Assessment
Alternate assessments are designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities (about one percent of the student population). The structures of alternate assessments are designed around the students’ physical and cognitive disabilities in a way that allows them to answer test questions and participate in the test as independently as possible. For example, a variety of accommodations are built into the test design in order to accommodate each student’s personal mode of communication (e.g., sign language, eye gaze, augmentative communication devices, etc.).
A student eligible to participate in the alternate assessment will be assessed on all four content areas—ELA, math, science, and social studies—with the exception of the optional Grade 2 TCAP-Alt, which only assesses ELA and math.
Tennessee currently offers the following alternate assessments:
- [Required] The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) in ELA/writing and mathematics (Grades 3–8, 11)
- [Required] The TCAP-Alt for Science and Social Studies (Grades 3–8, Grade 10 Science)
- [Optional] The TCAP-Alt for ELA and math (Grade 2)
Grade Level |
None | MSAA for ELA & Math |
TCAP-Alt for Math and ELA |
TCAP-Alt for Science |
TCAP-Alt for Social Studies |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grade 2 | X (optional) | ||||
Grades 3–8 | X | X | X | ||
Grade 9 | X | ||||
Grade 10 | X | ||||
Grade 11 | X | ||||
Grade 12 | X* |
Resources
- Guidance for IEP Teams on Participation Decisions for the Alt Assessment
- ESSA and the One Percent Cap Guidance
- Decision-making flow chart
- Alternate assessment webinar (from 2016-17 school year)
- MSAA Sample Items Overview
Questions? Please contact Lori.Morris@tn.gov (assessment logistics), Christina.Fox@tn.gov (assessment design), or Alison.Gauld@tn.gov (preparing for assessments).