Office of Educational Services & Support

Alternate Assessment

The amended Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 04 - P.L. 105-17) and "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 requires that all students, including those with disabilities, participate in state and district wide assessment programs. There are several ways in which students with disabilities can participate in assessments.  These often are divided into three categories: (1) assessments taken in the same way as other students take them, (2) assessments taken with accommodations, and (3) alternate assessments.  A small percentage of students with disabilities may need to participate in an alternate state or district assessment because they are working in grade level alternate content standards.

Currently the alternate assessments available to school and facilities are the Dakota STEP-A (Alternate) and the Writing Alternate. Information about participation and accommodations must be documented in the student's IEP that precedes the actual administration of the assessment.

Dakota STEP – A

The Dakota STEP-A is available for students who have a significant cognitive disability and are working in the Extended Content and Alternate Academic Achievement Descriptors and whose IEP’s indicate alternate assessment for statewide testing. The testing window for the Dakota-Step A will be February 2-March 20, 2009. This administration is prior to the Dakota STEP testing window in order to alleviate the workload for special education staff who administer both assessments. The test contains a rating form, and Supporting Evidence that is used to support the ratings given on the rating form. The rating forms are aligned to the Alternate Content Standards and are grade specific, focusing on reading and math. at grades 3-8 & 11, with the addition of Science at grades 5, 8, & 11 and Writing at grades 5, 7 and 10.

Dakota STEP-A Support Materials

• Dakota STEP-Alt Data Collection Form

• Sample Observation Forms

  • Sample 1

  • Sample 2

  • Sample 3

  • Example Sample 3

• Performance Descriptions and Prompting Descriptions

• Supporting Evidence Rubric (Optional)

• Lessons Learned

• Dakota STEP-Alt Scorer Resolution Form

• Dakota STEP-Alt Directions for Administration (DFA)

• Extended Content and Alternate Academic Achievement Descriptors

• Instructional Material Examples

  • The Human Body

  • The Necklace

  • Tide Rises

• Significant Cognitive Disability Criteria

• 1% Exception request

• Alternate Listserv for teachers working with alternate content standards and alternate assessment

• Test Security Agreement and Test Security Affidavit  2009

• Test Coordinator Handbook 2009

• Parents’ Guide to the Dakota STEP-A

Dakota STEP-A Training Resources

• Secure log in for Anchor Sets (if you need a login ID and password, please contact Linda.turner@state.sd.us )
• STEP-A Training PowerPoint 2009
• Practice Scoring PowerPoint 2009 (This PowerPoint is located on the secure anchor sets page.)
• Pearson's Dakota STEP Alt- information
• Pearson's SchoolHouse presentation
• Pearson's SchoolHouse Users Guide
• 2009 STEP-A Training Videos  - Please view in sequential order
  1. Part 1:  STEP-A Overview 18 minutes
  2. Part 2:  Directions and Documenting Supporting Evidence 40 minutes
  3. Part 3:  Rating Items  9 minutes
  4. Part 4:  Practice Scoring and Improving Evidence Submissions (This video is located on the secure anchor sets page.) 47 minutes
  5. Part 5:  Final Steps 12 minutes
• Rater Two Training Materials - Will be updated soon for 2009
  • Rater 2 STEP-A Training Video-2009 40 minutes
  • Rater 2 STEP-A Training PowerPoint-2009

2009 Dakota STEP-Alt Assessment Information

• Dakota STEP-Alt 2009 Test Blueprints

Writing Alternate

• For the 2008-2009 school year, the alternate assessment for writing will be administered at grades 5, 7 and 10. This assessment is for students whose IEP’s indicate alternate assessment for statewide testing.  The Writing Alternate will be based on the Language Arts Extended Content in Writing approved Nov. 19, 2007.

• Writing Extended Content

The testing window is February 2 - March 20, 2009.   The Writing Alternate will be shipped with the Dakota STEP-A and returned to Harcourt with the STEP-A assessment.

Writing Alternate Directions

Historical Perspective