Alternate Assessment Collaborative Update

The Project Leadership Team

The Collaborative held a series of meetings this summer with representatives from each member state, the first in late July with the Project Leadership Team (PLT). This team comprises two representatives from each member state department of education and one representative from each of the supporting organizations. At this meeting, the PLT finalized policies regarding confidentiality, security, and release of such Collaborative products as assessments and rubrics, as well as inclusion of students in the pilot testing. The team also decided on a research agenda to present to the Technical Advisory Committee and prioritized content area concepts for assessment development.

The Central Development Teams

During July and August, the Collaborative also held Central Development Team (CDT) meetings with test developers from Measured Progress and ILSSA to brainstorm assessment activities. The special education and general education teachers from each member state and national content experts who make up the CDTs will meet again in November to review the test items and make final suggestions. Meanwhile, the test developers will send summaries of the assessment activities to PLT members from each state.

The State Development Teams

Each state then will convene a group called the State Development Team (SDT), which includes approximately eight teachers per content area—chosen by the state PLT representatives—who will review the activity summaries and provide feedback. In this way, each state has as much input as possible at each step in the process and can benefit from the experience and expertise of many different teachers. Teachers commented that their attendance at the summer meetings expanded the perspectives they bring to their classrooms.

The work of the Collaborative promises to provide inroads toward stronger, more technically sound alternate assessments.