Examining Teachers’ Decisions on Test-Type Assignment for Statewide Assessments

Abstract

Recent studies have raised concerns about the vagueness of alternate assessment eligibility guidelines, specifically, that students with mild disabilities (SWMD) have been inappropriately assigned to alternate assessment–alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). In this study, special education teachers ( N = 317) were surveyed about SWMD in vignettes to explore (a) perceptions of the clarity of eligibility guidelines, (b) teachers’ test-type decisions, (c) factors considered when making test-type decisions, and (d) teachers’ priority rankings of these factors. Teachers’ test-type decisions varied by state, subjectivity, and noninstructional factors. Findings raise concerns about the inconsistency and lack of specificity of the current state guidelines, their vulnerability to subjective interpretation of eligibility, and states’ different alternate assessment systems. Directions for future research, implications of the current findings, and limitations are discussed.