Influences on Parent Perceptions of an Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Cognitive Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to understand the variables that influence parents' perceptions of the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA). Parents and teachers of elementary and secondary students with severe cognitive disabilities (n = 77) from across Wisconsin participated. Teachers submitted case materials that included a copy of the students' WAA rating scale and current IEP; brief teacher and parent surveys regarding their perceptions of the WAA; and a curricular access questionnaire that documented which WAA items were part of the student's curriculum during the current or previous school year. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between predictor variables and parents' perceptions as reported on the teacher survey. The results indicated that student age and the percentage of academic-focused IEP goals each accounted for the small amount of the variation in parents' perceptions of the WAA. These results are discussed in the context of consequential evidence for the validity of the WAA.