The National Study on Alternate Assessments (NSAA) was mandated by Section 664(c) of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). Specifically, the law called for a “Study on Ensuring Accountability for Students Who Are Held to Alternative Achievement Standards” The alternate assessment arena is rapidly evolving across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, reflecting the states’ responses to legislative, regulatory, technical, and methodological developments in the assessment of students with significant cognitive disabilities for federal, state, and local accountability purposes. NSAA is examining alternate assessment systems during this period of rapid evolution using two primary data collection methods: document
analysis and data verification activities in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and teacher surveys in selected states.
