ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL STUDENTS - KENTUCKY ALTERNATE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE COGNITIVE DISABILITIES

One of the keys to ensuring high expectations for all students is the requirement for inclusive measures of educational accountability. Reco gnizing this need, Congress enacted Title II, National Education Refor m Leadership, Standards, and Assessments, calling for the development of state assessment systems that fully include all students, as a majo r component of the 1994 Goals 2000: Educate America Act. At present, K entucky is the only state in the nation that fully includes all studen ts within a statewide educational assessment and accountability system . students with moderate and severe cognitive disabilities participate in Kentucky's assessment system via the Alternate Portfolio. This art icle describes the development of Kentucky's alternate assessment, inc luding the content and scoring standards for the Alternate Portfolio. Specific examples of entries at each grade level (4th, 8th, and 12th) are given as well. Initial implementation data, including reliability, validity, and instructional impact measures, are presented. Finally, critical issues in the development of alternate statewide assessments are discussed, with recommendations for future research efforts in thi s area.