Welcome to the Special Education and Alternate Assessments webpage. The Special Education Department and the Assessment and Accountability Department collaborate to inform schools and parents on the educational trends related to standards-based instruction, classroom assessments materials, and accessibility options. Idaho believes in high expectations and achievement for every student, including students with disabilities.
One element of having high expectations for students with disabilities is having them participate in statewide assessments. The expectation is that every student with a disability participate in all statewide assessments. This expectation focuses an IEP team’s assessment participation decision not on IF the student will participate, but HOW the student will participate. A student with a disability can participate in statewide assessments in one of three ways:
- Regular assessment without accommodations.
- Regular assessment with accommodations.
- Alternate assessment, intended only for those students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, representing about 1.0% of the total student population.
- The ISAT alternate assessment is known as the Idaho Alternate Assessment (IDAA)
- The ACCESS for ELs alternate assessment is known as the Alt-ACCESS.
Resource Files
IDAA Participation
- A Parent Guide to the IDAA - Reviewed August 2020
- IDAA Participation Definitions & Criteria - Reviewed August 2023
- IDAA Participation Worksheet 2022 - Revised September 2022
IDAA ELA/Literacy
- ELA-Literacy Extended Content Standards
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 3 - Revised December 2021
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 4 - Revised December 2021
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 5
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 6
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 7
- IDAA ELA Blueprint Grade 8
- IDAA ELA Blueprint High School
IDAA Mathematics
- Math Extended Content Standards
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 3
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 4
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 5
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 6
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 7
- IDAA Blueprint Grade 8
- IDAA Blueprint High School
IDAA Science
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Idaho Alternate Assessment (IDAA)
Students with Disabilities Taking Other Statewide Assessments
Training Resources
Training resources related to ISAT accommodations and administering the IDAA are currently under development. As training materials become available they will be posted here. Topics will include: ISAT accessibility, a decision-making process for teams related to identifying assessment accommodations, IDAA practice tests, etc.
Resource Links
Idaho Department of Education Links
General Links
- College Board Typical Accommodations
- Idaho Portal
- Idaho Training Clearinghouse
- NAEP Accommodations and Inclusion Information
- Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities topic page
- WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations webpage
- WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLS
OSEP Policy Letter: November 13, 2021 to Boals
This letter addresses whether IDEA requires inclusion of language development goals in a child’s IEP if the child is an English learner and discusses best practices that districts, schools, and teachers can use to ensure they provide appropriate instruction to English learners with disabilities throughout the school day. The letter also provides several resources that address best practices for developing IEPs and providing instruction for English learners with disabilities.