MCA II’s
Administered to all students grade 3-8.  The students are tested in Math and Reading.  Grade 5 and 8 are also tested in Science.  NVA breaks the testing into 2 days for each subject.  Special Education students are tested in groups no larger than 2 students. For those with reading difficulties math tests are read aloud.  Our special ed students have no time limits to take test.  They are allowed frequent breaks and supplied with any sensory tools they may need. 

MTAS
The Minnesota Test of Academic Skills is an alternate assessment for our most cognitively impaired students. The decision to use the MTAS is an IEP team decision.

The MTAS may be appropriate for a student with a significant cognitive disability if all of the following requirements have been met:

1. The IEP team first considered the student’s ability to access the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA), with or without accommodations.

2. The IEP team reviewed the student’s instructional program to ensure that the student is receiving instruction linked to the general education curriculum to the extent appropriate. If instruction is not linked to the general education curriculum, then the IEP team must review the student’s goals and determine how access to the general curriculum will be provided.

3. The IEP team determined the student’s cognitive functioning to be significantly below age expectations. The team also determined that the student’s disability has a significant impact on his or her ability to function in multiple environments, including home, school and community.

4. The IEP team determined that the student needs explicit and intensive instruction and/or extensive supports in multiple settings to acquire, maintain and generalize academic and life skills in order to actively participate in school, work, home and community environments.

5. The IEP team documented, in the IEP, reasons the MCA would not be an appropriate measure of the student’s academic progress and how the student would participate in statewide testing.

MCA Modified
This is a new alternate assessment.  This year it is being piloted by students picked by MDE. The MCA-Modified is being designed for a small group of students whose disability has precluded them from achieving grade-level proficiency. The first operational administration on the MCA-Modified is planned for spring 2011. 
It is an IEP team decision as to who will take the modified test.

All requirements must be met in order for the student to qualify for the MCA-M in reading or mathematics. Eligibility is determined separately for the reading and mathematics assessments.

1. The student demonstrates persistent low performance as defined by performance at the lowest achievement level on the MCA (Does Not Meet the Standards) for the past 2 years.
OR
The student meets or exceeds the standards on the MTAS and the IEP team determines that the student is most appropriately assessed with the MCA-M.

2. The student has access to instruction on grade-level content standards.

3. The student has an IEP based on grade-level content standards in the content area(s) being assessed by MCA-M.

4. The IEP team determines that the student is highly unlikely to achieve proficiency on the grade-level content standards within the year the test is administered, even with specially designed instruction.

• Objective and valid data from multiple measures should be collected over time to confirm that the student is not likely to achieve proficiency on grade-level content standards within the year. Examples of objective and valid measures include state assessments, district-wide assessments, curriculum-based measures and other repeated measures of progress over time.
• Appropriate accommodations, such as assistive technology, are provided as needed on evaluations of classroom performance, and the student’s accommodation needs are carefully considered before the IEP team makes a determination that the student is not likely to achieve proficiency on grade-level content standards.

Parent Refusal
A parent may refuse testing.  They must submit in writing their refusal.  It is highly recommended that this only be done in extreme circumstances such as high test anxiety or particularly if the parent believes that test is significantly above their child’s skill level and would cause them stress or discomfort.  Refusal to participate does not exempt the school from the participation requirement of students and could impact AYP standing for participation.  The school must have 95% student participation to meet AYP standards.