Innovative Special Education Services :: Supporting Minnesota Charter Schools
Testing Accommodations
As you all may know the testing season will soon be upon us! This pre-testing time is crucial, this is when all of the materials are ordered so it is extremely important to make sure all of the information is up to date and accurate. As a special ed teacher it is important for you to work closely with your school testing coordinator, they are the people who monitor all of the ordering, etc. If you do not know who that person is at your school, you need to find out as soon as possible.
This year, MDE has added another alternative assessment, the MCA-Modified. Hopefully you are familiar with this term- there was field testing for the MCA-Modified last year. This means additional work for you as a case manager when it comes to determining testing accommodations for your students.
Regarding the MCA's, students with IEPs have the following options:
1. Take the MCA's without accommodations
2. Take the MCA's with approved accommodations determined by the IEP team
3. Take an alternative assessment- either the MTAS(MN Test of Alternative Skills) or the MCA-Modified
Just as the MTAS has certain requirements for who should take it, the MCA-Modified also has specific eligibility requirements. As the case manager you will need to review the accommodations for the MCAs along with the eligibility requirements for the alternative tests. We have included some information that will hopefully assist you. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions About the New MCAs for 2011 and the Alternative Assessment Eligibility Requirements. We will also be putting more information on the assessments on our website and as always, please feel free to contact our office for any additional information.
