This study investigated the validity of a statewide alternate assessment program, IASEP (Indiana Assessment System of Educational Proficiencies) by examining supporting profile patterns on the 100 core IASEP items of individuals with significant disabilities. Participants were 5,192 students ranging in age from 7-21 years with special education diagnoses of autism, mild cognitive disabilities, moderate cognitive disabilities, multiple disabilities, and severe cognitive disabilities. A profile analysis using a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to examine profile patterns across the five disability groups and items in each domain. Results support existing profile patterns among disability groups, indicating that IASEP can be used as a model for an alternate assessment instrument.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Arnold, N. (2003). Washington alternate assessment system technical report on standard setting for the 2002 portfolio (Synthesis Report 50). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. Retrieved January 30, 2004, from: http://education.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis52.html .
2.
Bennett, D.E., Arvidson, H.H., & Giorgetti, K. (2004). Development of an integrated computer-based assessment system for early childhood programs. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 29, 1-15.
3.
Bennett, D.E., & Davis, M. (2002). The development of an alternate assessment system for students with significant disabilities. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 26, 15-34.
4.
Bennett, D.E., Davis, M., & French, B.F. (2000). Concurrent and construct validity of an alternate assessment system. Manuscript submitted for publication, Purdue University.
5.
Browder, D., Flowers, C., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Karvonen, M., Spooner, F., & Algozzine, R. (2004). The alignment of alternate assessment content with academic and functional curricula. The Journal of Special Education, 37, 211-223.
6.
Brown, R.T. (1985). The validity of teacher ratings in differentiating between two subgroups of attention deficit disordered children with or without hyperactivity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45, 661-669.
7.
Capps, L., Kehres, J., & Sigman, M. (1998). Conversational abilities among children with autism and children with developmental delays. Autism, 2, 325-344.
8.
Elliott, S.N., Gresham, F.H., & McCloskey, G. (1988). Teacher and observer ratings of children's social skills: Validation of the social skills rating scales. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 6, 152-161.
9.
Gillham, J.E., Carter, A.S., Volkmar, F.R., & Sparrow, S.S. (2000). Toward a developmental operational definition of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 269-278.
10.
Gresham, F.M., MacMillan, D.L., & Bocian, K.M. (1997). Teachers as "tests": Differential validity of teacher judgments in identifying students at-risk for learning difficulties . School Psychology Review, 26, 47-60.
11.
Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, § 118 (2004).
12.
Kampfer, S.H., Horvath, L.S., Kleinert, H.L., & Kearns, J.F. (2001). Teachers' perceptions of one state's alternate assessment: Implications for practice and preparation. Exceptional Children, 67, 361-374.
13.
Kleinert, H., & Kearns, J. (1999). A validation study of the performance indicators and learner outcomes of Kentucky's alternate assessment for students with significant disabilities. The Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 24, 100-110.
14.
Kleinert, H., & Kearns, J. (2001). Alternate assessment: Measuring outcomes and supports for students with disabilities. Baltimore: Paul Brookes.
15.
Lee, S., & Odom, S.L. (1996). The relationship between stereotypic behavior and peer social interaction for children with severe disabilities. The Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 21, 88-95.
16.
Liss, M., Harel, B., Fein, D., Allen, D., Dunn, M., Feinstein, C., et al. (2001). Predictors and correlates of adaptive functioning in children with developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 219-230.
17.
Matson, J.L., Bamburg, J.W., Mayville, E.A., & Khan, I. (1999). Seizure disorders in people with intellectual disability: An analysis of differences in social functioning, adaptive functioning and maladaptive behaviours. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 43, 531-539.
18.
Rodrigue, J.R., Morgan, S.B., & Geffken, G.R. (1991). A comparative evaluation of adaptive behavior in children and adolescents with autism, Down syndrome, and normal development . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21, 187-196.
19.
Shelton, M. (1998). Basic concepts in profile analysis of means. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
20.
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.
21.
Thompson, S.J., & Thurlow, M.L. (2001). 2001 state special education outcomes: A report on state activities at the beginning of a new decade. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes.
22.
Volkmar, F.R., Sparrow, S.S., Goudreau, D., Cicchetti, D.V., Paul, R., & Cohen, D.J. (1987). Social deficits in autism: An operational approach using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 156-161.
23.
Volkmar, F.R., Carter, A., Sparrow, S.S., & Cicchetti, D.V. (1993). Quantifying social development in autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 627-632.
24.
Wing, L., & Gould, J. (1979). Severe impairments of social interactions and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9, 11-29.
25.
Ysseldyke, J.E., Olsen, K., & Thurlow, M. (1997). Issues and considerations in alternate assessments (Synthesis Report No. 27). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes.
