Assessment and instructional implications of the alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS)

The alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS) is the latest flexibility added to the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It allows schools to count up to 2% of the total student population as proficient against a modified achievement standard. This new assessment option has significant implications for both what the assessment is like and what must happen in instruction for students. This article provides a brief summary of the AA-MAS and what states are doing in the development of the AA-MAS. It also addresses the implications of the AA-MAS option for assessment development and for instruction.