OVERVIEW

Purpose
The MSAA measures academic content that is aligned to and derived from the Core Content Connectors (CCCs) and contains many built-in supports that allow students to use materials they are most familiar with and communicate what they know and can do as independently as possible. The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to promote increasing higher academic outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities in preparation for a broader array of post-secondary outcomes.
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Design
There are two stages—or sessions in the MSAA’s design. The first session is administered to all students and includes a range of items of varying complexity and psychometric difficulty. Based on the student’s performance in the first session, an algorithm systematically runs in the background and then routes the student to the appropriate version of session 2. This routing is completed automatically through the testing platform as soon as session 1 is submitted.
 
There are three versions of session 2, with version A being the least difficult and version C being the most difficult. The Test Information Function (TIF) provides the most accurate information to verify that version A is less difficult than version C. A student is administered only one version of session 2. Both ELA and mathematics follow the same stage-adaptive design. The ELA writing component is part of all versions of session 2 and contains a selected-response writing prompt consisting of a series of items and an open-response writing prompt that is completed by a student following specific teacher-guided process steps to create a writing product.
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Who MSAA Serves
  • state education agencies
  • district and school administrators
  • special education educators
  • assessment coordinators

Alignment
MSAA meets regularly with their Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which is composed of highly qualified national experts in large-scale assessment, psychometric and research, and the student population, with some long-standing members who were also part of the NCSC project.

What MSAA provides?
Alternate Academic Assessments
Assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards.
Multi-State Collaboration
Shared governance, development, and decision-making across states.
Accessibility & Equity
Design and delivery that supports diverse learner needs.
Reporting & Use of Results
Assessment results that inform instruction and meet federal requirements.
ELA
The MSAA will be administered in the areas of ELA in grades 3-8 and high school. The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to promote increasing higher academic outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities in preparation for a broader array of post-secondary outcomes.
MATH
​ The MSAA will be administered in the area of Mathematics in grades 3-8 and high school.  The MSAA is designed to assess students with significant cognitive disability and measures academic content that is aligned to and derived from your state’s content standards. This test contains many built-in supports that allow students to take the test using materials they are most familiar with and communicate what they know and can do as independently as possible. 
SCIENCE
MSAA Partner States can now opt to include, as part of their assessment program, a Science Alternate Assessment (MSAA Science) that is aligned to Expanded Performance Expectations (EPEs) based on the Next Generation Science Standards for grades 5, 8 and high school. The test is a fixed-form administration. The SAA was carefully developed to be aligned to standards built on A Framework for K-12 Science Education. The EPEs serve as the standard targets for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The EPEs are written at three different levels of complexity to ​allow for student performance at the most appropriate complexity level.