Special Education Services

The purpose of the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) and the Oklahoma Modified Alternate Assessment Program (OMAAP) is to provide accountability for program improvement and instructional direction for children with disabilities in accordance with the federal regulations of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The OAAP portfolio and the OMAAP are part of the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP), and becomes part of an inclusive accountability system for school sites and school districts.

OAAP

The OAAP portfolio utilizes alternate academic achievement of the standards, which differ in complexity from grade-level achievement of the standard, but is linked to Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) for children with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The alternate academic achievement of the standards are available in the Curriculum Access Resource Guide-Alternate (CARG-A) for utilization in Individualized Education Program development and curriculum planning. Children accessing this curriculum will have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) containing rigorous and measurable goals and objectives/short-term benchmarks. A one percent cap exists for the reporting of students who score proficient on the OAAP. The cap does not limit the number of students participating in the OAAP, only the number who may be reported as proficient for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

OMAAP

The Oklahoma Modified Alternate Assessment Program (OMAAP) is an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement of the standards and is available for students who are working at grade level, but are not able to reach proficiency in the year covered by their IEP. The Curriculum Access Resource Guide -Modified (CARG-M) is available for teachers to implement in IEP development and serves as a modified academic achievement of the standard. The IEP of a child participating in the OMAAP should reflect goals for subjects assessed alternately and for the grade in which the student is enrolled. The IEP should be designed to monitor the child's progress toward these goals. The OMAAP is comparable to the regular assessment; however, grade-level content is addressed in such a way that students are better able to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities. A two percent cap exists for reporting the percentage of students counted as proficient on AYP. The cap does not limit the number of students who may participate in OMAAP.

As provided by NCLB and IDEA, the OAAP and the OMAAP ensure participation of children with disabilities who cannot otherwise participate in the regular assessment even with appropriate accommodations. IEP teams, including the parent(s), have been provided a Criteria Checklist for Oklahoma's Alternate Assessments to use as guidance in determining the most appropriate assessment for children with disabilities on an annual basis.