Rhode Island Enhanced Assessment Instruments (2004-2006)

Rhode Island won a second-round Enhanced Assessment Grant on behalf of the New England Compact to reach "students in the gap" through a Web-based task module assessment system (TMAS). These students are often described as having severe learning disabilities or moderate cognitive disabilities and therefore do not qualify for an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards.

The grant allowed to gather more information on this population in order to design an assessment that better meets their needs. Measured Progress assisted Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine to develop the prototype assessments, focusing on eighth grade mathematics. The goal for these assessments was to allow students who consistently perform below expectations on regular assessments to better demonstrate what they know and can do by providing an alternative to an on-demand, paper-and-pencil test. 

Partners in this project included the Education Development Center, the Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative at Boston College, the Educational Alliance at Brown University, and the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST).