AA-AAAS Bibliography: Inclusion Guidelines

To identify publications for inclusion in the Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) Bibliography, researchers searched databases, conducted searches using search engines, searched websites that commonly have relevant publications, and hand-searched selected journals. Additional details about the methods are described below.

Inclusion Criteria

Publications included in this bibliography address at least one of the following criteria:

  1. Investigation of AA-AAAS validity, alignment, administration, and use.
  2. Teachers', students', parents', and administrators' knowledge or perceptions of AA-AAAS, as well as descriptive studies on AA-AAAS administration and use.
  3. Standards-based content-alignment and academic instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
  4. Policy and reform related to standards-based instruction and assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including articles on ESSA/ESEA and IDEA as they pertain to students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Timeline

Articles published after 1995

Databases and Search Engines

To identify publications for inclusion in the AA-AAAS Bibliography, researchers:

  • Review four research databases: ERIC, Digital Dissertations, Education Source, and PsycInfo
  • Conduct searches using two search engines: Google and Google Scholar

Search Terms

The following search terms are used:

  • alternate assessments
  • alternate academic achievement standards
  • assessment (severe or significant) disabilities
  • (ESSA or ESEA) (severe or significant) disabilities
  • assessment 1%
  • AA-AAAS (assessment)
  • accountability assessment (severe or significant) disabilities
  • standards reform (severe or significant) disabilities
  • large-scale assessment (severe or significant) disabilities
  • content alignment (severe or significant) disabilities
  • growth models (severe or significant) disabilities
  • standards instruction (severe or significant) disabilities

Websites

The following websites are searched for publications that meet the inclusion criteria:

  • NCEO (https://www.nceo.info)
  • CAST (https://www.cast.org)
  • Center for Assessment (https://www.nciea.org)
  • University of North Carolina - Charlotte: Project Impact (https://projectimpact.charlotte.edu/)
  • Institute on Disability, University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) (https://www.iod.unh.edu/)
  • Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) (https://dynamiclearningmaps.org/publications)
  • Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) (https://www.msaastates.com/)

Hand-searched Journals

Additionally, selected journals are hand-searched for publications that meet the inclusion criteria:

  • Assessment for Effective Intervention
  • Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities
  • Exceptional Children
  • Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
  • Remedial and Special Education
  • Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities
  • The Journal of Special Education

Excluded documents:

The AA-AAAS Bibliography does not include the following types of publications:

  • State technical manuals, administration manuals, or inclusion guidelines.
  • Publications with only a tangential focus on alternate assessments or students with significant cognitive disabilities.
  • Technical assistance documents with a limited audience.
  • Publications on non-standards-based instruction.