Teachers' Perceptions of Alternate Assessments

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of alternate assessments. A total of 983 teachers from five states participated in this study. The results suggest that teachers tended to agree that their students should be included in school accountability, but they did not agree with most items assessing the educational benefits of alternate assessments. Teachers reported that the most significant impact of alternate assessments is the increase in paperwork and demands on their time. In contrast, when teachers perceive alternate assessments counting in school accountability systems, more teachers report a positive impact for alternate assessments. Significant differences in positive impact of alternate assessment between testing approaches (i.e., portfolio, performance-based, checklist) were also found. Implications and recommendations are discussed

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