5037 Including Students with Disabilities in State and Districtwide Assessments

School districts are required to assess students with disabilities as frequently and in the same manner as they do students without disabilities. Therefore, to the extent the district or state requires student participation in assessments, students with disabilities will be included in the assessment or provided an alternative method of assessment.

The Section 504/Title II team for each student with a disability (collectively referred to as the “Team”) will make the decision regarding his or her participation in regular districtwide assessment on an individual basis, considering his or her unique needs.

The Section 504/Title II team for each student with a disability (collectively referred to as the “Team”) will make the decision regarding his or her participation in regular districtwide assessment on an individual basis, considering his or her unique needs.

Generally, an IEP Team shall meet to make such a determination after providing notification to the student’s parent/guardian at least five days in advance (or earlier if mutually agreed by the district and parent/guardian). Such notification must indicate the purpose, date, time and location of the meeting and who, by title or position, will attend the meeting. The determination is based on criteria determined by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE).

Regular Districtwide Assessment

To make these determinations, Team members will be knowledgeable about the child’s present level of educational performance and measurable annual goals; the general or alternate curriculum; the format and content of the assessment; and the alignment between the curriculum and the academic content standards assessed by the assessment.

Based on a review of relevant information, the members of the Team will determine whether and how the student will participate in the assessment. For those students who are identified as needing accommodations, the Team will document in either the IEP or Section 504/Title II Plan which accommodations are necessary for the child

to participate in the assessment. The Team may determine that the student can participate in some portions of the assessment without accommodations and identify accommodations for other portions of the assessment.

Alternate Assessment

The Team will not determine that participation in an alternate assessment is necessary based primarily upon poor attendance; English language learner status; social, cultural or economic differences; disruptive behavior;

student reading level; expectations of poor performance; amount of time receiving special education services; low achievement in general education; categorical disability label; performance tied solely to a level, label or cut score; or the location where the child receives services. If the Team determines that student participation in an alternate assessment is necessary, the team will specifically identify the alternate assessment to be utilized on the IEP or Section 504/Title II Plan. The Team will select a mode of alternate assessment that measures the same content area(s) as the districtwide assessment.

A parent has the right to opt out of the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) by declining parent consent on an OSDE form. In such an event, the student will not be assessed using the OAAP, and the student will be administered the assessment given to regular education students for that grade level.

Students will not be required to participate in OAAP without a completed parental consent form as adopted by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The district may proceed in requiring the student to participate in OAAP without parental consent in the following cases:

1.                 After documenting reasonable efforts to obtain parent/guardian consent and the parent/guardian has failed to respond; or

2.                   The district obtains approval through a due process hearing in accordance with 34 CFR § 300.506 et seq.

Reference: Okla. Stat. tit, 70, § 16-114.6. Adopted 7/8/02

Revised 12/13/04

Revised 1/16/06

Revised 12/13/21

Revised 12/8/25