The purposes of the Hawaii State Alternate Assessment are to (1) meet or exceed the requirements of NCLB (2001), Chapter 302A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, and Hawaii Board of Education Policy 2520-Statewide Assessment Program, (2) promote, improve access to, and measure the attainment of the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS) in reading, mathematics, and science by setting high expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities, (3) provide information to stakeholders about the achievement of students, schools, complex areas and the state relative to challenging alternate academic achievement standards, and (4) support instructional program improvement efforts.

For more information about the new Hawaii State Alternate Assessment please visit AlohaHSAA.org.

HSAA Testing Window

The HSAA is administered using teacher observations and evidence of student performance gathered during classroom instruction. The alternate assessment is administered throughout the school year. During the 2011-12 school year, the HSAA will be administered January 4, 2012 - April 13, 2012.

Student Participation in the HSAA

Students with significant cognitive disabilities are individuals who display limited cognitive abilities that may be combined with physical limitations or behavioral limitations, or both; and who require highly specialized educational programs. Students with significant cognitive disabilities may have inconsistent or rudimentary basic skills in reading and math. They may be gaining word or number awareness while using symbols to fill in reports and other student assignments, or they may be able to understand a concept in a content text if the text is not only simplified and made accessible with technology or a human reader, but also supplemented with extensive picture or auditory cues. Students with significant cognitive disabilities may also use minimal sight word vocabulary to glean meaning from phrases, headlines, and other signs.

The IEP team must balance the needs of the student in learning both the skill and the content. When determining student participation in the HSAA the IEP team must ensure that the student meets ALL four criteria for participation in the alternate assessment.

Important Dates:

Role Group Involved	Task	Date Available	Date Due
Test Coordinators	Distribute copies of the HSAA participation guidelines to the Student Services Coordinator (SSC) and Special Education Department Chairperson so they can share this information with the special education teachers for use during IEP meetings.	9/2/2011	9/9/2011
Principals and HSAA Support Team	WebEx Meeting (login information to follow) to review HSAA procedures	9/15/2011	N/A
Test Coordinators	WebEx Meeting (login information to follow) to review HSAA procedures	9/15/2011	N/A
Test Coordinators	Maintain and update Student Roster, as needed, in the HSAA OSD	9/19/2011	4/13/2012
Test Coordinators	Add or delete Test Administrators, as needed, in the HSAA OSD	9/19/2011	4/13/2012
Test Administrators and HSAA Support Team	Mandatory Training at various district sites (see DOE memo for dates and times)	10/11/2011 through 10/21/2011	N/A
Test Administrators	Complete test certification process in the OSD	10/24/2011	4/13/2011
Test Administrators	Voluntary Teachers’ HSAA WebEx Meetings (login information to follow)	11/17/2011 1/19/2012 2:30 PM	N/A
HSAA Support Team	WebEx Meetings (login information to follow)	11/17/2011 1/19/2012 10:30 AM	N/A
Test Administrators	Complete the Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) for each student in the HSAA OSD	1/4/2012	4/13/2012
Test Administrators	Complete the Assessment Accommodations questions for each student in the HSAA OSD	1/4/2012	4/13/2012
Test Administrators	Complete the Accommodations for Instruction questions for each student in the OSD	1/4/2012	4/13/2012
Test Administrators and HSAA Support Team	Mandatory Training at various district sites (see DOE memo for dates and times)	2/6/2012 through 2/17/2012	N/A
Test Administrators Test Coordinators HSAA Support Team	Complete the HSAA Evaluation	4/16/2012	4/20/2012
HSAA Standard Setting Committee	Set the cut scores for the HSAA proficiency levels. See application to participate in DOE Memo dated 2/15/2011	5/29/2012	6/1/2012
Test Coordinators	2011-12 HSAA Family Score Reports available	August, 2012	August, 2012