All Florida students participate in the state’s assessment and accountability system. The Florida Standards Alternate Assessment (FSAA) is designed for students whose participation in the general statewide assessment program (Florida Standards Assessments, Statewide Science Assessment, Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments) is not appropriate, even with accommodations. The FSAA measures student academic performance on the Access Points (FS–AP) in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Access Points are academic expectations written specifically for students with significant cognitive disabilities. They reflect the essence or core intent of the standards that apply to all students in the same grade, but at reduced levels of complexity. Beginning in 2016–2017, the FSAA program will include two assessment components.
FSAA—Performance Task (FSAA–PT)
FSAA-PT is designed to assess students at three levels of complexity and results are reported through achievement levels.
FSAA—Datafolio
Florida has a new assessment component designed to address the needs of a small population of students who typically do not have a formal of communication and may be working at pre-academic levels.
- Student work is aligned to pre-determined standards and submitted via an online portfolio system during three collection periods throughout a school year.
- Scoring outcomes are designed to show progress along a continuum of access to academic content via reduced levels of assistance and increased accuracy.
- Regardless of the component with which a student is assessed, it is expected that only students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are eligible under IDEA will participate in the FSAA program.
