Measured Progress INNOVATION LAB to Partner with States on Guidelines of Accessibility of Assessments Project
DOVER, N.H., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Measured Progress INNOVATION LAB will serve as research partner for the Guidelines for Accessibility of Assessments Project (GAAP). The 18-state* collaboration is led by the State of Maryland and funded through a U.S. Department of Education Enhanced Assessment Grant (EAG).
The charge of the GAAP is to make Common Core assessment items and tasks accessible to students who require spoken and signed assessment content. The initiative is expected to result in a nationwide consensus on best practices for representing content in a spoken or signed form. The resulting guidelines will be informed by current practices in selected states, as well as by native speakers, deaf K-12 mathematics educators, and higher education sign experts.
In addition to the INNOVATION LAB and the states, the National Center for Educational Outcomes, the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media, Common Core content experts, and nationally recognized sign leaders will participate in the $2 million, two-year project—one of three awarded during the most recent EAG funding round. Kansas and Oregon were recipients of the other awards.
"The research and development projects proposed by these states will enhance the inclusion of English learners and students with disabilities in state assessment systems and, as a result, provide better data for supporting effective teaching and learning," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.
"This latest EAG award further validates the growing role of the INNOVATION LAB as one of the nation's foremost authorities and innovators in multiple areas of accessibility," said Measured Progress President and CEO Martin Borg. "It also affirms the commitment of Measured Progress to support initiatives to improve outcomes for all students."
*Participating states include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
The Measured Progress INNOVATION LAB is the not-for-profit organization's research arm. The INNOVATION LAB creates engaging and authentic assessment environments that benefit a wide range of students and inform improved instructional practices. Since 1983, Measured Progress has successfully partnered with more than half of the states across the nation in support of programs that have affected millions of students. The organization develops state- and district-level assessments and is the nation's leading provider of alternate assessment for students with cognitive disabilities. In addition, Measured Progress offers tools, services, and products to help educators create and use assessment to measure student achievement and improve instruction. MeasuredProgress.org
SOURCE Measured Progress
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