The National Alternate Assessment Center (NAAC) is a five year project funded under the United States Department of Education,Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

By the end of the five year project, NAAC will:

1. gather a multi-disciplinary team of experts in measurement and special education to advance theory and practice in the designs of alternate assessments.
2. articulate a theory of learning for students who take alternate assessments that includes academic content.
3. provide techniques and strategies for aligning alternate assessments with grade-level content expectations and curriculum.
4. identify and describe the best practices for development, design, and administration of all types of alternate assessments.
5. consider the implications of the theory of universal design as it applies to alternate assessments.
6. bridge the gap between what we know about alternate assessments and effective measurement practices.
7. apply these new guidelines, techniques and strategies in real-life contexts with our state partners.
8. provide guidance to states as they design or re-design their alternate assessments in terms of technical quality.

In Collaboration with:

• National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC)
• CAST
• University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne (UIUC)
• National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA)

NAAC has both an advisory board and an expert panel which help to guide the research of the Center. The advisory board consists of experts from a variety of stakeholder groups including special education, policy, severe disabilities, universal design, deaf-blindness, learning disabilities, partner state representatives, teachers, parents of students with disabilities, and consumers. The expert panel consists of experts in measurement, special education, and assessment who work closely with our state partners concerning their current assessment systems. Overall, the guidance of both groups is inherent to the forward thinking, research, and technical assistance provided by NAAC to the fields of assessment and education.