The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to ensure that the percentage of all students assessed in each subject, participating in an alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities (AASCD), does not exceed 1.0% participation of students in the state, by subject area. States who anticipate they will exceed 1.0% in alternate assessment participation in any subject area must submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) 90 days before the beginning of the alternate assessment testing window.
Kentucky's alternate assessment participation rates for each subject are included in the waivers below. Kentucky has submitted a waiver extension request annually to the U.S. Department of Education since August 7, 2018. Kentucky has received approval for the waiver extension each year.
2023-2024 Waiver
2022-2023 Waiver
2021-2022 Waiver
2020-2021 Waiver
2019-2020 Waiver
2018-2019 Waiver
2017-2018 Waiver
The ESSA requires annually each district to submit a justification when it anticipates testing more than 1.0% of students, for each subject area using the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (Alt-KSA). Each school year, districts are required to submit a justification form if the district has over 1.0% of the student population participating in an Alt-KSA subject area.
ESSA requires states to publicly post district justifications and assurances annually. Kentucky's district justifications and assurances for alternate assessment participation are available below.
District Alternate Assessment Participation Assurances and Justification