The Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) 2.0 is the state’s alternate
assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) for
those students with significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate
in the general statewide assessment program, even with maximum allowable
accommodations.
The GAA 2.0 is designed to ensure that students
with the most significant cognitive disabilities are provided access to the
state academic content standards and given the opportunity to demonstrate
achievement of the essential knowledge, concepts, and skills inherent in the
standards. To that end, the
GAA 2.0 assesses students’ understanding of the state’s alternate academic
content standards, or Extended Content Standards, which align to the
grade-level content standards. Alignment refers to the connection of the skill
through which students will demonstrate what they know and can do, to the
content standard expectations for general education students in a given grade.
Students with significant cognitive disabilities may need to learn these skills
differently, in smaller segments, with fewer identified components, at a slower
pace, and/or learn skills that would provide access to the standard. The Extended
Content Standards allow students to show learning of concepts and
constructs within a grade-level standard, but at reduced levels of complexity.
The
following four achievement levels generally describe students’ understanding of
the essential knowledge and skills outlined in Georgia’s Extended Content
Standards.
Level 1: Students at this level demonstrate
a limited understanding of the knowledge and skills specified in
Georgia’s alternate academic content standards. They are actively working with
adapted grade-level content that focuses on essential knowledge and skills and may
need substantial academic support as they transition to the next grade/course,
inclusive postsecondary education, or competitive integrated employment.
Level 2: Students at this level demonstrate
a partial understanding of the knowledge and skills specified in
Georgia’s alternate academic content standards. They are actively working with
adapted grade-level content that focuses on essential knowledge and skills and may
need frequent academic support as they transition to the next grade/course,
inclusive postsecondary education, or competitive integrated employment.
Level 3: Students at this level demonstrate
an adequate understanding of the knowledge and skills specified in
Georgia’s alternate academic content standards. They are actively working with
adapted grade-level content that focuses on essential knowledge and skills and may
need occasional academic support as they transition to the next
grade/course, inclusive postsecondary education, or competitive integrated
employment.
Level 4: Students at this level demonstrate
a thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills specified in
Georgia’s alternate academic content standards. They are actively working with
adapted grade-level content that focuses on essential knowledge and skills and may
need limited academic support as they transition to the next grade/course,
inclusive postsecondary education, or competitive integrated employment.
More detailed
and content-specific concepts and skills are provided for each grade and content
area in the Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs). ALDs are narrative
descriptions of the knowledge and skills expected at each of the four
achievement levels, based on the Extended Content Standards. The ALDs were
developed for each grade level and content area by committees of Georgia
educators.
Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0 Achievement Level Descriptors (ALD)
English/Language Arts ALDs
Kindergarten | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | High School
Mathematics ALDs
Kindergarten | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | High School
Science ALDs
Grade 5 | Grade 8 | High School
Social Studies ALDs
Grade 5 | Grade 8 | High School