The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to test every student to the same challenging standards, including students with cognitive or learning disabilities. Only one percent of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities may take the state's alternate assessment, where the tested standards have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity, and as a result, the test itself is markedly different^[1].

• To support ESSA's requirement that alternate academic achievement standards be aligned with the general education standards, states convene panels of subject-matter experts, teacher experts, and other stakeholders to develop and refine the tested standards.
• Also, to support ESSA's requirement that the tests themselves meet the needs of students who require extensive accommodations for their learning environment, the test design and delivery must conform to Universal Design for Learning principles.

One commercial test that is designed with these requirements in mind is the Dynamic Learning Map Assessment from University of Kansas^[2]. These tests are built around strongly-aligned alternate achievement standards, and designed and delivered in ways that facilitate a student's independence in taking the test. Here's their introductory video for more information: