Center for Disabilities Studies : School Age Initiatives : Delaware Alternate Portfolio Assessment
Delaware Alternate Portfolio Assessment (DAPA)
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The Delaware Alternate Portfolio Assessment (DAPA) is the State of Delaware assessment of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 2-11. As required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all students must be included in an assessment program when one is implemented by a state or school district.
The Center for Disabilities Studies, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education and a group of education and family stakeholders, developed the DAPA to meet these requirements. In the State of Delaware, students participating in the DAPA are assessed in the same content areas as their peers using the same general education standards.
Each year approximately 1,000 students with the most signficant cognitive disabilities are assessed using the DAPA. Serving as a snapshot of their school instruction, the portfolio documents educational activities. The assessment process includes examining the settings in which students are instructed, their interactions with typical peers, how the student makes choices, plans, and monitors activities, and how the student is accessing the general education curriculum.
For more information
Alison Chandler
302-831-1052
alisonc@udel.edu