Before You Begin

This course is offered through the New Mexico Public Education Department’s (NMPED’s) Special Education Office (SEO). The course is designed to assist all educational personnel in their efforts to appropriately identify those students who should participate in an alternate assessment and correctly administer the appropriate alternate assessments to those individuals.

This course has been developed to provide the practitioner with the knowledge and confidence necessary to administer the three alternate assessments. The NMPED strongly encourages each participating professional to take this course prior to administering any of the three alternate assessments.

OverviewHere is what you need (technical requirements) to take the online web course:

• Internet access

• Web Browser (Explorer or Netscape)

• Powerpoint

The New Mexico Alternate Assessment Online Course provides you with the tools and information you need to successfully administer the alternate assessments. All of these tools can be downloaded and/or printed for future reference. If, at any point during or after this online course, you still have questions regarding any aspect of alternate assessment, you are encouraged to call the SEO at (505) 827-6510 and ask to speak with Lisa Chacón-Kedge. You may also e-mail your questions to lchacon@sde.state.nm.us.

• Apply participation criteria/eligibility guidelines to identify those students for whom an alternate assessment is appropriate.

• Correctly administer the

• New Mexico Alternate Assessment

• New Mexico Alternate Assessment for Reading

• New Mexico Alternate Assessment for Writing

• Correctly use the scoring guide in assessing skills.

• Implement promising practices for the instruction of students with significant cognitive disabilities.

The information is divided into the following four modules:

• Overview of the Online Course

• Format of the New Mexico Alternate Assessments

• Administration of the New Mexico Alternate Assessments

• Promising Practices in the Education of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Click on each module in order and read the accompanying information. When you feel that you understand the information in a particular module, proceed to the next. You are encouraged to return to earlier modules if you feel that you do not understand a particular concept.

This course is designed for the convenience of the adult learner. Process the information at your own pace.

After you have worked your way through all four modules, you will be ready to take a short automated quiz to ascertain your mastery of the subject matter. Once you are comfortable with the information provided in this course, the quiz should take no longer than 20 minutes. You will be prompted through the quiz so that you know immediately whether or not you have answered correctly. Once you have successfully completed the quiz, you will automatically receive a certificate of completion from the NMPED.