Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA)
2025-26 Assessment Window: March 9 – April 24, 2026
Assessment Description
The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to promote increasing academic outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities in preparation for a broader array of post-secondary outcomes. The MSAA measures academic content that is aligned to and derived from the and contains many built-in supports that allow students to use materials they are most familiar with and to communicate what they know and can do as independently as possible. In the District of Columbia, the MSAA is administered in the areas of English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3-8 and 11.
Test Design
The MSAA is a computer-based assessment and uses an online platform. A range of accommodations and accessibility features are available to students who require them.
The MSAA follows a stage-adaptive design with two sessions, or stages. The first session is administered to all students and includes a range of items of varying complexity and difficulty. There are three versions of session two of varying difficulty. Based on the student’s performance in the first session, the student is routed to the appropriate version of session two. A student is administered only one version of session two, and this routing is completed automatically through the testing platform as soon as session one is submitted. Both ELA and mathematics follow the same stage-adaptive design.
Test Results
OSSE releases MSAA results annually in conjunction with results from the general ELA and mathematics assessments. The data files provide aggregate state-, sector-, and school-level results. Resources for educators and parents are also available. Those results can be found here.
Additionally, the gives families a look into all public schools in the District of Columbia. Results for all statewide assessments can be found on the academic achievement page of the DC School Report Card .
For archival results, please contact [email protected].
MSAA Assessment Resources
Contact Information
Contact the OSSE 乌鸦传媒 of Assessments at [email protected].
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