The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is seeking public comment on its request for a waiver extension on the number of students who may be tested using an alternate assessment for the 2025- 2026 school year. For each subject for which assessments are administered, the total number of students assessed using an alternate assessment may not exceed 1% of the total number of students in the State assessed in that subject. If the State anticipates exceeding the 1 percent cap, a waiver extension request must be submitted to the federal government. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) requires that:
- Only students with the most significant cognitive disabilities take an alternate assessment; and
- No more than 1.0% of all students assessed in the state participate in the alternate assessment.
- ESEA permits states to request a one-year waiver of the one percent cap if certain statutory and regulatory requirements are met. As part of the waiver request, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) requires the state to demonstrate that the waiver extension is in the public's best interest through the collection of public comment.
Comments on the 2024- 2025 1% Cap Waiver Application will be accepted through December 26, 2025.