One of the four basic requirements of enrollment in an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) program is annual assessments. All students enrolled in courses or course work must be assessed at least annually, using, for full-time students, the state assessment for the student's grade level and using any other annual assessments required by the school district. Part-time students must also be assessed at least annually. 

Formal Assessments:

1. State Assessment
2. i-Ready Assessments
3. Approved Alternate Assessments

• Summative Assessment – measures a student’s achievement at the end of instruction. These include cumulative end-of-course or final exams within the curriculum or placement tests to indicate readiness for the next grade level.

• Norm-Referenced (NRT) or Criterion- Referenced (CRT) Assessment – compares student’s performance against a national or other “norm” group with a National Percentile Rank (NPR). These include California Achievement Test (CAT), Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Stanford Achievement Test (SAT, not to be confused with the college admissions SAT), and Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). Also are "IQ," "cognitive ability," "school readiness," and developmental screening tests.

Annual assessments need not be formal state or district standards-based assessments, or norm-referenced tests. Observational assessment from a teacher, portfolio assessment, running records, and other means may all be forms of acceptable annual assessments.