Including students with disabilities under the regulations of NCLB has been controversial since the law was approved. According to Darling-Hammond (2007), approximately one-third of public schools have been classified as failing to meet AYP with projections reaching as high as 80% of schools failing to achieve AYP by 2014, primarily due to subgroup targets that must be reached. NWEA MAP is a state-aligned computerized adaptive test that reflect the instructional level of each student that measures growth over time. The purpose of this paper is to present the experience of schools in a Midwestern state using NWEA MAP in comparison with State achievement test assessing academic performance for students with special needs. It is our hope that this paper will generate discussions about using alternative assessment tools and the need for growth information in school accountability related to special needs populations.#SpecialNeedsPopulations #DisabilitiesandOtherVulnerablePopulations #2009Conference #Evaluation2009