The purpose of educational assessments is to provide an academic check-up and to give educators and parents meaningful information on what students know and can do, and how well they are progressing toward college and career readiness. Assessments strive to show how well students perform on clearly defined standards and skills that are being taught in the classroom. Assessments provide valuable feedback to students, educators, parents, policy makers, and the public about students' academic strengths, as well as areas that need improvement, and about the effectiveness of the state's educational system. Additionally, the state summative assessments ensure West Virginia meets federal accountability requirements. The purposes of these guidelines include the following: (1) providing policy guidance to individualized education program (IEP) teams, Section 504 committees, and English learner (EL) committees for appropriately accommodating students in statewide and county-wide assessments; (2) helping teachers and schools work within the framework of federal law and state policies; and (3) providing information for documentation of implementation and assurances for federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA 2015) which has replaced requirements within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) enacted in 2002. This document includes requirements set by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004).