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DIAS: Belief, Purpose and Goals

The Documentation of Indiana’s Academic Standards project (DIAS) is an initiative of the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Special Education. This project is grounded in the belief that all students have value, can learn with appropriate accommodations and can be expected to make measurable gains.

The purpose of the DIAS project is to develop an electronic portfolio system that can be used to gather and organize student achievement on Indiana’s Academic Standards. DIAS 2000 is based upon the standards of the general education curriculum and provides an additional means of measuring a student’s progress, as required by:

300.347(a)(1)(i) Present levels of performance
300.347(a)(2)(i) Measurable annual goals
300.347(a)(3)(II) Statement of services to be provided
300.347(a)(7)(i) How progress will be measured
300.343(c)(2)(i) Review and revision of IEP’s


DIAS 2000 provides an additional means of reporting a student’s progress, as required by:

    300.347(a)(7)(ii) Regular reports to parents

 For a student who has not yet attained the Indiana standards, as measured by ISTEP+, DIAS 2000 provides a means of determining the focus of instruction needed to master the identified standards.

 For a student who is unable to demonstrate his/her full skills and knowledge on ISTEP+, DIAS 2000 provides an additional method of measuring achievement in the general curriculum.

 For a student who will not participate in ISTEP+, as determined by his/her case conference committee, DIAS 2000 may be used as an alternate assessment.The DIAS Alternate Assessment will include the Indiana Academic Standards. Participating in DIAS Alternate Assessment does not substitute for the state Graduation Qualifying Examination requirement.

DIAS 2000, Indiana's standards-based assessment system, is designed to:

  • Support high expectations for student mastery of academic standards.
  • Accurately reflect the student’s strengths as well as the degree of support needed as the student progresses toward the attainment of academic standards.
  • Include continuous documentation of student performance from a variety of sources across the curriculum.
  • Provide meaningful assessment opportunities resulting in information that can be easily communicated and used to make informed instructional decisions.
  • Reflect shared responsibility for the accomplishments of all students within the accountability system.
  • Provide information that can be used to improve the content and quality of a student’s education.
  • Be available as a documentation system to all students who have not been successful with ISTEP+.
  • Meet state reporting requirements.