The requirement that individualized education program (IEP) teams make decisions about the participation of students with disabilities in general or alternate state- and district-wide assessments is nearly two decades old. The decisions that must be made have become more complicated with the addition, in some states, of alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) and alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement standards to the alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) that exist in all states. Decisions about assessment participation also have become more "high stakes." Decision makers may wonder about the effects of the participation of some students with disabilities in the general assessment when those students may not be expected to perform well. Questions are heightened when the poor performance of students with disabilities affects a school's adequate yearly progress or new measures of growth. Decision makers may think that placing these students in an assessment other than the general assessment will result in proficient performance, which in turn would be helpful for school accountability. Decisions are also affected by concerns about stress that a student might experience. Too often, however, this stress is transferred to the student from a teacher or other adult. An important role for leaders is to ensure that educators and other adults understand that the purpose of the assessment is to determine what students have learned and what needs more attention in instruction. Providing ways for educators to talk to their students about the purpose of these assessments and to provide ways to reduce anxiety associated with assessments is important. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)