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CCSSO Accessibility Manual: How To Select, Administer, And Evaluate Use Of Accessibility Supports For Instruction And Assessment Of All StudentsFormats: WordThe Council of Chief State School Officers' (CCSSO's) Accessibility Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accessibility Supports for Instruction and Assessment of All Students establishes guidelines for states to use for the selection, administration, and evaluation of accessibility supports for instruction and assessment of all students, including students with disabilities, English learners (ELs), ELs with disabilities, and students without an identified disability or EL status. Accessibility supports discussed herein include both embedded (digitally-provided) and non-embedded (non-digitally or locally provided) universal features that are available to all students as they access instructional or assessment content, designated features that are available for those students for whom the need has been identified by an informed educator or team of educators, and accommodations that are generally available for students for whom there is documentation on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 accommodation plan. Approaches to these supports may vary depending on state or assessment consortium contexts as well as nature of assessments - be they content assessments, English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, or alternate assessments.
Published: August 2016
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Recommendations for Making Decisions About the Participation of Students with Disabilities in Statewide Assessment Programs: A Report on a Working Conference to Develop Guidelines for Statewide Assessments and Students with Disabilities (#15)Formats: PDFThis report is a summary of a meeting held in the Washington, DC area on May 17 and 18, 1994. The purpose of the meeting was to: (1) Discuss participation of students with disabilities in state assessment programs, (2) Discuss adaptations in assessments or assessment procedures to accommodate students with disabilities, (3) Attempt to arrive at agreement on a reasonable set of practices in making participation and accommodation decisions, and (4) Identify major technical and implementation issues that might be part of state or federal research agendas on participation and accommodations in assessment programs. This report proposes a set of recommendations for making participation and accommodation decisions, and indicate the fundamental assumptions that underlie participation of students with disabilities in state assessment programs. We describe the rational for the development of a consistent system for making decisions about participation and accommodations in state assessment programs.
Published: July 1994- Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 1 Video: Why are assessments important, and why should students with disabilities participate in assessments? (Version 1/professionally recorded)Formats: Free Video
This video was designed to help families understand why assessments are a good opportunity for their children to show what they know, and for schools to better understand their children’s needs. It also includes tips for families on how to better support their children when they take assessments. This “Version 1” video is professionally created and is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: Performance Trends and Use of Accommodations on a Statewide Assessment: Students with Disabilities in the KIRIS On-Demand Assessments from 1992-93 through 1995-96 (#3)Formats: Online
A report from the past Maryland-Kentucky-NCEO Assessment Project, a federally funded effort supported, in part, by a grant to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Published: April 1998 
NCEO Policy Directions: Providing Assessment Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in State and District Assessments (#7)Formats: OnlineThis year 1997 report identifies issues to address in facilitating the provision of appropriate accommodations in state and district assessments. Issues focus on defining assessment accommodations, what types are available, who has input on their use, when they are used, how they affect results, and principles to guide decisions. The report ends with brief recommendations.
Published: June 1997- English Language Proficiency (ELP) AssessmentsFormats: Online
This page provides information on English language proficiency assessments.
Published: 2021-02-01 
Assessment Principles and Guidelines for ELLs with DisabilitiesA report detailing the work of an Institute project called Improving the Validity of Assessment Results for English Language Learners with Disabilities (IVARED) that has identified essential principles of inclusive and valid assessments for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. These principles were developed from a review process with nationally recognized experts in special education, English as a second language or bilingual education, assessment, and accountability. Additional input was obtained through discussion of the principles at national assessment and education conferences, as well as during meetings of the Council of Chief State School Officers State Collaborative on Assessments and Student Standards (SCASS) groups. This report presents five core principles of valid assessments for this population of students, along with a brief rationale and specific guidelines that reflect each principle.
Published: 2013
NCEO Policy Directions: Successfully Transitioning from the AA-MAS to the General Assessment (#22)A report exploring how federal policy initiatives such as the flexibility waivers for accountability are requiring that states transition away from the use of an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). It is expected that those students who had participated in that assessment will instead participate in the state's general assessment (or a Race-to-the-Top consortium assessment if the state belongs to one). It is important that this transition be successful. Much has been learned through the development of the AA-MAS and its implementation. These lessons learned form the basis for ensuring the successful transition from the AA-MAS to the general assessment. Indeed, the lessons learned from the AA-MAS provide important information for all states as they strive to ensure that their general assessments are appropriate for a broad range of students. This Policy Directions offers suggestions for strategies to move the students currently participating in the AA-MAS to the general assessment.
Published: February 2014- Alternate AssessmentsFormats: Online
This page provides information on alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Published: 2021-02-01 
Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments: Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement StandardsFormats: PDFA guide helping parents of students with disabilities understand a new state alternate assessment allowable under No Child Left Behind. While few states are currently offering this assessment option, some will be developing it in the coming years. Parents will need to understand what it is and how to decide if it is the right option for their child.
Published: 2007
NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Resources: Limited English Proficient Students in National and Statewide Assessments (#8)Formats: OnlineThis year 1996 report provides an annotated bibliography on accommodation issues related to assessing English learners, focusing on literature published within a decade related to national and state administered assessments.
Published: August 1996- NCEO Reports: Developing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for Interim Assessments that Include All Students (#445)
This report provides a resource for state and district assessment staff as they develop requests for proposals (RFPs) for interim assessments for all of their students, including those who require accessibility features, to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as well as those who may need an alternate assessment because of their significant cognitive disability. This report provides ideas for ensuring that bids for interim assessments address the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners.
Published: January 2025 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Deciding Whether an English Learner with a Disability Should Participate in State Alternate Assessments of Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science (Tool 5)Formats: PDF
This tool describes a way to ensure that all potential assessment participation decision makers are informed about the state’s content assessments and considerations for determining whether a student who is an English learner with a disability should participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) or the general content assessment. A list of resources on decision-making approaches for content assessments is included. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - Self-Study Guide for the Development of Statewide Assessments that Include Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This year 1996 self-study guide is designed to help state education agency (SEA) staff evaluate and revise their assessment policies and procedures in a way that promotes the participation of all students in some form of their state assessment programs. More specifically, it is intended for staff responsible for the state assessment system and staff responsible for the education of students with disabilities. It also could be used by test development contractors and stakeholders who are serving on state task forces to develop state assessment systems. And, this guide should be helpful to local education agency staff who wish to revise their own assessments to include all students.
Published: 1996 
PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: What Do State Reading Test Specifications Specify?A report examining state assessment blueprints or test specifications for state reading assessments. The No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to assess student reading, but each state is responsible for selecting what will be tested and how in its large-scale statewide assessments. As part of this process, states develop standards with which both instruction and assessments are expected to align. State standards for reading vary by definition and focus from state to state. The authors of this paper looked at:
- Themes related to the purposes and constructs of assessments
- How those themes related to state standards
- The number of items assigned to particular constructs
- The types of items typically found in statewide assessments
Published: June 2007- NCEO State Surveys: 2025 Survey of States: Trends and Issues in Statewide Assessment of Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This report summarizes the seventeenth survey of states by NCEO, collecting over three decades of data on the participation and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Forty-five jurisdictions responded, revealing key trends in state practices. Key findings show that states primarily monitored accessibility features by reviewing IEP records and conducting site audits. To support participation in alternate assessments (AA-AAAS), states focused on training and data sharing. However, a major challenge is meeting the federal 1% limit for AA-AAAS, largely due to concerns over inappropriate student identification and the lack of staff training. For Alt-ELP assessments, states ensured proper assignment through revised guidelines and training. Growth models were common for general assessments but rarely used for AA-AAAS and Alt-ELP assessments. States mainly disaggregated general assessment results by disability category to analyze trends. The survey confirms states are prioritizing training and monitoring to align assessment practices with federal requirements.
Published: November 2025 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Measuring Academic Achievement of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Building Understanding of Alternate Assessment Scoring Criteria (#50)This year 2003 report, compares and contrasts the assumptions and values embedded in scoring criteria used in five states for their alternate assessments. It discusses how the selected states are addressed the challenge of defining successful outcomes for students with significant disabilities as reflected in state criteria for scoring alternate assessment responses or evidence and how these definitions of successful outcomes have been refined over time. The five states use different alternate assessment approaches, including portfolio assessment, performance assessment, IEP linked body of evidence, and traditional test formats. Findings showed a great deal of overlap across the alternate assessment approaches, as they tended to represent a continuum of approaches as opposed to discrete categories.
Published: June 2003- Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 1 Video: Why are assessments important, and why should students with disabilities participate in assessments? (Version 2/authentic video of a parent and her children)Formats: Free Video
This video was designed to help families understand why assessments are a good opportunity for their children to show what they know, and for schools to better understand their children’s needs. It also includes tips for families on how to better support their children when they take assessments. This “Version 2” video has the same content as “Version 1” but features an authentic parent and her children. The video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 
NCEO Brief: Including Students with Disabilities in Common Non-Summative Assessments (#6)A brief -- the sixth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- addressing the Consortia's need to develop an inclusive approach to their non-summative assessments, including their optional interim assessments. Consideration should be given to: (a) the implementation of universal design principles; (b) the development of clear participation criteria and guidelines; and (c) accommodation policies that account for good testing practices, embedded features of technology-based assessments, and additional accommodations. This brief encourages the Consortia to build on what has been learned from inclusive large-scale assessments.
Published: July 2012- Accountability for the Results of Educating Students with Disabilities: Assessment Conference Report on the New Assessment Provisions of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education ActFormats: Online
A year 1998 conference report on the assessment provisions of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and its component Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requested that NCEO convene a working conference in Washington DC to define issues and develop recommendations related to State and district-wide assessments and accountability. This report describes the findings of this conference.
Published: April 1998