Resources
Search Filters
Search Results
- Selected filters():
- NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Participation Communication Toolkit Slide Deck TemplateFormats: PPT
This customizable slide presentation is designed to support the needs of state education agency staff, and district and school administrators for brief but substantive information district and school administrators can use when communicating with educators, policymakers, families, and other stakeholders about why it is so important that students participate in state assessments. In addition to serving as an information resource for administrators, it may be used for in-person or webinar trainings for educators, and as a handout for educators and parents. The slides may be customized. The slide deck is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests.
Published: 11/9/2021 - NCEO Newsletter: June 2023 issueFormats: Online
In this issue, we highlight some new NCEO products, as well as several upcoming events. The first article is about two new tools that can be used to develop state and district assessment participation action plans. Next is an article about gaps in the accommodations research literature. This issue includes a summary of all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). Finally, there is an article on the forum on What Does Meaningful Accessibility Really Mean? that follows NCSA. The article includes information on how to register for the forum.
Published: June 2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: One-Page “Ready-to-go” Policymaker FlyerFormats: PDF
The purpose of this “ready-to-go” flyer is to provide concise resources about why it is so important that all students participate in state testing. Written for policymakers, it also provides strategies to support students and their families in the policymaker’s state. The flyer is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. This flyer can be used as is with no changes.
Published: 3/8/2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Communicating about Annual State Assessment Participation for All Students: A Communication ToolkitFormats: Word
This communications toolkit was developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. The purpose of the tool is to provide a concise resource that state education agency staff, and district and school administrators can use when communicating with educators, policymakers, families, and students about why it is so important that students participate in state assessments. It also contains materials that Individualized Educational Program (IEP) teams can use when making state test participation decisions for students with disabilities. This toolkit is intended to provide a neutral but useful mechanism to guide positive, thoughtful conversations about student testing participation.
Published: 2023-03-09 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: One-Page “Ready-to-go” Student FlyerFormats: PDF
The purpose of this “ready-to-go” flyer is to provide concise resources about why it is so important that all students participate in state testing. Written for students, it also provides strategies to reduce student test anxiety. The flyer is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. This flyer can be used as is with no changes.
Published: 3/8/2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: One-Page “Ready-to-go” IEP Team Discussion GuideFormats: PDF
This “ready-to-go” discussion guide for IEP teams is designed to provide information about the different test options for students with disabilities, and the implications of those decisions. This resource also explains why it is so important that students with disabilities participate in state testing. The tool may be customized by a state, district, or school. The discussion guide is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. This flyer can be used as is with no changes.
Published: 3/8/2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: One-Page “Ready-to-go” Educator FlyerFormats: PDF
The purpose of this “ready-to-go” flyer is to provide concise resources about why it is so important that all students participate in state testing. Written for teachers, it also provides strategies to reduce student test anxiety. The flyer can be displayed during state testing windows, shared during parent-teacher meetings, and distributed during school events. The flyer is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. This flyer can be used as is with no changes.
Published: 3/8/2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: One-Page “Ready-to-go” Family FlyerFormats: PDF
The purpose of this “ready-to-go” flyer is to provide concise resources about why it is so important that all students participate in state testing. Written for families, it also provides strategies to reduce student test anxiety. The flyer can be displayed during state testing windows, shared during parent-teacher meetings, and distributed during school events. The flyer is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. This flyer can be used as is with no changes.
Published: 3/8/2023 - 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 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 3 Video: What is the SSIP, and why do it?Formats: Free Video
This video provides a family-friendly definition of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and explains how states, educators, and families can work together to ensure their SSIP addresses the needs of students with disabilities in order to improve their educational outcomes. This video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 2 Video: What are the purposes of different tests, and how are they used in the SSIP?Formats: Free Video
This video discusses different types of tests and their objectives. It describes various test purposes, and their role in improving instruction and outcomes for students with disabilities through the state’s State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). This video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - 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 - 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 in Spanish)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 and additionally is in Spanish. 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 
A Guide to Educational Acronyms: What's in the Alphabet Soup?Formats: PDFA resource guide providing a glossary of the "alphabet soup" of educational acronyms. NCEO developed this "acronym handbook" as a resource to define, clarify, or remind anyone involved legislative and policy discussions of definitions of routine educational acronyms. This pocket guide will be a useful tool for participants, whether they are state legislators, teachers, parents, or others.
Published: 2012- Empowering Families Flyer #1: Why are assessments important?Formats: PDF
This flyer 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 flyer is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: August 2023 - What New Special Education Directors Need to Know about Academic AssessmentsFormats: Online
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide easy access to information that will help special education directors fulfill their role in ensuring the participation of students with disabilities in assessments. The toolkit is meant to assist directors in locating information and resources on the website of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) . The information and resources highlighted in this resource can help support special education directors in ensuring that all students with disabilities are included in state, district, and school assessments and accountability systems in a manner that is appropriate for each student based on their specific instructional and assessment needs.
Published: June 2022 - Empowering Families ToolkitFormats: Word
This Empowering Families Toolkit was developed by National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to provide accessible materials for parents about topics related to assessment-related State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP) and State-Identified Measurable Results that states commit to reaching. These materials are designed to help support their participation in stakeholder meetings. The toolkit includes short video clips and printed flyers. The materials are designed for dissemination through social media, state websites, and at meetings.
Published: August 2023 - Empowering Families Flyer #2: What are the purposes of the different kinds of tests?Formats: PDF
This flyer define the different types of tests and their objectives. It describes various test purposes, and their role in improving instruction and outcomes for all students. This flyer is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: August 2023 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: 2007 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#69)A 2008 report updating the National Center on Educational Outcomes' (NCEO) report from 2006 that tracked and analyzed state policies on assessment participation and accommodations since 1992. The purpose of the current analysis is to update information on these policies that was last reported by NCEO in 2006 (based on 2005 data). In this analysis, policies from all 50 states, plus 8 of the unique states, were reviewed. The current analysis of states' 2007 participation and accommodation policies found that state policies on participation and accommodation continue to evolve, and that they have become more detailed and specific than in previous years.
Published: December 2008
NCEO Synthesis Reports: 2009 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#83)A report updating information on the state policies on assessment participation and accommodations that NCEO has been tracking and analyzing since 1992. NCEO last reported this information on these policies in 2008 (based on 2007 data). Policies from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included in the report. In addition, current state accommodations policies were analyzed by grade and content area.
Published: September 2011