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NCEO Technical Reports: Where's Waldo? A Third Search for Students with Disabilities in State Accountability Reports (#25)This year 2000 report analyzes state education reports to determine what types of information are provided on students with disabilities. It is the third such study conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes, and was based on 170 reports from state accountability offices and state special education offices. Findings reported include the following: (1) despite IDEA requirements for public reporting of assessment participation and performance data for students with disabilities, only 14 states included participation data and 17 states included performance data for students with disabilities in state assessments, (2) participation levels varied from 33% to 97% of students with disabilities, and (3) information on performance levels varied widely. The report presents several recommendations to states. These include the need for states to indicate how they will move toward meeting IDEA requirements for reporting data on students with disabilities, to consider how best to present these data to avoid unintended consequences, and to ensure an accounting of participation data for each performance score that is reported.
Published: April 2000
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: English Language Learners with Disabilities and Large-Scale Assessments - What the Literature Can Tell Us (#6)This year 2005 report describes a review of literature pertaining to the inclusion of English learners with disabilities in states' large-scale assessment programs. It describes their participation in statewide testing for accountability purposes and reviews other literature pertaining to this population.
Published: June 2005
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Implementation of Alternative Methods for Making Educational Accountability Decisions for Students with Disabilities (#12)Formats: PDFThis report examines some of the issues and challenges in gathering data for purposes of making accountability decisions for students with disabilities (1994). The report (1) describes the alternative methods that are being used, (2) describes the student population and accountability decision-making practices in representative states, (3) describes the kinds of issues State Education Agency (SEA) personnel encounter, (4) identifies the kinds of data SEA and national education policy personnel say would be needed to demonstrate that education works for students with disabilities, (5) describes ways in which SEA personnel have been successful in overcoming barriers, and (6) makes recommendations of promising practices for making accountability decisions.
Published: March 1994
NCEO Reports: Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect? (#413)This report provides a cross-disciplinary look at educational policy, practice, and law related to expectations for students with disabilities. It addresses three questions critical to a discussion of expectations for students with disabilities, viewing the questions from an educational perspective and a legal perspective. The report concludes with responses to each of the questions and then provides recommendations for action based on what thoughtful, informed professional judgment of appropriate educational opportunities for students with disabilities should be.
Published: May 2019
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Including English Language Learners with Disabilities in Statewide Assessments (#9)This year 2005 report examines the challenges that state educational agencies face when including English learners with disabilities in statewide assessments and the solutions they have identified. The study involved telephone interviews with state department personnel in areas of assessment, English learner programs, and special education in 14 states.
Published: June 2005
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Washington Alternate Assessment System Technical Report on Standard Setting for the 2002 Portfolio (#52)This year 2003 report presents information on Washington's standard setting procedure for its portfolio alternate assessment for students with significant disabilities. It also gives information on the perception of the standard setting panel regarding the decisions that were made, thereby providing documentation and validation of the standard setting process to establish alternate academic achievement standards for this population.
Published: October 2003
NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2017-2018 APR Snapshot #23: Students in Special Education Assigned Assessment Accommodations (#23)Formats: OnlineThis APR Snapshot Brief provides information on the number of students with disabilities assigned accommodations and the performance of these students on the general statewide assessment used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data from the 2017-2018 school year, we present information on accommodations for general reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to grade 8 students (and grade 4 to show a comparison to grade 8 data).
Published: March 2021- NCEO Brief: Understanding the Characteristics of English Learners with Disabilities to Meet Their Needs During State and Districtwide Assessments (#24)
The purpose of this Brief is to highlight available federal data about the characteristics of English learners with disabilities, including how the population has changed over time. Understanding the characteristics of English learners with disabilities is critical to ensuring that their needs are met appropriately during the assessment process. Three characteristics are highlighted: (a) percentage of all students with disabilities identified as English learners, (b) disability categories of English learners with disabilities, and (c) classroom placements of English learners with disabilities. The implications of these characteristics for assessment are discussed in this Brief.
Published: 10/26/2021 - NCEO Annual Performance Reports and State Performance Plans: 2006-2007 State Assessment DataFormats: PDF
A report summarizing the 2006-2007 state assessment information that was submitted by states in their Annual Performance Reports. States and other educational entities receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) submitted their Annual Performance Reports and Section 618 Table 6 data together to the U.S. Secretary of Education on or before February 2008. This report contains information on large-scale assessment participation and performance data for the 2006-2007 school year.
Published: July 2009 
NCEO Technical Reports: States Challenged to Meet Special Education Targets for Assessment Indicator (#55)All states are required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to submit Annual Performance Reports (APRs) to the federal government. The purpose of this report is to reflect the progress made, according to state APRs submitted in 2008, toward meeting targets for components of APR Indicator 3 on assessments administered in school year 2006-2007. An additional purpose is to present an analysis of improvement activities used by states to facilitate progress in their assessment systems.
Published: February 2010
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: Including English Language Learners with Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessments - A Case Study of Linguistically-Diverse Populations (#14)This year 2006 report describes issues surrounding the inclusion of English learners with disabilities in states' large-scale assessment systems, with a focus on gathering information at the local school level to understand a variety of perspectives.
Published: July 2006
Learning Modules on English Learners (ELs) with DisabilitiesFormats: OnlineThis free training helps educators look at important issues surrounding students who are ELs with disabilities. Participants follow the story of Emma, a middle school student with a learning disability, while also providing additional case studies of students with other disabilities who need accommodations to access instruction and assessments. The training especially models how educators and parents or guardians can work together to make and implement good decisions about accommodations as members of the featured student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.
Published: 2013-06-06
NCEO Technical Reports: Uneven Transparency: NCLB Tests Take Precedence in Public Assessment Reporting for Students with Disabilities (#43)This year 2006 report describes the extent that states publicly reported assessment data for students with disabilities for 2003-2004. It describes the assessment systems of states, reporting practices for participation and performance, and achievement gap data. Recommendations for clear reporting are also provided.
Published: March 2006
NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2008-2009 APR Snapshot #2: Assessment Accommodations Use by Special Education Students (#2)Formats: OnlineThis year 2012 report provides information on the number of students with disabilities using accommodations on statewide reading and math assessments used for federal accountability purposes. Using federally submitted data from the 2008-2009 school year, the authors present information on accommodations for reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to grade 8 students (and grade 4 to show a comparison to grade 8 data).
Published: January 2012- NCEO Reports: Updated Assessment Principles and Guidelines for English Learners with Disabilities (#424)
This updated report, originally published in 2013, presents five core principles of valid assessments for English learners with disabilities, along with a brief rationale and specific guidelines that reflect each principle. The principles were developed through a Delphi review involving experts in the fields of assessment, instruction of English learners, and special education. Appendices to this report describe the Delphi data collection process, and members of the expert panel. References and selected core resources related to each principle and guidelines are also included in an appendix. This update of the report recognizes the contextual changes that have occurred since 2013, but does not alter the principles themselves.
Published: August 2020 - NCEO Annual Performance Reports and State Performance Plans: 2007-2008 State Assessment DataFormats: PDF
A report summarizing the 2007-2008 state assessment information that was submitted by states in their Annual Performance Reports. States and other educational entities receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) submitted their Annual Performance Reports and Section 618 Table 6 data together to the U.S. Secretary of Education on or before February 2009. This report summarizes the 2007-2008 state assessment information that was submitted by states in their Annual Performance Reports. It contains information on large-scale assessment participation and performance data for the 2007-2008 school year.
Published: August 2010 - NCEO Brief: Interim Assessment Practices for Students with Disabilities (#22)
This Brief contains a scan of the interim assessment landscape, and is focused on the availability of documentation supporting the appropriateness of these assessments for students with disabilities. The purpose of this Brief is to advise the development of guidance that facilitates improved practices related to the use of interim assessments for students with disabilities.
Published: April 2021 - NCEO Brief: Alternate Interim Assessments for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (#23)
This Brief offers preliminary guidance for the development of interim assessment options for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. There are federal requirements that all statewide and districtwide administrations of an assessment must have an alternate assessment. Given the importance interim assessments have now when there is an increased need for timely data on student learning and progress, the creation of high-quality alternate interim assessment options for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities requires urgent attention.
Published: May 2021 
NCEO Brief: Considerations for Consortia as States Transition Away from AA-MAS (#7)A brief addressing the need for consortia to assist their member states in moving away from the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). It focuses on key considerations for consortia as they address the inclusion of low-performing students in all member states, informed by the lessons learned from the AA-MAS. Topics highlighted in this brief are: including low-performing students in field test designs, customizing non-summative assessments to include low-performing students, and collecting and examining data on this group of students.
Published: February 2014
NCEO Policy Directions: Putting it All Together - Including Students with Disabilities in Assessment and Accountability Systems (#16)This year 2003 report provides an overview of key components of inclusive assessment and accountability systems and to highlight how they fit together to form a cohesive whole that facilitates the intended benefits of standards-based reform.
Published: October 2003