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- 1% Toolkit: Disproportionality in the Alternate Assessment Calculator: A Tool for State and Local Education Agencies (NCEO Tool #12)
This Brief explains a tool that State and Local Education Agencies (SEAs and LEAs) can use to examine disproportionality with respect to student group participation in their alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). Examining disproportionality with regard to alternate assessment participation is essentially an inquiry into whether certain groups are over- or under-identified as having a most significant cognitive disability. Participation data for groups of interest (e.g., race/ethnicity, economically disadvantaged, English learner status, chronic absenteeism) can be entered for a SEA or LEA. The tool then calculates the risk ratio, which is a way to describe the relationship of observed versus expected proportions.
Published: January 2023 - Assistive Technology Interoperability with Online Assessment Platforms and Other Technology Products and Services: Making it All Work!
This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 29, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss issues surrounding the use of personal student assistive technology and online assessment participation. A specific goal of the forum was to gather representatives from state departments of education, assessment vendors, and technology companies to discuss challenges students face when using their personal assistive technology supports to participate in online assessments and to identify possible solutions. The forum was a post-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and was a collaboration of the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) Collaborative and the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: September 2022 - TIES Center Reports: A Literature Review of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Students with Extensive Support Needs (#106)
This report presents the findings of a literature review to summarize the current literature of School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a multi-tiered framework that offers a continuum of supports to address the behavioral needs of all students within a school. Research indicates that PBIS effectively promotes positive student outcomes and improves school climate and culture. However, little is known about the involvement of students with extensive support needs (ESN) and effectiveness of PBIS for these students. Students with ESN include students with significant cognitive disabilities. This report also presents implications for practice and future research initiatives.
Published: August 2022 - NCEO Reports: Speech-Language Pathologists’ Experiences with Accessibility and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#430)
This report presents the findings of a study aimed to address the gap between policy and practice for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who serve students identified with a speech-language impairment, including other co-existing disabilities. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What factors influence how SLPs make accessibility and accommodations decisions for students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities? (2) How do SLPs participate in the IEP team classroom and assessment accessibility and accommodations decision-making process for students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities? And (3) Do SLPs have professional development needs about accessibility and accommodations?
Published: December 2021 - NCEO Reports: Test Security and Students with Disabilities: An Analysis of States’ 2020-21 Test Security Policies (#434)
This report provides a snapshot of how accommodated tests for students with disabilities, accessibility, alternate assessments, and other related issues were addressed in states’ test security policies for 2020-21. Strong test security policies and procedures are needed to help ensure the integrity and validity of state assessments, yet some test security measures may affect accessibility. There is a need for thoughtful consideration of ways in which possible test security measures may affect accessibility, and how to balance test security and accessibility. This report is an update of an analysis NCEO of 2013-14 test security policies.
Published: December 2021 - TIES Center Briefs: Understanding the Role of Paraprofessionals in Your Child’s Education in Inclusive Classrooms (TIES Center Brief #7)
Paraprofessionals should be available to students with significant cognitive disabilities in the inclusive classroom. Depending on each student’s needs, paraprofessionals may provide supports, including supports for instruction, communication, or movement. The purpose of this Brief is to address what qualities, knowledge, and skills paraprofessionals must have; what paraprofessionals should be expected to do; and what supports paraprofessionals need for success. This Brief also provides examples of appropriate use of paraprofessionals in inclusive classrooms and some red flags that might indicate a need to adjust paraprofessional support or training.
Published: 11/1/2021 - School Leader Series: Understanding the Consequences of Assessment Participation Decisions for Students with Disabilities (School Leader Series Brief #2)
This resource is designed to provide guidance to school leaders about understanding the consequences of assessment participation decisions for students with disabilities. Developed in collaboration with CCSSO, the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) and School Leadership Development and Supports (SLDS) state collaboratives made important contributions to this document. This resource highlights what school leaders can do to ensure IEP teams understand the short-term and long-term consequences of participation decisions for students with disabilities and ensure appropriate assessment participation decisions are made and implemented. It also gives talking points for school leaders to use when addressing key stakeholders on the topic.
Published: 9/28/2021 - School Leader Series: What School Leaders Need to do Before, During, and After the Assessment Window (School Leader Series Brief #4)
This resource is designed to provide guidance on what school leaders need to do before, during, and after the assessment window. Developed in collaboration with CCSSO, the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) and School Leadership Development and Supports (SLDS) state collaboratives made important contributions to this document. This resource highlights what school leaders should do to prepare for, do during, and do after assessments for students with disabilities. It also gives talking points for school leaders to use when addressing key stakeholders on the topic.
Published: 9/28/2021 - NCEO Reports: A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K–12 Test Accommodations: 2017 (#418)
The purpose of this report is to provide a synthesis of the research on K-12 testing accommodations. In this report, we summarize the research published in 2017. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research published since 1999. During 2017, 14 research studies were published on the topic of testing accommodations in the elementary and secondary education system. The academic literature described here encompasses empirical studies of performance comparability and validity studies as well as investigations into accommodations use, implementation practices, and perceptions of the effectiveness of accommodations.
Published: August 2020 
MTSS for All: Including Students with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesThe purpose of this Brief is to provide suggestions for ways in which the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a framework for organizing and providing a tiered instructional continuum to support learning for all students, can include students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Ideas for how to make MTSS fully inclusive of all students are presented following a short history of MTSS and a summary of current MTSS models.
Published: 1/23/2020
NCEO Brief: Considerations for States Providing Materials in Braille (#19)The purpose of this brief is to provide information on, and recommendations for, providing appropriate braille materials for students. In November 2012, the U.S. members of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) voted to adopt Unified English Braille Code (UEB), with implementation of the code to begin in January 2016. Prior to that, braille materials and assessments were provided through English Braille American Edition (EBAE) a "literary" code, and Nemeth Code for Mathematics & Science Notation (Nemeth). Now, math and science materials can be created in UEB only or in Nemeth that is embedded within UEB. This brief examines why providing both options is important to designing appropriate school policies and procedures for braille users.
Published: October 2019
1% Toolkit: Data Analysis and Use Planning Tool for Examining AA-AAAS Participation: Addressing the Percentage of Students Participating in the Alternate Assessment (NCEO Tool #2)This Data Analysis and Use Planning Tool is designed to help states and districts develop a plan for analyzing and using their AA-AAAS data as part of their efforts to meet the 1.0% cap on state-level participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). Developed during the NCEO’s Peer Learning Group 1 (PLG 1), it presents a four-step data analysis framework that is intended to serve as an example and a starting point for states and districts.
Published: September 2019
1% Toolkit: State-District Data Display Templates: Addressing the Percentage of Students Participating in the Alternate Assessment (NCEO Tool #3)This State-District Data Display Templates tool is designed to provide states and districts with templates to display their data, with the end goal being to support an examination of the displayed data to determine whether there are any unusual results that require further examination and discussion. This tool was developed through the work of NCEO’s Peer Learning Group 1, which focused on ways to dig into state and district data as part of the states’ efforts to meet the 1.0% cap on state-level participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS).
Published: September 2019
1% Toolkit: District Dialogue Guide: Addressing the Percentage of Students Participating in the Alternate Assessment (NCEO Tool #4)As part of its efforts to meet the 1.0% cap on state-level participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), NCEO’s Peer Learning Group 1 (PLG 1) developed this dialogue guide. It is designed to help district, school staff, and stakeholders engage in thoughtful conversations, tailored to their unique contexts, about participation in the AA-AAAS. It encourages frank discussions that can help to identify ways in which to examine a variety of data sources, use varied analysis methods, and gather relevant information, all toward the goal of ensuring that appropriate decisions are made about participation in the AA-AAAS.
Published: Sun Sep 22 2019
NCEO Brief: Revisiting Expectations for Students with Disabilities (#17)The purpose of this brief is to summarize some of the past exclusionary practices that resulted from low expectations for students with disabilities, and how those were addressed in policies related to standards-based reform. The brief is based on a comprehensive paper that takes a cross-disciplinary approach to examining expectations for students with disabilities, “Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect?” (NCEO Report 413). We highlight answers to critical questions about expectations for students with disabilities, including those with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Suggestions are provided for policymakers, states, and technical assistance providers on how to work with districts, schools, and educators to revisit expectations for students with disabilities.
Published: May 2019
Educators' Experiences With and Attitudes Toward Accessibility Features and AccommodationsA report from the DIAMOND project that explores the results of an online survey about educators' familiarity with and attitudes toward accessibility features and accommodations. Most of the 2,000 respondents reported that they work with students who use accessibility features and accommodations, which they believe to have a positive impact on educational outcomes. However, the survey results also show noticeable differences between different groups of educators and suggest that teachers in general education and English learner education may need more support in making and implementing decisions about accessibility features and accommodations.
Published: September 2017
NCEO Technical Reports: 2010-11 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELLs with Disabilities (#68)A report analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. This report, which is the fourteenth of its kind by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), includes information about both the 50 regular states and the 11 unique states (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Education, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Department of Defense Education Activities, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Palau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands).
Published: September 2013
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 Technical Reports: Test Administrators' Perspectives on the Use of the Read Aloud Accommodation in Math on State Tests for Accountability (#66)A report describing a study conducted by NCEO, in collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Education, that used focus group methodology to look closer at what happens in the room on test day when the read-aloud accommodation is used on mathematics assessments. Focus groups were conducted with educators who had administered the read-aloud accommodation for the South Dakota state mathematics assessment. Focus group discussions revealed a variety of issues on the read-aloud accommodation. Results from this study may inform local and state level policies on read-aloud administration.
Published: October 2012
NCEO Technical Reports: Using Cognitive Labs to Evaluate Student Experiences with the Read-Aloud Accommodation in Math (#67)A report describing a study of the read-aloud accommodation, which is frequently used on mathematics assessments. However, Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams often find it difficult to make appropriate decisions about this accommodation. NCEO and the South Dakota Department of Education examined how students performed on a math test with the read-aloud accommodation compared to how they performed without it. The study also explored students' perceptions of how the accommodation worked. Results from the study, found in this report, can help inform local and state level policies and procedures.
Published: September 2012