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NCEO Synthesis Reports: 2003 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#56)This year 2005 report analyzes states' 2003 participation and accommodation policies. Authors found that these policies continue to become more detailed compared to previous years. Key findings from this analysis include: (1) Clarifications and specifications attached to specific accommodations in state policies--especially those with implications for resulting scores--are increasing, (2) States are providing guidance to readers, scribes, and sign language interpreters--as well as direction for IEP teams--on the process for using accommodations that are not on an approved list, (3), The number of states permitting the use of accommodations for all students is increasing, and (4) The most controversial accommodations continue to be read aloud (questions), calculator, spellchecker, and proctor/scribe. The authors note that the analysis did not attempt to determine the degree to which state policies complied with federal requirements under IDEA or NCLB.
Published: June 2005- A Framework for Making Decisions about Participation in a State’s Alternate ELP Assessment (NCEO Report 426)
This report provides information on how to identify which English learners who may have a most significant cognitive disability are eligible to take an alternate English language proficiency (alt-ELP) assessment. It does so by summarizing federal assessment requirements for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities, describing characteristics of students in this population, offering a framework for identifying students who are eligible to participate in the alt-ELP assessment, and incorporating a list of recommended resources for more information.
Published: 10/28/2021 
NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2017-2018 APR Snapshot #24: AA-AAAS Participation and Performance (#24)Formats: OnlineAn Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) has been developed by each state to measure the academic achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities. This report summarizes AA-AAAS data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2017-2018 school year, we present information on the number of students participating in the AA-AAAS and the performance of those students.
Published: January 2021
NCEO Data Analytics: Graduation Policies for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Who Participate in States' AA-AAS (#1)Formats: OnlineAn online, interactive brief presenting the results of NCEO's analysis of states' graduation policies for their students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). There is increasing interest in graduation rates and regular diploma requirements as states aim to ensure their students are college- and career-ready when they leave school with a diploma. Yet little was known about states' graduation policies and this prompted the current analysis.
Published: March 2015
NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: Testing Students with Disabilities Out of Level: State Prevalence and Performance Results (#9)Formats: OnlineThis year 2003 report describes the prevalence and performance results of students participating in out-of-level testing in 3 states of 14 invited to participate in the research study. Among study findings, were wide variability in percentage of students taking tests out-of-level, and at least in one state, larger numbers performing at high levels on below-level tests, suggesting a more difficult test should have been administered.
Published: October 2003
NCEO Synthesis Reports: States' Participation Guidelines for Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2010 (#82)A report updating the information gathered by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) in previous reports. Since 2007, NCEO has annually compiled, analyzed, and summarized states' participation guidelines for the Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-MAS). The purpose of this report is to update the information gathered from previous reports. As of November 2010, 17 states - California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia - had publicly available participation guidelines for an assessment the state considered to be an AA-MAS. As of February 2011, four states - Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas - had successfully completed the U.S. Department of Education's peer review process that determines whether the assessment fulfills the necessary requirements for the state to receive federal funds.
Published: May 2011
Linking Inclusion to Conclusions: An Empirical Study of Participation of Students with Disabilities in Statewide Testing Programs (Oregon Report 1)Formats: OnlineA report from the past Oregon Assessment Project, a federally funded effort.
Published: October 1997
Including Students who are Deaf or Hard-of-hearing in English Language Proficiency Assessments: A Review of State PoliciesFormats: PDFA report documenting participation and accommodation policies for English language learners (ELLs) who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (HH) on English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used for Title III accountability. Accommodations policies are discussed with reference to five accommodations commonly used by ELLs who are Deaf/HH, including: Sign Interpret Directions, Sign Interpret Questions, Visual Cues, Sign Response, and Amplification Equipment. Over time, states' policies on participation and accommodations on ELP assessments for ELLs who are Deaf/HH have continued to evolve and become more detailed. Still, there is room for improvement. States should continue to evaluate the construct being measured by each domain and evaluate how specific accommodations impact the validity of student scores. Controversial accommodations should be re-evaluated to make sure that the greatest numbers of students have access to the assessment while maintaining the construct being measured. States should also determine whether and in what circumstances selective participation by domain is appropriate for ELLs who are Deaf/HH.
Published: 2014
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 APR Snapshot Briefs: 2018-2019 APR Snapshot #27: AA-AAAS Participation and PerformanceFormats: Online
This report summarizes Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2018-2019 school year, we present information on the number of students participating in the AA-AAAS and the performance of those students. An AA-AAAS has been developed by each state to measure the academic achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities. We present data for the 50 regular states as well as the 10 unique states (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Education, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Virgin Islands).
Published: December 2022 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: A Compilation of States' Guidelines for Including Students with Disabilities in Assessments (#17)Formats: PDFThis report provides a listing of states' written guidelines on the participation of students with disabilities in assessments (1993).
Published: February 1995
NCEO Technical Reports: Participation and Performance Reporting for the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) (#58)A report examining publicly-reported participation and performance data for the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). Analysis included all states publicly reporting AA-MAS data, regardless of whether they had received approval to use the results for Title I accountability calculations. Data were examined for school years 2006-07 through 2009-10. Because most states had not yet reported data for 2009-10, the authors focused most of the analyses on 2006-07 (six states with an AA-MAS), 2007-08 (eight states with an AA-MAS), and 2008-09 (eight states with an AA-MAS).
Published: April 2011- NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: Characteristics of Students Who Participate in Kentucky's Testing System Under Various Conditions (#4)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: August 1999 - NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: A Comparison of State Assessment Systems in Maryland and Kentucky with a focus on the participation of students with disabilities (#1)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: November 1996 
NCEO Newsletter: June 2017 issueFormats: OnlineThe June issue of NCEO's e-newsletter highlights recent webinars, products, and upcoming activities. NCEO held a couple webinar conferences recently. One focused on the 1% cap on participation in the alternate assessment. The other, which was jointly hosted with the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT), focused on the state-defined alternate diploma. Also highlighted are a new NCEO Data Analytics, an interactive report that provides multiple ways of examining participation and performance data for students with disabilities, and a resource, Formative Assessment for Students with Disabilities. Finally, you will find an article on the forum that will precede the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA), titled Text Readers for Everyone on All Tests - Getting a Handle on What This Means. It includes information on how to register for this event. Also, we provide a summary of all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during NCSA.
Published: June 2017
NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Focus Group Input on Students with Disabilities and Minnesota's Basic Standards Tests (#3)Formats: OnlineThis year 1996 report summarizes focus group input on the participation of students with disabilities on Minnesota's Basic Standards Tests.
Published: August 1996
Proceedings of the 1% Cap National Convening: Supporting States in Implementing ESSA's 1% State-level Cap on Participation of Students in the AA-AAASThis Proceedings document was developed to provide a summary of the 1% National Convening that took place in Boston on October 18 and 19, 2018. More than 200 individuals gathered to listen to each other, share ideas, and develop state-level action plans. The purpose of the Convening was to support states as they work with local education agencies to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirement of a 1% cap on the participation of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the alternate assessment aligned with alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). The Proceedings document includes appendices and links to resources that were shared by states and others at the Convening.
Published: December, 2018- NCEO Limited English Proficiency Projects Reports: State and District Assessments as an Avenue to Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners with Disabilities (#2)Formats: Online
This year 2001 report summarizes data publicly reported on state education department websites on the participation rate and performance of English learners for 1999-2000.
Published: September 2001 - NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Special Education Teacher Responses to the 1997 Basic Standards Testing (#14)Formats: Online
This year 1997 report presents information on how special education teachers made participation and accommodation decisions for students with disabilities in the 1997 administration of the Minnesota Basic Standards Test.
Published: September 1997 
NCEO Technical Reports: State Reports on the Participation and Performance of English Language Learners with Disabilities in 2006-2007 (#54)A report reviewing state reports on the participation and performance of English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities in 2006-2007. Previous data reports suggested that ELLs with disabilities tend to have a lower percentage of students scoring proficient than their English proficient peers on regular assessments. But in 2006-2007, ELLs with disabilities out-performed the total number of students taking alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards. This improvement surprised researchers, leading them to speculate on possible causes. However, not all states reported this data and, even among those that did, the number of students in these data is low, leading the researchers to urge caution in interpreting the practical significance of the differences in performance. On English language proficiency assessments, ELLs with disabilities usually scored lower than ELLs without disabilities on measures of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Published: May 2009