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Forum on States and Districts Working Together on the 1.0% ThresholdA report on a forum held on June 26, 2019 in Orlando, Florida to discuss how states and districts can work together to meet the 1.0% threshold on participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). 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 Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) and the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). This report summarizes both the introductory information provided to forum participants, and the facilitated forum discussions that followed.
Published: September 2019
ELPA21 White Paper: Developing an Alternate ELPA21 for English Learners with the Most Significant Cognitive DisabilitiesFormats: PDFThis White Paper was developed as part of the commitment of the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) project to the development and implementation of an alternate ELP assessment for ELs with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The purpose of this White Paper is to propose steps that ELPA21 might take to ensure that it develops and implements a technically adequate and appropriate alternate assessment for ELs with significant cognitive disabilities. It also proposes a possible workplan and timeline for Alt-ELPA21 assessment development activities. This White Paper will undergo iterative revision by ELPA21 and review by its Technical Advisory Committee. The final White Paper will be the result of these processes and reviews.
Published: August 2018
Forum on Addressing Performance Gaps of Low-performing Students: Implications for Assessment and InstructionFormats: PDFA report describing the facilitated discussions and the consensus reached at a forum on June 19, 2013, in National Harbor, Maryland, to discuss the performance gaps of low-performing students and their implications for assessment and instruction. The forum was a pre-session at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NSCA) where 62 individuals representing 16 states, three school districts, 11 testing and testing-related companies, and 11 other organizations participated. Summaries of the discussions were developed from notes taken by notetakers, and action plans were synthesized through the consensus-building process. The report also summarizes the introductory information provided to forum participants.
Published: September 2013
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Educating Struggling Learners: Reflections on Lessons Learned about Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (#86)A report presenting a first-person account of someone on the front lines of school reform, specifically focusing on inclusive assessment practices as they influence curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the local and state levels. The author, Valerie Kurizaki, works within the Hawai'i State Department of Education to ensure systemic standards implementation that supports all students, especially struggling learners. Her story suggests many themes that are similar to those in districts around the country where systematic reform has improved outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities.
Published: December 2011
NCEO Synthesis Reports: States' Participation Guidelines for Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2009 (#75)A report updating information in previous National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) reports that, since 2007, have annually compiled, analyzed, and summarized states' participation guidelines for the Alternate Assessments based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS). As of October 2009, 14 states had publicly-available participation guidelines for an assessment they considered to be an AA-MAS. Results from this study suggest that states are continuing to develop or update their participation guidelines.
Published: March 2010
PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Examination of a Reading Pen as a Partial Auditory Accommodation for Reading AssessmentA report evaluating the effectiveness of a reading pen as a Partial Auditory Accommodation for large scale reading assessments when the pen is used only to pronounce words on demand. Four research questions were addressed:
- To what extent does use of the reading pen on a standardized test of reading affect scores?
- To what extent is there a different effect for students with disabilities and students without disabilities?
- Regardless of disability status, to what extent does use of the reading pen affect the scores of students with adequate fluency?
- What are students' perceptions of the helpfulness of the reading pen?
Published: February 2010
A State Guide to the Development of Universally Designed AssessmentsA resource guide describing universal design for assessments -- an approach to educational assessment based on principles of accessibility for a wide variety of end users. Elements of universal design include inclusive test population; precisely defined constructs; accessible, non-biased items; tests that are amenable to accommodations; simple, clear and intuitive instructions and procedures; maximum readability and comprehensibility; and maximum legibility. The purpose of this guide is to provide states with strategies for designing tests from the very beginning, through conceptualization and item construction, field-testing, item reviews, statewide operationalization, and evaluation. The objective is to create tests that present an accurate measure of the knowledge and skills of the diverse population of students enrolled in today's public schools.
Published: 2006
NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: States' Procedures for Ensuring Out-of-Level Test Instrument Quality (#14)This year 2004 report describes a study on how states ensure that out-of-level tests used in their states are of appropriate quality. The report draws on narrative data from technical information on states' large-scale assessment systems and interviews from state assessment directors or others with comparable knowledge about the state's large-scale assessment.
Published: September 2004- NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: States' Out-of-Level Testing Policies (#4)Formats: Online
This year 2001 report discusses the context of state assessments systems, including accountability practices in which out-of-level testing is implemented, and describes specific out-of-level testing policies used in those states that allow students to be tested out of level in large-scale assessments. The review includes 12 states' policies and describes such state-level policy features as assessment instrument characteristics, required implementation practices, and test score uses.
Published: June 2001 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Addressing Standards and Assessments on the IEP (#38)Formats: OnlineThe purpose of this year 2001 study was to examine state Individualized Education Program (IEP) forms to determine the extent to which they include documentation of standards and assessments. All 50 states were asked to send their IEP forms and to indicate whether they were required, recommended, or simply sample forms. Because IEP forms are a primary source of information to guide decisions during IEP team meetings, the way in which information appears on them is very important. NCEO makes several recommendations for IEP forms that will provide decision-making guidance to IEP teams.
Published: April 2001
NCEO Technical Reports: An Analysis of State Approaches to Including Students with Disabilities in Assessments Implemented During Educational Reform (#18)Formats: PDFThis year 1997 report evaluates states' policies on the inclusion, accommodations and reporting of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. It describes the input and consensus process used by the National Center on Educational Outcomes to develop evaluation elements designed to maximize participation of students with disabilities, and presents the results of applying these elements to states' written guidelines on participation, accommodations, and reporting. The findings of this analysis suggest a number of implementation and training issues, especially for IEP teams.
Published: September 1997
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Making Decisions About the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessments: A Report on a Working Conference to Develop Guidelines on Inclusion and Accommodations (#13)Formats: PDFThis report is a summary of a meeting held in Washington, D.C. on March 9-10, 1994. Much of the focus of this meeting was on the challenges faced in making decisions about inclusion and accommodations for students with disabilities on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The content of this report and the recommended guidelines also have applicability for state large-scale assessments.
Published: April 1994- IEP Monitoring by States of Alternate Assessment Participation DecisionsFormats: PDF
This presentation shares results from a national survey of leaders in the special education and assessment offices of SEAs, and reviews three states’ approaches and procedures for monitoring AA-AAAS participation decision making. Implementation successes and challenges are highlighted, and recommendations for best practices are shared. The presentation was given at the 2022 National Association of State Directors of Special Education annual conference.
Published: 9/27/2022 - States and Districts Working Together to Make Improved Decisions about Alternate Assessment Participation and Meet the State Level 1% ThresholdFormats: PDF
This presentation, highlighting states and districts working together to make improved decisions about alternate assessment participation and meeting the state level 1% threshold, was presented at the Ohio OCALICON autism and disabilities international conference.
Published: 2020-11-11 
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
NCEO State Surveys: State Special Education Outcomes 1994: A Report on How States are Assessing Educational Outcomes for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFA report on NCEO's survey of states conducted in 1993 to address the needs of state directors, policymakers and others for information about current state activities in multiple outcomes areas: Knowledge, skills, status, and attitudes of students with disabilities. It also addresses issues related to change over time in accountability and assessment activities. The specific questions this survey focused on were: (1) What effect the activities outlined in Goals 2000: The Educate America Act have on state special education service delivery systems, (2) What efforts states are making to develop learner goals and related assessments, (3) How broadly the NCEO model of educational outcomes and indicators has been disseminated and used within state and local educational agencies, and (4) The extent to which students with disabilities are participating in statewide achievement assessments now being used by states.
Published: March 1995- NCEO Brief: School Psychologists’ Role in Accommodations Decision Making (#32)
Students’ learning and achievement in schools are regularly monitored formally and informally through classroom, district, and state assessments. School psychologists have a specialized understanding of data-based decision making, consultation, provision of academic assessment and intervention services, and the special education eligibility process. The accommodations decision-making process is one area where school psychologists can provide valuable knowledge and expertise to support students with disabilities in instruction and assessment. This Brief explains a five-part framework for educators and other specialists who serve students, including school psychologists, to use in the selection, administration, and evaluation of accommodations for the instruction and assessment of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners.
Published: July 2023 - 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 
NCEO Newsletter: June 2016 issueFormats: OnlineThis issue is packed with events and activities in which NCEO is involved this spring. One big event was the launching of the NCEO Facebook page. Please visit and like NCEO! Some new reports and tools are also highlighted in this issue, including a Lessons Learned document, an updated Principles for Inclusive Assessment report, and a new Data Analytics tool on the demographics of ELs and ELs with disabilities. With June the month for the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) in Philadelphia, the center is also highlight the pre-conference forum NCEO is holding with the Assessing Special Education Students SCASS and the EL SCASS - Common Language for States and Assessment Vendors. It focuses on the need for developing a common language around accessibility and accommodations for all students. NCEO hopes you will join in this important discussion. Finally, the center describe the NCSA sessions in which NCEO is involved.
Published: June 2016
NCEO Synthesis Reports: 2012 State Policies for Accommodations Used to Deliver Assessments Orally (#91)A report examining the wide variation across states in their accommodations policies for Human Reader, Text to Speech, and Pre-recorded Audio. The results of the analyses in the report can inform states and the general assessment consortia--PARCC and Smarter Balanced--as they plan for the transition to their new assessments. Among other things, the report provides an easy way to develop a crosswalk of policies on these accommodations to the new consortia policies.
Published: August 2013; revised January 2014