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NCEO Reports: Alternate Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Participation Guidelines and Definitions (#406)This report documents the status of states' assessment participation guidelines and definitions of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities that were in place just prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year. With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 2015, renewed attention was paid to the importance of guidelines for participation in alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) and to understanding of who the students are who have significant cognitive disabilities. The analysis includes the factors that states indicated should and should not be considered when making decisions about participation in the AA-AAS. It also documents the format of the guidelines that states made available to decision makers. Finally, it examines the extent to which states provided an explicit definition of "students with the most significant cognitive disabilities."
Published: December 2017
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Graduation Policies for Students with Disabilities who Participate in States' General Assessments (#98)A report detailing the results of states' 2014-15 requirements for students with disabilities who participate in the general assessment to earn a regular diploma, and comparing the requirements held for them to the requirements held for their peers. This NCEO investigation relates to the recent nationwide push for all students, including those with disabilities, to leave school ready for college and career has heightened the importance of understanding what states are requiring of students with disabilities to earn a regular diploma. Researchers examined both the course requirements and, in those states that had them, the exit assessment requirements.
Published: July 2015
NCEO Technical Reports: 2012-13 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELLs with Disabilities (#70)A report analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. This report -- the 16th of its kind by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) -- includes information about both the 50 regular states and the 11 unique states. For the 2012-13 school year, 52 of the 61 regular and unique states reported participation and performance data for students with disabilities for all general and alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) that were used for Title I within the ESEA accountability system. Information about state assessments not used for Title I is also presented. Information on public reporting for English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities is also included in this report.
Published: May 2015
NCEO Policy Directions: Considerations When Including Students with Disabilities in Test Security Policies (#23)A report concluding that assessments better measure what students know and can do when states and consortia thoughtfully consider how to balance test security and accessibility. Many states are concerned that their test security policies may not adequately address accommodated tests, alternate assessments, and other related issues. For example, a survey conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (2013) found that 45 states believed that their state test was vulnerable to cheating when testing students in need of accommodations. Test security policies and procedures need to address test administration procedures, accommodations, and other issues related to students with disabilities to help ensure the integrity and validity of a test. A fundamental consideration when evaluating the validity of an assessment is the "fairness" of the test.
Published: February 2015
NCEO Technical Reports: Characteristics of Low Performing Special Education and Non-Special Education Students on Large-Scale Assessments (#60)A report investigating whether the characteristics of the lowest performing students in special education differ from the characteristics of the lowest performing students who are not in special education. The investigation in this report used data from low performing students in four states: Alabama, Hawaii, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Achievement data were disaggregated by three demographic characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, and income status) for students taking the reading or mathematics assessments in fifth or eighth grade. In addition, researchers tracked data for each student over three years to identify how students moved in and out of the low performing category (low performing was defined as the tenth percentile and below for this report) across time.
Published: March 2012
NCEO Synthesis Reports: A Principled Approach to Accountability Assessments for Students with Disabilities (#70)A 2008 report updating the National Center on Educational Outcomes' (NCEO) report from 2001 that identified principles and characteristics underlying inclusive assessment and accountability systems. This report on a principled approach to accountability assessments for students with disabilities reflects what the center has learned during the past seven years. The principles provide a vision for an inclusive system of assessments used for system accountability. The report addresses state and district K-12 academic content assessments designed for system accountability and focuses on all students with disabilities, including targeted groups of students within this group (e.g., English Language Learners with disabilities). Multiple stakeholders share the common goal of improving educational outcomes for all students have reviewed and commented on the principles and characteristics presented here.
Published: December 2008
Trends in the Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities (NCEO Brief)A brief describing the results of an analysis of trends in the public reporting of state assessment results for students with disabilities. The analysis was conducted on a compilation of publicly reported assessment data gathered from state Web sites and personnel during the data collection for four previous analyses completed by the Institute's National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). These data were supplemented with data obtained from current state education Web sites. This trend analysis covered the years 2001-02 to 2004-05, and examined both participation and performance. The goal of the analysis was to determine:
- Whether progress has been made by states in publicly reporting the participation and performance of students with disabilities on state assessments
- The nature of trends in the four years of participation and performance data for students with disabilities.
This brief is based on the 2008 report, Technical Report 50: Trends in the Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities, published by NCEO.
Published: 2008- "Welcome to NCEO" VideoFormats: Online
This short video provides an overview of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: July 2021 - State Public Assessment Reports for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This page has links to state pages with assessment reports that include disaggregated data for students with disabilities.
Published: 2021-02-01 - The Increasing Population—English Learners with DisabilitiesFormats: PDF
This presentation, highlighting the increasing population of English learners with disabilities, was presented at the 2021 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual conference
Published: 2021-03-08 - Accessible Instruction and Assessment for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDF
This presentation, focusing on accessible instruction and assessment for students with disabilities, was presented at the 2020 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual conference.
Published: 2020-02-07 - V5-1: Evaluating Assessment AccommodationsFormats: Online
The special education teacher meets with the teacher who administered a student's assessment accommodation to discuss the student's test day experience.
Published: 2014-05-05 - Accessibility and Accommodations for ELs with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This page has links to state content test and English language proficiency assessment accessibility and accommodation policies that address English learners (ELs) with disabilities.
Published: 2021-02-01 - Alternate Assessments for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This page has links to state policies on state alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Published: 2021-02-01 - Considerations for Monitoring Accommodations on the Alternate AssessmentFormats: PDF
This presentation described considerations for monitoring accommodations on the alternate assessment. It was presented at the 2019 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) annual conference.
Published: 2019-06-24 - V4-3: Involving Students for Assessment AccommodationsFormats: Online
A student and her special education teacher talk about the use of a read aloud accommodation in math on the state test.
Published: 2014-05-05 - V4-4: Planning for Assessment Accommodations with StudentsFormats: Online
A special education teacher explains to a student receiving a read-aloud accommodation in math what will happen on test day.
Published: 2014-05-05 - BibliographiesFormats: Online
This page highlights two searchable bibliographic resources available on NCEO’s website. One focuses on alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and the other focuses on accommodations.
Published: 2021-02-01 - IEPs for Students Who Participate in the Alternate AssessmentFormats: Online
This presentation, focusing on IEPs for students who participate in the alternate assessment, was presented at the Ohio OCALICON autism and disabilities international conference.
Published: 2020-11-11 - NCEO Reports: State Requirements for Test Administrators, Proctors, and Accommodations Providers Who Administer Tests to Students with Disabilities, English Learners, and English Learners with Disabilities (#437)
To help ensure that assessments are properly administered, states have developed policies about who can administer or proctor assessments, and the training they must have. This report presents the findings of our analysis of states’ 2021 policies on the qualifications and requirements for test administrators, proctors, and accommodations providers for general state summative content assessments (e.g., math, language arts, science), specifically as they relate to students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities. The individuals who administer or proctor assessments, as well as those who provide accommodations (e.g., scribes, test readers, sign language interpreters, translators), need to be qualified and knowledgeable about how to appropriately administer assessments and how to provide accommodations.
Published: 11/16/2022