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NCEO Reports: A Review of the Literature on Computerized Speech-to-Text Accommodations (#414)This literature review describes what research conducted between 2008 and 2018 tells the field about the use of computerized speech-to-text (STT) technology tools by K-12 and post-secondary students with disabilities. Speech-to-text tools often are installed on school-provided computers or tablets and thus may be widely available to students for instructional use. The report highlights what the available literature tells us about the characteristics of students who used STT for instruction and assessment, and the methodologies and outcome variables associated with those studies; the implementation of STT tools; and the effect of the technology on academic outcomes for students with different types of disabilities.
Published: August 2019
NCEO Brief: Guidance for Examining Disproportionality of Student Group Participation in Alternate Assessments (#18)The purpose of this brief is to examine disproportionality with respect to student group participation in Alternate Assessments aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS). It is a companion to the NCEO brief, Guidance for Examining District Alternate Assessment Participation Rates. This brief provides a more detailed examination and illustration of a particular issue, disproportionality. The companion brief outlined a broad framework and general principles to guide the examination of AA-AAAS participation rates, particularly in light of the challenge of small n-sizes and associated uncertainty. It begins by reviewing the framework with respect to its application to address disproportionality in participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards. This is followed by an illustration of specific analytic steps, and concludes by providing guidance for further inquiry that links back to the guiding principles in the framework.
Published: August 2019- Guidance for examining disproportionality of student group participation in alternate assessmentsFormats: PDF
This document examines disproportionality with respect to student group participation in Alternate Assessments aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS). This paper is a companion to “Guidance for Examining District Alternate Assessment Participation Rates” (Evans & Domaleski, 2018). This companion document outlines a broad framework and general principles to guide the examination of AA-AAAS participation rates, particularly in light of the challenge of small n-sizes and associated uncertainty.
Published: 2019-08-01 - Strategies for Meeting Requirements for Alternate Assessments and WIOAFormats: PDF
This presentation discussed strategies for meeting requirements for alternate assessments and WIOA. It was presented at the 2019 Office of Special Education Programs’ Leadership Conference.
Published: 2019-07-22 
TIES Center Reports: Communication Competence in the Inclusive Setting: A Review of the Literature (#103)This report presents findings from a literature review that was conducted to identify evidenced-based approaches to supporting the development of communicative competence for K-8 students in inclusive educational settings. Specifically, the review examined whether communication programming employing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is being successfully used in inclusive elementary and middle school settings, and what elements of the communication program are most likely to affect students’ communicative competence.
Published: June 2019
TIES Center Reports: Using Systems Change Efforts to Implement and Sustain Inclusive Education Practices in General Education Settings for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities: A Review of the Literature (#102)This report presents the findings from a literature review that examined how systems change efforts can guide initiatives to increase and sustain the placement of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive general education settings, as well as increase and sustain opportunities for these students to learn core academic standards-based curriculum through the implementation of inclusive education practices. The report concludes with the identification of several components associated with effective and sustainable systemic change efforts related to the implementation of inclusive practices.
Published: June 2019
NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2016-2017 APR Snapshot #19: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Students Receiving Special Education Services (#19)Formats: OnlineThis report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2016-17 school year, we present information on participation and performance in reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to grade 8 students.
Published: July 2019- NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2016-2017 APR Snapshot #20: Students in Special Education Assigned Assessment Accommodations (#20)Formats: Online
This 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 2016-2017 school year, we 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: July 2019 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2016-2017 APR Snapshot #21: AA-AAS Participation and Performance (#21)Formats: Online
This report summarizes Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability to measure the academic achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Using federally submitted data from the 2016-2017 school year, we present information on the number of students participating in the AA-AAS and the performance of those students.
Published: July 2019 
Student Demonstrations of their Use of Accessibility Features and AccommodationsThis report presents information from a study by the Data Informed Accessibility—Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project that examined classroom use of accessibility features and accommodations gathered through in-person interviews with teachers and in-person demonstrations with students. The report catalogs the accessibility features and accommodations used in class that were helpful to students, identifies reasons that certain accessibility features and accommodations were and were not used, and explores barriers to the effective use of accessibility features and accommodations.
Published: June 2019
TIES Center Briefs: Taking the Alternate Assessment Does NOT Mean Education in a Separate Setting! (#2)This Parent Brief describes how participation in the alternate assessment does not automatically mean that a student is in a different instructional setting from his or her same-age peers without disabilities. The brief defines who are students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, what is meant by the “least restrictive environment,” the legal provisions that support inclusion, including students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms, and next steps for parents.
Published: May 2019- Making and Implementing Accessibility and Accommodations Decisions in Assessment and Instruction for English LearnersFormats: PDF
This presentation focused on how to make and implement accessibility and accommodations decisions in assessment and instruction for English learners. It was presented at the 2019 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) annual conference.
Published: 2019-06-25 - 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 
Supporting English Language Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decision MakingFormats: OnlineThese online professional development modules on accessible instruction and assessment were designed for distinct audiences of elementary teachers and secondary teachers. The modules use a collaborative decision-making process among educators, parents, and students who are English learners, to decide appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for individual students, and guides K-12 teachers to facilitate and document high quality decision making about accessible instruction and assessment for English learners.
Published: 2019-06-01
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 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
NCEO Data Analytics: Percent of ELs with Disabilities from 2013-14 to 2016-17 (#9)Formats: OnlineThis interactive report presents information on the percent of students with disabilities ages 6-17 who are also English learners (ELs), and the proportion of these students by category for school years 2013-14 to 2016-17, for the 50 regular states.
Published: May 2019
NCEO Reports: Guidance Manuals for Educators of English Learners with Disabilities: Ideas and Lessons from the Field (#410)This report describes ideas and lessons learned from leaders who developed state education agency guidance manuals for identifying, assessing and referring English learners (ELs) to special education. To ensure that students are receiving optimal instruction, appropriate interventions, and assessments, state, district, and school leaders need to develop or improve the systematic processes educators and administrators work through. Providing manuals with consistent and practical guidance (and appropriate professional learning on their use) is a means to do so. This report presents findings from telephone interviews conducted with the authors of six state manuals, probing the impetus for getting started; the manual development process; dissemination and professional learning; and lessons learned during manual development. The report concludes with implications for state and local leaders.
Published: April 2019
NCEO Newsletter: June 2019 issueFormats: OnlineIn this issue, we highlight sessions in which NCEO will participate during the upcoming National Conference on Student Assessment in Orlando, Florida. We also highlight recent NCEO reports, including two that address expectations for students with disabilities—one a longer report that examines what we know in the context of policy, practice, and evidence from the implementation of reforms (Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect?); and the second a brief that provides suggestions for policymakers, states, and technical assistance providers (Revising Expectations for Students with Disabilities). A new Data Analytics that provides national and state trends on students with disabilities and their categories of disability also is highlighted. A report that updates state graduation policies for students with disabilities concludes the NCEO reports highlighted in this issue. We conclude this issue by summarizing a new report from the DIAMOND Project, Additional Educators’ Perspectives on Classroom Implementation of Accessibility Features and Accommodations.
Published: June 2019
Additional Educators’ Perspectives on Classroom Implementation of Accessibility Features and AccommodationsA second report from the DIAMOND project on phone interviews conducted with educators to highlight effective practices being used to implement accessibility features and accommodations in their classrooms during instruction and during assessments. Educators were asked about two kinds of accessibility features (universal features and designated features) and about accommodations. This report on the second cohort of interviewees presents separate findings as well as an overall summary for the two cohorts.
Published: April 2019