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NCEO State Surveys: State Special Education Outcomes 1991: A Report on State Activities in the Assessment of Educational Outcomes for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFThis is NCEO's first survey of states conducted in 1991 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 objectives of this survey were to: (1) Develop an ongoing system to describe the status of state activities to assess educational outcomes, (2) Develop an ongoing tracking system of procedures and practices used by states to include and make accommodations in the assessment of students with disabilities, (3) Identify persistent barriers and needs of states related to outcomes assessment, and (4) Identify state data bases that might be used to create a national data base of outcomes for students with disabilities.
Published: January 1992
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Assessing Educational Outcomes: State Activity and Literature Integration (#1)Formats: PDFIn October 1990 the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) for Students with Disabilities was established at the University of Minnesota. Its mission is to provide national leadership in the development of educational outcomes and a system of indicators for students with disabilities. For NCEO it is necessary to give attention not only to the most recent research related to outcomes indicators in general but also to research that has been conducted in special education. The purpose of this document is to provide a synthesis of information that is available in the current literature. Topics of relevance to this literature review include (1) Educational reform and its current status in the United States, (2) Definitions of key terms, (3) Current models of educational indicators in both general education and special education, (4) Current states of outcomes indicators activities in both general education and special education, and (5) Critical issues in the development of a comprehensive system of educational indicators. This document will be revised annually in order to incorporate new literature and current events that pertain to the educational outcomes of students with disabilities.
Published: July 1991
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Science Assessments for Students with Disabilities in School Year 2006-2007: What We Know about Participation, Performance, and Accommodations (#77)A report documenting the inclusion of students with disabilities in state science assessments in 2006-2007, the period just before the required implementation of statewide science assessments. The success of all students, including students with disabilities, on statewide assessments in mathematics and reading/English language arts has been examined closely, partly due to the role of these content areas in school accountability for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). States also were expected to establish science content standards by 2005-2006, and to develop assessments in science by 2007-2008.
Published: August 2010
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
Including Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired in English Language Proficiency Assessments: A Review of State PoliciesFormats: PDFA report updating information on state participation and accommodations policies for English language learners (ELLs) who are Blind/Visually Impaired (VI) on English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used for Title III accountability. Accommodations policies are discussed with reference to seven accommodations in three categories that are commonly used by ELLs who are Blind/VI. Included are five accommodations from the Presentation category (Braille, Large Print, Read Aloud Directions, Read Aloud Questions, Screen Reader/Text to Speech), one accommodation from the Response category (Brailler), and one accommodation from the Equipment category (Magnification Equipment).
Published: August 2014- NCEO Newsletter: October 2024 issueFormats: Online
NCEO’s October 2024 newsletter features several new NCEO publications. The first article is about several reports published by a project affiliated with NCEO that share findings of research studies about students who shifted from the alternate assessment to the general assessment. The next article is about how states address the federal requirement that 95% of students participate in state assessments used for accountability. This is followed by an article on the unintended consequences of improved accessibility on state tests, and an article about the accommodations research literature.
Published: October 2024 - NCEO Brief: Steps to Equitably Include Deaf Students in Assessments (#25)
Standardized tests have many uses in education. For example, they are used to document student achievement, measure progress, and determine readiness for postsecondary education or employment. However, deaf students often do not have equitable access to standardized tests. This Brief is jointly written by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) and the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Education (NDC). It provides three key steps to support deaf students in standardized testing.
Published: December 2021 - Assessment Today: How We Got Here and Where We are GoingFormats: Online
In this presentation Dr. Martha Thurlow, Executive Director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) traces the history of the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, addressing the history of assessment for students with disabilities and how the current assessment context and projected future events relate to this history.
Published: 2016-06-30 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Putting Alternate Assessments into Practice: What to Measure and Possible Sources of Data (#28)Formats: OnlineThis 1997 report highlights four information-gathering procedures that might be used in alternate assessments. The application of these procedures to collect data in broader outcome areas is also highlighted in the report.
Published: September 1997
NCEO Synthesis Reports: High Stakes Testing for Students: Unanswered Questions and Implications for Students with Disabilities (#26)Formats: OnlineThis 1997 literature review looks at existing research on the effects of high stakes tests on students, with particular attention to students with disabilities. The review focuses on potential effects on the curriculum, students, student learning, attitudes, school climate, and costs, and offers recommendations for future research and for those people who develop, implement, and evaluate large-scale testing programs.
Published: January 1997
NCEO State Surveys: State Special Education Outcomes 1993: A Report on State Activities in the Assessment of Educational Outcomes for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFA report on NCEO's third 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 objectives of this survey were to: (1) Develop an ongoing system to describe the status of state activities to assess educational outcomes, (2) Develop an ongoing tracking system of procedures and practices used by states to include and make accommodations in the assessment of students with disabilities, (3) Identify persistent barriers and needs of states related to outcomes assessment, and (4) Identify state data bases that might be used to create a national data base of outcomes for students with disabilities.
Published: March 1994
NCEO Synthesis Reports: National Goals, National Standards, National Tests: Concerns for All (Not Virtually All) Students With Disabilities? (#11)Formats: PDFThis report provides an analysis of inclusion as it relations to national goals, national standards, and national tests for students with disabilities. Efforts to address these concerns as well as actions that can be taken to improve services to students with disabilities are described.
Published: November 1993
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Synthesis Report Update 1993: Recent Activities in National Goals, Standards, and Tests (#8)Formats: PDFThis report updates major recent (1993) national initiatives in the areas of (a) the national education goals, (b) standards, and (c) national testing for students with disabilities.
Published: September 1993
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Views on Inclusion and Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#7)Formats: PDFThis monograph represents the culmination of an effort to obtain expert opinions about the challenges of inclusion (who should be included - or excluded - from assessments, how the decision is made, and who makes the decision) and accommodations (what modifications can be made in assessment materials and/or procedures that still allow valid assessment results to be obtained). This monograph presents papers on issues of inclusion and accommodations be field experts Bob Algozzine, Paul H. Koehler, Barbar L. Loeding and Jerry B. Crittenden, Jack Merwin, Daniel J. Reschly, and Maynard C. Reynolds.
Published: September 1993- NCEO Reports: 2018-19 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and English Learners with Disabilities (#428)
This is the 22nd report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The purpose of this report is to examine the extent to which states reported 2018–19 assessment data for students with disabilities “to the public with the same frequency and in the same detail as it reports on the assessment of nondisabled children,” as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It also describes how states report assessment participation and performance data to the public online. It summarizes these data for grades 4 and 8, and high school, with additional analyses that focus on average performance gaps across years. The report also summarizes the extent to which states report participation and performance for English learners (ELs) with disabilities and examines public reporting of accommodations.
Published: December 2021 - NCEO Reports: 2017-18 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and English Learners with Disabilities (#419)
This is the 21st report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The purpose of this report is to examine the extent to which states reported 2017–18 assessment data for students with disabilities “to the public with the same frequency and in the same detail as it reports on the assessment of nondisabled children,” as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It also describes how states report assessment participation and performance data to the public online. It summarizes these data for grades 4 and 8, and high school, with additional analyses that focus on average performance gaps across years. The report also summarizes the extent to which states report participation and performance for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities and examines public reporting of accommodations.
Published: December 2020 - TIES Center Briefs: Providing Meaningful General Education Curriculum Access to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (TIES Center Brief #4)
This brief addresses the question of what access to and progress in the general education curriculum means for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It provides examples of what content aligned to the grade level looks like for students who participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), highlighting three principles: (a) the same content standards are used as are used for other students; (b) all subject areas provided to the peers of a student who participates in the AA-AAAS should be provided to that student also; and (c) decisions about modifications and accommodations of assignments and materials are tailored to the individual student. Things to avoid and do’s and don’ts for providing access are provided.
Published: August 2020 
NCEO Reports: 2016-17 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELs with Disabilities (#411)This is the 20th report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The purpose of this report is to examine the extent to which states reported 2016-17 assessment data for students with disabilities “to the public with the same frequency and in the same detail as it reports on the assessment of nondisabled children,” as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It also describes how states report assessment participation and performance data to the public online. It summarizes these data for grades 4 and 8, and high school, with additional analyses that focus on average performance gaps across years. The report also summarizes the extent to which states report participation and performance for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities and examines public reporting of accommodations.
Published: October 2019
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Teacher and Parent or Guardian: Information for TeachersThis Brief for teachers answers questions about communicating with parents or guardians for whom communicating in English is a challenge. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “ Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: December 2019- TIES Center Briefs: Communication Supports for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: What Parents Need to Know (TIES Center Brief #9)
This Brief describes how families and other members of Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams can help students get the supports they need to build their communicative competence in inclusive classrooms. All students communicate, but some students may need options other than oral speech, or in addition to oral speech. Being able to communicate is an important skill for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Communication does not need to be oral. But it should be sufficient for conveying messages to others.
Published: June 2022