Resources
Search Filters
Search Results
1% Toolkit: District Dialogue Guide: Addressing the Percentage of Students Participating in the Alternate Assessment (NCEO Tool #4)As part of its efforts to meet the 1.0% cap on state-level participation in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), NCEO’s Peer Learning Group 1 (PLG 1) developed this dialogue guide. It is designed to help district, school staff, and stakeholders engage in thoughtful conversations, tailored to their unique contexts, about participation in the AA-AAAS. It encourages frank discussions that can help to identify ways in which to examine a variety of data sources, use varied analysis methods, and gather relevant information, all toward the goal of ensuring that appropriate decisions are made about participation in the AA-AAAS.
Published: Sun Sep 22 2019
1% Toolkit: Frequently Asked Questions on AA-AAAS (NCEO Tool #5)The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 1.0% cap on state-level participation rates in the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) generated questions answered by the U.S. Department of Education in this Frequently Asked Questions on AA-AAAS. This FAQ tool includes questions that were asked by state personnel during the October 2018 1% Cap National Convening: Supporting States in Implementing ESSA’s 1% State-level Cap on Participation of Students in the AA-AAAS held in Boston, Massachusetts, during the NCEO 1% Community of Practice (CoP) and during NCEO’s Peer Learning Group 2 (PLG 2). The questions are listed in this tool by topic, and include the date the question was answered by the U.S. Department of Education.
Published: September 2019
NCEO Reports: Status of State-Defined Alternate Diplomas in 2018-19 (#416)The purpose of this report is to summarize the status of state-defined alternate diplomas in the 50 U.S. states three years after the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) indicated that states could develop these diplomas and use them in accountability calculations. To count this diploma in a graduation measure for accountability, several criteria must be met, including that it must be standards-based, aligned to state requirements for the regular high school diploma, and obtained within the time period for which the state ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). This report documents the status of state-defined alternate diplomas in states in 2018-19 and provides recommendations to states intending to develop a state-defined alternate diploma.
Published: September 2019
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