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NCEO Technical Reports: Going public: What 2000-2001 Reports Tell Us about the Performance of Students with Disabilities (#35)This year 2003 report examines the extent to which states publicly reported information about students with disabilities in statewide assessments in 2000-2001. The report describes state assessment systems and examines published state department of education reports for participation and performance data disaggregated by students with disabilities. It also includes analyses of achievement gaps by content area for grades 4, 8 and 10. Recommendations on reporting are also provided.
Published: April 2003
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 Brief: The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications (#33)
The purpose of this Brief is to clarify what accommodations and modifications are for both instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. We also disentangle the use of the term “alternate or modified curriculum” from the meaning of modification used for instruction and assessment.
Published: January 2024 - Using Local Assessment Data to Measure Progress Towards The State-Identified Measurable Results (SIMR)Formats: Online
Participating states Louisiana, Guam, and Kansas address: Data use practices at the state, district, and local levels, Stakeholders involvement, and Advice they have to offer other states based on their experiences.
Published: 2018-05-22 
TARA Reports: Survey of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments: Students Served and Their Access to State Assessments of ReadingFormats: PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of teachers on a number of aspects related to reading. This survey targeted specifically teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs).
Published: August 2009
NCEO Newsletter: June 2014 issueFormats: OnlineAn issue highlighting some of NCEO's recent work on the survey of states which will be sent in the fall of 2014, the transition from the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS), and sessions of interest at the National Conference on Student Assessment in New Orleans, June 25-27, 2014.
Published: June 2014- Developing and Improving Modified Achievement Level Descriptors: Rationale, Procedures, and Tools
Procedures and tools to develop and continuously improve achievement level descriptors for alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). This is an archived report because this assessment option is no longer allowed.
Published: 2010-06-01 - NCEO Reports: 2021-22 Participation Guidelines and Definitions for Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (#440)
This report provides an update to previous analyses of the guidelines, definitions, and criteria states have developed for making decisions about alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) participation. This report provides an analysis of the 2021-22 policies of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We analyzed criteria that should be used and factors that should not be used to determine participation, the state definitions of “most significant cognitive disabilities,” the information provided to parents about the AA-AAAS, mentions of English learners in materials related to the AA-AAAS, exemption and non-exemption materials regarding participation, and the content areas for which participation decisions are made.
Published: June 2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Communicating about Annual State Assessment Participation for All Students: A Communication ToolkitFormats: Word
This communications toolkit was developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to identify and describe reasons why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities should take state tests. The purpose of the tool is to provide a concise resource that state education agency staff, and district and school administrators can use when communicating with educators, policymakers, families, and students about why it is so important that students participate in state assessments. It also contains materials that Individualized Educational Program (IEP) teams can use when making state test participation decisions for students with disabilities. This toolkit is intended to provide a neutral but useful mechanism to guide positive, thoughtful conversations about student testing participation.
Published: 2023-03-09 
NCEO Technical Reports: Participation and Performance Reporting for the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) (#58)A report examining publicly-reported participation and performance data for the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). Analysis included all states publicly reporting AA-MAS data, regardless of whether they had received approval to use the results for Title I accountability calculations. Data were examined for school years 2006-07 through 2009-10. Because most states had not yet reported data for 2009-10, the authors focused most of the analyses on 2006-07 (six states with an AA-MAS), 2007-08 (eight states with an AA-MAS), and 2008-09 (eight states with an AA-MAS).
Published: April 2011
NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: Characteristics of Students Who Participate in Kentucky's Testing System Under Various Conditions (#4)Formats: OnlineA report from the past Maryland-Kentucky-NCEO Assessment Project, a federally funded effort supported, in part, by a grant to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Published: August 1999
White Paper on Common Accessibility Language for States and Assessment VendorsThis White Paper by DIAMOND project staff addresses the issue that different test platforms use different terminology for the accessibility features and accommodations that they offer to students, which can make it difficult for students, parents, and educators to understand the available options and select the appropriate supports.
Published: June 2016- IVARED WebsiteFormats: Online
A website presenting the Improving the Validity of Assessment Results for English Language Learners with Disabilities (IVARED) project, which aims to answer three questions:
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Who are English language learners with disabilities?
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How do they learn best?
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How can teachers most effectively support their learning?
Published: 2012 -
NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Data on LEP students in State Education Reports (#26)Formats: OnlineThis year 2000 report examines the extent that states publicly reported participation and performance data for English learners for school year 1997-1998.
Published: August 2000- NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: Reporting School Performance in the Maryland and Kentucky Accountability Systems: What Scores Mean and How They Are Used (#2)Formats: Online
A report from the past Maryland-Kentucky-NCEO Assessment Project, a federally funded effort supported, in part, by a grant to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Published: September 1997 - NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: A Review of the Literature on Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (#9)Formats: Online
This year 1996 report reviews literature on testing accommodations for students with disabilities, emphasizing studies examining the effects of testing accommodations on the technical integrity of assessment measures.
Published: August 1996 - NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Guidelines from States with Graduation Exams (#5)Formats: Online
This year 1996 report examines accommodation policies in states with high stakes assessments and describes the accommodations allowed for students with disabilities.
Published: August 1996 - NCEO Newsletter: October 2025 issueFormats: Online
This October issue of NCEO’s newsletter focuses on renewal, highlighting NCEO's 35-year history, commitment to innovation, and future partnerships. The article "35 Years of Impact" celebrates NCEO's three and a half decades as a national leader in assessment and outcomes for students with disabilities, noting our influence on policy and legislation. Our "New Web Publications" article details our move to an enhanced web-based format. This change significantly improves accessibility and adds user-friendly features. We also share "Technical Assistance Opportunities" for state education agencies (SEAs) seeking support to meet their assessment and outcomes goals. Finally, we feature three new NCEO reports (450–452) covering alternate assessments, communicating SSIP data, and current research on K–12 test accommodations.
Published: October 2025 - NCEO Newsletter: February 2021 issueFormats: Online
This issue highlights a new video series for parents of students with significant cognitive disabilities. The videos focus on various aspects of supporting the learning of their children at home. Currently available videos address routines at home, helping with academics at home, foundations of communications at home, and communications at home. This issue also highlights a new Brief that NCEO published on using pre-assessment to plan instruction for students with disabilities during distance education, as well as a review of the literature on literacy assessment and instruction practices for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities. Additionally, there is an article about eight tools which were developed with states that were members of several Peer Learning Groups (PLGs) organized by NCEO on topics related to addressing the 1% threshold on participation in alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). Finally, we have a list of sessions that include NCEO staff who will be participating in the upcoming virtual Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Convention and Expo.
Published: February 2021 
NCEO Newsletter: June 2017 issueFormats: OnlineThe June issue of NCEO's e-newsletter highlights recent webinars, products, and upcoming activities. NCEO held a couple webinar conferences recently. One focused on the 1% cap on participation in the alternate assessment. The other, which was jointly hosted with the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT), focused on the state-defined alternate diploma. Also highlighted are a new NCEO Data Analytics, an interactive report that provides multiple ways of examining participation and performance data for students with disabilities, and a resource, Formative Assessment for Students with Disabilities. Finally, you will find an article on the forum that will precede the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA), titled Text Readers for Everyone on All Tests - Getting a Handle on What This Means. It includes information on how to register for this event. Also, we provide a summary of all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during NCSA.
Published: June 2017