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NCEO Synthesis Reports: State Alternate Assessments: Status as IDEA Alternate Assessment Requirements Take Effect (#35)Formats: OnlineA report describing the approaches states were taking, as of the year 2000, to alternate assessments for the small number of students with disabilities who could not participate in state and district-wide assessment programs. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) developed an online survey on the development of alternate assessments and received responses from all 50 states. In addition, five educational units that received IDEA Part B funds (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Marshall Islands, Virgin Islands, and Washington DC) completed the survey. While the presentation in this report of all the approaches states are taking does not imply endorsement of any specific state alternate assessment practices, it does indicate that states were still moving in many directions despite regulations suggesting directions for development.
Published: June 2000
Lessons Learned in Federally Funded Projects that Can Improve the Instruction and Assessment of Low Performing Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFA report detailing the work of researchers from projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2006-2007 under three funding sources (General Supervision Enhancement Grants, Enhanced Assessment Grants, and Supplemental Funding) who were invited to compile their major findings and discuss the lessons they learned from their studies on alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The intent of this publication is to carry these lessons forward to the creators of next generation assessments. The timing for this information is critical, as funding for AA-MAS research has ended, and administration of AA-MAS tests is expected to cease in many states when new assessments are ready in 2014-2015. Almost all students with disabilities who were eligible for an AA-MAS will then be participating in the new general assessments. It is imperative that the lessons learned from this group of projects about the students and the barriers they experience during assessment are well understood as these changes occur. Researchers report on 14 separate projects involving 26 states, and the report is organized into four main sections: The Students, Test Development, Technology-enhanced Assessment, and System Implications.
Published: 2013- 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 - NCEO Policy Directions: Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities (#5)Formats: Online
This year 1996 report describes options for developing an alternate assessment for students unable to participate in the general district and state assessments that are used for accountability purposes. The focus is on large-scale accountability systems, rather than individual accountability measures, that create information on how the school, district, or state is doing in terms of student performance.
Published: October 1996 - NCEO Brief: Interim Assessment Practices for Students with Disabilities (#22)
This Brief contains a scan of the interim assessment landscape, and is focused on the availability of documentation supporting the appropriateness of these assessments for students with disabilities. The purpose of this Brief is to advise the development of guidance that facilitates improved practices related to the use of interim assessments for students with disabilities.
Published: April 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 Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Resources: Students with Disabilities in National and Statewide Assessments (#7)Formats: OnlineThis year 1996 report provides an annotated bibliography on accommodation issues related to students with disabilities in national and state administered assessments.
Published: August 1996
PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Exploring Factors that Affect the Accessibility of Reading Comprehension Assessments for Students with Disabilities: A Study of Segmented TextA document reporting on a study seeking to experimentally examine factors affecting accessibility of assessments for students with disabilities. This study focused on reading comprehension assessments since (1) reading is one of the primary areas of the NCLB Title I accountability requirements, and (2) reading is the underlying ability for understanding instruction and assessment in all other content areas. A randomized field trial study in which a reading comprehension assessment, designed to be potentially more accessible for students with disabilities, was administered to groups of students including students with disabilities. Three long reading comprehension passages from existing state assessments were broken down into more manageable segments with corresponding questions placed immediately after each segment. The results of the segmenting study indicated that:
- Segmenting did not affect reading performance of students without disabilities, suggesting that it does not compromise the validity of reading assessment
- Segmenting did not affect reading performance of students with disabilities
- The segmented version had a higher reliability for students with disabilities without affecting the reliability for students without disabilities
- No trends were observed for student motivation, general emotions, and moods with respect to segmented assessment in either disability or no disability groups.
Published: January 2009- Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 1 Video: Why are assessments important, and why should students with disabilities participate in assessments? (Version 2/authentic video of a parent and her children in Spanish)Formats: Free Video
This video was designed to help families understand why assessments are a good opportunity for their children to show what they know, and for schools to better understand their children’s needs. It also includes tips for families on how to better support their children when they take assessments. This “Version 2” video has the same content as “Version 1” but features an authentic parent and her children and additionally is in Spanish. The video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - Assistive Technology Interoperability with Online Assessment Platforms and Other Technology Products and Services: Making it All Work!
This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 29, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss issues surrounding the use of personal student assistive technology and online assessment participation. A specific goal of the forum was to gather representatives from state departments of education, assessment vendors, and technology companies to discuss challenges students face when using their personal assistive technology supports to participate in online assessments and to identify possible solutions. The forum was a post-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and was a collaboration of the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) Collaborative and the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: September 2022 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Dealing with Flexibility in Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (#60)This year 2006 report presents an analysis of where flexibility is allowed or controlled (standardized) in the development of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The authors identify key challenges in evaluating data and technical quality given the flexibility of this population's instructional goals. Further, they address specific points for policymakers and assessment leaders to consider regarding the degree of flexibility or standardization they might design into these alternate assessment systems, including clarifying state values and goals, research and development, assessment format, and evaluating technical quality.
Published: June 2006
Parent Training & Information Center Webinar on Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement StandardsA Webinar providing information about Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) to Parent Training and Information Centers & Community Parent Resource Centers. AA-MAS are assessments that some states use to evaluate the performance of a small group of students with disabilities. Most states offering AA-MAS had phased it out by 2014.
Federal legislation requires that all students be included in accountability systems, but some students with disabilities need accommodations to access assessments. AA-MAS is an assessment option for some students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) whose progress to date, in response to appropriate instruction, is unlikely to achieve grade-level proficiency within the school year covered by the IEP. Students who are assessed with this option are required to have instruction in grade-level content. Students qualifying for an AA-MAS may be from any disability category.
Published: October 9, 2007
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Gray Areas of Assessment Systems (#32)Formats: OnlineA 2000 paper clarifying what is meant by "gray areas of assessment" systems, delineating the primary issues that surround and contribute to gray areas, and providing suggestions for developing fully inclusive systems. As part of our nation's educational commitment to equity and excellence for all, we must develop better understanding of what it means to be accountable for all children, and identify more inclusive strategies of assessment and accountability. In response to our national commitment, and to specific legislation such as Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA '97), states and school districts are in the midst of developing large-scale assessment systems. Some have considered the challenge of students who do not fit into these assessment systems as one of "gray area students." New understanding is emerging that the problem does not lie with the students, but with the systems. This paper provides brief case studies of the assessment practices in two states, thereby highlighting the reality of gray areas as states implement their assessment systems. After a review of the national reform context, it presents a model that provides a basis for defining and addressing gray area concerns.
Published: March 2000
NCEO Brief: Exploring Alternate ELP Assessments for ELLs with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (#10)A brief presenting information on what we know about the participation of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in state alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), highlighting information collected by NCEO that informs what we know about the participation of ELLs with disabilities in alternate English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. Topics addressed in the brief include: (a) the size of the population of ELLs with disabilities; (b) what states say about the inclusion of ELLs with disabilities in alternate ELP assessments, and the participation of ELLs with disabilities in alternate ELP assessments; and (c) experts' recommendations about alternate ELP assessments for ELLs with significant cognitive disabilities. Conclusions focus on four recommendations for consideration.
Published: July 2014- NCEO Brief: Including Students with Disabilities in K-2 Academic Assessments (#28)
This Brief provides an overview of issues related to the inclusion of students with disabilities and English learners with disabilities in early grade (i.e., K-2) assessments. State academic assessments are required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) starting in grade 3. Academic assessments administered in earlier grades often are used to measure progress or growth, for instructional decision making, to predict grade 3 summative assessment performance, and for tracking literacy for reading guarantees. Even though the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities participate in state and district-wide assessments administered before grade 3, these students have sometimes been excluded. This Brief also suggests strategies for improved practices.
Published: November 2022 
Guidance for Examining District Alternate Assessment Participation RatesThis Brief addresses important questions that arise for states as they implement federal alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) participation requirements. Federal policy limits the number of students that a state may assess with an AA-AAS to no more than 1% of all students in the grades assessed in a state. The AA-AAS is intended only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Given that many states report more than 1% of their student population taking an AA-AAS, there is a need to identify effective and technically defensible practices for monitoring participation rates for alternate assessments.
Published: October 2018
NCEO Brief: Participation of ELLs with Disabilities in ELP Assessments (#8)A brief presenting information on what is known about the participation of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in state English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. It highlights information collected by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), as well as information from other sources. Topics addressed in the brief include: (a) state policies on participation, (b) use and reporting of data on participation in ELP assessments, (c) experts' recommendations about assessment participation, and (d) the understanding of practitioners about the participation of ELLs with disabilities in ELP assessments. Conclusions focus on four recommendations for consideration.
Published: May 2014
PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Accessible Reading Assessments for Students with Disabilities: The Role of Cognitive, Grammatical, Lexical, and Textual/Visual FeaturesA study examining the characteristics of reading test items that may differentially impede the performance of students with disabilities. By examining the relationship between select item features and performance, the study seeks to inform strategies for increasing the accessibility of reading assessments for individuals from this group. The results of this study can help the assessment community in two ways. First, by elaborating on some test accessibility features, this report may serve as a guideline for those who are involved in test development and the instruction and assessment of students with disabilities. Second, and more importantly, this report provides methodology for examining other features that may have a major impact on assessment outcomes for students with disabilities.
Published: November 2010
NCEO Technical Reports: State Practices in the Assessment of Outcomes for Students with Disabilities (#1)Formats: PDFThis year 1991 report provides information on what states and territories were doing related to outcomes assessment during the years of 1991 to 1995. It presents the results of surveys and reviews of then current state practices and future plans. The Survey of State Policies was conducted to: (a) produce a data base on state efforts to develop systems to assess educational outcomes, (b) assess states' needs for solutions t technical/implementation problems, (c) identify important state-level information and existing data bases, and (d) assess efforts of states to design a comprehensive system of indicators in general and special education.
Published: October 1991- Empowering Families Flyer #1: Why are assessments important?Formats: PDF
This flyer was designed to help families understand why assessments are a good opportunity for their children to show what they know, and for schools to better understand their children’s needs. It also includes tips for families on how to better support their children when they take assessments. This flyer is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: August 2023