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NCEO Synthesis Reports: Earning a High School Diploma through Alternative Routes (#76)A report based on a study examining the alternative routes to passing the high school exit exam that were available during the school year 2008-09 to students to earn a standard high school diploma. It examines alternative routes in the 26 states with active or soon-to-be active exit exams, and documents the alternative routes available for all students and those specifically for students with disabilities. Earning a standard diploma has increased in importance during the past several years. Not only is it a document that improves postschool outcomes, but it also has become a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability system at the high school level--with the required graduation rate including only those students who have earned a regular/standard high school diploma or higher. Complicating matters in several states is the addition of an exit exam requirement to the traditional coursework requirements. The addition of a testing requirement to other requirements for earning a standard diploma is a challenge for students who do not perform well on assessments. Many, but not all, of these students have disabilities.
Published: June 2010
NCEO Newsletter: June 2016 issueFormats: OnlineThis issue is packed with events and activities in which NCEO is involved this spring. One big event was the launching of the NCEO Facebook page. Please visit and like NCEO! Some new reports and tools are also highlighted in this issue, including a Lessons Learned document, an updated Principles for Inclusive Assessment report, and a new Data Analytics tool on the demographics of ELs and ELs with disabilities. With June the month for the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) in Philadelphia, the center is also highlight the pre-conference forum NCEO is holding with the Assessing Special Education Students SCASS and the EL SCASS - Common Language for States and Assessment Vendors. It focuses on the need for developing a common language around accessibility and accommodations for all students. NCEO hopes you will join in this important discussion. Finally, the center describe the NCSA sessions in which NCEO is involved.
Published: June 2016- Accommodations Toolkit: Highlighting: States' Accessibility Policies, 2021Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for highlighting is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/5/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Extended Time: States' Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for extended time is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 3/5/2024 - Accommodations Toolkit: Recorded Oral Delivery: States' Accessibility Policies, 2021Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for recorded oral delivery is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/5/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Human Read-Aloud: States' Accessibility Policies, 2021Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for human read-aloud is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/5/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Recorded Oral Delivery: ResearchFormats: Online
This fact sheet on recorded oral delivery is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on the use of recorded oral delivery as an accessibility feature or accommodation.
Published: 4/5/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Human Read-Aloud: ResearchFormats: Online
This fact sheet on human read-aloud is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on the use of human read-aloud as an accessibility feature or accommodation.
Published: 4/5/2022 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 3 Video: What is the SSIP, and why do it?Formats: Free Video
This video provides a family-friendly definition of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and explains how states, educators, and families can work together to ensure their SSIP addresses the needs of students with disabilities in order to improve their educational outcomes. This video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 2 Video: What are the purposes of different tests, and how are they used in the SSIP?Formats: Free Video
This video discusses different types of tests and their objectives. It describes various test purposes, and their role in improving instruction and outcomes for students with disabilities through the state’s State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). This video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Communicating About Assessments with Parents of English Learners with Disabilities (Tool 8)Formats: Online
This tool contains information that states can use to ensure their parent-focused assessment information is inclusive of assessments taken by English learners with disabilities. It also contains information on how to ensure that these parent resources are shared with local education agency staff who can distribute information to parents. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: May 2026 - Participation Matters: Talking Points for SEA Policymakers: Talking Points on the Participation of Students with Disabilities in Statewide AssessmentsFormats: Online
Statewide assessments inform decisions about policy, instruction, and resource allocation. When students with disabilities are excluded from assessments, these decisions are made using incomplete data. Participation in assessments is essential to the collection of accurate data that represents the achievement of all students. New directors of assessment and special education can use these talking points to communicate with stakeholders the importance of including all students in state assessment systems.
Published: May 2026 - NCEO Newsletter: February 2025 issueFormats: Online
NCEO’s February 2025 newsletter focuses on providing essential resources to support decision making around assessment participation. We highlight briefs on determining appropriate assessment paths for students along with tools to help teams select and implement accessibility features that best meet individual student needs. Articles also highlight some of NCEO’s newest resources on assessment participation and accessibility features decisions and a few of NCEO’s favorite resources on accessibility features. There is also an article on NCEO's presence at several major spring conferences.
Published: February 2025 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 4 Video: Understanding Test Data at SSIP Stakeholder MeetingsFormats: Free Video
This video explains how the review of test data at State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) stakeholder meetings by parents and other stakeholders can support the development and implementation of plans that lead to improved outcomes for their children and all students with disabilities. The video also provides tips on how to be active participants in stakeholder meetings. This video is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - NCEO Brief: Avoiding Unintended Consequences of Improved Accessibility of State Tests (#35)
There has been a paradigm shift from accommodations to the identification of levels of accessibility (e.g., universal features, designated features, and accommodations). A consequence of this shift is that many students with disabilities who previously were assigned accommodations now access many of them as universal or designated features. This Brief highlights what states and IEP teams can do to avoid possible unintended consequences of the paradigm shift.
Published: May 2024 - NCEO Newsletter: June 2023 issueFormats: Online
In this issue, we highlight some new NCEO products, as well as several upcoming events. The first article is about two new tools that can be used to develop state and district assessment participation action plans. Next is an article about gaps in the accommodations research literature. This issue includes a summary of all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). Finally, there is an article on the forum on What Does Meaningful Accessibility Really Mean? that follows NCSA. The article includes information on how to register for the forum.
Published: June 2023 - Empowering Families Toolkit - Tool 1 Video: Why are assessments important, and why should students with disabilities participate in assessments? (Version 1/professionally recorded)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 1” video is professionally created and is part of the Empowering Families Toolkit developed by NCEO to provide accessible materials for parents about assessment topics.
Published: 9/5/2023 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Customizable Participation Communication Toolkit Educator FlyerFormats: Word
The purpose of this flyer is to provide concise resources about why it is so important that all students participate in state testing. Written for teachers, it also provides strategies to reduce student test anxiety. The flyer can be displayed during state testing windows, shared during parent-teacher meetings, and distributed during school events. The flyer is part of the Participation Communication Toolkit 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.
Published: 2021-11-11 
The Characteristics of Low Performing Students on Large-Scale Assessments (NCEO Brief)Formats: PDFA brief reporting the findings of a longitudinal analysis of three years of student-level demographic and performance data for four states: the 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07 school years. Data sets were compiled for each state for students who were in grades 5 and 8 during the 2006-07 school year, and included student performance data on the regular Reading/English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessment. The goal of this analysis was to learn more about the characteristics of low performing students.
Published: 2010
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: 1999-2000 Participation and Performance of English Language Learners with Disabilities on Minnesota Standards-based Assessments (#1)This year 2004 report examines the participation and performance of English learners with disabilities on the 1999-2000 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, in grades 3 and 5. Results are analyzed by language group (Hmong, Somali, and Spanish) and by disability category.
Published: June 2004