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NCEO Reports: Alternate Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Participation Guidelines and Definitions (#406)This report documents the status of states' assessment participation guidelines and definitions of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities that were in place just prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year. With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 2015, renewed attention was paid to the importance of guidelines for participation in alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) and to understanding of who the students are who have significant cognitive disabilities. The analysis includes the factors that states indicated should and should not be considered when making decisions about participation in the AA-AAS. It also documents the format of the guidelines that states made available to decision makers. Finally, it examines the extent to which states provided an explicit definition of "students with the most significant cognitive disabilities."
Published: December 2017
NCEO Newsletter: February 2018 issueFormats: Online2018 greetings from NCEO. In this issue, a new webpage on the NCEO website is highlighted, as well as a new report on states' alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) participation guidelines and definitions of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Also in this issue is an update on the activities of the DIAMOND project, which is developing professional development materials, including online modules, on accessibility and accommodations. Finally, in this issue, we provide information on sessions at the annual conferences of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).
Published: February 2018
NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2014-2015 APR Snapshot #15: AA-AAS Participation and Performance (#15)Formats: OnlineThis report summarizes AA-AAS data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data from the 2014-2015 school year, we present information on the number of students participating in the AA-AAS and the performance of those students.
Published: November 2017- State Defined Alternate DiplomasFormats: Online
Sheryl Lazarus presented "State Defined Alternate Diplomas” in an NCEO and NTACT webinar.
Published: 2017-11-17 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2014-2015 APR Snapshot #14: Assessment Accommodations Use by Students Receiving Special Education Services (#14)Formats: Online
This report provides information on the number of students with disabilities using 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 2014-2015 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 2017 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2014-2015 APR Snapshot #13: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Students Receiving Special Education Services (#13)Formats: Online
This report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of student receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data from the 2014-15 school year, we present information on participation and performance in reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to grade 8 students.
Published: May 2017 
Educators' Experiences With and Attitudes Toward Accessibility Features and AccommodationsA report from the DIAMOND project that explores the results of an online survey about educators' familiarity with and attitudes toward accessibility features and accommodations. Most of the 2,000 respondents reported that they work with students who use accessibility features and accommodations, which they believe to have a positive impact on educational outcomes. However, the survey results also show noticeable differences between different groups of educators and suggest that teachers in general education and English learner education may need more support in making and implementing decisions about accessibility features and accommodations.
Published: September 2017
NCEO State Surveys: 2016 Survey of States: State Activities Amid Evolving Educational PoliciesA report providing a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during a period of new education laws and initiatives. This is the fifteenth such survey of states conducted by NCEO. States were continuing to address the need for inclusive assessments while facing new requirements for assessments and accountability systems.
Published: September 2017
NCEO Brief: Meeting the Needs of ELs with Disabilities in Your State: Making EL Exit Decisions (#13)The purpose of this Brief is to highlight the numbers and characteristics of English learners (ELs) with disabilities and current decision-making processes for exiting these students from EL services. The Brief concludes with recommendations for states to consider as they support districts and schools in making appropriate exit decisions for ELs with disabilities.
Published: September 2017
Data Informed Accessibility: A Review of the LiteratureThe purpose of this literature review is to: (a) summarize the shift that has occurred in approaches to accessibility in testing (including the paradigm shift of what accessibility for all students means, and its relationship to accessibility in instruction), (b) identify the gaps in educators' knowledge and application of accessibility approaches and their need for training, and (c) explore the approaches to professional development that might be used to develop accessibility and accommodations training for all educators.
Published: September 2017
NCEO Newsletter: October 2017 issueFormats: OnlineIn this issue, we share several new reports available from NCEO. One is a report on a forum held prior to the National Conference on Students Assessment to discuss text readers and their availability to all students on many assessments. Another report now available on the NCEO website presents the results of the 2016 survey of states. Another report is a brief on making decisions about exiting English learner (EL) services for ELs with disabilities. NCEO also announces a new center on inclusive policies and procedures in this issue. Finally, in this issue we look forward to two future activities. At the end of October, NCEO will attend the annual conference of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education to lead two discussion sessions known as YOU PICKS on the 1% cap and the alternate diploma. And, in November, NCEO will share information on using formative and interim assessments to improve student learning at the annual conference of the Teachers of Education Division of CEC.
Published: October 2017
Forum on Text Readers for Everyone on All Tests: Getting a Handle on What This MeansFormats: PDFA report on a forum held on June 27, 2017 in Austin, TX that brought together staff representing state departments of education, school districts, testing and testing-related companies, and other educational organizations Texas to discuss the availability of text readers for everyone on all tests, the differences in terminology for text readers, ways to develop common language around text readers, and challenges associated with text readers. The forum was a pre-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA), and was a collaboration of the Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS), the English Learner (EL) SCASS, and the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: August 2017
NCEO Reports: 2014-15 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELs with Disabilities (#405)This is the eighteenth report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. This report presents information on publicly reported participation and performance data for students with disabilities for the 50 regular states and the 11 unique states (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Education, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Department of Defense Education Activities, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Palau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands). Information on public reporting for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities is also included in this report.
Published: May 2017
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
NCEO Data Analytics: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Students with IEPs 2013-2014 (#5)Formats: OnlineThis interactive report presents data on 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 from the 2013-14 school year, we present information on participation and performance in reading and mathematics statewide assessments. This interactive brief is based on "2013-2014 APR Snapshot #10: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Students Receiving Special Education Services."
Published: February 2017
Informe sobre el desarrollo de un lenguaje común de la accesibilidad para los estados y proveedores de evaluacionesSpanish translation of the report, "White Paper on Common Accessibility Language for States and Assessment Vendors." This 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. Content is in Spanish.
Published: February 2017
NCEO Newsletter: February 2017 issueFormats: OnlineIn this issue, new NCEO activities and products are highlighted. NCEO is excited to be collaborating with the University of Texas in the new National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (see New Deaf Center Grant). Other NCEO collaborations are reflected in its work with ACHIEVE on diplomas for students with disabilities, and in its work on the state defined alternate diploma with the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT). A new report by NCEO provides baseline information on how states are addressing the exit of English learners (ELs) with disabilities from EL services (see How States Make Exit Decisions...). Finally, in this issue we provide some updates on NCEO's DIAMOND project activities.
Published: February 2017
NCEO Reports: Providing English Language Development Services to English Learners with Disabilities: Approaches to Making Exit Decisions (NCEO Report 404)The purpose of this report is to provide a baseline report, prior to the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, on factors that affect decisions to exit English learners (ELs) with disabilities from English language development services, including the relationship of these decisions to students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Although many critical educational decisions are made for these students, the determination that an EL with disabilities should be reclassified and exited from services is one of the more critical decisions made for individual students.
Published: January 2017
Variables Used by States in the Calculation of Annual Measureable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for Title III ReportingThe purpose of this report is to present information on the approaches used by states to calculate each of three annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) about the language acquisition and academic achievement of English learners (ELs). Although states report their AMAO calculations to the federal government, there is no mechanism of comparison across states. This report provides a snapshot of the inputs states used for calculating AMAOs for the 2014-15 school year.
Published: December 2016
