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NCEO Synthesis Reports: Alternative Routes to the Standard Diploma (#54)This year 2005 report investigated alternative routes that states provide for students, with or without disabilities, to get a high school diploma. The report studied 16 states that indicated previously in an NCEO survey that an alternate route was available to students. Of these 16 states, 10 had an alternative route for all students (including students with disabilities) as well as alternative routes just for students with disabilities. Three of the remaining six states had alternative routes for all students only, and three had alternative routes just for students with disabilities. Analysis includes state eligibility criteria, who initiates the alternate route request, who makes decisions, description of process, and the comparability of the alternate route to the standard route. A key finding in the comparability of alternate and standard routes was that 71% of the alternative routes for all students were judged comparable to the standard routes, whereas only 35% of the alternative routes for students with disabilities were judged to be comparable. Authors make several suggestions to states based on the analysis.
Published: March 2005
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Large-Scale Assessment and Accountability Systems: Positive Consequences for Students with Disabilities (#51)This 2004 report examines both empirical and anecdotal evidence for positive consequences of large-scale high-stakes assessments for students with disabilities. The analysis uses multiple methodologies to gather data on positive consequences: a qualitative media survey, an environmental scan of State Special Education Directors, a focus group, and a national survey on state assessment practices. Primary findings show these positive consequences for students with disabilities found consistently across all methodologies: increased participation of students with disabilities in testing programs, higher expectations and standards, improved instruction, and improved performance. Secondary findings found in fewer sources are as follows: improved assessments, improved diploma options, decreased dropout rates, and increased collaboration and communication between parents and special education and general education teachers. The authors discuss the limitations of the study, and address it as a starting point for further research. Overall, the findings suggest that large-scale high stakes assessments can have intended and unintended positive consequences for students with disabilities.
Published: May 2004
NCEO Technical Reports: Where's Waldo? A Third Search for Students with Disabilities in State Accountability Reports (#25)This year 2000 report analyzes state education reports to determine what types of information are provided on students with disabilities. It is the third such study conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes, and was based on 170 reports from state accountability offices and state special education offices. Findings reported include the following: (1) despite IDEA requirements for public reporting of assessment participation and performance data for students with disabilities, only 14 states included participation data and 17 states included performance data for students with disabilities in state assessments, (2) participation levels varied from 33% to 97% of students with disabilities, and (3) information on performance levels varied widely. The report presents several recommendations to states. These include the need for states to indicate how they will move toward meeting IDEA requirements for reporting data on students with disabilities, to consider how best to present these data to avoid unintended consequences, and to ensure an accounting of participation data for each performance score that is reported.
Published: April 2000- Accommodations Toolkit: Student Reads Aloud to Self: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2020Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for student reads aloud to self is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 9/30/2021 - Accommodations Toolkit: Braille: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2020Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for braille is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 8/31/2021 - Partnering with Parents of English Learners (ELs) and ELs with Disabilities during the COVID-19 PandemicFormats: PDF
This presentation on partnering with parents of English learners with and without disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was presented at the 2020 Minnesota Department of Education's Minnesota English Learner Education conference (MELEd).
Published: 2020-11-20 - Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home: Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Communication at HomeFormats: Online
This video provides parents and siblings of students with disabilities with tips on how they can support the development of communication skills of their child (or sibling) at home, and provides other sources for more information.
Published: November 2020 - Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home: Helping Your Child with Academics at HomeFormats: Online
This video provides parents of students with disabilities, specifically those with the most significant cognitive disabilities, with tips on how to support their child’s standards-based instruction at home.
Published: November 2020 - What Do You Wish Your Colleagues Knew About Making Content Accessible for ELs?Formats: PDF
This presentation addressed making academic content accessible for English learners. It was presented at the 2019 Minnesota Department of Education's Minnesota English Learner Education conference (MELEd).
Published: 2019-11-22 - Using Online Professional Development Modules to Learn about Accessibility Features and AccommodationsFormats: PDF
This presentation explored using online professional development modules to learn about accessibility features and accommodations. It was presented at the 2018 Minnesota Department of Education's Minnesota English Learner Education conference (MELEd).
Published: 2018-11-17 - Accommodations for Students with Disabilities BibliographyFormats: Online
This searchable bibliographic database presents research on accommodations for students with disabilities. You can perform a basic search by keywords related to the accommodation, test content area, or student age. Brief summaries of each study are provided, and include information on the accommodation, participants, dependent variable, and major findings of the study.
Published: 2010 - NCEO Maryland/Kentucky State Assessment Project: Accommodations, Modifications, and Alternates for Instruction and Assessment (#5)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: December 1999 
Accountability for the Results of Educating Students with DisabilitiesFormats: OnlineThis report from 1998 describes the findings of a conference NCEO convened to define issues and develop recommendations related to state and district-wide assessments and accountability needed to attain the benefits of the 1997 IDEA amendments and achieve better results for children with disabilities.
Published: April 1998- Linking Inclusion to Conclusions: An Empirical Study of Participation of Students with Disabilities in Statewide Testing Programs (Oregon Report 1)Formats: Online
A report from the past Oregon Assessment Project, a federally funded effort.
Published: October 1997 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Issues and Considerations in Alternate Assessments (#27)Formats: OnlineThis 1997 report describes and discusses issues around the design of alternate assessments for students with disabilities.
Published: January 1997
NCEO Synthesis Reports: The Effects of Standards and Assessment on Students in Special Education (#10)Formats: PDFIn this report, the author examines accountability and assessment issues that are relevant to students in special education.
Published: October 1993- Webinar: Teacher Perceptions and Perspectives on the Selection and Implementation of AccommodationsFormats: Free Video
This webinar presents research on teachers’ preferences for and perceptions of accommodations, as well as suggestions for how to incorporate these into accommodations decision-making (see NCEO Brief #34
). The primary audience for this webinar is State Education Agency (SEA) special education and assessment staff, especially those who are involved in monitoring accommodations.Published: 7/3/2024 - Understanding English Learner Accommodations : Electronic TranslatorsFormats: Free Video
The video describes one of the testing accommodations allowed for English learners on West Virginia state assessments. It describes the West Virginia policy on using an electronic translator as an English-language support. The video is part of a series called “Understanding English learner accommodations,” a set of resources created for the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: 11/3/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Familiar Proctor/Test Administrator: ResearchFormats: Online
This fact sheet on familiar proctor/test administrator 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 familiar proctor/test administrator to self as an accessibility feature or accommodation.
Published: 9/30/2021 - Successfully Instructing and Assessing Students who Take the Alternate Assessment (and Those Who Used to Take the Alternate)Formats: PDF
This presentation addresses how to successfully instruct and assess students who currently take alternate assessments or used to take them. It was presented at the 2020 Inclusive Education Leadership Institute.
Published: 2020-11-11