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NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: Middle School Principals' Perspectives on Academic Standards-Based Instruction and Programming for English Language Learners with Disabilities (#22)A report from a study following up on the findings of earlier NCEO research on instructional services and leadership for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. This study looked at a group of principals of middle schools making adequate yearly progress with ELLS and students with disabilities, and addressed three issues: (1) services and programs offered for ELLs with disabilities, (2) sources of instructional strategy information specific to ELLs with disabilities, and (3) the principal's role in supporting teachers' use of instructional strategies for ELLs with disabilities.
Published: September 2008
A State Guide to the Development of Universally Designed AssessmentsA resource guide describing universal design for assessments -- an approach to educational assessment based on principles of accessibility for a wide variety of end users. Elements of universal design include inclusive test population; precisely defined constructs; accessible, non-biased items; tests that are amenable to accommodations; simple, clear and intuitive instructions and procedures; maximum readability and comprehensibility; and maximum legibility. The purpose of this guide is to provide states with strategies for designing tests from the very beginning, through conceptualization and item construction, field-testing, item reviews, statewide operationalization, and evaluation. The objective is to create tests that present an accurate measure of the knowledge and skills of the diverse population of students enrolled in today's public schools.
Published: 2006
NCEO Technical Reports: Using the Think Aloud Method (cognitive labs) to Evaluate Test Design for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners (#44)This year 2006 report describes research on think aloud methods used to detect design issues in large scale assessments. Students included in this study were students with learning disabilities, hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities, English learners, and students without disabilities proficient in English. Findings address the ability of specific student groups to participate in the think aloud procedure and the level of mathematics items with most informative data.
Published: August 2006
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: Student Perceptions of Instructional Strategies - Voices of English Language Learners with Disabilities (#11)This year 2005 report examines the input of English learners with disabilities on the instructional strategies identified by educators for teaching reading, math, and science. The context is grade-level standards-based instruction.
Published: July 2005
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 Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Initial Perceptions of English as a Second Language Educators on Including Students with Limited English Proficiency in Minnesota's High Standards (#33)Formats: OnlineThis year 2000 report presents a study investigating the perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of English as a Second Language educators working towards including English learners in Minnesota's High Standards.
Published: December 2000- NCEO Minnesota Assessment Project Reports: Minnesota's Comprehensive Assessments: 1998 and 1999 Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities (#32)Formats: Online
This year 2000 report analyzes the participation and performance of students with disabilities on the initial administration of Minnesota's Comprehensive Assessments in math and reading for grades three and five.
Published: December 2000 
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 APR Snapshot Briefs: 2022-2023 APR Snapshot 32: State Assessment Participation, Performance, and Assigned Accommodations for Students Receiving Special Education Services (#32)Formats: Online
This report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of grade 8 students receiving special education services on statewide reading/language arts and mathematics assessments for 2022-23. Data are presented for both general and alternate assessments (AA-AAAS), including an analysis of the 1% participation cap for alternate assessments using enrollment-based calculations. This Snapshot also summarizes data on the percentage of students assigned accommodations for state general assessments. Data for other grades are provided for the regular states as well as for unique states that receive special education funds.
Published: March 2026 - NCEO Reports: A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K–12 Test Accommodations: 2024 (#453)Formats: Online
This report summarizes research on testing accommodations for K–12 students with disabilities from 2024. The data shows a clear move toward qualitative studies of how schools use these tools, and what stakeholders think of them. This is a change from previous studies that only looked at test scores. Extended time is still the most common support. Other frequent topics include special settings and read-aloud tools. While math and middle school are the main focus, more studies now come from dissertations. This review provides key facts for experts who want to improve student support and testing.
Published: February 2026 - NCEO Newsletter: February 2026 issueFormats: Online
This February issue of NCEO’s newsletter focuses on two new resources, a timely past product, and a popular section of our website. The new resources are NCEO’s 17th Survey of States where NCEO surveyed state special education and assessment directors to identify trends and issues in statewide assessment of students with disabilities, and the proceedings from the NCEO forum held at the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) on Assistive Technology, Alternate and Augmentative Communication, and Artificial Intelligence. As states enter testing season, we share a popular brief that provides quick access to information on what school leaders need to do before, during, and after the assessment window. Finally, we feature our State Policies Webpage, your centralized hub for locating state assessment manuals and other state accessibility information.
Published: February 2026 - NCEO Reports: Updated State Discussion Guide: Communicating Assessment Data to Empower SSIP Stakeholders (#448)
The purpose of this discussion guide is to support SEAs and local education agencies (LEAs) in states with assessment-related State-Identified Measurable Results (SiMRs) in communicating assessment data in ways that are useful to stakeholders, and in improving data literacy among stakeholders so they can meaningfully participate in key State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) improvement efforts. States are required to develop and implement an SSIP, which is a multi-year plan designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, and to commit to a SiMR focused on student outcomes. The guide is organized around five steps that SEAs can take to better communicate data to stakeholders involved in the SSIP process.
Published: April 2025 - 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 - Accommodations Toolkit: Braille: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: 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: 2/29/2024 - NCEO Newsletter: February 2024 issueFormats: Online
NCEO’s February 2024 newsletter features several NCEO resources that address English learners with disabilities. The number of school-age English learners with disabilities is increasing, and greater attention is being given to their inclusion in state and district assessments. Articles highlight NCEO’s publications and webpages that focus on English learners with disabilities. The newsletter also has an article on considerations for the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment in the past, present, and future, and upcoming presentations that NCEO staff will present.
Published: February 2024 - Accommodations Toolkit: Clarify/Simplify/Repeat Directions: States' Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states’ accessibility policies for clarify/simplify/repeat directions is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 1/18/2024 - School Leader Series: What School Leaders Need to do Before, During, and After the Assessment Window (School Leader Series Brief #4)
This resource is designed to provide guidance on what school leaders need to do before, during, and after the assessment window. Developed in collaboration with CCSSO, the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) and School Leadership Development and Supports (SLDS) state collaboratives made important contributions to this document. This resource highlights what school leaders should do to prepare for, do during, and do after assessments for students with disabilities. It also gives talking points for school leaders to use when addressing key stakeholders on the topic.
Published: 9/28/2021 
NCEO Newsletter: October 2015 issueFormats: OnlineAn issue providing a link to the new NCEO Web site, with many new topics and lots of new information, plus summaries of, and links to, several new NCEO products. Among them is the report on the National Conference on Student Assessment pre-conference forum, titled Implementing Accessibility Frameworks for ALL Students, which focuses on the challenges and opportunities of the new context of many new assessments. This issue also highlights the results from the 2014 Survey of States, a report on graduation policies for students with disabilities who participate instates' general assessments, and the latest Data Analytics report on public reporting of state assessment data on students with disabilities.
Published: October 2015
NCEO Brief: Making Accessibility Decisions for ALL Students (#11)A Brief presenting information on steps to take in the transition from a focus on making decisions about accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs), to a focus on decisions about accessibility and accommodations required by the new assessment approaches of states and collaboratives of states. These new approaches include making decisions for students without an identified disability or ELL status. Seven steps are highlighted that will be useful for states in organizing professional development for educators who will be making accessibility decisions, and for educators themselves who are seeking information on making optimal decisions about accessibility tools and accommodations that meet individual student needs.
Published: June 2015
NCEO Technical Reports: 2011-12 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELLs with Disabilities (#69)A report analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States -- the 15th NCEO report to do so. The publication presents information on publicly reported participation and performance data 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). For the 2011-12 school year, 49 of the 61 states reported participation and performance data for students with disabilities for all general assessments within the ESEA accountability system. Fifty-one states reported participation and performance data for alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) that were within the ESEA system. Information about state assessments outside of ESEA is also presented. This report additionally includes information on public reporting for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, and includes recommendations for future public reporting of disaggregated data for students with disabilities.
Published: July 2014