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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 Brief: Considerations for Consortia as States Transition Away from AA-MAS (#7)A brief addressing the need for consortia to assist their member states in moving away from the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). It focuses on key considerations for consortia as they address the inclusion of low-performing students in all member states, informed by the lessons learned from the AA-MAS. Topics highlighted in this brief are: including low-performing students in field test designs, customizing non-summative assessments to include low-performing students, and collecting and examining data on this group of students.
Published: February 2014
NCEO Synthesis Reports: States' Flexibility Plans for Phasing Out the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) by 2014-15 (#89)A report compiling, analyzing, and summarizing states' plans for phasing out the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) in their approved waiver applications. The U.S. Department of Education offered states the flexibility waiver from some of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability requirements on condition that the states provide a plan to phase out the use of the AA-MAS for ESEA accountability by the 2014-15 school year.
Published: March 2013
NCEO Brief: Including Students with Disabilities in Common Non-Summative Assessments (#6)A brief -- the sixth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- addressing the Consortia's need to develop an inclusive approach to their non-summative assessments, including their optional interim assessments. Consideration should be given to: (a) the implementation of universal design principles; (b) the development of clear participation criteria and guidelines; and (c) accommodation policies that account for good testing practices, embedded features of technology-based assessments, and additional accommodations. This brief encourages the Consortia to build on what has been learned from inclusive large-scale assessments.
Published: July 2012
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Educating Struggling Learners: Reflections on Lessons Learned about Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (#86)A report presenting a first-person account of someone on the front lines of school reform, specifically focusing on inclusive assessment practices as they influence curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the local and state levels. The author, Valerie Kurizaki, works within the Hawai'i State Department of Education to ensure systemic standards implementation that supports all students, especially struggling learners. Her story suggests many themes that are similar to those in districts around the country where systematic reform has improved outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities.
Published: December 2011
NCEO Brief: Understanding Subgroups in Common State Assessments: Special Education Students and ELLs (#4)A brief -- the fourth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- presenting information on the characteristics of special education students, English Language Learners (ELLs), and ELLs with disabilities. It highlights the variability in these populations, variability that is multiplied when states are grouped in the Consortia. The brief provides several recommendations for the Consortia to help ensure that they understand the characteristics and variability that exist in their member states. These characteristics and variability should influence their assessment design choices, which in turn will support the validity of the assessment system for all subgroups.
Published: July 2011
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Computer-Based Testing: Practices and Considerations (#78)A report exploring the context of computer-based testing (CBT), current state computer-based tests, and considerations for students with disabilities, in part as follow-up to a similar exploration that occurred in the early 2000s when just a few states were beginning to develop and implement CBT for their state assessments. CBT has emerged as one of the recent "innovative" approaches to assessments most pursued by states. CBT is lauded as the answer to having cheaper and speedier test delivery for state and district-wide assessments. It is also seen by some as an avenue toward greater accessibility for students with disabilities. Nine considerations for states and districts are presented.
Published: September 2010- NCEO Annual Performance Reports and State Performance Plans: 2007-2008 State Assessment DataFormats: PDF
A report summarizing the 2007-2008 state assessment information that was submitted by states in their Annual Performance Reports. States and other educational entities receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) submitted their Annual Performance Reports and Section 618 Table 6 data together to the U.S. Secretary of Education on or before February 2009. This report summarizes the 2007-2008 state assessment information that was submitted by states in their Annual Performance Reports. It contains information on large-scale assessment participation and performance data for the 2007-2008 school year.
Published: August 2010 
NCEO English Language Learners (ELLs) with Disabilities Reports: Policymaker Perspectives on the Inclusion of English Language Learners with Disabilities in Statewide Assessments (#8)This year 2005 report describes how state educational agencies are including English learners with disabilities in statewide assessments and supporting local education agencies in their communication of assessment results to families. The study involved telephone interviews with state department personnel in the areas of assessment, English learner programs, and special education in states with large and small populations of English learners.
Published: August 2005
NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: Rapid Changes, Repeated Challenges: States' Out-of-Level Testing Policies for 2003-2004 (#13)This year 2004 report summarizes a 2003-2004 state policy review of out-of-level testing, and compares these findings to a prior policy review on out-of-level testing conducted in 2000-2001. The first policy review in 2000-2001 included 12 states, and the updated review includes 17 states that allow out-of-level testing.
Published: September 2004
NCEO Technical Reports: State Literacy Standards, Practice, and Testing: Exploring Accessibility (#38)This year 2004 report reviews state reading standards, addresses alternative modes for student interaction with print, and analyzes the correspondence between reading standard requirements and the modes of interaction with print. It concludes by identifying implications for instruction, assessment and related issues. The authors consider this paper to be a first step in exploring how students can access print in order to more widely promote student access to standards, instruction and assessments.
Published: May 2004
NCEO Policy Directions: Rethinking Basic Assumptions of Test Development - Assessment Frameworks for Inclusive Accountability Tests (#17)This year 2003 report discusses how to incorporate new assumptions about teaching and learning coming out of standards-based reform so that assessments can both meet the requirements of NCLB accountability and give better information about performance of students in prescribed content. This includes compatible classroom diagnostic assessments and clarification and articulation of content standards.
Published: November 2003- NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: Reporting Out-of-Level Test Scores: Are These Students Included in Accountability Programs? (#10)
This year 2003 report describes the extent to which scores for students with disabilities tested out-of-level were reported publicly in state accountability documents for the years 1999-2001. The report includes results of follow-up telephone calls with state personnel to clarify the results of the document review. The report concludes with three challenges to reporting out-of-level testing data.
Published: October 2003 
NCEO Technical Reports: A Summary of Research on the Effects of Test Accommodations: 1999 through 2001 (#34)This year 2002 report summarizes 46 empirical research studies on accommodations published between 1999 through 2001. The report describes the characteristics of the studies: purpose, type of assessment and content, participants, research design, findings, and limitations. Observations from the analysis are given with recommendations for future research, including considerations in assessment design and standardization (i.e., universal design) to reduce the need for accommodations.
Published: December 2002
NCEO Technical Reports: Are We There Yet? Accountability for the Performance of Students with Disabilities (#33)This year 2002 report identifies and describes state accountability systems to determine the degree that public documents clearly articulate whether students with disabilities are included in accountability calculations. Primary indicators addressed in state systems included student performance on statewide assessments, Performance growth, attendance rates, and dropout rates. The review found that only a handful of states clearly counted all students with disabilities in accountability determinations for schools.
Published: November 2002- NCEO Out-of-Level Testing Project Reports: A Follow-Up Web-Based Survey: Test and Measurement Expert Opinions on the Psychometric Properties of Out-of-Level Tests (#7)Formats: Online
This year 2002 report presents results of a survey conducted with researchers, academicians, and others with expertise in testing theory and large-scale assessment on the topic of out-of-level testing. The report summarizes both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the survey data. The report concludes by recommending further areas of research to guide the development of out-of-level testing policies and practices.
Published: July 2002 
NCEO Technical Reports: What Databases Tell Us about Differential Levels of Use and How to Document the Use of Accommodations (#30)Formats: OnlineThis year 2001 report presents an analysis of accommodation use data from 12 states. Findings include extremely variable rates in accommodation use, use patterns by level of schooling, and concerns about data accuracy drawn from how states record accommodation use. Further, states report accommodated student data in unique ways making comparisons difficult.
Published: August 2001
NCEO Technical Reports: Effects of a Reading Accommodation on the Validity of a Reading Test (#28)Formats: OnlineThis year 2000 report examines the effect of a read aloud accommodation on the performance of students on a reading comprehension test. Thirty-two students from general education and special education were administered two equivalent forms of the California Achievement Tests (CAT/5) Comprehension survey. One of the groups took a form with the read aloud accommodation. There were no significant effects by student status found, except for a moderate positive effect size for students with disabilities. Information on student preference of the read aloud accommodation by student status are also presented.
Published: December 2000
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Social Promotion and Students with Disabilities: Issues and Challenges in Developing State Policies (#34)Formats: OnlineThis 2000 policy study looks at existing and emerging state policies on social promotion to determine the extent to which students with disabilities are included or excluded. Results reflect the status of state policies at one point in time, as determined from publicly available state documents and statutes. The review is meant to contribute to thoughtful policy development and stimulate consideration of issues associated with high stakes testing to assess accountability for students with and without disabilities.
Published: June 2000- Accountability for the Results of Educating Students with Disabilities: Assessment Conference Report on the New Assessment Provisions of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education ActFormats: Online
A year 1998 conference report on the assessment provisions of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and its component Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requested that NCEO convene a working conference in Washington DC to define issues and develop recommendations related to State and district-wide assessments and accountability. This report describes the findings of this conference.
Published: April 1998