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- NCEO Reports: A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K–12 Test Accommodations: 2023 (#451)Formats: Online
This report presents a synthesis of the research literature published in 2023 on testing accommodations for U.S. elementary and secondary students with disabilities. Most studies examined implementation practices and stakeholder perceptions of accommodations. Technology-based accommodations like magnification devices and text-to-speech were frequently studied. Key findings highlighted that accommodations were most effective when tailored to individual needs, and that teachers often lacked training despite feeling supported in decision-making.
Published: September 2025 - NCEO Brief: Gaps in the Accommodations Research Literature (#31)
Federal and state policymakers, as well as educators, rely on the accommodations research literature to evaluate how accommodations should be used to improve accessibility for students with disabilities. This Brief consolidates information about gaps in this research with the goal of promoting wider interest in and additional research on accommodations. NCEO reviewed the accommodations research literature published between 1999 and 2021. Gaps in the research were identified in those summaries of the literature. The primary audience for this Brief is researchers and other persons or organizations interested in conducting or promoting research that supports a better understanding of accommodations. Graduate students looking to identify potential areas for research may also find this Brief useful.
Published: April 2023 - Accommodations Toolkit: Spell Check: ResearchFormats: Online
This fact sheet on spell check 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 spell check as an accessibility feature or accommodation.
Published: 10/18/2022 - Accommodations Toolkit: Small Group and Individual Administration: ResearchFormats: Online
This fact sheet on small group and individual administration 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 small group and individual administration as an accessibility feature or accommodation.
Published: 6/8/2022 - 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 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Customizable Participation Communication Toolkit Family 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 families, 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 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Customizable Participation Communication Toolkit Policymaker 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 policymakers, it also provides strategies to support students and their families in the policymaker’s state. 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 - NCEO Participation Communication Toolkit: Customizable Participation Communication Toolkit Student 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 students, it also provides strategies to reduce student test anxiety. 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 - TIES Center Briefs: Grading My Child with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in an Inclusive Classroom (TIES Center Brief #6)
Grades are assigned and report cards given in inclusive classrooms. It is important that thought has been given to how work from students with significant cognitive disabilities will be graded and what will be in the report card. The purpose of this parent Brief is to (a) identify the IEP team’s role in grading and report cards, (b) provide ideas for how to talk to teachers about grades and their meaning, and (c) suggest what to do if the school or district has not yet identified grading and report card considerations for students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
Published: February 2021 - Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home: Helping Your Child with Communication at HomeFormats: Online
This video describes ways that parents with students with disabilities can help support their child’s communication development at home, and provides sources for more information.
Published: November 2020 
NCEO Reports: Status of State-Defined Alternate Diplomas in 2018-19 (#416)The purpose of this report is to summarize the status of state-defined alternate diplomas in the 50 U.S. states three years after the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) indicated that states could develop these diplomas and use them in accountability calculations. To count this diploma in a graduation measure for accountability, several criteria must be met, including that it must be standards-based, aligned to state requirements for the regular high school diploma, and obtained within the time period for which the state ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). This report documents the status of state-defined alternate diplomas in states in 2018-19 and provides recommendations to states intending to develop a state-defined alternate diploma.
Published: September 2019
Student Demonstrations of their Use of Accessibility Features and AccommodationsThis report presents information from a study by the Data Informed Accessibility—Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project that examined classroom use of accessibility features and accommodations gathered through in-person interviews with teachers and in-person demonstrations with students. The report catalogs the accessibility features and accommodations used in class that were helpful to students, identifies reasons that certain accessibility features and accommodations were and were not used, and explores barriers to the effective use of accessibility features and accommodations.
Published: June 2019
NCEO Policy Directions: Using Growth for Accountability - Considerations for Students with Disabilities (#21)Formats: PDFA report providing considerations and recommendations on growth models for students with disabilities. The academic progress of students is an important indicator of educational success. For school accountability systems, using a growth model to report on a student's academic growth can be viewed as an addition to or a replacement for a status model. Status models compare the performance of a cohort of students in a grade one year with the performance of another cohort of students in the same grade the preceding year. Growth models typically track the achievement of individual students from year to year.
Published: January 2010
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: Diploma Options, Graduation Requirements, and Exit Exams for Youth with Disabilities: 2011 National Study (#62)A report documenting results from the fifth in a series of similar studies on state graduation policies and diploma options conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). The present study was undertaken to update the status of graduation policies across the nation. It follows up on previous work, the last study having been conducted in 2006-2007. Three research questions served as the focus of this national study of high school graduation requirements and diploma options for students with and without disabilities: (1) What is the range and variation in state graduation requirements and diploma options across the United States for students with and without disabilities? (2) What are the intended and unintended consequences that result for students when they are required to pass exit exams to receive a high school diploma? And (3) What are the intended and unintended consequences of using single or multiple diploma options for students with disabilities? Results indicated some changes in graduation requirements and diploma options from the previous survey. Trends found include: (a) state and local graduation policies and assessment practices continue to be modified and revised on a regular basis, (b) graduation requirements are increasing in rigor across states, (c) states are continuing to experiment by making available a range of diploma options for students with and without disabilities, and (d) the participation of students with disabilities in high stakes exit exams is increasing and states are granting additional testing allowances and broader use of accommodations.
Published: April 2012- Accommodations Toolkit: Word Prediction: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states accessibility policies for word prediction is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/22/2024 - Accommodations Toolkit: Math Charts/Tables: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states accessibility policies for math charts/tables is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/22/2024 - Accommodations Toolkit: Manipulatives: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states accessibility policies for manipulatives is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/22/2024 - Accommodations Toolkit: Large Print: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023Formats: Online
This summary of states accessibility policies for large print is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: 4/22/2024 
NCEO Synthesis Reports: A Comparison of IEP/504 Accommodations Under Classroom and Standardized Testing Conditions: A Preliminary Report on SEELS Data (#63)This year 2006 report uses SEELS data to examine accommodation use across different education conditions, comparing IEP and 504 Plan accommodations to what students reportedly received in the classroom and on standardized tests. Findings show a lack of alignment in accommodation use among IEP/504 plans, classroom conditions, and state testing situations. Further, some variability is seen for students with different categorical labels. The author notes that continued monitoring of alignment should continue.
Published: September 2006