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- NCEO Reports: State Assessment Rates of Participation, Performance, and Assigned Accommodations of Students with Disabilities (2007–08 Through 2022–23) (454)Formats: Online
This report analyzes state Annual Performance Report (APR) assessment data for students with disabilities across all 50 U.S. states and 10 federal entities from 2007–08 through 2022–23. It tracks participation and performance trends in reading and mathematics for grades 3–8 and high school, specifically focusing on students with IEPs. Key data points include proficiency levels on general and alternate assessments (AA-AAAS) and the frequency of testing accommodations. This review offers a comprehensive historical look at state-level trends.
Published: April 2026 - 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 - At a Crossroads: The Intersection of AT, AAC, and AI in the Education of Learners with Varied NeedsFormats: Online
This report summarizes the key discussions and findings from a forum held on June 25, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. Organized jointly by the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) Collaborative and the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), the event brought together nearly 40 participants from State Education Agencies (SEAs), assessment vendors, and technology experts. The forum focused on the critical and rapidly accelerating intersection of Assistive Technology (AT), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. The main objective was to analyze the implications of these converging technologies on instructional quality and assessment validity for all learners, and to reach a full understanding of their combined impact on educational access.
Published: November 2025 - NCEO State Surveys: 2025 Survey of States: Trends and Issues in Statewide Assessment of Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This report summarizes the seventeenth survey of states by NCEO, collecting over three decades of data on the participation and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Forty-five jurisdictions responded, revealing key trends in state practices. Key findings show that states primarily monitored accessibility features by reviewing IEP records and conducting site audits. To support participation in alternate assessments (AA-AAAS), states focused on training and data sharing. However, a major challenge is meeting the federal 1% limit for AA-AAAS, largely due to concerns over inappropriate student identification and the lack of staff training. For Alt-ELP assessments, states ensured proper assignment through revised guidelines and training. Growth models were common for general assessments but rarely used for AA-AAAS and Alt-ELP assessments. States mainly disaggregated general assessment results by disability category to analyze trends. The survey confirms states are prioritizing training and monitoring to align assessment practices with federal requirements.
Published: November 2025 - 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 Newsletter: February 2025 issueFormats: Online
NCEO’s February 2025 newsletter focuses on providing essential resources to support decision making around assessment participation. We highlight briefs on determining appropriate assessment paths for students along with tools to help teams select and implement accessibility features that best meet individual student needs. Articles also highlight some of NCEO’s newest resources on assessment participation and accessibility features decisions and a few of NCEO’s favorite resources on accessibility features. There is also an article on NCEO's presence at several major spring conferences.
Published: February 2025 - NCEO Reports: Developing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for Interim Assessments that Include All Students (#445)
This report provides a resource for state and district assessment staff as they develop requests for proposals (RFPs) for interim assessments for all of their students, including those who require accessibility features, to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as well as those who may need an alternate assessment because of their significant cognitive disability. This report provides ideas for ensuring that bids for interim assessments address the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners.
Published: January 2025 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Communicating About Assessments with Parents of English Learners with Disabilities (Tool 8)Formats: PDF
This tool contains information that states can use to ensure their parent-focused assessment information is inclusive of assessments taken by English learners with disabilities. It also contains information on how to ensure that these parent resources are shared with local education agency staff who can distribute information to parents. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: December 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Planning for the Accessibility Needs of an English Learner with a Disability Who Participates in State Alternate Assessments (Tool 7)Formats: PDF
This tool describes a planning process for determining the access needs of an individual student who is an English learner with a disability and will take state alternate assessments. It includes components of a sample accessibility plan for an English learner with a disability who participates in alternate assessments and a model of a completed plan. The sample accessibility plan is designed to supplement the IEP. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Planning for the Accessibility Needs of an English Learner with a Disability Who Participates in State General Assessments (Tool 6)Formats: PDF
This tool describes a planning process for determining the access needs of an individual student who is an English learner with a disability and will take state general assessments. It includes components of a sample accessibility plan for an English learner with a disability and a model of a completed plan. The sample accessibility plan is designed to supplement the IEP. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Deciding Whether an English Learner with a Disability Should Participate in State Alternate Assessments of Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science (Tool 5)Formats: PDF
This tool describes a way to ensure that all potential assessment participation decision makers are informed about the state’s content assessments and considerations for determining whether a student who is an English learner with a disability should participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) or the general content assessment. A list of resources on decision-making approaches for content assessments is included. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Deciding Whether an English Learner with a Disability Can Participate in All Domains of an English Language Proficiency Assessment (Tool 4)Formats: PDF
This tool describes a way to ensure that all potential assessment participation decision makers are informed about the state’s English language proficiency assessments. It includes considerations for making a decision about exempting an individual English learner with a disability from participation in a particular English proficiency domain because the disability prevents access to that domain. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Deciding Whether an English Learner with a Disability Should Participate in the State Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessment (Tool 3)Formats: PDF
This tool provides states with components to help ensure that all potential decision makers are informed about the state’s English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. It also provides considerations for making the decision about whether a student who is an English learner with a disability should participate in the alternate ELP assessment or the general ELP assessment. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: November 2024 - Unlocking Potential: Harnessing AI for Inclusive Learning
This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 26, 2024 in Seattle, Washington to discuss issues surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and accessibility in education. A specific goal of the forum was to bring together representatives from state education agencies (SEAs), assessment vendors, AI experts, and others to discuss the implications of AI for accessibility in instruction and assessment. Participants explored current challenges, potential benefits, and key considerations for implementing AI in ways that enhance rather than hinder accessibility for all students.
Published: October 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: State Assessments for English Learners with Disabilities: State Data Display Templates (Tool 2)Formats: PDF
This State Data Display Templates tool is designed to provide state education agencies with templates to use to display state assessment participation and student characteristics data for English learners with disabilities. The templates are designed for a closer look at State assessment data but may be adapted for use with other types of assessments.
Published: September 2024 - English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit: Using Data to Understand the Characteristics of English Learners with Disabilities in Your State (Tool 1)Formats: PDF
This tool is designed to provide state education agencies (SEAs), particularly assessment staff, with templates to use to display data on the characteristics of English learners with disabilities. The tool includes templates for examining languages spoken at home, disability categories, and English language proficiency (ELP) levels on both the general and alternate ELP assessments. States may customize this tool as needed to meet their needs.
Published: August 2024 - NCEO Data Analytics: Number and Percentage of English Learners with Disabilities by Disability Category, 2013-14 to 2022-23 (#20)Formats: Online
This interactive report presents information on the percentage students with disabilities who are also English learners, and the proportion of these students by disability category for school years 2013-14 to 2022-23. The data in this report allow users to view one or more disability categories for comparison, and provides data by state.
Published: June 2024 - A State Discussion Guide to Understanding, Developing and Sustaining Balanced Assessment Systems That Are Inclusive of All Students
This state discussion guide is designed to facilitate discussions within state education agencies about how to create and sustain a balanced assessment system that is inclusive of all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities. It is co-published by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and NCEO.
Published: June 2024