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- NCEO Newsletter: June 2025 issueFormats: Online
In this newsletter we highlight five key NCEO resources that explore various topics around the Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS). Three of these are new resources, while the other two are popular past resources—our “In Case You Missed It” picks. Also, in this issue we provide information on NCEO presentations at the upcoming National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and our joint forum with the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Assessment, Standards, and Education of Students with Disabilities (ASES) collaborative. The Forum, titled At a Crossroads: The Intersection of AT, AAC, and AI in the Education of Diverse Learners, will follow NCSA.
Published: June 2025 - NCEO Reports: How Students Who Take the AA-AAAS Are Included in State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP): An Analysis of FFY 2021 SSIPs (449)Formats: PDF
This report presents the findings of an analysis of states’ FFY 2021 State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs) that examined how students who participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) were included in State-identified Measurable Results (SiMRs) related to student performance. Students who take the AA-AAAS have the most significant cognitive disabilities. This analysis revealed significant gaps in how students who take the AA-AAAS were included in these improvement efforts.
Published: April 2025 - NCEO Reports: State Policies and Research on Alternate Assessment Accommodations (446)Formats: PDF
This report presents findings from two studies examining accommodations policies and research on alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). This policy analysis and literature review revealed several key insights about accommodations for AA-AAAS, with far-reaching implications for policy, practice, and future research. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to improving assessment practices for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Published: March 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)Formats: PDF
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: 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 - NCEO Newsletter: October 2024 issueFormats: Online
NCEO’s October 2024 newsletter features several new NCEO publications. The first article is about several reports published by a project affiliated with NCEO that share findings of research studies about students who shifted from the alternate assessment to the general assessment. The next article is about how states address the federal requirement that 95% of students participate in state assessments used for accountability. This is followed by an article on the unintended consequences of improved accessibility on state tests, and an article about the accommodations research literature.
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 - MIDAS Project Reports: A Mixed Methods Study on Teaching Students Who Moved From the AA-AAAS to General State Assessment (#102)Formats: PDF
This report presents the findings of a study that examined the successes and barriers that teachers faced when instructing students with disabilities who have moved from the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) to the general state assessment. For this study, classroom observations and teacher interviews were conducted in three states.
Published: July 2024 - MIDAS Project Reports: Teachers’ Perspectives on Using Multiple Measures of Academic Achievement to Inform Instruction of Students on the Cusp Between the AA-AAAS and the General Assessment (#103)Formats: PDF
This report presents the findings of online focus groups conducted with teachers to learn more about their experiences using multiple measures to inform instructional decision making for students on the cusp between the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) and the general state assessment used for accountability.
Published: July 2024 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2021-2022 APR Snapshot #31: Assessment Participation, Performance, and Assigned Accommodations for Students Receiving Special Education Services (#31)Formats: Online
This report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of students receiving special education services on statewide reading/language arts and mathematics assessments for 2021-22. Data are provided for mathematics and reading/language arts for general and alternate assessments. This report also summarizes data on the percentage of students assigned accommodations for general assessments.
Published: 6/25/2024 - 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 - MIDAS Project Reports: Using Multiple Measures of Academic Achievement to Inform Instruction for Students with Disabilities Who Moved from the Alternate Assessment to the General State Assessment (#101)Formats: PDF
This report presents an overview of two types of assessments that can inform instructional decision making for students with disabilities who moved from the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) to the general assessment: (1) interim assessments and (2) formative assessment practices. The report concludes with several takeaways that can support improved practice.
Published: April 2024 - NCEO Brief: The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications (#33)
The purpose of this Brief is to clarify what accommodations and modifications are for both instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. We also disentangle the use of the term “alternate or modified curriculum” from the meaning of modification used for instruction and assessment.
Published: January 2024 - NCEO State Surveys: 2023 Survey of States: Trends, Accomplishments, and Challenges
This report highlights the findings of the sixteenth survey of states conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It has been administered for more than three decades to collect information from states about the participation and performance of students with disabilities in the assessments that comprise the comprehensive assessment system. Topics addressed included: accessibility and accommodations, alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), interim assessments, accountability, English learners with disabilities, technology, graduation requirements, State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs) / State-identified Measurable Results (SiMRs), family engagement, and technical assistance needs.
Published: February 2024 - NCEO Reports: Revisiting the Meaning of “Reduced Depth, Breadth, and Complexity” for AA-AAAS (#441)
Alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) are designed and implemented for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Historically, these assessments have been described as reflecting reduced depth, breadth, and complexity. Yet, the meaning of these terms is often not defined. The purpose of this report is to provide: (a) an overview of relevant history and legislation that address depth, breadth, and complexity of AA-AAAS; and (2) questions for states to consider as they revise or develop new AA-AAAS. This information also can be useful for states submitting evidence for an existing AA-AAAS to the U.S. Department of Education peer review process.
Published: January 2024 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2020-2021 APR Snapshot #30: AA-AAAS Participation and Performance (#30)Formats: Online
This report summarizes Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2020-2021 school year, information is presented on the number of students participating in the AA-AAAS and the performance of those students. Data are presented for the 50 regular states as well as the 10 unique states.
Published: December 2023 - NCEO APR Snapshot Briefs: 2020-2021 APR Snapshot #28: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Students Receiving Special Education Services (#28)Formats: Online
This report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2020-2021 school year, information is presented on participation and performance in reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to students in grades 3-8 and high school.
Published: December 2023