June 2013

Welcome

Welcome to the first NCEO e-newsletter. In this issue, we highlight the whirlwind of changes that we are all experiencing – the CCSS, the assessment consortia, shifting assessment policies, flexibility waivers, and more – and how they all relate to students with disabilities. We welcome feedback and ideas about what you would like to see in future issues of this quarterly e-newsletter.

 

A Time of Change: Transition and Transformation

Understanding how to best instruct and assess students with disabilities remains a challenge. During this time of change there are both opportunities and difficulties.

Many states are transitioning to Common Core State Standards, and all students need to be college and career ready by the time they leave high school. Consortia of states have joined together to develop next generation regular and alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS)—as well as English language proficiency tests.

Read entire story here …

NCSA Pre-Conference Forum Registration Now Open

Join NCEO and the ASES SCASS for a lively discussion on Addressing Performance Gaps of Low Performing Students during a pre-session to the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA).

Considerations for the instruction and assessment of low-performing students with disabilities, English language learners, and other struggling learners will be addressed by a panel of speakers representing state agencies, higher education and teacher preparation, district-level administration, and parents.

Read entire story here …

States Plans for Phasing Out the AA-MAS

NCEO recently published a report, States’ Flexibility Plans for Phasing Out the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) by 2014-15, that compiled, analyzed and summarized states’ transition plans.

Read entire story here …

Improving the Instruction and
Assessment of Low-Performing StudentsLessonsLearned

Understanding how to instruct and assess low-performing students, both with and without disabilities, remains a challenge. National experts recently conducted a number of studies that can help answer key questions about instructing and assessing these students. NCEO published a white paper, Lessons Learned in Federally Funded Projects that Can Improve the Instruction and Assessment of Low Performing Students with Disabilities , that presents the findings and lessons learned from 14 projects involving 26 states.

Read entire story here …

The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The Center is affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration at the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it.