The 2018 conferences of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) are great forums for researchers and policymakers. The 2018 conferences, which are held at approximately the same time and in the same location, are being held in New York City on April 13-17. NCEO staff members will participate in both meetings, namely:

How Much Do Educators Know about Accessibility Features and Accommodations? (AERA Session). Martha Thurlow & Erik Larson, Presenters

This session presents the results of a survey completed by 2,250 educators who provided information on their experience with accessibility features and accommodations in the past three years. Differences were found in the responses of special educators, general educators, and EL educators to many of the questions. In general, the results suggest that there is a need for training and professional development on accessibility features and accommodations, and that the need might be most pressing for EL educators and general educators.

Fairness in Testing ELs and ELs with Disabilities: Research, Implementation, and Policy (NCME Session). Edynn Sato, Michelle McCoy, Nami Shin, Margaret Ho, Presenters; Martha Thurlow, Discussant

This session will include several papers that collectively reflect the complexities of fairly and validly assessing ELs and ELs with disabilities. The intent is to inform test developers, psychometricians, policymakers, and educators about the complexities. The papers included in the session are:

• Socio-cultural and accessibility considerations for the fair testing of ELs and ELSWDs
• Fairness in testing: Assessment development and implementation
• Psychometric perspectives on fairness in English language proficiency assessments
• Policy considerations: Assessing ELs and ELSWDs for classification and accountability

NCEO’s Martha Thurlow will draw themes and discuss the papers.