Please join NCEO, the ASES SCASS, and the EL SCASS for a pre-session at the National Conference on Student Assessment titled “Common Language for States and Assessment Vendors.”

This NCSA pre-session will bring together states, assessment vendors, and other educational stakeholders to address the need for developing a common language around accessibility and accommodations for all students. With the paradigm shift away from providing only accommodations to instead providing three or more tiers of accessibility features, there is a need to discuss common approaches to language and to the presentation of the various accessibility supports. Special attention will be given to how current accessibility features and accommodations are portrayed on different platforms, whether there is a way to increase the consistency of portrayals, and how to promote a common language used by states and assessment vendors.

The panel of speakers will include the following assessment vendor representatives:

• Jon Cohen, American Institutes for Research
• Jake Goldsmith, Measured Progress
• Trent Workman, Pearson

These vendors will give a brief demonstration of their accessibility tools, which will be followed by small group discussion on the implications of common accessibility language for students with disabilities, English learners, and other general education students who use accessibility features.

This pre-session is free and open to the public. Register for the pre-session at http://nceotacenter.org/ncsa/.