Text readers are now available in many states for all students. On June 27, 2017 NCEO, the Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) State Collaborative on Assessments and Student Standards (SCASS), and the English Learners (EL) SCASS held a joint forum on issues surrounding the use of text readers on tests.

Participants discussed the availability of text readers for everyone on all tests, the differences in terminology for text readers, ways to develop common language around text readers, and challenges associated with text readers. This pre-session, which was held prior to the National Conference on Student Assessment in Austin, Texas, was attended by more than 80 individuals, including State education agency (SEA) representatives, technical assistance (TA) providers, and vendors.

The purpose of the forum on text readers was to develop greater clarity on the implementation of text readers for all students, and to discuss related issues. The forum format let participants hear the perspectives of a researcher, a vendor, and a state on text readers for all students. Breakout groups then discussed text readers further, with conversations focusing on three groups: general education students, EL, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans.

A full report of the forum is available: Forum Text Readers for Everyone on All Tests: Getting a Handle on What This Means