Happy New Year from NCEO!

As we begin 2025, we’re delighted to introduce ourselves as NCEO’s new Co-Directors. Both of us bring extensive experience in assessment and a shared commitment to ensuring all students have meaningful opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. As we collaborate on leadership and management decisions, Kristi will serve as the Principal Investigator and Andrew as the Co-Principal Investigator will continue to lead technical assistance efforts.

With spring testing season on the horizon, this newsletter focuses on providing essential resources to support decision making around assessment participation. You’ll find briefs on determining appropriate assessment paths for students – whether through general or alternate assessments – along with tools to help teams select and implement accessibility features that best meet individual student needs. The first article highlights some of our newest resources on assessment participation and accessibility features decisions. The second “In Case You Missed It” article describes a few of our favorite resources on accessibility features.

We’re also excited to share an article with updates about NCEO’s presence at several major spring conferences. NCEO and our project partners will be well-represented at CEC, AERA, NCME, and the National Parent Center Conference, where our staff will share recent research and activities, as well as lead discussions on inclusive assessment practices. These conferences provide excellent opportunities to engage in conversations about the latest developments in the field and connect with colleagues. We hope to see you there!

Kristi Liu and Andrew Hinkle, NCEO Co-Directors

New Resources on Selecting and Implementing Accessibility Features

As state education agencies (SEAs) prepare for spring testing, we want to share with you some new resources for improving assessment participation through the effective use of accessibility features. Many students, including students with and without disabilities, use accessibility features (universal features, designated features, and accommodations) to show what they know and can do on classroom and state assessments. Getting these accessibility features right is essential to all students participating in assessments and our assessments providing accurate and actionable data.

The English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

NCEO recently published a new series, The English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit, that provides resources for states and IEP teams to determine appropriate assessment participation for English learners with disabilities, particularly English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Read entire article

Accommodations Toolkit

One of NCEO’s most popular resources, the Accommodations Toolkit, has been updated! The toolkit is organized by accommodation or accessibility feature (e.g., tactile graphics, braille, test breaks, extended time, etc.), with easy-to-use research and policy summaries for each accommodation. The resources in the toolkit are designed to support the work of state education agencies, but may also be helpful to technical assistance providers, researchers, and others. Read entire article

In Case You Missed It: Favorite Resources on Selecting and Implementing Accessibility Features

Student and Teacher Perceptions When Selecting and Implementing Accommodations

Selecting the appropriate accessibility features for every student is most effectively done with the involvement of all Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members, including students and teachers. NCEO has two briefs that focus on considering student and teacher perceptions when making decisions about selecting and implementing accommodations (see the following briefs: Suggestions for involving students in selecting and implementing accommodations (NCEO Brief #30) and Teacher perceptions and perspectives on the selection and implementation of accommodations (NCEO Brief #34. Read entire article

The Roles of Speech-language Pathologists and Psychologists in Selecting Accommodations

Depending on a student’s disabilities and needs, it may be important to include a speech pathologist or a school psychologist in the decision-making process. NCEO has resources on the roles of speech pathologists and school psychologists in selecting accommodations, see the following reports: Speech-language pathologists’ experiences with accessibility and accommodations for students with disabilities (NCEO Report 430) and School psychologists’ role in accommodations decision making (NCEO Brief #32). Read entire article

The School Leader Series

School leaders play a key role in supporting assessment systems that are inclusive of all learners and provide opportunities for all students to participate in grade-level assessments. NCEO’s School Leader Series suggests a team approach, where there is shared responsibility for supporting the instruction and assessment of all students. Read entire article

Upcoming Presentations at CEC, CPIR, AERA, and NCME

NCEO and MIDAS staff will present at the annual conferences of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), and the American Education Research Association (AERA). Read entire article

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) 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. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

It’s the season of pumpkin spice latte, fall is in the air, and we have many things to share with you. 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.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

MIDAS Project Addresses Needs of Students on the Border Between the Alternate and General Assessments

Historically, some students were inappropriately identified to participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). States have worked diligently over the past several years to ensure that the right students are participating in the appropriate assessment. When students shift from the alternate assessment to the general assessment, educators sometimes do not know how to confidently provide them with the instruction and support they need.

read entire article

Two Pieces of a Puzzle: The 95% Participation Requirement in State Plans and States’ Opt-out Policies

The 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), limits participation in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) to 1% of a state’s tested population. The AA-AAAS is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. States may submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education if they anticipate exceeding the 1% limit. One eligibility criterion for states seeking a waiver or waiver extension to the 1% cap is to show that at least 95% of all students, as well as 95% of students with disabilities, participated in the required state assessments used for accountability.

read entire article

Avoiding Unintended Consequences of Improved Accessibility of State Tests

Assessment accommodations are used to meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities so that they can show what they know and can do on national, state, and districtwide assessments. In the past, only accommodations were recognized as a way to increase the accessibility of tests for students with disabilities.

read entire article

Test Accommodations Research Literature

Research on test accommodations provides valuable information that informs policy and practice. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has reported on accommodations research since 1999. It recently published an update on the accommodations research literature published in 2022 titled A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K-12 Test Accommodations: 2022. This report presents a synthesis of the research literature on testing accommodations for U.S. elementary and secondary students (K–12).

read entire article

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) 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. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

Greetings from NCEO! In this issue, we highlight several resources on accommodations and accommodations decision making. We also provide information on NCEO presentations at the upcoming National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). 

The first article is about several resources on student and teacher perspectives about accommodations. The next article clarifies what the terms “accommodations” and “modifications” mean for both instruction and assessment for students with disabilities, followed by an article that provides information about NCEO’s updated Accommodations Toolkit.

Additionally, in case you missed it, this issue includes information about a video series NCEO produced several years ago that shares the story of how accommodation decisions were made and implemented for a student.

We finish the issue with all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and an article on the forum on Unlocking Potential: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Learning that follows NCSA. The article includes information on how to register for the forum.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Student and Teacher Perceptions of Accommodations

Many students with disabilities use accommodations during instruction and when taking assessments. It is important to consider student perceptions about what works as well as their preferences when making accessibility and accommodations decisions. Students are often the best source of information about their strengths and needs. Similarly, it is vital to better understand teachers’ perspectives regarding various accommodations and accessibility features. What have they found to work well? What is challenging about selecting or implementing various accommodations?

read entire article

The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications

There continues to be confusion among some educators and staff in State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) about what is an accommodation and what is a modification. A recently published NCEO Brief, The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications (Brief #33), clarifies what accommodations and modifications are for both instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. The Brief also disentangles the use of the term “alternate or modified curriculum” from the meaning of modification used for instruction and assessment.

read entire article

Accommodations Toolkit

NCEO has an Accommodations Toolkit that provides easy-to-use summaries of the academic research literature on specific accommodations for students with disabilities as well as companion accessibility policy analyses. The Accommodations Toolkit is organized by accommodation and currently includes research summaries for 29 accommodations.

read entire article

Videos About Accommodations Decision Making

NCEO produced a series of videos several years ago that told the story of how a team of educators worked with a student and her family to help ensure that she had an accommodation she needed to meaningfully access instruction and assessments. This series continues to be extremely popular, and many people have told NCEO how helpful the videos are. We are sharing these “oldies, but goodies” again in case you missed them. This series of videos is available on the NCEO YouTube channel. 

read entire article

NCEO at the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA)

The Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) annual National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) provides an opportunity for assessment practitioners to learn and reflect upon current and emerging trends in education and educational assessments. This year’s NCSA theme will be Designing an Effective, Coherent Assessment System for All Learners. NCSA will take place in Seattle, Washington on June 24-26, and NCEO staff members will participate in several sessions,

read entire article

Forum: Unlocking Potential: Harnessing AI for Inclusive Learning

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming ingrained in every aspect of our lives. From helping us plan trips to checking the grammar in our emails, or even producing artwork, AI use has become an everyday occurrence. As AI continues to integrate into our lives and into the various systems of our society, the questions of how AI will influence education arise. On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., NCEO and the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Assessment, Standards, and Education of Students with Disabilities (ASES) Collaborative will jointly hold a forum on Unlocking Potential: Harnessing AI for Inclusive Learning where participants will come together to develop a better understanding of how artificial intelligence is changing the field of education, focusing specifically on the use of AI in assessment and instruction for students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities. This in-person forum will be held immediately following the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) in Seattle, Washington.

read entire article

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) 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. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

2024 greetings from NCEO. In this newsletter, we are featuring several NCEO resources that address English learners with disabilities. The number of school-age English learners with disabilities is increasing, and greater attention is being given to their inclusion in state and district assessments. The first article is about an interactive tool that allows the creation of custom reports on the number and percentage of English learners with disabilities by disability category. Other articles discuss a resource on understanding the characteristics of English learners with disabilities, a framework for the identification of students eligible for alternate English proficiency (alt-ELP) assessments, and a guidebook for states on including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities in assessments. There is also an article about several NCEO webpages that contain links to state assessment policies and data for English learners with disabilities.

Additionally, this issue contains an article about a recent National Council of Measurement in Education (NCME) Fireside Chat on considerations for the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment in the past, present, and future that featured a NCEO staff member.  This newsletter concludes with lists of upcoming NCEO presentations at the annual Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), American Educational Research Association (AERA), and NCME conferences.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Number and Percentage of English Learners with Disabilities by Disability Category

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently published an interactive web-based tool, titled, Number and Percentage of English Learners with Disabilities by Disability Category, 2012-13 to 2020-21 (NCEO Data Analytics #18). This product presents information on the percentage of students with disabilities ages 6-21 who are also English learners (i.e., English learners with disabilities), and the proportion of these students for each of the 13 federal disability categories.

read entire article

Understanding the Characteristics of English Learners with Disabilities

Since the 1990s, states have been mandated to ensure the inclusion of all students in assessments, including students with disabilities and English learners. English learners with disabilities are students who are in both of these groups. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has a brief titled Understanding the Characteristics of English Learners with Disabilities to Meet Their Needs During State and Districtwide Assessments (NCEO Brief #24) that highlights federal data on the characteristics of English learners with disabilities, and shows changes in the population over time.

read entire article

A Framework for Making Decisions About Participation in a State’s Alternate ELP Assessment

A Framework for Making Decisions About Participation in a State’s Alternate ELP Assessment (NCEO Report 426), which was published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), offers state education agencies guidance on identifying English learners eligible for alternate English language proficiency (alt-ELP) assessments due to significant cognitive disabilities. It emphasizes the challenges in determining eligibility, particularly the interplay between language and cognitive ability.

read entire article

Guidebook on Including Students with Disabilities, English Learners, and English Learners with Disabilities in Assessments

The Guidebook to Including Students with Disabilities and English Learners in Assessments (NCEO Report 420) provides 10 lessons about how to ensure inclusive assessment practices for students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities. It is directed to state department of education staff and others interested in ensuring that assessments and assessment policies are inclusive of all students in the most appropriate ways possible.

read entire article

Links to State Policies on Assessment of English Learners with Disabilities

Did you know that NCEO regularly compiles and updates information on state policies related to the assessment of English learners with disabilities? If you have questions about what states allow or how states’ policies are worded, check out the webpages.

read entire article

Fireside Chat on Including Students with Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessments

The National Center on Educational Outcomes’ (NCEO’s) Andrew Hinkle gave a Fireside Chat for the National Council on Measurement in Education’s (NCME) Large-Scale Assessment Special Interest Groups in Measurement in Education (SIGIMIE) titled, Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessment: Past, Present, and Future.

read entire article

Upcoming NCEO Presentations at CEC, AERA, and NCME

NCEO staff will present at the annual conferences of the Council for Exceptional Children
(CEC), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), and the American
Education Research Association (AERA).

read entire article

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) 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. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

Effective communication is a cornerstone for fostering collaboration, understanding, and ultimately, student success. Recognizing the importance of communication, we are featuring in this newsletter some of NCEO’s resources for parents and families. The first article is about NCEO’s new Empowering Parents Toolkit which includes videos, one-page flyers, and example social media posts on assessments and assessment-related state systemic improvement plans (SSIPs). Be sure to check out my personal favorite in this series: the video on why assessments are important, and why children with disabilities should participate in them. It is available in English and Spanish.

The next article is about several powerful fact sheets that state education agencies, districts, and schools can use to engage parents and families and enhance their understanding of state assessments. In this issue, there is also an article about several resources for parents and families in NCEO’s Participation Communications Toolkit, including 1-page—as well as customizable—flyers for parents and students.

Additionally, in case you missed them, this issue includes information about several “oldies but goodies” for parents and families.

This issue also includes an article about several other recently published NCEO resources. These resources include a Brief on the school psychologist’s role in accommodations decision making, a report on the relationship between student placement and alternate assessment participation rates, and a report sharing the findings of an analysis of states’ 2021-22 participation guidelines and definitions for alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). 

NCEO is active on social media! Follow us to receive regular updates on our activities.

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalCenteronEducationalOutcomes
• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/NCEOinfo   
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/national-center-on-educational-outcomes-nceo
• TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@nceoinfo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nceo.info/
• Threads: www.threads.net/@nceo.info
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnvPMaguIvwYqWrBSgZKlUA

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Engaging and Enabling Parents: Empowering Parents Toolkit

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently published the Empowering Families Toolkit. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide accessible materials for parents about topics related to assessments, and assessment-related State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs) and State-Identified Measurable Results (SIMRs) that states commit to reaching. These materials are designed to help support parent participation in stakeholder meetings.

read entire article

Building Trust Through Two-Way Communication: Assessment Fact Sheets for Parents

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently published four parent fact sheets with information about student participation in state tests. These engaging Fact Sheets provide easily accessible basic information about state tests, as well as instruction.

read entire article

Unlocking the Power of Communication: NCEO’s Participation Communication Toolkit

State test participation has benefits for students, their families, and their schools. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently updated its Participation Communications Toolkit. It is intended to provide a neutral but useful mechanism to guide positive, thoughtful conversations about student testing participation.

read entire article

Oldies But Goodies: NCEO Parent Resources You May Have Missed

One of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO’s) all-time most popular resources for parents is an infographic about the implications of assessment participation decisions. Start with the End in Mind: An Infographic to Guide Decisions about Student Participation in the Alternate Assessment provides guidance about IEP team decision making for a student’s participation in the state’s alternate assessment aligned with alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS).

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Other Recently Published NCEO Resources

In addition to the parent resources highlighted in this newsletter, NCEO recently published several other new products, including School Psychologists’ Role in Accommodations Decision Making (NCEO Brief #32), The Relationship between Student Placement and AA-AAAS Participation Rates (NCEO Report #439), and 2021-22 Participation Guidelines and Definitions for Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (NCEO Report #440).

read entire article

The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) 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. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor