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?
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.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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