NCEO recently published An Updated State Guide to Universally Designed Assessments. The Guide is an update of a 2006 NCEO publication. That guide provided an early set of recommendations for developing universally designed assessments. Much has changed since then, including new technologies that can provide accessibility options for students within the test itself. The update addresses the changes, while keeping the philosophies that guide universal design.

This updated Guide provides a brief overview of what a universally designed assessment is, followed by a set of steps for states to consider when designing and developing, or revising, their summative assessments:

1. Plan for universal design from the start

2. Define test purpose and approach

3. Require universal design in assessment requests for proposals (RFPs)

4. Address universal design during item development

5. Include universal design expertise in review teams

6. Perform usability and accessibility testing

7. Implement item and test tryouts

8. Conduct item- and test-level analyses and act on results

9. Monitor test implementation and revise as needed