Welcome

Here we are in 2015 already! This issue of the NCEO e-newsletter includes highlights of findings from a recent NCEO report on graduation requirements for students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). We also provide snapshots of updates on the six assessments consortia – PARCC, Smarter Balanced, DLM, NCSC, ASSETS, and ELPA21! These snapshots focus on the consortia’s efforts for students with disabilities and ELLs, including ELLs with disabilities. Finally, if you will be in Palm Springs for the ATP Conference, or in San Diego for the CEC Conference, or in Chicago for the AERA/NCME Conferences, we have for you a list of the sessions that will be delivered, moderated, or chaired by NCEO staff. As always, we welcome feedback and ideas about what you would like to see in future issues of NCEO’s e-newsletter.

States’ Graduation Policies for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Graduation rates and requirements for earning a regular diploma are topics of increasing interest as states focus on ensuring that their students are college and career ready when they leave school with a diploma. Considerable attention has been given to those students with disabilities who participate in states’ general assessments. Recently, attention has turned to students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in states’ alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS).

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Consortia Updates

The six consortia of states developing new assessments are each focusing on the needs of students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs) as they move toward their operational assessments. Highlighted here are updates on each of the consortia’s efforts for students with disabilities and ELLs, including ELLs with disabilities.

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NCEO Presentations at Upcoming 2015 Conferences

If you plan to attend this year’s Association of Test Publishers (ATP) annual meeting (March 1-4) held in Palm Springs, CA, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual convention (April 8-11) held in San Diego, CA, or American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting (April 16-20) held in Chicago, IL, we invite you to attend conference sessions delivered, moderated, or chaired by NCEO staff members.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) 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. 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 Office within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

This issue of the NCEO e-newsletter includes news of the launching of the 2014 NCEO Survey of States, along with brief summaries of two new reports on accommodations on English language proficiency assessments for low-incidence disabilities. In addition, it highlights resources available from the July webinar on Successfully Transitioning Away from the 2% Assessment. Many of these resources are applicable to states seeking ways to improve use of data to identify intervention approaches, provide access to instruction, and improve implementation of standards-based IEPs. As always, we hope that you share this issue of NCEO’s e-newsletter with your colleagues.

And, because we want to be sure that this e-newsletter meets your needs and those of your colleagues, we hope that you will take a minute to respond to a few questions about the ways in which we can improve the NCEO e-newsletter for you.

NCEO e-Newsletter Survey

Resources from the NCEO Webinar on Successfully Transitioning Away from the 2% Assessment

NCEO, with assistance from the Regional Resource Center Program (RRCP), recently held a webinar for states that are transitioning away from the 2% assessment—the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The materials from this webinar are available on the NCEO website that contains resources for states transitioning away from the 2% assessment.

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2014 NCEO Survey of States Launched!

NCEO is pleased to announce that on September 10, 2014, it launched its biennial Survey of States. This survey, which addresses important initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues in states relative to the participation and performance of students with disabilities in state assessment and accountability systems, is the 14th survey of states that NCEO has conducted over the past 24 years.

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New Reports on Accommodations on English Language Proficiency Assessments for Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities

Including students with low-incidence disabilities (e.g., students who are blind and students who are deaf) on all domains of an English language proficiency (ELP) assessment can be challenging. For example, how is reading in English measured for students who are blind and typically access text through braille? Similarly, how is listening in English measured for students who are deaf and usually receive information communicated orally through American Sign Language (ASL) or closed captioning? These are challenges that state departments of education have addressed through accommodations policies for ELP assessments. Two new NCEO publications address accommodations on ELP assessments.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) 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. 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 Office within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

It has been one year since our first issue of the NCEO e-newsletter. We are excited about this one-year anniversary, and look forward to continued issues in the years to come.

In this issue, we highlight some of NCEO’s recent work on the upcoming survey of states, the transition from the AA-MAS, and sessions of interest at the National Conference on Student Assessment in New Orleans June 25-27.

Please forward this issue of NCEO’s e-newsletter to your colleagues. And, let us know about topics you would like to see addressed in future issues. Email us at nceo.umn.edu.

Successfully Transitioning Away from the
2% Assessment

State teams came together in Atlanta, Georgia on February 11-12, 2014 to develop or refine plans that will facilitate the successful transition away from the 2% assessment—the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The NCEO website now has a webpage chock-full of resources for states transitioning away from the 2% assessment.

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2014 NCEO Survey of States

Every two years, NCEO surveys states to gather information on trends in the large-scale assessment of students with disabilities. The survey focuses on topics such as assessment participation and performance, accessibility features and accommodations, and alternate assessments. The next survey will be sent in the fall of 2014.

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NCEO at the National Conference on Student Assessment

The 2014 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is a primary forum for assessment practitioners to discuss what is happening in the world of educational assessment—what is new, what is going on at the state and federal levels, what works, and what does not. This year, NCSA is being held in New Orleans, LA on June 25-27. NCEO staff members are involved in several sessions listed here.

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) 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. The contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but does not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Office within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

Welcome to the winter NCEO e-newsletter. In this issue, we highlight the findings from NCEO’s IVARED project that led focus groups with 232 school and district practitioners to better understand issues and challenges educators face in making appropriate decisions for English language learners. We also announce the launching of IVARED’s learning modules on ELLs with disabilities. Another launch is NCEO’s first YouTube channel with videos from NCEO’s Online Training to Improve Accommodations Decision Making. And if you will be in Philadelphia this April for the NCME, AERA, or CEC conferences, we have for you a list of the sessions that will be delivered, moderated, or chaired by NCEO staff. As always, we welcome feedback and ideas about what you would like to see in future issues of NCEO’s e-newsletter.

Voices from the Field

Results from online focus groups with 232 school and district practitioners in five states are the topic of the report from NCEO’s IVARED project, Voices from the Field: Making State Assessment Decisions for English Language Learners with Disabilities. The purpose of the focus groups was to better understand the current assessment and accommodation decision-making process, test score use practices, and issues and challenges that educators face in making appropriate decisions for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities.

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Learning Modules on ELLs with Disabilities Launched!

The IVARED project recently launched a set of online learning modules designed to help educators look at important issues surrounding students who are English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. Access to the modules and their content is free and open to all educators.

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NCEO Presentations at Upcoming Conferences

If you plan to attend this year’s National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) annual meeting (April 2-6, 2014), American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting (April 3-7, 2014), or Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual convention (April 9-12, 2014) all held in Philadelphia, PA, you are invited to attend conference sessions delivered, moderated, or chaired by NCEO staff members.

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NCEO Launches its First YouTube Channel

NCEO is uploading videos from its Online Training to Improve Accommodations Decision Making to YouTube. The videos were originally incorporated within the case-based training. NCEO is making the video clips available on YouTube so that educators and other audiences can use these videos independent of the training.

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The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) 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. The contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but does not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Office within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor

Welcome

Welcome to the fall NCEO e-newsletter. In this issue, we highlight the findings from the 2012 survey of states—many interesting findings! Also, look for information on two new NCEO products—a tool that groups can use to build consensus on a topic, and a report on current state policies on accommodations for delivering assessments orally. We also highlight an innovative online training for educators to improve decisions made about accommodations for individual students. Finally, we highlight three manuals developed collaboratively by states, CCSSO, and NCEO, and published by CCSSO, to help guide accommodations decision making. As always, we welcome feedback and ideas about what you would like to see in future issues of NCEO’s e-newsletter.

2012 Survey of States: Successes and Challenges During a Time of Change

NCEO just published its  thirteenth survey of states, the  2012 Survey of States: Successes and Challenges During a Time of Change. This report provides a snapshot of new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues. …

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New Consensus Building Tool

The Multi-Attribute Consensus Building (MACB) method has been used by NCEO for over a decade to help groups prioritize strategies, decisions, recommendations, and policies based on participants’ perceptions. We make this tool available for your use. …

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Accommodations Used to Deliver Assessments Orally

There is wide variation across states in their accommodations policies for Human Reader, Text to Speech, and Pre-recorded Audio. A new NCEO report on this topic is now available: 2012 State Policies for Accommodations Used to Deliver Assessments Orally. …

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Empowering Educators to Improve Accommodations Decision Making through Innovative Online Training

NCEO recently rolled-out online training on accommodations decision making. The training includes case-based video clips, and contains five interactive, multi-media professional development modules. Educators are coached on best practices in how to select, administer, and evaluate the use of accommodations. …

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New CCSSO Accommodations Manuals

We highlight three Accommodations Manuals the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) developed collaboratively by states, CCSSO, and NCEO. The manuals address assessment accommodations for students with disabilities, English language learners (ELLs), and ELLs with disabilities.

read entire article here …

The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) 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. The contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but does not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Office within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Project Officer: David Egnor