There is an urgent need for additional knowledge about how to appropriately use accommodations to ensure that assessments are accessible and validly measure what students know and can do. A recently published NCEO Brief, Gaps in the Accommodations Research Literature (NCEO Brief #31), presents consolidated information about gaps in the research literature on assessment accommodations. The goal of the Brief is to promote wider interest in and additional research on accommodations to help fill current gaps. The primary audience is researchers and others interested in conducting or promoting research that supports a better understanding of accommodations. Graduate students looking to identify potential areas for research may also find the information useful.

NCEO reviewed the accommodations research literature published between 1999 and 2021. The research findings for specific testing accommodations are summarized in NCEO’s Accommodations Toolkit. Gaps in the research were identified in those summaries of the literature, and then compiled in this Brief. The identified gaps are not a complete catalog of needed research related to accommodations, but rather should be considered a list of some research priorities and the beginnings of a research agenda. This list will need to be updated as additional research is conducted.