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 Maximizing Impact: Leveraging Assessment and Accountability to Drive Student Learning. NCSA will take place in Denver, Colorado on June 23-25, and NCEO staff members will participate in several sessions:

Building Inclusive Data Standards: Adding Accessibility Features to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS). Mari Quanbeck, Andrew Hinkle, Duane Brown, Sharon Heater, and Mary Nesbitt-McBride. Tuesday, June 24, 10:30-11:30 am.

Developing an Alternate Interim Assessment. Bethany Spangenberg, Don Griffin, and Martha Thurlow. Tuesday, June 24, 2:00-3:00 pm.

Characteristics of Students Transitioning from Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards and General Assessments. Yi-Chen Wu,Molly Britt, Sonja Phillips, and Tabitha Riendeau. Wednesday, June 25, 9:00-10:00 am.

Leveraging Alternate Assessment Data to Measure Change in Learning and Support Learners. Andrew Hinkle, Kailey Bunch-Woodson, Denise Airola, Jeff Adams, and Michael Muenks. Wednesday, June 25, 9:00-10:00 am.

Qualified to Accommodate? Meeting the Challenge of Secure Assessment Administration. Mari Quanbeck, Andrew Hinkle, Timothy Butcher, and Maggie Hicks. Wednesday, June 25, 10:30-11:30 pm.

Defining Depth, Breadth, and Cognitive Complexity: What do They Mean and Why Does it Matter? Sara Christopherson, Donald Peasley, Martha Thurlow, and Phoebe Winter. Wednesday, June 25, 12:15-1:00 pm.

Emerging Lessons from Multiple States on Validity and Technical Issues of Through-Year Assessments: Guidelines for Assessment Programs. Brian Gong, Martha Thurlow, Richard Patz, and Liru Zhang. Wednesday, June 25, 1:15-2:15 pm.