Welcome

These are challenging times, and it has been an unprecedented year, but I continue to be amazed by the resilience of NCEO staff and the incredible work they are doing to address new needs and issues. In this issue, I am pleased to share information about a few of the resources and products staff have developed to meet needs.

This issue highlights translations of several NCEO and affiliated center products. One or more publications are now available in each of the following languages: Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. It also highlights a new guidebook on including students with disabilities and English learners in assessments, and the resources available from several webinars that NCEO conducted for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). Additionally, this newsletter highlights two new briefs on access to the general education curriculum by students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, as well as several new distance learning resources.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Translations of Selected Products Now Available

Selected publications of NCEO and affiliated projects have been translated into several languages. Reconsiderandolas expectativas para los estudiantes con discapacidades is a Spanish translation of Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect? The purpose of this brief is to summarize some of the past exclusionary practices that resulted from low expectations for students with disabilities, and how those were addressed in policies related to standards-based reform.

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Guidebook to Including Students with Disabilities and English Learners in Assessments

NCEO recently published the Guidebook to Including Students with Disabilities and English Learners in Assessments. This Guidebook was developed to highlight the lessons learned about how to ensure inclusive assessment practices for students with disabilities and English learners. It also provides foundational information on the characteristics of these students that require consideration during all phases of assessment design, development, and implementation.

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PowerPoints and Videos Available for Webinars Conducted for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)

NCEO recently conducted three webinars for the U.S Departments of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) on topics related to peer review and students with disabilities. The webinars were: (1) Meeting Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Requirements: Alternate Assessments and Inclusion of All Students; (2) How Do We Lower our Alternate Assessment Participation Rate?  Five States Share their Stories; and (3) Successfully Making and Implementing Participation and Accommodations Decisions for English Learners with Disabilities.

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Two New Briefs on Access to the General Education Curriculum by Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities

TIES Center, a center affiliated with NCEO, recently published two briefs on access to the general education curriculum by students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

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New Additions to TIES Center’s Distance Learning Series

A NCEO affiliated center, TIES Center, has a distance learning series that provides a framework for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities to participate in distance learning, engage fully in academics online, and interact with their teachers and peers, a critical component of well-being. TIES Center is regularly adding resources to this series to support the inclusion and engagement of students with significant cognitive disabilities.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G160001) 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

Welcome to NCEO’s June newsletter. It has been a very busy spring at NCEO. Staff are focusing on new issues and questions that have arisen as a result of COVID-19, while continuing the work that NCEO has always done.

In this issue, we highlight several new resources that address various aspects of distance learning, including a new brief on formative assessment strategies to improve distance learning outcomes for students with disabilities. We also are highlighting resources in the continually growing series on distance learning that is being developed by TIES Center, which is a NCEO affiliated project. This series is focused on instruction and engagement of students with significant cognitive disabilities in a distance learning environment.

This issue also includes an article about a new brief on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, as well as an article about several new interactive Data Analytics which enable users to explore and visualize data about assessment participation and performance. We conclude with two articles about products created by a NCEO affiliated project, the Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Accessibility Decision Making project – a report that presents the findings of a literature review on research on test accommodations for English learners and English learners with disabilities, and information about two new professional development modules on accessibility decision making.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Brief on Formative Assessment Strategies to Improve Distance Learning Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

NCEO recently published Five Formative Assessment Strategies to Improve Distance Learning Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. This brief describes the use of formative assessment processes with students with disabilities during distance learning. Formative assessment is important for all kinds of learning, and especially focuses students on learning and evidence of learning.

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New TIES Center Distance Learning Series

A NCEO affiliated center, TIES Center, launched a distance-learning series that provides a framework for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities to get through these new transitions to distance learning, engage fully in academics online, and interact with their teachers and peers, a critical component of well-being.

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New Brief on Including Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities in Multi-Tiered System of Supports

NCEO and an affiliated center, TIES Center, recently co-published MTSS for All: Including Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities. The brief provides suggestions for ways in which multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) can include students with the most significant cognitive disabilities so that MTSS provides a whole school and whole district approach.

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Three New Interactive Data Analytics Published

NCEO has published three new interactive Data Analytics reports. Two reports provide a way for users to visualize and understand trends in assessment participation and accommodations use for students with disabilities over time. The third report explores and summarizes states’ practices on publicly reporting assessment data for students with disabilities and English learners with disabilities.

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Research on Test Accommodations for English Learners and English Learners with Disabilities from 2010 to 2018

An NCEO affiliated project, the Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Accessibility Decision Making project, recently published a comprehensive literature review titled A Summary of the Research on Test Accommodations for English Learners and English Learners with Disabilities: 2010-2018. In this review, the authors examine the purpose of each study, the type of assessment measured, the content area assessed, the type of linguistic support accommodation examined, the characteristics of the research sample and the participants, the type of research design, the findings, and author-identified limitations.

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Modules on Supporting English Language Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decision Making Launched

An NCEO affiliated project, the Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Accessibility Decision Making project, recently released two online professional development modules on accessible instruction and assessment for K-12 English learners. One module is for elementary teachers and the other is for secondary teachers. The modules help teachers learn how to facilitate and document high-quality decision making about accessible instruction and assessment for English learners.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G160001) 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

Welcome to the winter NCEO e-newsletter  I was honored to become the new director of NCEO last October when Martha Thurlow stepped down. I am very grateful for the support and encouragement that many of you provided during this transition.

I want to recognize the exceptional leadership that Martha provided NCEO over the years. Under her leadership, NCEO led the way in advocating for appropriate testing access, inclusion, and accommodations for students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities. We are very fortunate that Martha will continue to be part of NCEO on a part-time basis in a retirement position.

Prior to assuming my current role, I was the associate director of NCEO. I look forward to building upon NCEO’s incredible history to support the continued growth and development of this forward-thinking organization. This will only be possible because of NCEO’s great staff and partners. Over the years, I’ve been inspired by the passion and energy of the wonderful team at NCEO who are dedicated to improving the instruction and assessment of students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities.

In this issue, we highlight several NCEO resources that can be used to learn more about what the research says about the effectiveness of various accommodations. We also highlight several new publications, including a report on states’ alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) participation guidelines and definitions of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. A brief on considerations for states providing materials in braille is also highlighted, as well as a parent-educator toolkit developed by an affiliated project, the Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions project. Finally, in this issue, we provide information on NCEO presentations and posters at the annual conference of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

The NCEO team and I love to hear from you. We welcome your ideas and suggestions for newsletter articles as we work to improve the instruction and assessment of all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities.

Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Director

Accommodations Research Literature: Online Bibliographies and Research Summaries

NCEO has several resources that can be used to learn more about what the research says about the effectiveness of various accommodations. These include online searchable databases, and published summaries of the research on effects of test accommodations that go back to 1999.

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New NCEO Report on AA-AAAS Participation Guidelines and Definitions of Student with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

NCEO has released a report titled 2018-19 Participation Guidelines & Definitions for Alternate Assessments based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards. This report provides an updated review of 2018-19 state criteria and guidelines for participation of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS).

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New Brief on Considerations for States Providing Materials in Braille

NCEO recently published, Considerations for States Providing Materials in Braille. This brief provides information on, and recommendations for, providing appropriate braille materials for students.

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Improving Instruction Parent-Educator Toolkit

The parents of English learners need to be involved in decisions about accessibility features for their children. An NCEO affiliated project, Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions, recently developed a Parent-Educator Toolkit which contains a set of concise briefs for parents, teachers, and principals.

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NCEO Presentations at Council for Exceptional Children Conference

The Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) annual conference will be held from February 5 through February 8, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. NCEO staff will be involved in several presentations and posters. We list here the conference presentations and posters by NCEO staff members.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G160001) 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 newsletter includes articles on a variety of topics. First, a Brief on examining disproportionality is highlighted, including ideas for looking at data when sample sizes are small; this brief also provides a link to a video on producing confidence intervals. Following that is an article highlighting a study of guidance manuals; it describes ideas and lessons learned from leaders who developed state education agency and local education agency guidance manuals for identifying, assessing, and referring English learners (ELs) to special education. Presentations that will be made by NCEO staff in November in St. Paul, Minnesota (MELEd) and February in Portland Oregon (CEC) are also listed in this newsletter. Finally information on products from two NCEO affiliated projects is presented – first, several products from the TIES Center are shown, followed by a description of a module that is now publicly available from the DIAMOND project.

Sheryl Lazarus assumed the directorship of NCEO on October 1, 2019, so this will be the last time I write this “Welcome.”  For the next issue Sheryl will assume the “Welcome” note responsibilities, but I will still be part of NCEO and look forward to continuing to work with many of you as my role shifts.

– Martha Thurlow, NCEO Director

Examining Disproportionality of Student Group Participation in Alternate Assessments

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA) jointly published a Brief titled Guidance for Examining Disproportionality of Student Group Participation in Alternate Assessments. The purpose of this brief is to examine disproportionality with respect to student group participation in Alternate Assessments aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS). It is a companion to the NCEO brief, Guidance for Examining District Alternate Assessment Participation Rates. This brief provides a more detailed examination and illustration of disproportionality.

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Guidance Manuals for Educators of English Learners with Disabilities: Ideas and Lessons from the Field

NCEO published a report, Guidance Manuals for Educators of English Learners with Disabilities: Ideas and Lessons from the Field (NCEO Report 410), written by Elizabeth Burr (WestEd). This report describes ideas and lessons learned from leaders who developed state education agency and local education agency guidance manuals for identifying, assessing, and referring English learners (ELs) to special education.

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NCEO Presentations at MELEd and Council for Exceptional Children Conferences

NCEO staff will be involved in several presentations and posters at the 2019 MELEd Conference (MinneTESOL and the Minnesota Department of Education) from November 21 to November 23, 2019 in Saint Paul, MN as well as the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) annual conference to be held from February 2 through February 8, 2020, in Portland, OR. See the article for the full lists.

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New TIES Center Publications on Inclusive Education for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities

NCEO’s affiliated center, TIES Center, which is the national center on inclusive policies and practices for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, has several new publications. See this article for more on Taking the Alternate Assessment Does NOT Mean Education in a Separate Setting! (TIES Center Brief #2), Using Systems Change Efforts to Implement and Sustain Inclusive Education Practices in General Education Settings for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities: A Review of the Literature (TIES Center Report #102), and Communication Competence in the Inclusive Setting: A Review of the Literature (TIES Center Report #103).

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DIAMOND Project’s “Making Accessibility Decisions for Everyone” Online Professional Development Course Launches

NCEO’s affiliated project, the Data Informed Accessibility – Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project, has released an online professional development module on accessibility features and accommodations, DIAMOND: Making Accessibility Decisions for Everyone. This professional development module is the culmination of the research work conducted by the DIAMOND project, and is designed to give educators the knowledge and tools they need to make, implement, and evaluate sound decisions about accessibility features for the students in their classrooms.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G160001) 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

NCEO sends its greetings for a wonderful spring and summer. In this issue, we highlight sessions in which NCEO will participate during the upcoming National Conference on Student Assessment in Orlando, Florida. We also highlight recent NCEO reports, including two that address expectations for students with disabilities—one a longer report that examines what we know in the context of policy, practice, and evidence from the implementation of reforms (Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect?); and the second a brief that provides suggestions for policymakers, states, and technical assistance providers (Revising Expectations for Students with Disabilities). A new Data Analytics that provides national and state trends on students with disabilities and their categories of disability also is highlighted. A report that updates state graduation policies for students with disabilities concludes the NCEO reports highlighted in this issue. We conclude this issue by summarizing a new report from the DIAMOND Project, Additional Educators’ Perspectives on Classroom Implementation of Accessibility Features and Accommodations.

– Martha Thurlow, NCEO Director

NCEO at the National Conference on Student Assessment

The 2019 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) will be held in Orlando, Florida on June 24-26. NCEO staff members will participate in several sessions. See the article for the full list.

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Expectations for Students with Disabilities

NCEO provides a cross-disciplinary introduction to topics in educational policy, practice, and law that have highlighted critical questions related to expectations for students with disabilities in the report Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect. Also, NCEO published the Brief, Revisiting Expectations for Students with Disabilities, summarizes some of the past exclusionary practices applied to students with disabilities that resulted in low expectations for these students, along with how they were addressed in policies related to standards-based reform.

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Longitudinal National and State Trends in the Numbers of Students with Disabilities and their Primary Disability Categories

A new online interactive report, Percent of Students with Disabilities by Disability Categories for 2005-06 to 2016-17 (Data Analytics #8), shows the number and percent of K-12 students receiving special education services from 2005-06 to 2016-17, both nationally and for the 50 regular states. Viewers can select a number of different ways to look at the data in this report.

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Updates on State Graduation Policies for Students with Disabilities

NCEO’s report, Diploma Options, Graduation Requirements, and Exit Exams for Youth with Disabilities: 2017 National Study, examines the results of a national study on the status of state graduation policies and diploma options for youth with disabilities. State policies and perceptions of intended benefits and possible unintended consequences are summarized and compared to the findings of a previous study by Johnson, Thurlow, and Schuelka (2012).

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Perspectives of Educators on Classroom Implementation of Accessibility Features and Accommodations

The DIAMOND project has released another report about educators’ perspectives on classroom implementation of accessibility features and accommodations, Additional Educators’ Perspectives on Classroom Implementation of Accessibility Features and Accommodations. The report describes a second cohort of educators who participated in phone interviews in three of DIAMOND’s nine project state. In addition to providing detailed information on the responses of the 34 educators, the report provides summaries of the perspectives of all 74 educators’ in the two cohorts.

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NCEO’s National Assessment Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G160001) 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