Welcome
Welcome to June 2016 e-newsletter. This issue is packed with events and activities in which NCEO is involved this spring. One big event was the launching of the NCEO Facebook page. Please visit and like us! Some new reports and tools are also highlighted in this issue, including a Lessons Learned document, an updated Principles for Inclusive Assessment report, and a new Data Analytics tool on the demographics of ELs and ELs with disabilities. With June the month for the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) in Philadelphia, we also highlight the pre-conference forum we are holding with the Assessing Special Education Students SCASS and the EL SCASS – Common Language for States and Assessment Vendors. It focuses on the need for developing a common language around accessibility and accommodations for all students. We hope that you will join us for this important discussion. Finally, we describe the NCSA sessions in which NCEO is involved.
– Martha Thurlow, NCEO Director
NCEO Launches Facebook Page
NCEO recently launched its Facebook page. NCEO hopes that being on Facebook will Increase visibility of NCEO and its work, share with wider audiences its products, inform audiences on upcoming activities, and keep TA partners engaged with NCEO.
Lessons Learned About Assessment from Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in College and Career Ready Assessments
Recent surveys of teachers found that students with disabilities like many of the features of the new college- and career-ready (CCR) assessments that were recently rolled out by states and consortia. Still, teachers identified assessment challenges that need to be addressed to improve student outcomes.
To address these challenges NCEO and the National Center on Systemic Improvement recently co-published a Brief on Lessons Learned About Assessment from Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in College and Career Ready Assessments.
Principles of Inclusive Assessment
NCEO released an updated version of its Principles report, one that recognizes a dramatically changing assessment landscape. The report, titled Principles and Characteristics of Inclusive Assessment Systems in a Changing Landscape, is an update of the 2008 Principles. It reflects the broader perspective that acknowledges that the Principles apply to English learners (ELs) and ELs with disabilities, as well as to students with disabilities. The principles also apply to all types of assessments, not just those used for accountability purposes.
New Data Analytics Interactive Tool on English Learners (EL) and ELs with Disabilities
NCEO just published a new Data Analytics, State and National Demographic Information for English Learners (ELs) and ELs with Disabilities, 2012-13. There is wide variation across states in the most common home languages, and the percentage of ELs and ELs with disabilities.
NCSA Pre-Conference Session: Common Language for States and Assessment
Please join NCEO, the ASES SCASS, and the EL SCASS for a pre-session at the National Conference on Student Assessment titled “Common Language for States and Assessment .” This NCSA pre-session will bring together states, assessment vendors, and other educational stakeholders to address the need for developing a common language around accessibility and accommodations for all students.
NCEO at the National Conference on Student Assessment
The 2016 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is the premiere forum for assessment practitioners to discuss what is happening in the real world of educational assessment—what is new, what is going on at the state and federal level, what works, and what does not. This year, the NCSA meeting will be held in Philadelphia, PA, on June 20-22, and NCEO staff members will participate in several sessions.
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.
Recent surveys of teachers found that students with disabilities like many of the features of the new college- and career- ready (CCR) assessments that were recently rolled out by states and consortia, but that there are challenges related to instructional issues that need to be addressed to improve student outcomes. To address this issue NCEO and the National Center on Systemic Improvement recently co-published a Brief on Lessons Learned About Instruction from Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in College and Career Ready Assessments.
This year, NCEO is launching a new Enhanced Assessment Grant project titled “Data Informed Accessibility – Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND).” The DIAMOND project is a collaboration between Minnesota, Alabama, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virgin Islands, and the National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Most English learners with significant cognitive disabilities are not included in assessments of English language proficiency. As a result, there is little evidence of how these students are progressing toward English mastery to ensure their success in school and on the path to college, career, and community readiness. One new project underway at NCEO, the Alternate English Language Learning Assessment (ALTELLA) Project, aims to change this.
NCEO developed a white paper to address approaches that states might take for an alternate assessment of English Language Proficiency (ELP) for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The development of this paper was accomplished through the work of NCEO staff with the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) consortium, which is developing an assessment of ELP.
If you plan to attend this year’s Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual convention (April 13-16) held in St. Louis or the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting (April 8-12) held in Philadelphia, we invite you to attend conference sessions delivered by NCEO staff members.
