Participation for Students with Disabilities

Publications and Other Resources

NCEO Resources

These resources available at NCEO's Web site are listed chronologically, with the most recent first; Policy Directions will give a general overview of the issues with other publications providing greater depth):

2008-2009 APR Snapshot #1: State Assessment Participation and Performance of Special Education Students - NEW!

Annual Performance Report (APR): 2007-2008 State Assessment Data
PDF document

2009 Survey of States: Accomplishments and New Issues at the End of a Decade of Change
HTML document / PDF document

2007 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (Synthesis Report 69)
HTML document / PDF document

A Principled Approach to Accountability Assessments for Students with Disabilities (Synthesis Report 70)
HTML document /PDF document

NCEO Brief: Trends in the Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities
HTML document / PDF document

Revisiting Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities: A National Study (Technical Report 49)
HTML document / PDF document

2007 Survey of States: Activities, Changes, and Challenges for Special Education
PDF document

Trends in the Participation and Performance of Students with Disabilities
(Technical Report 50)
HTML document / PDF document 

English Language Learners with Disabilities in State English Language Proficiency Assessments: A Review of State Accommodation Policies (Synthesis Report 66)
HTML document / PDF document 

Alternative Routes to the Standard Diploma (Synthesis Report 54)
HTML document / PDF document  (2005)

For reports before 2005, see NCEO's Archived Publications. 

 

Parent Publications

Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments
PDF document 

Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments: Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards
PDF document 

 

NCEO Partner Publications

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) publications

Rewards and Roadblocks: How Special Education Students are Faring Under No Child Left Behind
PDF document

Understanding Assessment Options for IDEA-eligible Students provides an overview of the ways students with IEPs can participate in statewide tests required by NCLB, helps guide parents as the IEP team chooses the right types of assessments and offers questions to ask about the testing options.
PDF document

 

Additional Resources

Bolt, S., Roach, A. T., & Quenemoen, R. F. (2008). Inclusive assessment and accountability: A guide to accommodations for students with diverse needs. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Browder, D. M., Flowers, C., & Wakeman, S. Y. (2008). Facilitating participation in assessments and the general curriculum: Level of symbolic communication classification for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 15(2), 137-151.

Elliott, J. L., & Thurlow, M. L. (2005). Improving test performance of standards with disabilities (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

IDEA 2004 Topical Brief on Assessment (IDEA-Reauthorized Statute)
PDF document

Pullin, D. (2005). When one size does not fit all--The special challenges of accountability testing for students with disabilities. In J. L. Herman & E. H. Haertel (Eds.), Uses and misuses of data for educational accountability and improvement (Vol. 2, pp. 199-222). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Thurlow, M. L., Lazarus, S. S., Thompson, S. J., & Morse, A. (2005). State policies on assessment participation and accommodations for students with disabilities. Journal of Special Education 38(4), 232-240.

Thurlow, M. L., Thompson, S. J., & Lazarus, S. S. (2006). Considerations for the administration of tests to special needs students: Accommodations, modifications, and more. InS. M.Downing & T. M. Haladyna (Eds.), Handbook of test development (pp. 653-673).Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

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