NICHCY: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilitites

Thompson, Sandra; Thurlow, Martha; Callender, Stacy

This analysis of a survey of state directors of special education concerning special education outcomes highlights the following findings: (1) more students with disabilities are participating in statewide testing and states are better at documenting actual numbers participating; (2) high stakes attached to school or district performance and lack of exposure of students with disabilities to test content are factors that inhibit greater participation of students with disabilities; (3) most states are in the process of developing alternate assessments; (4) test results are used primarily for guiding statewide policy decisions, decisions to reform schools, and decisions about individual students; (5) strategies used most often by states to meet the assessment provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA) are training and the dissemination of written policies; (6) state special education involvement in standards-based reform is highest for practices directly related to students with disabilities, such as aggregating results of alternate assessments with general assessment results; (7) lack of resources and inadequate assessments are seen as the greatest barriers to obtaining educational accountability information on students with disabilities; and (8) best practice information continues to lead the list of preferred technical assistance.  Extensive data tables are included.  Appendices provide additional information on state efforts to meet IDEA assessment requirements and standards-based reform activities.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO); Council of Chief State School Officers; National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)

Albus, Deb; Thurlow, Martha; Barrera, Manuel; Guven, Kamil; Shyyan, Vitaliy

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 put a spotlight on student groups that previously had not been accounted for in most assessment systems nationwide. This report, focusing on the performance of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities on Minnesota’s Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), is part of a larger research project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) designed to focus attention on ELLs with disabilities in both instruction and assessment. The study makes it clear that the students in most need of help are limited English proficient students with disabilities, regardless of their home language group. Clarification of instructional strategies, along with appropriate accommodations during instruction and assessment to meet their needs, is of the utmost importance.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Thompson, Sandra; Thurlow, Martha L.

This report summarizes the eighth survey of state directors of special education by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) at the University of Minnesota. Results include all 50 states and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, American Samoa, and Palau. The purpose of this report is to capture the state of the nation as states build the participation and performance of students with disabilities in state and district standards, assessments, and accountability systems, and to provide information to help states view their own progress in light of other states.

 

 

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Clapper, Ann T.; Morse, Amanda B.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Thompson, Sandra J.; Thurlow, Martha L.

The purpose of this report is to update information on state policies regarding assessment participation and accommodations. This 2003 analysis found that state policies on participation and accommodation continues to evolve, and that they have become more detailed and specific than in previous years.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Thompson, Sandra; Thurlow, Martha

This report summarizes the ninth survey of state directors of special education by the National Center on Educational Outcomes. Results include all 50 states and nine of the eleven federally funded entities (unique states). The purpose of this report is to provide a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this period of education reform as states document the academic achievement of students with disabilities.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

"Assessments and Educational Programming" was the title of this conference held in May 2004. Evaluation results, sessions notes, handouts, and other conference-related materials are included.

Producer National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)

Christensen, Laurene L.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Crone, Melissa;
Thurlow, Martha L.

he National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been tracking and analyzing state policies on assessment participation and accommodations since 1992. The purpose of the current analysis is to update information on these policies that was last reported by NCEO in 2006 (based on 2005 data). In this analysis policies from all fifty states, plus eight of the unique states, were reviewed. Two unique states, Bureau of Indian Education and U.S. Virgin Islands, were not included in the analysis.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Bielinski, John; Minnema, Jane; Thurlow, Martha

Out-of-level testing, an approach to measuring student academic skills at the level at which the students are said to be instructed rather than at the grade level in which they are enrolled, was originally used in the 1970s as an indicator of program efficacy for Title I purposes. Since then, out-of-level testing has grown in popularity. To address the concerns about the appropriateness of inferences based on out-of-level test scores, researchers, academicians, and others with expertise in testing theory and large-scale assessment were invited to provide their perspectives on this issue. This report summarizes findings from quantitative analyses of responses to our survey items, and qualitative analysis of the respondents’ comments on these issues.

 

 

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Thurlow, Martha L.; Quenemoen, Rachel F.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Moen, Christopher J. Johnstone, Kristi K. Liu, Laurene L. Christensen, Ross E; Albus, Debra A.; Altman, Jason

Building on research and practice, the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has revisited and updated its 2001 document that identified principles and characteristics that underlie inclusive assessment and accountability systems. This report on a principled approach to accountability assessments for students with disabilities reflects what we have learned during the past seven years.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Quenemoen, Rachel F.; Thompson, Sandra J.; Thurlow, Martha L.;  Lehr, Camilla A.

This workbook was developed to help stakeholder groups apply the principles and characteristics of inclusive assessment and accountability systems to their current policies and practices, and to determine their strengths and prioritize areas for improvement. Included are self-study checklists on three topics essential to inclusive systems: participation, accommodations, and alternate assessment. These checklists may be used in part or in whole, as needed, to address parts or the whole of assessment and accountability systems.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)