NCEO - Technical Report 18: An Analysis of State Approaches to Including Students with Disabilities in Assessments Implemented During Educational Refo

2010

States' written guidelines on the participation of students with disabilities in statewide assessments and the accommodations that they may use during those assessments are extremely variable. Using an input and consensus process, NCEO reached an agreement on elements of written guidelines that would maximize the participation of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. These elements were then used by NCEO staff to analyze the "inclusiveness" of states' written guidelines on participation, accommodations, and reporting. Analyses revealed that while there are some common elements of inclusive policies that states are incorporating in their written guidelines, there are many important elements of inclusive policies that are not represented in states' written policies. Among the least frequently included characteristics were ones involving the use of a form to aid the decision-making process and providing information to parents about the implications of decisions. Overall, only about one fourth of states show at least 50% of the desired participation characteristics, and none show at least 50% of the desired reporting characteristics. The findings of this analysis suggest a number of implementation and training issues. IEP teams, in particular, will need considerable attention if decision making is to be appropriate. The need for research and better understanding of reporting also are evident in the analysis findings. Available online at: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/onlinepubs/technicalreport018.pdf

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