This is the thirteenth annual report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that analyzes public reporting practices of assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required states to disaggregate performance data at the state and district…

There has been little data collected on how much testing actually goes on in America's schools and how the results are used. So in the Spring of 2014, the Council staff developed and launched a survey of assessment practices. This report presents the findings from that survey and subsequent Council analysis and review of the data. It also offers…

Maryland's 24 school systems have made great strides in improving public education from pre-kindergarten through high school to ensure children are getting a high-quality education. This guide provides information and online links, including: (1) Maryland's state testing and reporting processes; (2) Programs available to support student…

Educational assessment and, more broadly, educational research in the United States have entered into an era characterized by a dramatic increase in the prevalence and importance of test score use in accountability systems. This volume covers a selection of contemporary issues about testing science and practice that impact the nation's public…

New Title I legislation--the Improving America's Schools Act--mandates that students with disabilities be included in district and statewide assessments beginning in 2001, or immediately, if such assessments already exist. Administrators should include handicapped students in assessments, when in doubt; provide needed accommodations; and report…

Studied Kentucky's efforts to include students with disabilities in its statewide assessment, exploring the inclusion achieved, the kinds of accommodations offered, student performance, and the relationship between performance and the use of accommodations. Statewide results show that most students were included, but that some scores may not be…

Until recently, many students with disabilities were excluded from large-scale assessments, such as those mandated by states. Recent federal and state policy initiatives, including the most recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, require that the large majority of students with disabilities be included in…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires state programs to adopt standards for all children, including those with disabilities, in state and district-wide assessments with the provision of appropriate and necessary accommodations. For students who cannot participate in state and district-wide assessments, the law requires that…

This report from the WisKids Count project, instead of being the usual annual data book about an array of issues affecting children, is a collection of essays that take a critical look at the practice of standardized testing and the status of testing in Wisconsin. In the 2002-2001 school year, more than 250,000 Wisconsin children in public schools…

The 2000-2001 school year brought changes in statewide testing in Montana and in assessment requirements tied to two federal programs, Title I and Special Education. This document provides guidance to districts about their responsibilities relative to the involvement of students served by these programs in statewide assessment, describing the ways…

For 21 years the Annual Condition of Education Report has helped the Iowa Department of Education meet its goal, providing valuable information on everything from enrollment to student performance, from the teachers to finances to the demographics. The data for this annual report are presented according to: (1) Background Demographics; (2)…

This publication presents guidelines for parents and educators in making appropriate decisions about participation in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MACS) tests for students with disabilities, and it describes commonly used test accommodations. State law requires the participation in MCAS of all students who are educated with…

Since the passage of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, inclusion of all students with disabilities in accountability systems has been mandatory. By 2001, school personnel began to understand that alternate assessment needed to focus on students' performance on state standards, and nearly all states had created…

The progress states have made toward fulfilling their requirements under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act is reported. Some states are reporting that they have developed content standards for some subjects, but not for others. In some states, both local school district and state standards are being developed. In all, 43 states had…

The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required that states provide alternate assessments for students unable to participate in the statewide assessment systems (e.g., those with severe disabilities). IDEA mandated that alternate assessments access the general curriculum. This study examined the curricular…