The purpose of this report is to summarize the status of state-defined alternate diplomas in the 50 U.S. states three years after the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) indicated that states could develop these diplomas and use them in accountability calculations. To count this diploma in a graduation measure for accountability, several…

The purpose of this brief is to summarize some of the past exclusionary practices that resulted from low expectations for students with disabilities, and how those were addressed in policies related to standards-based reform. The brief is based on a comprehensive paper that takes a cross disciplinary approach to examining expectations for students…

The characteristics of a state's accommodations policy may affect a state's decision about whether to develop an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). A very restrictive accommodations policy may make it more difficult for some students to participate in the state's regular assessment used for accountability…

State accommodations policies affect the way that students with disabilities are included in large-scale assessments. This article uses information collected by the National Center on Educational Outcomes to analyze how accommodations policies changed between 1993 and 2005. Throughout the 1990s, state accommodations policies often sought to level…

Several states had an assessment that they considered to be an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS) in place, or in development, when the April 2007 federal regulations on modified achievement standards were finalized. This article uses publicly available information collected by the National Center on…

All students, including students with disabilities, must be included in state accountability systems as required by law. In April 2007, federal regulations provided states the flexibility to offer another assessment option--an Alternate Assessment based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) for some students with disabilities. The AA-MAS is…

Proponents of out-of-level testing generally contend that there are three benefits for students with disabilities: (1) undue test frustration is avoided; (2) test measurement accuracy is improved; and (3) test items are better matched to students' current educational goals and instructional level (Thurlow, Elliott, & Ysseldyke, 1999). It is…

Historically many students with disabilities did not participate in accountability systems. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires that students in all targeted subgroups, including students with disabilities, have the opportunity to learn challenging material that is linked to content standards and to participate in statewide…

This analysis compared guideline markers, identified by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to maximize participation of students with disabilities in educational assessments, with written guidelines of 43 states concerning participation, accommodations, and reporting. The NCEO markers were developed using an input and consensus…

Many students with disabilities need to use accommodations to meaningfully access instruction and to be appropriately assessed. During the past decade, the use of assessment accommodations has dramatically increased the participation rates of students with disabilities in statewide testing. Assessment accommodations can be defined as "changes…

This report summarizes states' current policies on the participation of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment and the accommodations available for these students. Among the generalizations from these summaries are (1) state participation and accommodation policies change frequently; (2) for participation decisions, state policies…