Sheryl Lazarus

This presentation, highlighting states and districts working together to make improved decisions about alternate assessment participation and meeting the state level 1% threshold, was presented at…

Educators, students, and families have found many compelling reasons to support inclusive education for students with and without disabilities. This Brief, translated into Spanish, delineates ten…

This report describes the asynchronous online focus group activity of the Data Informed Accessibility - Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project. The goal of conducting the focus…

A report on a forum held on June 26, 2018 in San Diego, California that brought together staff from state departments of education, school districts, testing and testing-related companies, and…

Educators, students, and families have found many compelling reasons to support inclusive education for students with and without disabilities. This Brief delineates ten reasons that supporting...

A report providing a rationale, procedures, and tools to develop and continuously improve alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) achievement level descriptors…

A brief reporting the findings of a longitudinal analysis of three years of student-level demographic and performance data for four states: the 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07 school years. Data sets…

A report containing the findings from a survey of 2,336 special education teachers in the state of Alabama on making and implementing decisions about accommodations. A number of areas of strength…

A report tracking the characteristics of states' alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-MAS) that the National Center on Educational Outcomes has been following since…

A report exploring the context of computer-based testing (CBT), current state computer-based tests, and considerations for students with disabilities, in part as follow-up to a similar exploration…

A report presenting the results of an analysis of states' accommodations policies for the Alternate Assessment based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS), and compares these policies with the…

A report describing an assessment option permitted by federal regulations that give states the flexibility to offer an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards…

A report describing an assessment option permitted by federal regulations that give states the flexibility to offer an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards…

A 2008 report updating the National Center on Educational Outcomes' (NCEO) report from 2001 that identified principles and characteristics underlying inclusive assessment and accountability…

A 2008 report updating the National Center on Educational Outcomes' (NCEO) report from 2006 that tracked and analyzed state policies on assessment participation and accommodations since 1992. The…

This year 2007 report summarizes publicly available information about alternates based on modified achievement standards with regard to eligibility and assessment characteristics.

This Brief for teachers answers questions about working with a language interpreter for families whose children are English learners. Clear, comprehensible communication between parents and…

This year 2006 report analyzes states' participation and accommodation policies for students with disabilities for school year 2005, but does not determine federal compliance.

This year 2005 report analyzes states' 2003 participation and accommodation policies, but does not determine whether policies complied with federal requirements.

This year 2001 report analyzes state participation and accommodation policies nationwide and presents major findings.

A report providing considerations and recommendations on growth models for students with disabilities. The academic progress of students is an important indicator of educational success. For school…

A 2009 report providing a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this important period of standards-based education reform ...

This year 2007 report summarizes a survey to states addressing accommodations, participation rates and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments.

A report examining publicly-reported participation and performance data for the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). Analysis included all states publicly…

A report identifying several actions for the Race to the Top assessment consortia to take to meet the needs of special education students. The actions are consistent with standards and principles…

A brief -- the first in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- addressing the need to think carefully about accommodations when moving from paper-based assessments to…

A report presenting the results of an analysis of the accommodations that are included in state accommodations policies and guidelines. The purpose of the analysis was to learn more about 10…

A brief -- the second in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- addressing the need for the Consortia to develop shared accommodations policies. The publication presents…

A report updating the information gathered by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) in previous reports. Since 2007, NCEO has annually compiled, analyzed, and summarized states'…

A brief -- the fourth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- presenting information on the characteristics of special education students, English Language Learners (ELLs), and…

A report summarizing the research literature for both professional development on accommodations decision making, and traditional and high-quality online teacher professional development. NCEO…

A report tracking test design changes between the alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS) and regular assessment, whether states' AA-MAS were computer-based,…

A brief -- the fifth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- presenting information on the performance of special education students, highlighting the range in performance of…

A report explaining how Tennessee developed an Alternate Assessment based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards called the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program-Modified Academic…

A report discussing the use of the "IEP Quality Tutorial-South Dakota (IEPQ-SD)." During the 2010-2011 school year, the state of South Dakota piloted an online program called the "IEP Quality…

A report investigating whether the characteristics of the lowest performing students in special education differ from the characteristics of the lowest performing students who are not in special…

A brief -- the sixth in a series for the Race to the Top Assessment Consortia -- addressing the Consortia's need to develop an inclusive approach to their non-summative assessments, including their…

A report describing a study of the read-aloud accommodation, which is frequently used on mathematics assessments. However, Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams often find it difficult to…

A report describing a study conducted by NCEO, in collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Education, that used focus group methodology to look closer at what happens in the room on test…

A report compiling, analyzing, and summarizing states' plans for phasing out the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) in their approved waiver applications. The…

A report summarizing the discussion at the Forum on Evaluating Educator Effectiveness held in June 2012 in Minneapolis. Thirty-six individuals representing a dozen states, four testing companies,…

A report detailing the work of researchers from projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2006-2007 under three funding sources (General Supervision Enhancement Grants, Enhanced…

This webinar provided information on how to be an effective facilitator at the 1% Cap National Convening.

A tool that can be used to help groups prioritize strategies, decisions, recommendations, or policies. It has been used by NCEO for over a decade and the use of the Multi-Attribute Consensus…

A report providing a snapshot of new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this important period of education reform as states document the academic achievement of...

A report examining the wide variation across states in their accommodations policies for Human Reader, Text to Speech, and Pre-recorded Audio. The results of the analyses in the report can inform...

This fact sheet on  word prediction  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on word…

A report exploring how federal policy initiatives such as the flexibility waivers for accountability are requiring that states transition away from the use of an alternate assessment based on…

A brief addressing the need for consortia to assist their member states in moving away from the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). It focuses on key…

A brief presenting information on what is known about the participation of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in state English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. It highlights...

A brief presenting information on what is known about assessment decision-making processes for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. It highlights information that has been collected…

This fact sheet on  braille  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on braille as…

A report analyzing how accommodated tests, and students with disabilities and the assessments they take, are addressed in state test security policies -- a subject about which little is known. This...

A report analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States -- the 15th NCEO report to do so. The publication presents…

A brief presenting information on what we know about the participation of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in state alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards...

A report providing information on selected response accommodations (i.e., Human Scribe, Speech to Text, Audio Transcription, Grammar Checker, Spell Checker, Calculator) that were included in state…

A report providing an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations as well as to identify promising future areas of research. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research…

A report compiling, analyzing, and summarizing what states said about the Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) in their waiver applications. The U.S. Department...

A report analyzing the graduation requirements and diploma options for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who participate in states' alternate assessments based on alternate…

A report concluding that assessments better measure what students know and can do when states and consortia thoughtfully consider how to balance test security and accessibility. Many states are…

An online, interactive brief presenting the results of NCEO's analysis of states' graduation policies for their students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in the alternate…

A report analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. This report -- the 16th of its kind by the National Center on…

A Brief presenting information on steps to take in the transition from a focus on making decisions about accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs), to a…

A report detailing the results of states' 2014-15 requirements for students with disabilities who participate in the general assessment to earn a regular diploma, and comparing the requirements...

An interactive, online brief analyzing public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. This interactive brief is based on NCEO…

A report providing a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this important period of education reform as states documented the academic achievement of…

A report that analyzes the characteristics of states' science alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS)in 2014-2015.

A report presenting the results of a study looking at coursework and exit exam requirements for students with IEPs compared to students without IEPs. This relates to the larger issues of graduation…

This Brief provides information and suggestions for SEAs and other technical assistance providers with challenges identified by the teachers related to college- and career-ready (CCR) standards.

This is the seventeenth report NCEO that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States.

This document is the fourth in a series of Principles documents produced by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). NCEO revisited and revised its 2008 Principles for inclusive...

The new large-scale assessments rolled out by consortia and states are designed to measure student achievement of rigorous college- and career-ready (CCR) standards. Recent surveys of teachers in...

This presentation addressed how to successfully make decisions about using scribes and speech-to-text. It was presented at the 2019 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual conference.

This interactive report presents data that states have submitted on the five languages most frequently used by English learners (ELs) in each state, the percent of identified ELs receiving...

This White Paper by DIAMOND project staff addresses the issue that different test platforms use different terminology for the accessibility features and accommodations that they offer to students,…

This document is the fourth in a series of Principles documents produced by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). NCEO revisited and revised its 2008 Principles for inclusive...

This report provides an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations as well as to identify promising future areas of research. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research...

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) and a consortium of five states joined together to form the Multi-state GSEG Toward a Defensible Alternate Assessment Based on Modified...

This report provides a snapshot of how accommodations were included in policies across ACT, SAT, PARCC, and Smarter Balanced during the 2015-16 school year.

A report on a forum held on June 20, 2016 in Philadelphia that brought together states, assessment vendors, and other educational stakeholders to address the need for developing a common language…

The Council of Chief State School Officers' (CCSSO's) Accessibility Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accessibility Supports for Instruction and Assessment of All Students…

The purpose of this year 2001 topical review is to provide a comprehensive account of reporting the performance of students with disabilities on state assessments.

This year 2003 topical review addresses the knowledge and skills needed by teachers to effectively promote the achievement of students with disabilities within the current era of standards-based…

This year 2005 topical review addresses the use of accommodations for students with disabilities on state-wide tests and their implications for educational accountability systems.

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…

This Brief, translated into Arabic, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is…

This Brief describes the criteria that must be met for a State-defined alternate diploma to meet federal requirements for inclusion in the Title I Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR).

The purpose of this report is to provide a baseline report, prior to the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, on factors that affect decisions to exit English learners (ELs) with disabilities...

Spanish translation of the report, "White Paper on Common Accessibility Language for States and Assessment Vendors."

This interactive report presents data on the participation and performance of student receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act...

The purpose of this Brief is to assist states in identifying strategies to use to meet the state 1% cap on participation in the alternate assessment.

This is the eighteenth report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools...

A report on a forum held on June 27, 2017 in Austin, TX that brought together staff representing state departments of education, school districts, testing and testing-related companies, and other…

The purpose of this Brief is to highlight the numbers and characteristics of English learners (ELs) with disabilities and current decision-making processes for exiting these students from EL…

A report providing a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during a period of new education laws and initiatives. This is the fifteenth such survey of states…

A report from the DIAMOND project that explores the results of an online survey about educators' familiarity with and attitudes toward accessibility features and accommodations.

This report documents the status of states' assessment participation guidelines and definitions of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities that were in place just prior to the…

The purpose of this Brief is to outline key strategies for the collection, analysis, and use of local assessment data to monitor progress toward the (State-Identified Measurable Result)SIMR.

The purpose of this literature review is to: (a) summarize the shift that has occurred in approaches to accessibility in testing (including the paradigm shift of what accessibility for all students…

A report from the DIAMOND project on phone interviews conducted with educators to highlight effective practices being used to implement accessibility features and accommodations in their classrooms.

This interactive report presents data on the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act...

This interactive report presents data on the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act...

This is the nineteenth report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools...

This is the 20th report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United…

This presentation featured five states addressing how to lower alternate assessment participation rates. It was presented to the U.S Departments of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary…

This report presents the findings from a literature review that examined how systems change efforts can guide initiatives to increase and sustain the placement of students with the most significant…

This interactive report presents data on public reporting practices for assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States.

This Brief, translated into Traditional Chinese, explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how…

This Infographic to Guide Decisions about Student Participation in the Alternate Assessment tool is designed to provide guidance about IEP team decision making for a student’s participation in the…

This Brief for teachers answers questions about communicating with parents or guardians for whom communicating in English is a challenge. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining…

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for  word prediction  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit   published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

This report presents information from a study by the Data Informed Accessibility—Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project that examined classroom use of accessibility features and…

This is the 21st report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United…

This Brief offers preliminary guidance for the development of interim assessment options for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. There are federal requirements that all...

This Brief, translated into Arabic, answers questions about working with a language interpreter that parents or guardians of students who are English learners might have. Clear, comprehensible…

This Brief, translated into Vietnamese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication…

As states, districts, and schools plan to return for the 2021-22 school year, questions are raised about whether and how to test children with disabilities, including children with the most...

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Accessibility Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accessibility Supports for Instruction and Assessment of All Students…

This Slide Presentation tool is designed to support the needs that administrators have for brief but substantive information about who should participate in the state’s alternate assessment on...

This Brief, translated into Simplified Chinese, answers questions about working with a language interpreter that parents or guardians of students who are English learners might have. Clear,…

The purpose of this report is to provide an updated review of state text-to-speech (TTS) policies across general assessments of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. TTS refers to technology…

This Brief for principals answers questions about working with a language interpreter for families whose children are English learners. Clear, comprehensible communication between parents and…

This Brief, translated into Simplified Chinese, explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how…

This presentation addressed how to meet Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requirements on alternate assessments and inclusion of all students. It…

This report presents findings from a literature review that was conducted to identify evidenced-based approaches to supporting the development of communicative competence for K-8 students in…

This fact sheet on  extended time  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on the…

This testimony was presented at a congressional briefing to the Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe).

An issue in the  Impact  series that examines K-8 inclusive education. Historically, students with the most significant cognitive disabilities were often taught only functional skills in our K-12…

This report provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)…

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on state participation criteria and guidelines for alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). In this…

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for  braille  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit   published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

This report presents the findings of an analysis of states’ FFY 2018 State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs), submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs…

Sheryl Lazarus presented "State Defined Alternate Diplomas” in an NCEO and NTACT webinar.

This presentation focused on how to make and implement accessibility and accommodations decisions in assessment and instruction for English learners. It was presented at the 2019 National…

This presentation addressed what alternate assessments and diplomas really mean for students with significant disabilities. It was presented at the 2020 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)…

This Brief, translated into Vietnamese, answers questions about working with a language interpreter that parents or guardians of students who are English learners might have. Clear, comprehensible…

This Brief, translated into Simplified Chinese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator…

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for computer-generated  text-to-speech  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit   published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

The purpose of this report is to provide a synthesis of the research on K-12 testing accommodations. In this report, we summarize the research published in 2017. 

A report on a virtual meeting NCEO held on February 16 and 17, 2021 of an Interim Assessment Advisory Panel to tap into the panel members’ collective knowledge about using interim assessments to…

This Brief for parents or guardians of students who are English learners answers questions about communicating with teachers when English is a challenge, and the benefits of successful…

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for  extended time  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

Procedures and tools to develop and continuously improve achievement level descriptors for alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). This is an archived report because…

Distance learning, whether completely remote or in combination with classroom experiences, can pose challenges for teachers, students, and families. Pre-assessment to plan instruction can help…

This Brief explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how to talk to teachers to help their…

This Brief, translated into Spanish, explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how to talk to…

The purpose of this Brief is to provide suggestions for ways in which the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) can include students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. 

This presentation, addressing teachers’ and students’ experiences with accessibility features and accommodations in the classroom, was presented at the 2021 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)…

This report summarizes a comprehensive investigation of research published between 2000–2018 on evidence-based literacy assessment and instruction practices for English learners with the most…

This Brief for principals answers questions about communicating with parents or guardians for whom communicating in English is a challenge. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining…

The purpose of this report is to present a synthesis of the research on test accommodations for U.S. elementary and secondary students (K–12) published in 2018. The academic literature described…

This brief addresses the question of what access to and progress in the general education curriculum means for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It provides examples of…

This Brief, translated into Spanish, answers questions about working with a language interpreter that parents or guardians of students who are English learners might have. Clear, comprehensible…

This fact sheet on tactile graphics is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit . It summarizes information and research findings on the use of tactile graphics as an accessibility feature or...

​This Parent Brief focuses on developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that support inclusive education for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. 

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for  tactile graphics  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

This updated report, originally published in 2013, presents five core principles of valid assessments for English learners with disabilities, along with a brief rationale and specific guidelines...

A second report from the DIAMOND project on phone interviews conducted with educators to highlight effective practices being used to implement accessibility features and accommodations in their…

This fact sheet on  text-to-speech  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit  published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It summarizes information and research findings on the…

This Brief, translated into Spanish, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is…

This presentation shares information about an updated state guide to universally designed assessments. The purpose of the guide is to provide states with strategies for designing tests from the…

This Brief, translated into Traditional Chinese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator…

This Brief, translated into Traditional Chinese, answers questions about working with a language interpreter that parents or guardians of students who are English learners might have. Clear,…

This presentation addresses how to successfully instruct and assess students who currently take alternate assessments or used to take them. It was presented at the 2020 Inclusive Education…

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the published English learner (EL) accommodations literature between 2010 and 2018 to provide an updated overview of research trends on this…

This Brief, translated into Arabic, explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how to talk to…

This presentation addressed using formative assessment strategies during hybrid and distance education. It was presented at the 2020 National Association of State Directors of Special Education…

This APR Snapshot Brief provides information on the number of students with disabilities assigned accommodations and the performance of these students on the general statewide assessment used for…

This Brief for parents or guardians of students who are English learners answers questions about working with a language interpreter. Clear, comprehensible communication between parents and…

This presentation described considerations for monitoring accommodations on the alternate assessment. It was presented at the 2019 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) annual…

This testimony was presented at a congressional briefing to the Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe).

The purpose of this report is to present a synthesis of the research on test accommodations published in 2015 and 2016. We summarize the research to review current research trends and enhance…

This Brief, translated into Vietnamese, explains accessibility features and accommodations for parents or guardians of students who are English learners, and also provides guidance on how to talk…

This tool gives step-by-step guidance on how to conduct a Multi-Attribute Consensus Building (MACB) session with educators, administrators, parents, advocates and other stakeholders. MACB is a…

This interactive report presents data on the number and percentage of students receiving special education services who were assigned accommodations for the state general assessments used for…

This Brief provides information on alternate achievement standards and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, and makes several suggestions about ways to show that a student…

Most states and districts provide training that aims to help individualized education program (IEP) teams make appropriate decisions about student participation in the alternate assessment. Some…

This presentation described trends in participation, performance, and accommodations received by special education students. It was presented at the 2019 National Council on Measurement in…

This report summarizes AA-AAAS data used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability.

A report on a forum held on June 26, 2019 in Orlando, Florida to discuss how states and districts can work together to meet the 1.0% threshold on participation in the alternate assessment aligned…

This interactive report presents the annual performance data for students with disabilities on state assessment data for 2007-08 to 2016-17 which were analyzed to investigate trends in…

This parent brief was developed to help parents determine whether their child with significant cognitive disabilities is provided meaningful access to the general education curriculum. It addresses…

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for  testing over multiple days  is part of the  Accommodations Toolkit   published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).