Biennial Performance Reports: 2000-2001 State Assessment Data Summary Prepared by:

The information in this summary is based on data submitted in states ’ Biennia

Why We Can't Say Much About the Status of Students with Disabilities During Education Reform (NCEO Synthesis Reports)

A report examining assessment and accommodations policies and practices in relation to K-12 students with disabilities.The Center is supported through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (1990-1995: H159C00004; 1995-2000: H159C50004). Opinions or points of view expressed within this document do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it

of Education or Offices within it. NCEO Core Staff

assessment: Results of a comparative study (Technical Report 64). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educationa

Back to the Future for NAEP NAEP and Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners

to look back on what we have learned during the past decade and a half. Research on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and state assessments points to important directions for NAGB to consider for the NAEP of the future. The research highlights who students with disabilities and English Language Learners are, how decisions are made about their participation in assessments, and how accommodations influence accessibility and validity for these students. The experiences of states, which are required to include all students in their assessment systems, also have much to contribute to considerations about NAEP. Revisiting some of the research and experiences can help to identify approaches for the future of NAEP. The National Center on Educational Outcomes focuses on the inclusion of students with disabilities and English Language Learners with disabilities in assessments. As director of this center, I will concentrate my comments on the inclusion of students with disabilities in NAEP and other assessments. First, however, I would like to go back to a report from a working conference held 15 years ago on the development of guidelines on inclusion and accommodations (Ysseldyke, Thurlow

An Investigation of the Exclusion of Students with Disabilities in National Data Collection Programs

This investigation examined the extent to which students with disabilities are involved in a select sample of national data collection programs that are playing a pivotal role in the measurement-driven educational reform movement. Nine data collection programs that are receiving significant attention in current educational reform initiatives were reviewed. The results suggest that approxi-mately 40% to 50% of school-age students with disabilities are excluded from some of the most prom-inent national educational data collection programs. In contrast, students with disabilities are included to a greater degree in noneducational data collection programs that do not require partici-pation in direct assessment activities. This study reports on the extent of exclusion, how and why exclusion occurs, and the impact of this exclusion on policy research. Preliminary recommendations for addressing the significant exclusion of students with disabilities from certain national data col-lection programs are presented

The Identification of Individuals with Disabilities in National Databases: Creating a Failure to Communicate

The purpose of this study was to analyze similarities and differences in how students with disabilities are identified in national databases. National data collection programs in the U.S. Departments of Education, Commerce, Labor, Justice, and Health and Human Services, as well as databases from the National Science Foundation, the American Council of Education, and the College Board, were examined. Nineteen national data collection programs were selected as being potentially useful in the extraction of policy-relevant information on the educational status and performance of students with disabilities. Among these 19 programs there was significant variability in the disability catego-ries used. These programs were targeted for two reasons: (a) their potential usefulness in providing indicators of domains in key models of educational outcomes for children and youth with disabilities, and (b) their prominence in current efforts to monitor progress toward the attainment of national education goals. Discussed are issues related to improving disability identification in large-scale data collection programs and the effects of these issues on reporting policy-relevant information

Department of Education are reflected in this summary. 2 Annual Performance Reports: 2002-2003 State Assessment Data Overview

The information in this summary is based on data submitted in states ’ Annua