2022-2023 APR Snapshot 32

2022-2023 APR Snapshot 32
State Assessment Participation, Performance, and Assigned Accommodations for Students Receiving Special Education Services

Overview

This APR Snapshot provides a picture of the reading/language arts and mathematics state assessment participation and performance of grade 8 students receiving special education services in 2022-2023. Participation data are provided for statewide general assessments and alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). For AA-AAAS, participation is also presented for all grades combined. Due to the lack of public data on the total number of tested students, this snapshot used enrollment data to calculate the 1% cap on AA-AAAS participation. Doing so may underestimate the participation rate because not all enrolled students participated in the state assessment. However, the results will still provide useful insight for an overview of states meeting the 1% cap requirement. Performance data are provided for grade 8 general assessments and AA-AAAS. This Snapshot also summarizes data on the percentage of students assigned accommodations for state general assessments.

Findings are presented for the regular states (e.g., Alabama, Wyoming). Data for other grades, as well as data for unique states that receive special education funds (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Education, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands), are available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data.

Data

This Snapshot uses 2022–2023 assessment data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (U.S. Department of Education; 2024) Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and enrollment data from the Elementary/Secondary Information System (ELSi; National Center for Education Statistics, 2025). Analyses are based on fewer than 50 states because some states met the criteria for exclusion, such as data suppression by OSEP or unavailable participation information for the general assessment or AA-AAAS.

Percentages shown in this Snapshot are calculated using different denominators depending on the question being examined. For example, some figures present percentages calculated based on the number of students enrolled while others use the number of all students who took a specific assessment in a particular content area. Each figure and table identifies the population used to calculate the percentage in the title. Full technical definitions and calculation methods are provided in Appendix A.

Due to changes in available data, 2022-2023 AA-AAAS participation rates were calculated using enrollment data as a proxy for total tested students, which differs from methods used in previous years. For high school, the number of students tested was estimated by averaging enrollments across grades 9–12. These methods may slightly overstate participation rates. Full technical details on data selection, exclusions, variable definitions, and calculation methods are provided in Appendix A. Figure-specific technical notes are provided in Appendix A and correspond to figure numbers used throughout the report.

Participation Findings

Reading Assessments

Participation in Grade 8 Reading Assessments

In 2022-2023, 49 of the 50 regular states had reading assessment participation data that we could analyze. Figure 1 shows grade 8 reading assessment data, including the participation percentages for the general assessment and AA-AAAS for each unidentified state. Overall 8th grade reading assessment participation, combining both assessments, ranged from about 49% to 100%. The average was 92.9%. In most states, the majority of 8th grade students with disabilities participated in the general assessment of reading, with AA-AAAS participation contributing only a small additional percentage. A few states had notably lower overall participation, and in these cases, typically participation in the general reading assessment was lower than in other states.

Figure 1. Reading Assessment Participation Rates for Enrolled Grade 8 Students with Disabilities (n = 49)

A stacked bar chart showing 8th grade reading participation rates for all states. Each bar represents a state and is composed of two segments: Navy for General Assessment and Coral for Alternate Assessment (AA-AAAS). The combined height represents the overall participation rate. Most states show an overall rate between 85% and 100%. Participation trends downward from left to right, ending with a single outlier state at 49% participation. Full data for all states, including individual assessment rates, are available in the linked Excel file.

For a subset of states, overall reading assessment participation rates could vary if they included students with disabilities who were English learners and who took an English proficiency assessment “in lieu of the state annual reading/language arts assessment” (U.S. Department of Education, n.d., p.11). This provision, which applied in 2022-2023, related only to assessment participation and was for students who have been in the U.S. less than 12 months. Alternate overall participation rate calculations are provided for nine states where there were observed differences between the two rates. See Appendix B, Table B1 and Figure B1. For most of the nine states, the difference between participation rates calculated to be inclusive of new-to-the-country English learners was not large. However, the state with the lowest overall participation rate in Figure 1 did have a sizeable difference in participation rates when English learners taking the English proficiency assessment in lieu of the annual state reading assessment were included.

When participation for each grade 8 reading assessment was examined individually, general reading assessment participation rates varied from 44.9% to 93.9% for students with disabilities. The average general assessment participation rate was 85.4%. AA-AAAS grade 8 reading assessment participation rates varied from 2.4% to 16.1% of students with disabilities. The average AA-AAAS rate was 7.4%.

Students Assigned Accommodations for General Reading Assessments

Figure 2 shows the percentage of grade 8 students in 49 of the 50 regular states with available data on the number of students with disabilities who were assigned accommodations on the general reading assessment in 2022-2023. The percentage of students assigned accommodations ranged from 0.06% to 96.4%. The average across states was about 54%. Twenty-five states with available data reported that less than 60% of students with disabilities were assigned accommodations on the general reading assessment.

Figure 2. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the General Reading Assessment Assigned Accommodations (n = 49)

Bar chart for Figure 2 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the general reading assessment who were assigned accommodations. The chart displays 49 Navy bars (representing 49 states with available data), ordered from highest to lowest. The data shows a steep and steady downward trend, beginning at approximately 96% and decreasing to near 0%. As noted in the text and technical appendix, one state is excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Reading AA-AAAS Participation Rates Based on Total Tested Students

Figure 3 shows the overall participation rates for reading AA-AAAS across grades 3-8 and high school. These rates are based on the number of tested students in reading (both general assessment and AA-AAAS). Reading AA-AAAS participation rates ranged from 0.52% to 1.79%. Twenty-six of the 49 states with data (53.1%) reported a participation rate above 1.0%.

Figure 3. Reading AA-AAAS Participation Rates for Enrolled Students in Grades 3–8 and High School (n = 49)

AA-AAAS participation rates shown in Figure 3 are based on total tested students across grades. Figure-specific denominator calculations are described in Appendix A, Section A.4.

Math Assessments

Participation in Grade 8 Mathematics Assessments

For 2022-2023, 49 of the regular 50 states had math assessment participation data available for analysis. Figure 4 shows grade 8 math assessment participation data for the general math assessment and the math AA-AAAS for each state. Overall grade 8 math participation rates, combining both assessments, ranged from 73.9% to 100% for students with disabilities. In most states, the majority of 8th grade students with disabilities participated in the general assessment of math, with AA-AAAS participation contributing a small additional percentage. The average participation rate across all states was 93.6%.

Figure 4. Mathematics Assessment Participation Rates for Enrolled Grade 8 Students with Disabilities (n = 49)

Stacked bar chart for Figure 4 showing 8th grade math participation rates for students with disabilities across 49 states. Each bar is composed of a Navy base representing the General Assessment and a Honey Gold top segment representing the AA-AAAS (Alternate Assessment). The combined height of the two segments represents the overall participation rate. Most states show an overall participation rate between 85% and 99%. The bars are ordered from left to right by highest to lowest General Assessment participation, showing a gradual downward trend with the final state on the far right at approximately 74%. As noted in the technical appendix, one state is excluded due to missing data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Looking at participation rates for each test individually, general grade 8 math assessment participation rates varied from 67.0% to 93.9% for students with disabilities. The average was 86.1%. AA-AAAS grade 8 math assessment participation rates varied from 2.4% to 16.3% for students with disabilities. The average was 7.5%.

Students Assigned Accommodations for General Math Assessments

Figure 5 shows the percentage of grade 8 students with disabilities in 49 of the 50 regular states who were assigned accommodations on the general math assessment in 2022-2023. The percentage of students assigned accommodations ranged from 0% to 96.4%. The average across the 49 regular states with data was 58%. Slightly less than one-half of the states with available data (n = 23) reported that less than 60% of students with disabilities were assigned accommodations on the general math assessment.

Figure 5. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the General Math Assessment Assigned Accommodations (n = 49)

Bar chart for Figure 5 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the general math assessment who were assigned accommodations. The chart contains 49 Navy bars (representing states with available data), ordered from highest to lowest. The data shows a significant and steady downward trend, beginning at approximately 96% on the far left and decreasing consistently across states to nearly 0% on the far right. The vertical axis represents the percentage of students in 10% increments from 0% to 100%. As noted in the technical appendix, one state is excluded due to missing data. Full state-level data for these mathematics accommodation rates are available in the linked Excel file.

Math AA-AAAS Participation Based on Total Tested Students

Figure 6 shows the overall participation rates for math AA-AAAS across grades 3-8 and high school. These participation rates in mathematics are calculated using enrollment data as a proxy for the total number of tested students. Math AA-AAAS participation rates ranged from 0.53% to 1.79%. Twenty-five of the 49 states with data (51.0%) reported a participation rate above 1.0%. In this analysis, any rate above 1.0% (e.g., 1.02%) was counted as exceeding the federal 1% cap. Calculation methods for AA-AAAS participation rates in Figure 6 mirror those used for Figure 3 and are described in Appendix A, Section A.4.

Figure 6. Math AA-AAAS Participation Rates for Enrolled Students in Grades 3–8 and High School (n = 49)

Bar chart for Figure 6 showing Math AA-AAAS participation rates for enrolled students in Grades 3 through 8 and High School (n = 49). The chart displays 49 Navy bars, representing states with available data, ordered from highest to lowest participation rate. The vertical axis represents the participation rate in 0.2% increments, from 0.0% to 2.0%. The data shows a gradual downward trend across states, beginning at approximately 1.8% on the far left and decreasing to approximately 0.5% on the far right. As noted in the technical appendix, one state is excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Performance Findings

Reading Assessments

Performance on Grade 8 General Reading Assessments

For 2022-2023, 48 of the 50 regular states had available reading assessment performance data. Performance data for grade 8 reading general assessments were analyzed for these regular states. Figure 7 shows the percentage of students with disabilities in grade 8 who scored at or above the proficient level on the general reading assessment in these states. Proficiency rates ranged from 2.6% to 34.5%, with an average of 12.9% across states.

Figure 7. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the General Reading Assessment and Scoring Proficient or Above (n = 48)

Bar chart for Figure 7 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the general reading assessment who scored at or above the proficient level (n=48). The chart displays 48 Navy bars representing states with available data, ordered from highest to lowest proficiency rate. The vertical axis represents the percentage of students in 10% increments, from 0% to 100%. The data shows a significant downward trend, beginning at approximately 35% on the far left and decreasing steadily to approximately 3% on the far right. As noted in the technical appendix, two states are excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Performance on Grade 8 Reading AA-AAAS

For 2022–2023, performance data for grade 8 reading AA-AAAS were available for 46 of the 50 regular states. Figure 8 shows the percentage of students with disabilities in grade 8 who scored at or above the proficient level on the AA-AAAS reading assessment in these states. Proficiency rates ranged from 12.7% to 92.9%, with an average of 36.8% across states.

Figure 8. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the Reading AA-AAAS and Scoring Proficient or Above (n = 46)

Bar chart for Figure 8 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the Reading AA-AAAS who scored at or above the proficient level (n=46). The chart displays 46 Navy bars representing states with available data, ordered from highest to lowest proficiency rate. The vertical axis represents the percentage of students in 10% increments, from 0% to 100%. The data shows a sharp downward trend, beginning at approximately 93% on the far left and decreasing to approximately 13% on the far right. As noted in the technical appendix, four states are excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Math Assessments

Performance on Grade 8 General Math Assessments

For 2022–2023, performance data for grade 8 general mathematics assessments were available for 48 of the 50 regular states. Figure 9 shows the percentage of students in grade 8 with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level on the general math assessment in these states. Proficiency rates ranged from 2.4% to 33.7%, with an average of 9.2% across states.

Figure 9. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the General Math Assessment and Scoring Proficient or Above (n = 48)

Bar chart for Figure 9 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the general mathematics assessment who scored at or above the proficient level (n=48). The chart displays 48 Navy bars representing states with available data, ordered from highest to lowest proficiency rate. The vertical axis represents the percentage of students in 10% increments, from 0% to 100%. The data shows a significant downward trend, beginning at approximately 34% on the far left and decreasing steadily to approximately 2% on the far right. As noted in the technical appendix, two states are excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data for these mathematics proficiency rates are available in the linked Excel file.

Performance on Grade 8 Math AA-AAAS

For 2022–2023, performance data for grade 8 math AA-AAAS were available for 47 of the 50 regular states. Figure 10 shows the percentage of students with disabilities in grade 8 who scored at or above the proficient level on the AA-AAAS math assessment in these states. Proficiency rates ranged from 2.0% to 96.0%, with an average of 32.0% across states.

Figure 10. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking the Math AA-AAAS and Scoring Proficient or Above (n = 47)

Bar chart for Figure 10 showing the percentage of 8th grade students with disabilities taking the Mathematics AA-AAAS who scored at or above the proficient level (n=47). The chart displays 47 Navy bars representing states with available data, ordered from highest to lowest proficiency rate. The vertical axis represents the percentage of students in 10% increments, from 0% to 100%. The data shows a sharp downward trend, beginning at approximately 96% on the far left and decreasing to approximately 2% on the far right. As noted in the technical appendix, three states are excluded due to unavailable data. Full state-level data are available in the linked Excel file.

Conclusion

Data for participation, assigned accommodations, and performance were available for most regular states, though no single measure included all fifty states. For grade 8 assessments, participation data were available for 49 states for both reading and mathematics assessments. Performance data were available for 48 states for both reading and mathematics general assessments, 46 states for reading AA-AAAS, and 47 states for math AA-AAAS.

While general participation patterns were similar across subjects, rates ranged broadly from 44.9% to 93.9%. Furthermore, as detailed in Appendix B, overall reading assessment participation rates sometimes fluctuated significantly depending on the calculation method used. This fluctuation was particularly evident in one state where many students with disabilities who were English learners took only an English proficiency assessment. In 2022-2023, participating in the English proficiency assessment could be counted in lieu of reading assessment participation for students who were new to the country. Among eighth-grade students with disabilities, participation rates were similar for the reading and math AA-AAAS. These rates ranged from 2.5% to 16.3% across content areas. The overall assessment participation rates for 8th grade students with disabilities ranged from 73.8% to 100% across content. The majority of states were at or above 95% overall participation rates on reading (n = 29) and math (n = 28) assessments.

The assignment of accommodations also showed extreme variability, ranging from less than 1% of eighth grade students with disabilities in some states to 96.4% in others. Further, the AA-AAAS participation rates may be overestimated. Because the actual participation rates were not available, the AA-AAAS participation rates were based on total enrolled students across grades 3-8 and high school. However, not all students who were enrolled in grades 3-8 and high school participated in the state assessments. Despite this potential overestimation, approximately half of the states continued to have AA-AAAS participation rates above the 1.0% cap in both reading and mathematics. Consequently, the actual number of states failing to meet the 1% cap is likely higher than the estimates provided in this report.

Grade 8 performance data revealed significant gaps between general assessments and the AA-AAAS. On average 12.9% of 8th graders with disabilities were proficient on the general reading assessment compared to 36.8% on the AA-AAAS. In mathematics, 9.2% were proficient on the general assessment and 32.0% were proficient on the AA-AAAS. These findings highlight substantive variation across states in how students with disabilities are assessed and how they perform.

While this analysis focused on Grade 8, similar trends exist at other grade levels. Full data for all grades, as well as for the unique states, are available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data. States are encouraged to examine their data to determine if policy reasons or other justifications exist for these substantive differences, particularly regarding the wide variation in proficiency rates between assessment types.

References

National Center for Education Statistics. (2025). ELSi tableGenerator. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/tablegenerator.aspx
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). FS188 (DG882, DG883)—Assessment participation in reading/language arts (EDFacts file specification v19.3, SY 2022–23). https://www.ed.gov/data/edfacts-initiative/edfacts-resources/edfacts-file-specifications/edfacts-file-specifications-sy-2022-23
U.S. Department of Education. (2024). IDEA section 618 data products: State level data files Part B assessment. https://data.ed.gov/dataset/1deabc43-21f9-46a8-b93d-8fbbb6d89d48/resource/31b34fcc-f41d-4ec2-bf87-e237810ac7b4/download/bassessment2022-23.csv

Resources

Wu, Y.-C., Lazarus, S. S., & Liu, K. K. (2024). State assessment participation and performance of students with IEPs, 2020-2021 (Data Analytics #19). National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://z.umn.edu/NCEO_DA19

Wu, Y.-C., Thurlow, M. L., Liu, K. K., & Lazarus, S. S. (2024). 2021-2022 APR snapshot #31: State assessment participation, performance, and assigned accommodations for students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/brief31

Wu, Y.-C., Lazarus, S. S., Liu, K. K., & Thurlow, M. L. (2023). 2020-2021 APR snapshot #30: AA-AAAS participation and performance. National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/brief30

Wu, Y.-C., Liu, K. K., Lazarus, S. S., & Thurlow, M. L. (2023). 2020-2021 APR snapshot #29: Students in special education assigned assessment accommodations. National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/brief29

Wu, Y.-C., Liu, K. K., & Lazarus, S. S. (2023). 2020-2021 APR snapshot #28: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/brief28

Wu, Y.-C., Lazarus, S. S., & Thurlow, M. L. (2023). Meeting the 1% AA-AAAS participation requirement (NCEO Brief #29). National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.umn.edu/docs/OnlinePubs/NCEOBrief29.pdf

Appendix A: Technical Data Methodology

This appendix provides details on the data selection and the variables/calculations used in this Snapshot. It also includes citations for the sources of data.

Sections A1 and A2 describe data selection criteria and calculation methods that apply across figures in this Snapshot. Section A3 lists data sources used. Section A4 provides figure-specific technical notes, including deviations from standard calculations, figure-specific exclusions, or additional clarifications needed to interpret individual figures.

A1. Data Selection

For this Snapshot, we analyzed state data provided by the U.S. Department of Education for the 50 regular states, focusing on the results for grade 8 assessments. Some analyses are based on fewer than 50 states because some states were excluded from the analysis.

Regular states were excluded from our analysis if they met one of the following criteria:

The participation or performance data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of (a) data quality issues or (b) small numbers of students.
The state’s participation information for the general assessment or AA-AAAS was not available. This means that AA-AAAS participation information, even though available, was excluded if there was missing general assessment data, and that a state’s proficiency data for an assessment were excluded if there was missing participation data for either the general assessment or AA-AAAS.

In addition to these two criteria, for the calculation of AA-AAAS participation based on total tested students, states were excluded from the analysis if they did not have data for all grades (grades 3-8 and high school).

A2. Calculations

Percent of 8th Graders with Disabilities Participating in the General Assessment or AA-AAAS. Assessment participation percentages for each content area (reading and math) are based on the number of students taking that assessment and the number of enrolled 8th grade students with disabilities. Enrollment was calculated by adding together the number of students with disabilities participating in both the general and AA-AAAS, plus any students with medical exemptions and any students who did not participate in an assessment.

Percent of 8th Graders with Disabilities Assigned Accommodations on the General Assessment. Data on accommodations were available only for the number of students assigned accommodations on the general assessment in each content area (reading and math). Data were not available on whether the students actually received them or used them. To calculate percentages of students assigned accommodations, we used as the denominator the number of students with disabilities tested on the general assessment for each content area.

AA-AAAS Participation Based on Total Tested Students. Participation percentages across grades are based on the number of total tested students in AA-AAAS reading or math across all grade levels (3-8, high school). This number was calculated based on the number of students participating in AA-AAAS, the number of students enrolled in grades 3 to 8, and the average number of students at one high school grade level. The high school estimate was calculated by averaging the number of enrolled students across grades 9-12, as some states administer state content assessments at a single grade level. For example, Minnesota’s high school state reading assessment was administered in grade 10, and the mathematics assessment was administered in grade 11. Enrollment data were obtained from the Elementary/Secondary Information System (ELSi; National Center for Education Statistics, 2025).

Percent of 8th Graders with Disabilities Proficient. The numerators for general assessments are students with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level in grade 8 for each content area on either the General Assessment or the AA-AAAS. Denominators were based on the number of 8th grade students with disabilities tested in each content area (reading and math) and assessment.

A.3 Data Sources

U.S. Department of Education. (2024). IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files Part B Assessment 2022-2023. https://data.ed.gov/dataset/1deabc43-21f9-46a8-b93d-8fbbb6d89d48/resource/31b34fcc-f41d-4ec2-bf87-e237810ac7b4/download/bassessment2022-23.csv

National Center for Education Statistics. (2025). ELSi tableGenerator. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/tablegenerator.aspx

We selected the following variables from the ELSi tableGenerator to create the enrollment data. In the tableGenerator, we selected “State” as the table row and the year “2022–23.” For the table columns, on the Enrollment tab, we selected grades 3–8 by individual grade level and grades 9–12 as a single grouped category from the “Enrollment by Grade” section. For the filter, we selected "All 50 + DC and outlying territories."

A.4. Figure-Specific Technical Notes

The following notes provide additional detail on calculation methods or inclusion criteria that apply only to specific figures. Unless otherwise noted, figures use the general data selection rules and variable definitions described in Sections A.1–A.3.

Figure 1. Grade 8 Reading Assessment Participation (n = 49)

Figure 1 uses a calculation method that includes only students who participated in either the general reading assessment or the Reading AA-AAAS. Under this approach, one state had an overall participation rate of 49% for 8th grade students with disabilities. Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Appendix B, Table B1 and Figure B1, provide an alternate calculation method that includes students with disabilities who took only an English proficiency assessment in lieu of the annual state reading assessment.

Figure 2. Grade 8 General Reading Assessment Accommodations (n = 49)

Figure 2 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities assigned accommodations on the general reading assessment. The denominator is the number of students with disabilities who took the general reading assessment. Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Figure 3. Reading AA-AAAS Participation Across Grades (n = 49)

Figure 3 presents AA-AAAS participation rates for reading across grades 3–8 and high school, based on the total number of tested students. Enrollment data from the ELSi tableGenerator were used as a proxy for total tested students when actual participation counts were unavailable. High school tested students were estimated by averaging grades 9–12. This approach may result in overestimation of AA-AAAS participation rates because not all enrolled students participated in state assessments. All participation rates above 1.0% (e.g., 1.02%) were counted as exceeding the federal 1% cap. Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Figure 4. Grade 8 Math Assessment Participation (n = 49)

Figure 4 presents participation rates for grade 8 students with disabilities in the general and alternate mathematics assessments. Denominators were based on counts from the IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files Part B Assessment 2022-2023.

Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Figure 5. Grade 8 General Math Assessment Accommodations (n = 49)

Figure 5 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities assigned accommodations on the general math assessment. The denominator is the number of students with disabilities who took the general math assessment. Data reflect assigned accommodations only, not actual usage. Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Figure 6. Math AA-AAAS Participation Across Grades (n = 49)

Figure 6 presents AA-AAAS participation rates for mathematics across grades 3–8 and high school, based on the total number of tested students. Enrollment data from the ELSi tableGenerator were used as a proxy for total tested students when actual participation counts were unavailable. High school tested students were estimated by averaging grades 9–12. This approach may result in overestimation of AA-AAAS participation rates because not all enrolled students participated in state assessments. All participation rates above 1.0% (e.g., 1.02%) were counted as exceeding the federal 1% cap. Data for one state were not available for this figure.

Figure 7. Grade 8 General Reading Assessment Performance (n = 48)

Figure 7 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level on the general reading assessment. Percentages are calculated based on the number of 8th grade students who took the assessment. Data for two states were not available for this figure.

Figure 8. Grade 8 AA-AAAS Reading Performance (n = 46)

Figure 8 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level on the Reading AA-AAAS. Percentages are calculated based on students who participated in the Reading AA-AAAS. Data for four states were not available for this figure.

Figure 9. Grade 8 General Math Assessment Performance (n = 48)

Figure 9 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level on the general math assessment. Percentages are calculated based on the number of 8th grade students who took the assessment. Data for two states were not available for this figure.

Figure 10. Grade 8 AA-AAAS Math Performance (n = 47)

Figure 10 presents percentages of grade 8 students with disabilities who scored at or above the proficient level on the Math AA-AAAS. Percentages are calculated based on students who participated in the Math AA-AAAS. Data for three states were not available for this figure.

Appendix B: Alternate Reading Participation Calculation Method

Appendix B compares the standard assessment participation calculation with an alternate approach. The alternate method included students with disabilities who were also English Learners (ELs) and who took an English language proficiency assessment in lieu of the state reading assessment (permitted in 2022-2023 for ELs enrolled in U.S. schools for less than one year).

Table B1 highlights nine states where the alternate reading participation calculation differed from the standard method. For eight of these states—Connecticut, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Oregon—the difference was minimal, ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 percentage points. In contrast, New Mexico showed a significant difference, with the alternate calculation (97.1%) being 48.6 percentage points higher than the standard calculation (48.5%). Detailed percentages for both methods across these nine states are provided in Table B1.

Table B1. Participation Rate Differences Between Standard and Alternate Calculations (n = 9)

State	Standard Calculation Total	Alternate Calculation Total
New Mexico	48.5%	97.1%
Louisiana	95.8%	97.3%
Kansas	96.3%	96.9%
Michigan	92.0%	92.2%
Connecticut	94.4%	94.6%
Oregon	82.5%	82.6%
Colorado	74.0%	74.1%
New York	73.7%	73.8%
Massachusetts	95.9%	96.0%

Figure B1 displays the participation rates for the two calculation methods described above. For eight of the states, the bars representing the standard and alternate calculations are nearly equal. For New Mexico, the figure illustrates the large difference in reading assessment participation rates between the standard calculation method (48.5%) and the alternate calculation method (97.1%).

Figure B1. Comparison of Standard and Alternate Reading Participation Calculation Methods for Nine States (n = 9)

Grouped bar chart of 8th grade reading participation rates for students with disabilities in nine states. Compares the standard calculation method (Navy) to an alternate method including students with disabilities who were English Learners and who took an English language proficiency test (Sky). New Mexico shows a 48.6 percentage point increase using the alternate method (97.1%) compared to the standard (48.5%). The remaining eight states show nearly equal bars for both methods, with differences of 1.5% or less.

Authors

Yi-Chen Wu

Kristin K. Liu

Andrew R. Hinkle

Wu, Y.-C., Liu, K. K., & Hinkle, A. R. (2026). 2022-2023 APR snapshot #32: State assessment participation, performance, and assigned accommodations for students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.

The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The Center is affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration at the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government. Project Officer: Kristen Rhoads

IDEAS that Work, U.S. Office of Special Education Programs

In collaboration with:

NCEO partner logos: aem, Center for Parent Information & Resources, CCSSO, NASDSE, WestEd

NCEO Core Staff

Andrew R. Hinkle, Co-Director

Kristi K. Liu, Co-Director

Jessica Bowman

Gail Ghere

Linda Goldstone

Michael L. Moore

Darrell Peterson

Mari Quanbeck

Virginia A. Ressa

Kathy Strunk

Yi-Chen Wu

National Center on Educational Outcomes

University of Minnesota

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2022-2023 APR Snapshot 32