English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

State Assessments for English Learners with Disabilities: State Data Display Templates (Toolkit for English Learners with Disabilities Tool #2)

English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

The regulations for the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), include a requirement that states develop an alternate English language proficiency (ELP) assessment for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Additionally, ESSA requires, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) affirms, that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, including English learners with significant cognitive disabilities, who cannot take the general content assessment must participate in alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) in certain grades. This requirement means that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams will need to annually make a decision for each English learner with a disability about whether the student should participate in an alternate assessment or a general assessment. This decision will need to be made for both the ELP assessment and in certain grades for the content assessments of reading/language arts, mathematics, and science as well as for any other content assessments the state has.

Purpose of the English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

The English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit is designed to provide states and IEP teams with tools they can use to better understand their students who are English learners with disabilities and to determine in which state assessment (general or alternate) they should participate and whether accessibility features or accommodations are needed for their participation in any assessment. This toolkit does not address the development of complete IEPs for English learners with disabilities.

The sample formats and approaches in this toolkit can be adapted by states and IEP teams to fit their own contexts—for example, to reflect characteristics of their English learners with disabilities or to align with state participation guidelines for ELP and content assessments.

Overview of the English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

Decisions about the participation of English learners with disabilities in state assessments (both ELP and content assessments) are among the more difficult decisions that the team makes. This toolkit presents examples and approaches to help states understand their population of English learners with disabilities. It also provides sample formats and ideas that states can share with their districts, including several tools for IEP teams to use when making decisions about participation in assessments and about needed accessibility features and accommodations.

Tool 2: State Assessments for English Learners with Disabilities: State Data Display Templates

This State Data Display Templates provides examples of how state education agencies can organize and display state assessment participation and student characteristics data for English learners with disabilities. It illustrates possible display formats for general state assessments of reading/language arts, math, and science, as well as for alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), and both general and alternate English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. The end goal is to analyze the data to find any unusual results that need extra attention and discussion. The example formats are designed for a closer look at State assessment data but may be adapted for use with other types of assessments.

Federal Law

States are required to include all students in annual statewide accountability assessments. The path to including English learners with disabilities has evolved over time. Since 1994, the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and its regulations have mandated states to administer academic assessments to all students, including English learners. Initially, however, English learners were frequently excluded from these assessments, resulting in data of limited value for planning services. At the time, few states tracked the participation of English learners who had a disability.

Since 2000, following the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states have developed alternate assessments of reading/language arts, math, and science for students with disabilities, some of whom are English learners. The 2001 reauthorization of ESEA as the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) heightened school accountability for Title 1 assessment outcomes, encompassing students in specific subgroups such as those with disabilities and English learners, while also linking the Title III mandate for annual assessments of English language proficiency (ELP) for English learners to performance on Title 1 assessments.

IDEA (2004) further required the participation of all students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities, in assessments, emphasizing the provision of alternate assessments alongside state assessments. Since the reauthorization of ESEA in 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states must create and administer an alternate assessment to the annual English language proficiency assessment for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Both ESSA and IDEA require all students in specified grade ranges to participate in state assessments each year, with federal regulations ensuring that appropriate accommodations are provided, including alternate assessments for those with the most significant cognitive disabilities, as needed. Thus, states must ensure that each English learner with a significant cognitive disability, depending on the student’s grade level, is participating in either the General State Assessment or AA-AAAS in grades 3-12, as well as in the General or Alternate ELP Assessment in grades K-12.

Overview of the English Learners with Disabilities State Data Display Templates

The English Learners with Disabilities State Data Display Templates tool provides states with examples of how to examine data on statewide assessment participation by selected student characteristics and by various state assessments.[1] The end goal of these data displays is to support further examination and discussions of any unusual results of analyses. Nine example formats are included here, with a brief explanation of how they might be used. These examples can be adjusted to meet a state’s unique context or needs. An overview of the example formats follows.

General Longitudinal Participation Data by Assessment

The following example formats illustrate ways a State Education Agency might examine participation numbers and rates, by assessment, for individual school districts across years.

Example Format 1. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking General State Assessments of Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science, by District and State in Three Years

Example Format 2. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking AA-AAAS in Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science, by District and State in Three Years

Example Format 3. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking General and Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessments by District and State in Three Years

States are encouraged to compare the numbers of English learners with disabilities participating in each state assessment to the number of English learners with disabilities enrolled in the tested grades. This will enable a more complete understanding of whether students are participating.

State Assessment Participation of English Learners with Disabilities with Various Characteristics

These example formats provide ways to examine the characteristics of English learners with disabilities who participate in statewide assessments, where numbers of students are large enough. They enable states to determine patterns of state assessment participation by district and whether there are any unexpected variations by subject area or language domain within a test. The examples also allow for an examination of whether there are unexpected disability categories for alternate assessment participation (e.g., specific learning disabilities, speech-language impairments) or alternate ELP assessment participation. In addition, the formats can support examination of whether students from particular home language groups might be more or less likely to participate in general or alternate assessments. Each example examines data for one district in one year. States are encouraged to adapt these formats to analyze multiple years and multiple districts, for the purposes of documenting any trends over time.

Example Format 4. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General Assessments by Primary Disability Category and Content Area

Example Format 5. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in AA-AAAS Assessments by Primary Disability Category and Content Area

Example Format 6. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General and Alternate ELP Assessments by Primary Disability Category

Example Format 7. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General State Assessments by Primary Home Language and Content Area

Example Format 8. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in AA-AAAS by Primary Home Language and Content Area

Example Format 9. Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General and Alternate ELP Assessments by Primary Home Language and Content Area

States may adapt these example formats as needed. Similar formats could be developed for other subject areas tests, as appropriate, as well as for other assessments such as interim assessments.

Example Format 1

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking General State Assessments of Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science, by District and State in Three Years

Year 1 = [enter school year here]; Year 2 = [enter school year here]; Year 3 = [enter school year here]

The table is designed for educational data collection and analysis, specifically tracking participation in general assessments among English Learners (ELs) with disabilities in various school districts. The table is color-coded with green headers and white data cells for clarity. The table has three main sections: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. For each subject, there are columns to enter both the number and percentage of ELs with disabilities who took the assessment, for three different years. Districts are listed down the left side, from District 1 to District 10, with space to add more. Each cell in the table is empty, ready for data to be entered for each district and year. There is also a "State" row at the bottom for aggregating or summarizing data at the state level. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of English learners with disabilities taking an assessment by the total number of such students enrolled in the tested grades. Abbreviations used in the table include LA for Language Arts, EL for English Learner, and Yr for Year.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 1:

Compare numbers of students participating in this assessment to the number of English learners with disabilities enrolled in tested grades to determine overall participation.
Rank order districts based on the percent of English learners with disabilities taking/not taking any one of the general content assessments in any of the years.
Verify emerging patterns (e.g., compare districts such as rural, urban, percent English learners, SES levels, whether the district met the 95% overall participation rate for the General Assessment).
Verify trends based on yearly data (state and districts increasing or decreasing percent of English learners with disabilities participating in assessments).

Example Format 2

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking AA-AAAS in Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science, by District and State in Three Years

Year 1 = [enter school year here]; Year 2 = [enter school year here]; Year 3 = [enter school year here]

This table is structured to help schools and districts track how many English learners with disabilities are participating in alternate academic achievement assessments (AA-AAAS) in three subjects: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. It is meant to show trends over three years and allow comparisons between districts and at the state level. The note at the bottom clarifies that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of English learners with disabilities who took the assessment by the total number of such students enrolled in tested grades. This helps ensure that the data reflects only those students eligible for testing each year. The table is organized with green headers and a clear layout for easy data entry and review. For each subject, there are two sets of columns: one for the number of students taking the assessment and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities who took it. Each of these sets is further divided into three columns, one for each year (Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3). The rows on the left list up to ten districts, with an option to add more. Abbreviations used in the table include AA-AAAS for alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards, LA for language arts, Yr for year, and ELs for English learners.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 2:

Rank order districts based on AA-AAAS participation percent, for any given content area.
Compare districts to verify emerging patterns (e.g., rural, urban, percent English learners, SES levels, districts meeting 95% overall assessment participation rate, districts meeting 95% AA-AAAS participation rate).
Verify trends based on yearly data (state and districts increasing or decreasing the percent of English learners with disabilities participating in the AA-AAAS).

Example Format 3

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities Taking General and Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessments by District and State in Three Years

Year 1 = [enter school year here]; Year 2 = [enter school year here]; Year 3 = [enter school year here]

This table is designed for districts to record how many English learners with disabilities take general and alternate English language proficiency (ELP) assessments over three years. The table has two main sections: one for the general ELP assessment and one for the alternate ELP assessment. Each section has columns for both the number of students and the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities who took the assessment, with separate columns for Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3. Districts are listed in the leftmost column as District 1 through District 10, with an option to add more districts. There is also a row at the bottom for state-level totals or averages. Header cells are in green, while cells meant for entry are currently blank. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of English learners with disabilities taking the assessment by the total number of such students enrolled in tested grades. Abbreviations in the table include ELP for English language proficiency, EL for English learner, and Yr for year.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 3:

Rank order districts based on percent of English learners with disabilities participating in the General ELP Assessment or the Alternate ELP assessment.
Verify emerging patterns (e.g., compare percent of English learners with disabilities participating in the General or Alternate ELP Assessment by the district location or other relevant characteristics).
Verify trends based on yearly data (state and districts increasing or decreasing the percent of English learners with disabilities participating in the General or Alternate ELP Assessment).
Create a similar table that examines participation data for each ELP domain (e.g., speaking, listening, reading, writing).

Example Format 4

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General Assessments by Primary Disability Category and Content Area

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

This table is used to record data for a single district and year about English learners with disabilities, organized by their primary disability category. The table uses blue headers for each section, and all cells are currently blank, intended for data entry. The leftmost column lists various disability categories such as Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Visual Impairment including Blindness. The last row is for all students with disabilities. For each disability category, there are three sets of columns: one for Reading/Language Arts, one for Math, and one for Science. Each set has two columns: one for the number of students taking the general assessment, and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that category who took the assessment. Abbreviations used in the table include LA for language arts and EL for English learner.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 4:

Compare results of Example Format 3 to Example Format 4 to provide the district General Assessment participation percent, by content area, for English learners in each disability category and the AA-AAAS percent in each disability category for a single district.
Create this table for multiple years of data and compare trends for the same district across years.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Example Format 5

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in AA-AAAS Assessments by Primary Disability Category and Content Area

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

This table is set up for a single district and year to record the number and percentage of English learners (ELs) with disabilities, organized by their primary disability type, who participate in alternate academic achievement assessments (AA-AAAS) in three subjects: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. The leftmost column lists disability categories including Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment including Blindness. There is a final row for All Students with Disabilities. For each disability type, there are three main assessment sections: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. Each section has two columns: one for the number of students taking the assessment and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that category who took it. The table uses blue headers for organization. All cells are blank and ready for data entry. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students taking each assessment by the total number enrolled in tested grades. Abbreviations used in the table include AA-AAAS for alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards and EL for English learner.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 5:

Examine results of Example Format 5 compared to Example Format 3 to determine the percentages of English learners within particular disability categories that participate in the General or AA-AAAS, by content area.
Create this table for multiple years of data and compare trends across years within a single district.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Example Format 6

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General and Alternate ELP Assessments by Primary Disability Category

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

A data table is structured to help a district record, for a specific year, how many English learners with disabilities participate in English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, grouped by their primary disability type. The first column lists different disability categories, such as Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment including Blindness. There is also a final row for all students with disabilities combined. For each category, there are two sections: one for the general ELP assessment and one for the alternate ELP assessment. Each section includes a column for the number of students who took the assessment and another for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that category who participated. The table uses blue headers for each section, and all cells are currently empty. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students taking each assessment by the total number enrolled in tested grades. Abbreviations used in the table include ELP for English language proficiency, and EL for English learner.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 6:

Where numbers are large enough, compare percentages of English learners with disabilities within a primary disability category taking the General ELP and Alt ELP assessments.
Create this table for multiple years of data and compare trends across years within a single district.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Example Format 7

Number and Percent of English Learner with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General State Assessments by Primary Home Language and Content Area

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

This table is used to track the participation of English learners with disabilities in general state assessments, organized by their primary home language. All cells are empty, ready for data entry. Blue headers separate each section. The first column lists home languages such as Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian/Haitian Creole, Hmong, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese, with an additional row to add more languages and a final row for totals. For each language, there are three main assessment areas: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. Each assessment area includes two columns: one for the number of students taking the assessment and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that language group who participated. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students taking each assessment by the total number enrolled in tested grades for each language group. Abbreviations used in the table include LA for language arts and EL for English learner.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 7:

Compare the district’s percentage of English learners with disabilities in a particular home language group who are participating across General Assessment content areas (e.g., reading/language arts, math, science).
Compare the district’s percent of English learners with disabilities in different home language groups who are participating in one content area (e.g., Somali-speaking English learners with disabilities taking the reading/language arts assessment compared to Chinese-speaking English learners with disabilities taking the reading/language arts assessment) to see if students in some groups have different participation patterns.
Create this table for multiple years of data and compare trends across years.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Example Format 8

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in AA-AAAS by Primary Home Language and Content Area

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

A table is designed for a single district and year to track the participation of English learners with disabilities in alternate academic achievement assessments (AA-AAAS), organized by their primary home language. A note at the bottom of the table explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students taking each assessment by the total number enrolled in tested grades for each language group. All cells are empty, ready for data entry, and blue headers separate each section. The first column lists home languages such as Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian/Haitian Creole, Hmong, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese, with an additional row to add or delete languages as needed, and a final row for totals. For each language, there are three main assessment areas: Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science. Each assessment area includes two columns: one for the number of students taking the AA-AAAS and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that language group who participated. Abbreviations used in the table include AA-AAAS for alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards and EL for English learner.

Analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 8:

Compare the district’s percent of English learners with disabilities in a particular home language group who are participating across AA-AAAS content areas (e.g., reading/language arts, math, science).
Within an AA-AAAS content area, compare the district’s percent of English learners with disabilities in a particular home language group who are participating (e.g., Ukrainian-speaking students compared to Urdu-speaking students) to identify any potential differences in participation patterns.
Create this table for multiple years of data and compare trends across years.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Example Format 9

Number and Percent of English Learners with Disabilities in [Year] Enrolled and Participating in General and Alternate ELP Assessments by Primary Home Language and Content Area

[Insert District Name Here]

Year: [Insert Year Here]

A data table is organized for a single district and year to track the participation of English learners with disabilities in English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, grouped by their primary home language. A note at the bottom explains that percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students taking each assessment by the total number enrolled in tested grades for each language group. Blue headers separate each section. Cells meant for data entry are blank. The first column lists home languages such as Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian/Haitian Creole, Hmong, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese, with an additional row to add or delete languages as needed, and a final row for totals. For each language, there are two main assessment sections: one for the general ELP assessment and one for the alternate ELP assessment. Each section has two columns: one for the number of students taking the assessment and one for the percentage of enrolled English learners with disabilities in that language group who participated. Abbreviations used in the table include ELP for English language proficiency, Alt for alternate, and EL for English learner.

Initial analyses that could be conducted using Example Format 9:

Compare the district’s percent of English learners with disabilities in a particular home language group who are participating in the General ELP Assessment to the Alternate ELP Assessment.
Compare the district’s percent of English learners with disabilities across home language groups who are participating in one or both of the English proficiency assessments to identify any possible differences in participation patterns.
Create this table for multiple years of data within a single district and compare trends across years.
Create this table for multiple districts and compare trends across districts.

Authors

Kristin K. Liu

Yi-Chen Wu

Martha L. Thurlow

Sheryl S. Lazarus

Andrew R. Hinkle

This 2026 tool is part of the digital adaptation of the NCEO English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit (2024). Updates have been made to improve web accessibility and interactive features.

Liu, K. K., Wu, Y.-C., Thurlow, M. L., Lazarus, S. S., & Hinkle, A. R. (2026). State assessments for English learners with disabilities: State data display templates (English Learners with Disabilities Tool #2). 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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Minneapolis, MN 55414

Phone 612/626-1530

http://www.nceo.info

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This document is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to nceo@umn.edu.

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English Learners with Disabilities Toolkit

State Assessments for English Learners with Disabilities: State Data Display Templates (Tool 2)