Guidebook to Including Students with Disabilities and English Learners in Assessments

Although state assessment, general education, special education, and English learner personnel have to work within the unique educational and political contexts of their own states, there is always something to be learned from others. State personnel who create within-state groups of advisors and who join groups of representatives from other states, national organizations, and technical assistance providers benefit from the experiences and approaches of those advisors, states, organizations, and providers while at the same time maintaining a focus on their own state needs.

Expanded Explanation

There are a number of opportunities for states to set up a network of support. This can start within the state. Advisory groups can serve a number of purposes defined by the state. For example, advisors can provide input on technical issues, implementation concerns, and parent involvement (see Lesson 10 Resources).

There are a number of groups external to the state that also can provide invaluable support to state personnel. For example, state collaboratives on assessment and student standards (SCASS) set up by CCSSO provide the opportunity to learn together with other state personnel. SCASS that are especially pertinent to including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities are:

• Accountability Systems and Reporting (ASR) SCASS (https://ccsso.org/resource-library/accountability-systems-and-reporting-asr )
• Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) SCASS (https://ccsso.org/resource-library/assessing-special-education-students-ases )
• English Learners (EL) SCASS (https://ccsso.org/resource-library/english-learners-el )
• Technical Issues in Large Scale Assessment (TILSA) SCASS https://ccsso.org/resource-library/technical-issues-large-scale-assessment-tilsa

Also relevant are several independent nonprofit national education reform organizations:

• Achieve
• Alliance for Excellent Education
• Education Trust

Several technical assistance providers also regularly share information that is relevant to including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities in assessments. These include technical assistance projects:

• National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)
• National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI)
• TIES Center

Lesson 10 Resources

Achieve. http://www.achieve.org/   

Alliance for Excellent Education. http://www.all4ed.org/

CCSSO SCASS. http://www.ccsso.org/

CSAI. http://www.csai-online.org/

Education Trust. http://www.edtrust.org/

NCEO. http://www.nceo.info/           

NCSI. http://www.ncsi.wested.org/

TIES Center. https://tiescenter.org/