Participation Matters: Talking Points for SEA Policymakers

Full participation in statewide assessments is key to holding states and districts accountable for supporting students with disabilities. Without the participation of all students, leaders must make educational decisions using an incomplete picture of student achievement. NCEO supports state and local education agencies in improving assessment policies and practices so all students have the opportunity to show what they know and can do. This entry in the Participation Matters series connects policymakers with existing NCEO resources to help ensure that all students participate in statewide assessments.

Assessment Resources for Policy Makers

A State Discussion Guide to Understanding, Developing, and Sustaining Balanced Assessment Systems That Are Inclusive of All Students

This state guide is designed to help education agencies discuss how to build and maintain a balanced assessment system that includes all students.

Guidebook to Including Students with Disabilities and English Learners in Assessments

This report shares 10 lessons on how to make state assessments inclusive for students with disabilities and English learners. Its goal is to remind current state education staff of these important lessons and to share them with new staff joining state assessment, special education, and related offices.

School Leader Series

These briefs help school leaders focus on including students with disabilities in both state assessments and daily classroom assessments for learning. School leaders play a key role in building schools that support every learner. By using a whole-school approach where everyone shares the responsibility for student success, schools can create a collaborative environment that leads to better student outcomes.

Special Education Directors Toolkit

This toolkit provides quick access to information to help ensure students with disabilities take part in assessment and have access to the accessibility supports outlined in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The strategies highlighted here can help ensure that all students with disabilities are included in state, district, and school assessment and accountability systems.

Improving Participation of Students with Disabilities

Empowering Families Toolkit

This Empowering Families Toolkit provides easy-to-understand materials for parents on state improvement plans and the specific assessment goals states commit to achieving.

Communicating about Annual State Assessment Participation for All Students: A Communication Toolkit

This toolkit explains why it is important for all students to take state assessments. It provides state, district, and school leaders with a quick resource to use when talking with teachers, policymakers, and families about why assessments matter. The toolkit also includes materials to help IEP teams make the best assessment decisions for students with disabilities.

State Assessment Rates of Participation, Performance, and Assigned Accommodations of Students with Disabilities (2007–08 through 2022–23)

This report looks at state testing data for students with disabilities across all 50 states and 10 territories from 2007–08 through 2022–23. It offers a complete look at how state assessment trends have changed over time.

The 95 Percent State Assessment Participation Requirement: Current Landscape, State Challenges, and Recommended Strategies

This report explains federal laws about student participation in summative statewide assessments used for school accountability. It also outlines the rules for states asking to pass the 1% cap on alternate assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Finally, the report reviews why student assessment matters, why some states struggle to meet the required 95% participation rate, and how well states are meeting these federal goals.

Two Pieces of a Puzzle: The 95% Participation Requirement in State Plans and States’ Opt-out Policies

This report presents the results of a study on how states plan to meet the federal 95% assessment participation requirement. The report also looks at how different state policies address opt-out.

Planning for Accessibility

Avoiding Unintended Consequences of Improved Accessibility of State Tests

There has been a shift from using only accommodations to organizing accessibility features into tiers (e.g., universal features, designated features, and accommodations) on assessments. Because of this shift, many students with disabilities now use tools that are open to everyone or set up for specific groups, rather than needing a special accommodation. This brief highlights what states and IEP teams can do to avoid unexpected problems caused by this shift.

Including Students with Disabilities in K-2 Academic Assessments

This brief looks at the challenges of including students with disabilities in early grade (K–2) assessments. Even though federal law requires these younger students to be included in state and district assessments, they are still sometimes left out. This brief offers strategies to help schools improve their assessment practices.

The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications

This brief clarifies the difference between accommodations and modifications in both daily learning and assessment of students with disabilities. It also explains how the term "alternate or modified curriculum" is different from the modifications used during classroom work and assessment.

References

Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., Hall, S., Warren, S., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2021). Supporting the inclusion of students with disabilities in assessments (School Leaders Series #1). Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) & National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., Hall, S., Warren, S., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2021). Understanding the consequences of assessment participation decisions for students with disabilities (School Leaders Series #2). Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) & National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., Hall, S., Warren, S., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2021). Working with IEP teams to make state assessment participation and accessibility and accommodations decisions (School Leaders Series #3). Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) & National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., Hall, S., Warren, S., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2021). What school leaders need to do before, during, and after the assessment window (School Leaders Series #4). Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) & National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).

Hinkle, A. R., Tardio, E., Ressa, V. A., Lazarus, S. S., Kwon, S., Katanyoutanant, T., McNeilly, M., Hemberg, B., Nagle, K., Liu, K. K., Strunk, K. & Thurlow, M. L. (2023). Communicating about annual state assessment participation for all students: A communication toolkit. National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., Fleming, K., & Thurlow, M. L. (2024). The basics of accommodations and modifications (NCEO Brief #33). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Katanyoutanant, T., Kwon, S., McNeilly, M., Hemberg, B., Thurlow, M. L., Lazarus, S. S., Hinkle, A. R., & Liu, K. K. (2021). The 95 percent state assessment participation requirement: Current landscape, state challenges, and recommended strategies (NCEO Report 429). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Lazarus, S. S., Hinkle, A. R., Liu, K. K., & Thurlow, M. L. (2022). Including students with disabilities in K-2 academic assessments (NCEO Brief #28). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Lazarus, S. S., Ressa, V. A., & Warren, S. H. (2024). A state discussion guide to understanding, developing and sustaining balanced assessment systems that are inclusive of all students. Council of Chief State School Officers and National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Quanbeck, M., Lazarus, S. S., & Hinkle, A. R. (2024). Two pieces of a puzzle: The 95% participation requirement in state plans and states’ opt-out policies (NCEO Report 443). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Riley, C. M., Lazarus, S. S., & Thurlow, M. L. (2022). What new special education directors need to know about academic assessments. National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Tardio, E., Strunk, K., Hinkle, A. R., & Lazarus, S. S. (2023). Empowering families to understand the role of assessments in State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIPs) toolkit. National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Thurlow, M. L., Warren, S. H., & Chia, M. (2020). Guidebook to including students with disabilities and English learners in assessments. National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Thurlow, M. L., Hinkle, A. R., Lazarus, S. S., & Liu, K. K. (2024). Avoiding unintended consequences of improved accessibility of state tests (NCEO Brief #35). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

Wu, Y.-C., Thurlow, M. L., Hinkle, A. R., & Liu, K. K. (2026). State assessment rates of participation, performance, and assigned accommodations of students with disabilities (2007–08 through 2022–23) (NCEO Report 454). National Center on Educational Outcomes.