Why Children With Disabilities Should Participate in State and Local Academic Assessments

September 10, 2024

By Eliana Tardio Hurtado

Depending on where in the United States one lives, “back to school” can mean any time from late July to after Labor Day. Regardless of where parents and students reside, back-to-school season comes with the pressure of getting ready for a new school year.

Every transition to a new grade level brings new challenges and opportunities for learning; this includes administering different kinds of assessments, which are meant to help local and state leaders measure the quality of instructional programs and their alignment with state academic content standards. They also serve to determine the needs of educators and students.

Participation in assessments can raise many questions for children with disabilities and their families: Is testing necessary for my child? Can my child be successful at testing when they have a disability?  

Why Testing Is Critical for Children With Disabilities

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that children with disabilities participate in all state- and districtwide assessment administrations. Most children with disabilities participate in regular statewide assessments with or without accommodations.

A small number of children with disabilities—those with the most significant cognitive disabilities—participate in a statewide alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards.

It is important that children with disabilities participate in all required tests so that they can benefit from the same educational opportunities as their peers without disabilities. History shows that when they are excluded, these children suffer many unintended consequences, such as watered-down curricula and less instructional attention.

This often results in depressed progress through school and poor postschool outcomes.

It is important that children with disabilities participate in all required tests so that they can benefit from the same educational opportunities as their peers without disabilities.

How the NCEO Supports Children With Disabilities

WestEd partners with the National Center for Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to support states in improving assessment systems. NCEO works to ensure students with disabilities, English Learners, and English Learners with disabilities are included in instruction and assessments.

They offer technical assistance to make all types of assessments are accessible, including formative, classroom-based, diagnostic, interim, and summative assessments.

The scope of the NCEO’s work includes issues related to how students with disabilities show what they know and can do on assessments.

This includes providing guidance to state education agencies about accessibility features (e.g., highlighter, screen magnifier, color contrast) and accommodations (e.g., speech to text, read aloud, bilingual dictionary) that help students with disabilities access assessments administered at the classroom, district, and state levels.

NCEO Resources for Students, Families, and Educators

Among its extensive list of resources, the NCEO offers comprehensive information that can be useful for students and their families, educators, and district and state leaders as students go back to school.

• The NCEO Participation Toolkit helps to identify and describe why all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities, should take state tests. Download the NCEO Participation Toolkit.
• Watch the NCEO video: Why are assessments and participation of students with disabilities important for them and their families? 

For more information about NCEO and their extensive list of resources, please visit nceo.info.

Eliana Tardio Hurtado is a Program Associate with Special Education Policy and Practice at WestEd and works as a Communication Strategist for the NCEO. Tardio has an extensive career in special education. She started her career working on early intervention, bringing significant expertise and dedication to her work with a focus on inclusion.