The Development of Common Terminology: Adding Accessibility Features to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) - NCEO Report 447 - report

Oct 15, 2026

The report explains how inconsistent accessibility-feature terminology across states and test vendors creates confusion in assessment policies that refer to the same support using different names. It describes an NCEO collaboration with the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) initiative to create standardized accessibility feature terms and definitions. The work establishes common data elements within CEDS to support clear communication among stakeholders and promote equitable assessment access for students with disabilities and English learners, including those with disabil

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Process

Summary

References

Appendix A: Final List of Common Definitions

The Development of Common Terminology: Adding Accessibility Features to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) NCEO Report 447 NCEO Report 447 The Development of Common Terminology: Adding Accessibility Features to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) Travis Peterson, Sheryl S. Lazarus, Mari Quanbeck, Andrew R. Hinkle, and Kristin K. Liu March 2025 All rights reserved. Any or all portions ofthis document may be reproduced and distributed without prior permission, provided the source is cited as: Peterson, T., Lazarus, S. S., Quanbeck, M., Hinkle, A. R., and Liu, K. K.(2025) . The development of common terminology: Adding accessibility features to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) (NCEO Report 447) . 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: David Egnor In collaboration with: 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 2025 East River Parkway, Room 1-330 • Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone 612/626-1530 [http://www.nceo.info](http://www.nceo.info) The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This document is available in alternative formats upon request. CEDS Workgroup Duane Brown, CEDS Lynette Cameron, CEDS Jackie Hughes, CEDS Travis Peterson, CEDS Charlie Silva, CEDS NCEO Workgroup Andrew Hinkle, NCEO Sheryl Lazarus, NCEO Mari Quanbeck, NCEO Stakeholders Audra Ahumada, Arizona Department of Education Megan Bairstow, Cognia Jodi Bossio-Smith, Maine Department of Education Laurene Christensen, WIDA Kristen Crawford, New Hampshire Department of Education Margenia Davis, NMPED Assessment John Fallon, College Board Beth Gannon, Pennsylvania Department of Education Tracy Gooley, Utah State Board of Education Rachel Griffin, Texas Department of Education Pam Hartwig, Illinois State Board of Education Sharon Heater, Nebraska Department of Education Maggie Hicks, Alabama State Department of Education Michelle Jackson, Delaware Department of Education Jessica Jennings, California Department of Education Mira Monroe, ACT Mary Nesbit-McBride, Georgia Department of Education Nicole Norton, DRC Sonja Phillips, West Virginia Department of Education Sharon Prestridge, Mississippi Department of Education Cary Rogers, Kansas State Department of Education Chelsea Seeley, Pearson Vitaliy Shyyan, WIDA, WCER, University of Wisconsin Stacie Stensrud, Minnesota Department of Education Cathryn Still, ELPA21 Wendy Stoica, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Donna Tabat, Cambium Assessment Alyson Traficante, Indiana Department of Education Rebecca Velikaneye, Wyoming Department of Education Toni Wheeler, Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Marjorie Wine, University of Kansas Judy Yang, California Department of Education ~~Table of Contents ~~ Introduction ..................................

FAQs

Why does the report focus on developing common terminology for accessibility features?

The report highlights that accessibility policies and test vendor materials use different terms for the same supports, causing confusion across states and within a single state’s assessments.

What collaboration produced the standardized accessibility feature terms?

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) collaborated with the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) initiative, bringing together stakeholders from state education agencies, test vendors, and assessment consortia.

How do the standardized terms and definitions benefit assessment access?

They provide clear communication among education stakeholders and help ensure more equitable assessment opportunities, especially for students with disabilities and English learners.

Oct 15, 2026

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