Yi-Chen Wu, Kristin K. Liu, and Sheryl S. Lazarus
December, 2023
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Wu, Y.-C., Liu, K. K., & Lazarus, S. S. (2023). 2020-2021 APR snapshot #28: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.
This Brief provides a snapshot of the participation and performance of students receiving special education services in statewide assessments used for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability. Using federally submitted data for the 2020-2021 school year, we present information on participation and performance in reading and mathematics statewide assessments administered to students in grades 3-8 and high school. Grade 8 data are highlighted in this APR Snapshot Brief. For data from grades 3-7 and high school, click on the images below the grade 8 data.
We present data for the 50 regular states and the 10 unique states (American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Education, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Virgin Islands). Figures displaying statewide assessment data for other grades are provided in this report following each figure. Data tables for all grade levels are available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data.
Because of the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic on some states’ participation rates in 2020-2021, our analyses included only states with overall participation rates for students with and without disabilities of 80% or more on the general assessment and the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) combined.1 This criterion applied only to the regular states. We used an 80% participation rate as the minimum rate for including a regular state in our analyses because this was the lowest participation rate in previous years’ analyses. In addition to low participation rates, some states were not included in our analyses because the U.S. Department of Education had suppressed their data. Suppression occurred because of either data quality issues or small numbers of students (see Data section).
Calculations for this brief used only data available in Annual Performance Reports (APRs). APRs are submitted by states to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Thus, the denominator for calculating participation and proficiency rates for this Snapshot was the number of enrolled students with disabilities. The number of enrolled students was calculated by adding together the number of students with disabilities participating in each of a state’s assessments, plus any students with medical exemptions and any students who did not participate in an assessment. Typically, the state assessments included the general assessment and AA-AAAS. The number of enrolled students with disabilities was calculated separately for reading and mathematics assessments for each grade level.
Throughout this Brief, we use the term “students with disabilities” to refer to students receiving special education services. Thus, students on 504 plans are not included in these analyses.
Participation and proficiency rates for reading and mathematics assessments in all grade levels were calculated by type of assessment and type of state (regular state–e.g., Alabama, Wyoming; or unique state–e.g., Guam, Puerto Rico). In the IDEA data set (https://data.ed.gov/dataset/1deabc43-21f9-46a8-b93d-8fbbb6d89d48/resource/8a02388a-bf0f-48aa-9943-37517c3170c1/download/bassessment2020-21.csv), there were four possible data conditions for each state and each content area, for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS. These conditions were: (a) data were not available, (b) data were reported, (c) data were reported but were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education for data quality concerns, and (d) data were reported but were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of the small number of students.2 Regular states were excluded from our analysis if they met one of the following criteria:
We adjusted these criteria for unique states by eliminating Criterion 2 and Criterion 4. Unique states were included in our analyses if they provided data for either the general assessment or the AA-AAAS, as well as if they provided data for both.
In 2020-2021, students with disabilities could participate in the general assessment or in the AA-AAAS. Forty-seven regular states reported valid data in grade 8 reading assessments for both the general assessments and the AA-AAAS. Fourteen regular states with an overall participation rate of less than 80% were not included in our analysis of participation for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS.3 Two other states’ data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education due to data quality issues.4
Overall participation rates of students with disabilities in statewide grade 8 reading assessments in the regular states in 2020-2021 are presented in Figure 1. Only those states reporting participation for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS with at least 80% overall participation were included (N = 34). Across the states with data we could include, reading assessment participation rates (general and alternate) ranged from 67.0% to 98.7% of students with disabilities, with the average participation rate being 87.4%.
Looking at individual assessment participation rates, AA-AAAS participation varied from 3.0% to 14.6% of all tested students with disabilities (including those in the general assessments). The average AA-AAAS participation rate across states was 6.3% of students with disabilities.
The large variation in the percentages of students with disabilities participating in the AA-AAAS resulted in considerable differences across states in general assessment participation rates of students with disabilities. Participation rates for students with disabilities in general reading assessments varied from 64.0% to 92.3% of all tested students with disabilities, with an average of 80.3% participating in the general reading assessment at grade 8. The average participation rate was higher at lower grade levels and lower at higher grade levels (see links below to access data for other grade levels).
Figure 1. 2020-2021 Participation Rates for Grade 8 Students with Disabilities in Reading Assessments for Regular States (N = 34)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Reading. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Seven unique states reported at least some reading assessment data for grade 8 students with disabilities. All seven unique states reported both data for students taking the general reading assessment and the AA-AAAS.
Overall participation rates of students with disabilities in grade 8 reading assessments (both general and AA-AAAS) in unique states that reported data (N = 7) varied from 44.8% to 100.0% (see data available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data).
Participation rates specifically for the reading AA-AAAS at grade 8 varied widely, with 0% to 20.0% of students with disabilities taking this assessment in 2020-2021. Similar to the participation rate patterns in the regular states, most students with disabilities in the unique states took the general reading assessment in that year. A range of 37.6% to 96.0% of students with disabilities took the general reading assessment in grade 8.
Figure 2. 2020-2021 Participation Rates for Grade 8 Students with Disabilities in Reading Assessments for Unique States (N = 7)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Reading. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Fifty states provided mathematics participation rates for students with disabilities for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS. Fourteen regular states with an overall participation rate for students with and without disabilities of less than 80% were excluded from our analysis of participation data for the general assessment and the AA-AAAS.5
Overall participation of students with disabilities in statewide grade 8 mathematics assessments in the regular states is presented in Figure 3 (N = 36). Total participation rates across both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS ranged from 67.0% to 99.0% of grade 8 students with disabilities in the 36 regular states with math participation data.
In the 36 states with data, most grade 8 students with disabilities (an average of 80.1%) took the general mathematics assessment. Participation rates varied widely, with a range of 64.1% to 92.6% of students with disabilities taking the general mathematics assessment in 2020-2021. For the mathematics AA-AAAS, the participation of grade 8 students with disabilities ranged from 3.0% to 14.5% in 2020-2021, with an average of 6.9% across states.
Figure 3. 2020-2021 Participation Rates for Grade 8 Students with Disabilities in Mathematics Assessments for Regular States (N = 36)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Mathematics. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Seven unique states reported participation data for grade 8 mathematics assessments (either the general assessment, the AA-AAAS, or both). All of these unique states reported both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS.
Figure 4 highlights overall participation rates of students with disabilities in grade 8 mathematics assessments (both regular and AA-AAAS) in unique states. Overall mathematics assessment participation rates in states reporting data (N = 7) varied from 45.4% to 100.0% of students with disabilities (see data available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data).
Similar to regular state participation patterns, most students with disabilities in unique states took the general mathematics assessment in 2020-2021. States with data on the general assessment reported a range of 38.3% to 96.0% participation in the general mathematics assessment at the 8th-grade level. Participation rates for 8th grade students with disabilities specifically taking the math AA-AAAS in unique states ranged from 0% to 20.0%.
Figure 4. 2020-2021 Participation Rates for Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Taking Mathematics Assessments for Unique States (N = 7)
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Table 1 presents the average participation rates for the states included in our analysis by content area and grade level, as well as by regular and unique states. Results show that participation rates decreased as grade levels increased for the regular states. Participation rates were higher at the elementary school level, compared to middle school and high school levels for the regular states. No trend in participation across grades was evident in the unique states.
Table 1. Average Participation Rates by Content Area, Grade level, and State Type
| Content Area | State Type |
Grade level |
||||||
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
HS |
||
Reading |
Regular State |
93.1% |
92.9% |
92.4% |
90.1% |
88.8% |
87.4% |
81.5% |
|
Unique State |
79.2% |
85.7% |
84.3% |
81.0% |
75.2% |
81.9% |
73.1% |
Math |
Regular State |
93.0% |
92.9% |
92.3% |
90.0% |
88.6% |
87.0% |
81.9% |
|
Unique State |
80.8% |
73.0% |
84.6% |
73.7% |
75.1% |
82.7% |
72.5% |
We excluded 14 regular states with an overall participation rate below 80%; two other states’ proficiency data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS because of data quality concerns. In total, 34 regular states were included in the analysis of reading proficiency for grade 8 students with disabilities who took either the general assessment or the AA-AAAS. These regular states were included in the analysis of proficiency information because they had information for both reading assessments. Three states’ proficiency data were not reported by the state for the regular assessment with accommodations because of a small cell size.6 Another state’s proficiency data were not reported by the state for the AA-AAAS because of a small cell size.7
Figure 5 shows states with available data ordered according to the percentage of grade 8 students with disabilities who scored proficient or above on a reading assessment in 2020-2021. Overall reading assessment proficiency rates, across the general assessment and the AA-AAAS, ranged from 2.9% to 50.2% of students with disabilities achieving proficiency or higher on one of the two types of reading assessments. The average overall reading proficiency rate for grade 8 students with disabilities was 12.1% across states. Three states reported overall proficiency rates of more than 20%, and one of these reported a total proficiency rate of more than 50%.
Proficiency rates on the general assessment varied from 1.6% to 48.6%. An average of 9.3% of students with disabilities scored at or above the proficient level on regular grade 8 reading assessments in 2020-2021. For grade 8 students with disabilities taking the reading AA-AAAS in 2020-2021, a range of 0.9% to 9.5% of students with disabilities scored proficient or above. Across states, an average of 2.7% of the students with disabilities scored proficient or above on the AA-AAAS.
Figure 5. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Who Scored Proficient or Above on Reading Assessments for Regular States in 2020-2021 (N = 34)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Reading. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Four unique states were included in the analysis of proficiency information for at least one reading assessment (see Figure 6). The other six unique states were not included for a variety of reasons. Three states’ data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education for both the general reading assessment and the AA-AAAS due to small numbers of students who scored at or above proficient. Another three states did not report performance information for the general assessment and the AA-AAAS.
Figure 6 presents proficiency rates for grade 8 students with disabilities in the four unique states included in our analysis. States are ordered according to the percentage of students who were proficient or above on the general reading assessment. Overall reading proficiency rates across the two types of assessments varied from 8.0% to 20.8% of students with disabilities (see data available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data). The average was 14.6%.
The two unique states providing proficiency data on the reading AA-AAAS reported the proficiency rates were 1.9% and 9.0% of all grade 8 students with disabilities (including those taking the general assessment).
The unique states reporting grade 8 student proficiency on the general reading assessment indicated that a range of 6.0% to 20.8% of students were proficient. The average was 11.6%.
Figure 6. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities Who Scored Proficient or Above on Reading Assessments for Unique States in 2020-2021 (N = 4)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Reading. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
A total of 36 regular states were included in our analysis of mathematics assessment proficiency data for 2020-2021. Of these 36 states, one state had performance data for the general assessment, but its AA-AAAS performance data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education due to small numbers of students.8 Another four states’ regular assessment data with accommodations were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education due to small cell size. These data could be included in our analyses because data for the general assessment without accommodations were included.9 In summary, a total proficiency rate was calculated for 35 regular states with valid data for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS and one state with valid data for AA-AAAS only.
Figure 7 shows the 2020-2021 mathematics performance of grade 8 students with disabilities in regular states ordered according to the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the mathematics general assessment.
In the regular states reporting overall proficiency data (including both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS), the percentage of grade 8 students with disabilities scoring proficient or above ranged from 1.8% to 43.1% in 2020-2021. The average was 9.0% scoring proficient or above. Three states reported that more than 20% of grade 8 students with disabilities scored proficient or above.
Proficiency rates on the mathematics general assessment varied from 1.1% to 39.9%. An average of 6.6% of students with disabilities scored at or above the proficient level.
For grade 8 students with disabilities participating in the mathematics AA-AAAS, between 0.2% and 9.3% were proficient or above. The average rate was 2.4%.
Figure 7. Percentage of Grade 8 Students with Disabilities on Mathematics Assessments Who Scored Proficient or Above for Regular States in 2020-2021 (N = 36)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Mathematics. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Of the 10 unique states, four were included in our analysis of mathematics proficiency for grade 8 students with disabilities. These four unique states reported valid data only for the general assessment or the AA-AAAS. Their performance data on the other assessment (either AA-AAAS or general) were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education due to small numbers of students who scored at or above proficient. The other six unique states not included in our analysis were excluded for several reasons. Three states’ data were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education due to small numbers of students who scored at or above proficient for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS. Another three unique states did not report performance information for both the general assessment and the AA-AAAS.
Figure 8 presents proficiency rates for grade 8 students with disabilities in the four unique states included in our analysis. Overall, a range of 2.3% to 9.0% of grade 8 students with disabilities in unique states scored proficient or above on the mathematics general assessment and AA-AAAS (see data available at https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/APRsnapshot/data). The average was 5.5%.
One unique state reporting valid grade 8 mathematics proficiency rates on the general assessment indicated that 8.0% of all students with disabilities scored proficient or above.
In the three unique states with mathematics AA-AAAS proficiency data, the percentage of students scoring proficient or above ranged from 2.3% to 9.0% of all tested students with disabilities. The average rate was 4.7%.
Figure 8. 2020-2021 Performance Trends for Grade 8 Students with Disabilities on Mathematics Assessments for Unique States (N = 4)
Grades 3 - 7 and High School Mathematics. Click the images to enlarge.
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| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade HS |
Table 2 presents the average percent proficient for the states included in the analysis by content area and grade level, as well as by regular and unique states. Results show that the percent proficient decreased as grade level increased for the regular states. The percent proficient generally was higher at the elementary school level, compared to middle school and high school levels, for both regular states and unique states.
Table 2. The Average Percent Proficient by Content Area, Grade level, and State Type
| Content Area | State Type |
Grade level |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
HS |
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Reading |
Regular State |
17.3% |
16.9% |
15.4% |
13.0% |
11.9% |
12.1% |
13.4% |
|
Unique State |
13.2% |
5.5% |
6.7% |
7.8% |
3.2% |
11.8% |
9.1% |
Math |
Regular State |
19.2% |
16.5% |
12.8% |
10.4% |
9.6% |
9.0% |
8.5% |
|
Unique State |
22.8% |
6.3% |
11.2% |
1.8% |
2.9% |
5.5% |
25.4% |
This Brief presents a snapshot of the reading and mathematics participation and performance of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 and high school. The text highlights the participation and performance of grade 8 students with disabilities on their states’ reading and mathematics assessments in 2020-2021. (Supplementary tables provide data for other grade levels.) The majority of regular states (N = 34 for reading and N=36 for mathematics) and unique states (N = 7) had participation data for students taking both reading and mathematics assessments.
Thirty-four regular states had proficiency data for grade 8 reading assessments, and 36 regular states had proficiency data for grade 8 math assessments. Three unique states had proficiency data for both reading and mathematics assessments. Variability in participation and performance rates reflects the differences in the state assessment systems themselves, including where the proficient cuts were set and the rates of students participating in the AA-AAAS.
Generally, overall mathematics assessment proficiency rates were lower than proficiency rates for reading assessments for students in regular states.
In most of the regular states, students with disabilities at the earlier grade levels generally showed higher rates of proficiency on state mathematics assessments compared to their performance on state reading assessments. However, as the grade level increased, more states’ students with disabilities showed higher proficiency rates in reading than in math. This same pattern was found in previous years’ APR Snapshot Briefs (Thurlow & Wu, 2018; Wu et al., 2021, 2022; Wu & Thurlow, 2017, 2019). However, in the 2017 and 2019 NAEP results (The Nation’s Report Card, n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c, n.d.-d), more students with disabilities scored at or above the NAEP proficient performance at the lower grades compared to the higher grades on reading (e.g., 11% at grade 4 and 9% at grade 8 in 2022) and mathematics (e.g., 16% at grade 4 and 7% at grade 8 in 2022).
It is apparent from this snapshot of the participation and performance of students with disabilities that examining their performance levels is more complicated than it is for students not receiving special education services. Complexity arises because there are participation and performance data from both the general assessment and an alternate assessment. Proficiency rates for students with disabilities vary across the different assessments offered within states. The scores on the general assessment are likely a major reason for this variability. Performance on alternate assessments may be more consistent across content areas.
1 Overall participation rates were obtained from ED Data Express.
2 Two numbers in the data file were summed to present the number of students who participated in the state general assessment—the number of students took the general assessment with and without accommodations. If both numbers were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of small cell size (fewer than three students), then we excluded the data. Otherwise, the participation rate was calculated by treating the small cell size as 0. The same approach was used for performance data.
3 The 14 states with overall participation rates for students with and without disabilities of less than 80% were: Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
4 The two states with data suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education were New Jersey and Washington.
5 The 14 states with overall participation rates for students with and without disabilities of less than 80% were: Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
6 Two numbers in the data file were summed to present the number of students who scored proficient or above on the state reading general assessment—the number of students who took the general assessment with and without accommodations. If both numbers were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of small cell size (fewer than three students), then we excluded the data. Otherwise, the proficiency rate was calculated by treating the small cell size as 0.
7 If the number of students was suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of small cell size (fewer than three students), then we excluded the data.
8 If the number of students was suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of small cell size (fewer than three students), then we excluded the data.
9 Two numbers in the data file were summed to present the number of students who scored proficient or above on the state math general assessment—the number of students who took the general assessment with and without accommodations. If both numbers were suppressed by the U.S. Department of Education because of small cell size (fewer than three students), then we excluded the data. Otherwise, the proficiency rate was calculated by treating the small cell size as 0.
Albus, D. A., Liu, K. K., Lazarus, S. S., & Thurlow, M. L. (2018). 2015-16 publicly reported assessment results for students with disabilities and ELs with disabilities (NCEO Report 407). National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Albus, D., Liu, K. K., Thurlow, M. L., & Lazarus, S. S. (2019). 2016-17 publicly reported assessment results for students with disabilities and ELLs with disabilities (NCEO Report 411). National Center on Educational Outcomes.
The Nation’s Report Card. (n.d.-a).NAEP reading report card: National achievement-level results (4th grade). https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=4
The Nation’s Report Card. (n.d.-b). NAEP reading report card: National achievement-level results (8th grade). https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=8
The Nation’s Report Card. (n.d.-c).NAEP mathematics report card: National achievement-level results (4th grade). https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/mathematics/nation/achievement/?grade=4
The Nation’s Report Card. (n.d.-d). NAEP mathematics report card: National achievement-level results (8th grade). https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/mathematics/nation/achievement/?grade=8
Thurlow, M. L., & Wu, Y.-C. (2018). 2015-2016 APR snapshot #16: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Wu, Y.-C., Lazarus, S. S., Liu, K. K., & Thurlow, M. L. (2022). 2018-2019 APR snapshot #27: AA-AAAS participation and performance. National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Wu, Y.-C., Liu, K. K., & Lazarus, S. S. (2021). 2017-2018 APR snapshot #22: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Wu, Y.-C., & Thurlow, M. L. (2017). 2014-2015 APR snapshot #13: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.
Wu, Y.-C., & Thurlow, M. L. (2019). 2016-2017 APR snapshot #19: State assessment participation and performance of students receiving special education services. National Center on Educational Outcomes.