Testing Accommodations and Inclusive Assessment Practices

The inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, typically by using testing accommodations, for statewide accountability systems became a legal reality with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997, and the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. These legal mandates and best assessment practices are imperatives for special educators to develop a greater understanding of key issues surrounding testing accommodations to facilitate the meaningful participation of all students in assessments. This article briefly describes the legal and educational context of testing accommodations, current issues in testing accommodations, and the rationale for this special issue. It then introduces readers to the special series in Assessment for Effective Intervention on Testing Accommodations: Research to Guide Practice.