Toward a "Common Definition of English Learner" - It sounds so simple. All consortia creating assessments for the Common Core State Standards must define English Learner. However, a brief from the Council of Chief State School Officers advises it will be a very difficult endeavor requiring “a carefully coordinated, multiyear effort within and across consortia.” Massive variation exists between states in identifying ELs, classifying degrees of proficiency, annual assessments to determine progress, and assessments that reveal when a student is proficient enough to exit. (Robert Linquanti, and H. Gary Cook, CCSSO, February 2013)...

Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Achievement Standards: An Initial Review of State Implementation - This report, completed as part of the cooperative agreement between Project Forum at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education, is a review of the implementation of the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) by states that have chosen to make it a part of their assessment program. (Eileen Ahearn, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, May 2009)...