What National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) does

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) is a federally-funded, non-profit research and technical assistance center affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development. Founded in 1990, NCEO focuses on the inclusion of students with disabilities—including those who are also English learners—in instruction, statewide assessments, and accountability systems. Its work spans general assessments, alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), English language proficiency assessments, accessibility and accommodations, and standards-based IEPs.

NCEO's core offerings comprise an extensive portfolio of publications, toolkits, interactive data analytics tools, searchable research databases, video resources, and professional development materials. Key products include the 1% Toolkit (15 tools addressing the 1% cap on alternate assessments), the Accommodations Toolkit, the Participation Communication Toolkit, the School Leader Series, the ELs with Disabilities Toolkit, and the NCEO Data Analytics series (tracking participation and performance for students with IEPs from 2007-08 through 2022-23). The center also maintains searchable research bibliographies with over 2,000 entries combined. NCEO operates Communities of Practice (including the 1% Cap Community of Practice with 49 participating states) and Peer Learning Groups. All resources and direct technical assistance to state education agencies are provided free of charge.

NCEO's business model is that of a federally-funded technical assistance center: it earns no commercial revenue and provides all outputs (toolkits, reports, webinars, direct TA) without charge to state education agencies, local education agencies, educators, parents, and other stakeholders. Primary customers include State Education Agencies (SEAs) across all 50 U.S. states and federal entities, with secondary audiences of LEAs/schools, educators, and families of students with disabilities. The organization is governed by the Regents of the University of Minnesota and led by Co-Directors Andrew R. Hinkle and Kristin Liu, Ph.D., with no external investors or private ownership.

Name

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

Legal name

National Center on Educational Outcomes

Website

https://nceo.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCEO is a federally-funded research and technical assistance center at the University of Minnesota that supports inclusive assessment for students with disabilities. It provides toolkits, research, data analytics, and direct technical assistance to all 50 U.S. state education agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research and Technical Assistance

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faculty/Staff Training & Accessibility Awareness Programs (EDALAGAI)

Keywords

• Inclusive assessment systems
• Special education research
• Assessment accommodations
• Educational outcomes research
• Technical assistance center

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCEO is a federally funded research and technical assistance center that produces evidence-based publications, toolkits, interactive data analytics, and policy guidance to help U.S. state education agencies, districts, schools, educators, and families include students with disabilities—including English learners with disabilities—in instruction and assessments. Its offerings include the 1% Toolkit, Accommodations Toolkit, Participation Communication Toolkit, School Leader Series, ELs with Disabilities Toolkit, and searchable research bibliographies, all provided free of charge.

Product overview

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) is an affiliated center of the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota that focuses on the inclusion of students with disabilities—including those who are English learners—in instruction and assessments within inclusive balanced assessment systems. NCEO does not offer a single unified software product, but rather provides an extensive portfolio of publications, toolkits, interactive data analytics tools, searchable research databases, video resources, and professional development materials. The core offerings include the 1% Toolkit (15 tools for alternate assessment participation), Accommodations Toolkit, Participation Communication Toolkit, School Leader Series, and ELs with Disabilities Toolkit. These resources support state education agencies, districts, schools, educators, and families in ensuring valid, accessible assessment participation for students with disabilities. NCEO also maintains interactive data analytics reports tracking participation and performance trends from 2007-2023, searchable research bibliographies with over 2,000 entries, and a comprehensive video library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1% Toolkit: A comprehensive toolkit series focused on the 1% cap for alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS).
• NCEO Data Analytics
• Participation Communication Toolkit
• School Leader Series

Products and services

• 1% Toolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• NCEO's 2025 Survey of States received responses from 45 jurisdictions, providing comprehensive data on trends in statewide assessment of students with disabilities.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025ASES Collaborative and NCEO jointly organized a forum 'At a Crossroads: The Intersection of AT, AAC, and AI in the Education of Learners with Varied Needs' on June 25, 2025, in Denver, Colorado, bringing together nearly 40 participants from SEAs, assessment vendors, and technology experts.
• University of Minnesota - Institute on Community IntegrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEO is an affiliated center of the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), located within the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. ICI provides institutional support, infrastructure, and administrative services to NCEO.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) - Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities (ASES) CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEO collaborates with CCSSO's ASES Collaborative on joint publications including the School Leader Series, developing resources for school leaders on assessment participation and accessibility decisions for students with disabilities.
• TASH Inclusive Education Community of PracticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTASH Inclusive Education Community of Practice collaborated with NCEO in developing the 1% Toolkit: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities resource.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Education Development Center (EDC): Non-profit education research and development organization that, like NCEO, produces federally funded research, toolkits, and TA for state and district audiences on inclusive education and assessment.
• TASH: National advocacy organization focused on inclusive education for people with significant disabilities that partnered with NCEO on the 1% Toolkit MTSS resource and operates overlapping communities of practice.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large non-profit research organization that operates federally funded TA centers and conducts education assessment research similar to NCEO, serving overlapping state education agency customers.
• National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE): Membership association for state special education directors that provides policy guidance and professional development overlapping with NCEO's SEA-focused work on IDEA implementation and assessment.
• SRI International (SRI Education): Non-profit research institute that conducts federally funded education evaluation and TA work for states and districts — directly comparable to NCEO's research and TA center model.
• WestEd: Federally funded non-profit education research and technical assistance organization that, like NCEO, produces toolkits, research, and TA for state education agencies on assessment, accountability, and special education — making it one of the closest structural comparables.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): National membership organization of state superintendents that co-develops resources with NCEO (e.g., ASES Collaborative, School Leader Series) and provides parallel policy guidance to the same SEAs that NCEO serves.
• Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR): OSEP-funded technical assistance center that, like NCEO, operates under federal grant funding to provide disability-education resources to families and educators — sharing a similar TA-center funding model and stakeholder base.
• Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST): Non-profit research and development organization that originated Universal Design for Learning and produces accessibility frameworks directly relevant to NCEO's work on assessment accessibility and accommodations.

Broad incumbents

• Regional Educational Laboratories (REL Program): Network of 10 federally funded laboratories that, like NCEO, serve state education agencies with research and TA on assessment and accountability — operating at a broader scale with overlapping customers and federal sponsor.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCEOinfo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnvPMaguIvwYqWrBSgZKlUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalCenteronEducationalOutcomes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-center-on-educational-outcomes-nceo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)