2. Why Be Concerned About Testing
Adaptations?
• Diversity
– Students are becoming more diverse in
• Academic background
• Disability (developmental, physical, emotional)
• Changes in Educational Standards
– Accountability
• All students need the opportunity to reach high
achievement standards
3. Why Be Concerned About Testing
Adaptations, con’t
• The Need for Accurate Measurement
– Fair evaluation
• Test response requirements should be adapted for
accurate evaluation
• It is Required by the Law
– 14th Amendment to the US Constitution
• Guarantees the right to equal protection and due
process
– Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Guarantees the right to education and due process
• Mandates the inclusion of students with disabilities in
statewide assessment
4. Factors to Consider in Making
Accommodation Decisions
• Ability to Understand Assessment Stimuli
– A student’s ability to understand test stimuli may be
hindered by a sensory, mental, or language limitation
• Ability to Respond to Assessment Stimuli
– Accurate responding may be hindered by a sensory or
physical limitation
• Normative Comparisons
– To the extent that the test was administered to the
student differently than the way it was administered to
the norm group, you must be very careful in interpreting
the results
5. Factors to Consider in Making
Accommodation Decisions, con’t
• Appropriateness of the Level of the Items
– Out-of level testing is not appropriate for accountability
purposes
• Exposure to the Curriculum Being Tested
– If students do not have access to the general education
curriculum, their performance will reflect a lack of
opportunity to learn rather than limited skill and ability
• Environmental Considerations
– Tests should be given in a quiet setting and in multiple
sessions to reduce fatigue for maximum performance
6. Categories of Testing
Accommodations
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 1: Accommodations that have no impact on
test validity
– Presentation
• Visual magnifying equipment
• Large-print edition of the test
• Audio amplification equipment
• Place markers
• Directions read aloud
• Directions tape recorded
• Directions in sign language
• Directions marked with highlighting
7. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 1, con’t
– Response
• Mark responses in test booklet
• Mark responses on large-print answer document
• Indicate responses to a scribe
• Record on audio tape
• Sign language
• Computer, typewriter, Braille writer, or other machine
• Template
• Other communication devices
• Spelling checker
8. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 1, con’t
– Setting
• Alone
• Small group or different class
• Home or care facility
• Adaptive furniture
• Special lighting and/or acoustics
– Timing/schedule
• More breaks
• Flexible scheduling
9. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 2: Accommodations that may affect
validity
– Presentation
• Read aloud stimulus material, questions, and/or
answer choices
• Tape recorder for stimulus material, questions, and/or
answer choices
• Sign language of stimulus material, questions, and/or
answer choices
• Communication devices
• Calculator or arithmetic tables
10. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 2, con’t
– Response
• Graph paper
• Indicate response on scribe
– Timing/scheduling
• Extra time
• More breaks
• Extend over multiple days
• Flexible scheduling
11. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 3: Accommodations that are known to
affect validity
– Presentation
• Braille
• Sign language of stimulus material, questions, and/or answer
choices
• Text-talk converter
• Tape recording of stimulus material, questions, and/or answer
choices
• Paraphrase directions, stimulus material, questions, and/or
answer choices
• Calculator or arithmetic table
• Dictionary
12. Categories of Testing
Accommodations, con’t
(CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2004)
• Category 3, con’t
– Response
• Indicate responses to a scribe
• Spelling aids
• Dictionary
13. Recommendations for Making
Accommodation Decisions During
Eligibility Testing
• Students with Disabilities
– Conduct assessments in student’s primary
language or mode of communication
– Accommodate test format when the purpose of
testing is not substantially impaired
– Make normative comparisons only if the group
includes students with background experiences
and opportunities like those of the student being
tested
14. Recommendations for Making
Accommodation Decisions During
Accountability Testing
• Follow state and district guidelines for accommodation use in
large-scale assessment
• Decision maker(s) should know the student
– Including strengths and weaknesses
• Consider the student’s learning characteristics and current
accommodations used during classroom instruction and
testing
• Do not let the student’s disability category or program setting
influence the decision
• Ensure the accommodations have been used by the student
prior to their use in an assessment
– Do not introduce new accommodations for district or statewide
assessment
15. Recommendations for Making
Accommodation Decisions During
Accountability Testing, con’t
• Make the decision systematically
– Use a form listing variables to consider and classroom data
• Document the decision on the student’s IEP
• Involve parents
– By participation in the decision-making process or given
the analysis of need for accommodations and by signing
the form indicating accommodations that will be used
• Reconsider annually
– Because student needs change over time
