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Test Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in Virginias Accountability Assessment System

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Purpose of Accommodations ... Verify the need/use of the accommodations during everyday instruction ... Select accommodations for individual students ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Test Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in Virginias Accountability Assessment System


1
ACCOMMODATIONS VIRGINIA STYLE
Test Accommodations for Students with
Disabilities in Virginias Accountability
Assessment System Virginia Department of
Education Division of Assessment and
Reporting VATD November 3, 2006
2
What are Test Accommodations?
  • Any variation in the assessment environment or
    process in order to provide the student with the
    opportunity to demonstrate what the student knows
    on the assessment.
  • Practices and procedures in the areas of
    presentation, response, setting, and
    timing/scheduling that provide equitable access
    during instruction and assessments for students
    with disabilities.

3
Purpose of Accommodations
  • To offset or correct for distortions in scores
    that may be caused by a students disability
  • To increase the validity of a test score and make
    the measurement of a particular construct
    comparable across examinees with and without
    disabilities

4
Standard Accommodations
  • do NOT
  • change the content of a test
  • alter the comparability of test scores
  • alter the validity of test score interpretation
  • change the reliability and validity of the
    assessment

5
Non-Standard Accommodations
  • Modifications in the test or assessment
    conditions that fundamentally change the test
    score interpretation and comparability
  • Change the nature of the construct being measured
    for the examinee

6
Accommodations NCLB
  • NCLB requires a valid score for each participant
    included in AYP, therefore students afforded
    non-standard accommodations are to be considered
    non-participants.
  • States may review impact of existing
    accommodations on assessments.

7
Reading the Reading Test
  • Requirements for identifying eligible students
  • visual impairment, including blindness
  • specific disability that severely limits or
    prevents decoding text
  • determined by a diagnostic tool(s) or
    instrument(s)
  • administered by a qualified professional
  • Audiotape version

8
Reading the Reading Test
  • Testing Memo 587
  • Diagnostic Tools Test of Phonological Awareness,
    Test of Word Reading Efficiency, Phonological
    Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS), etc.
  • Qualified Individual LD teacher, speech
    language pathologist, reading specialist, school
    psychologist, etc.
  • Audiotape version

9
Power of the IEP
  • DOE does not determine what is included in IEP.
  • If a student is not eligible for the read-aloud
    accommodation according to guidelines or a test
    is modified a non-standard administration
    results.
  • E.g. Reading the reading test to facilitate
    comprehension
  • E.g. Inappropriate modifications
  • Reducing the number of items/options
  • Examiner clarifying items
  • Examiner defining words/terms

10
Read-Aloud for 2006-2007
  • IEP Team reviews IEP
  • Eligible student no change
  • Ineligible student
  • Amend IEP to delete read-aloud
  • Keep read aloud as non-standard accommodation
  • Counted as non-participants and failing in AYP
    calculations.
  • Audiotape version

11
Read-Aloud for 2007-2008
  • IEP Team reviews IEP
  • Eligible students no change
  • Ineligible students read aloud is NOT available
    as an accommodation after spring 2007.
  • Audiotape version

12
ACCOMMODATIONS APPLICATIONS
  • The use of accommodations is linked through
    each of these areas

13
Important Considerations
  • Expect students with disabilities to achieve
    grade level academic content standards
  • Verify the need/use of the accommodations during
    everyday instruction
  • Determine the consequences of assessment
    accommodation use
  • Administer accommodations during classroom
    assessment

14
Important Considerations
  • Select accommodations for individual students
  • Involve students in selecting, using, and
    evaluating accommodations
  • Document accommodations on IEP/504 Plan
  • Evaluate and improve accommodation use
  • Arrange for accommodations well in advance

15
SOL Test Accommodations
  • Available accommodations relate to
  • Timing/Scheduling
  • Setting
  • Presentation
  • Response

16
SOL Test Accommodations
  • TIMING/SCHEDULING
  • time of day
  • breaks during testing
  • multiple test sessions
  • order of test administration

17
SOL Test Accommodations
  • SETTING
  • preferential seating
  • small group testing
  • individual testing (one-on-one)
  • special lighting

18
SOL Test Accommodations
  • SETTING
  • adaptive or special furniture
  • test administered in locations with minimal
    distractions
  • noise buffers
  • hospital/home/non-school setting

19
SOL Test Accommodations
  • PRESENTATION
  • Braille
  • Large Print
  • Plain English version
  • enlarging the answer document
  • reading directions to students

20
SOL Test Accommodations
  • PRESENTATION
  • simplifying directions
  • interpreting/transliterating directions (e.g.,
    sign language, cued speech)
  • written directions to accompany oral directions
  • clarifying directions
  • reading of test items aloud

21
SOL Test Accommodations
  • PRESENTATION
  • audiotape version of test items
  • interpreting/transliterating (e.g., sign
    language, cued speech) test items
  • magnifying glass
  • amplification equipment (hearing aid or auditory
    trainer)
  • templates
  • masks or markers to maintain place

22
SOL Test Accommodations
  • RESPONSE
  • student marks booklet and examiner/proctor
    transfers answers to answer document
  • student responds verbally, points, or indicates
    an answer, and examiner/proctor marks answer
    document
  • enlarging the answer document

23
SOL Test Accommodations
  • RESPONSE
  • abacus
  • arithmetic tables (only if test allows a
    calculator)
  • brailler
  • large diameter or special pencil grip
  • word processor

24
SOL Test Accommodations
  • RESPONSE
  • typewriter
  • augmentative communication device
  • spell check (including spell checkers)
  • spelling dictionary
  • tape recorder (only for pre-writing activity to
    tape response for English writing test)

25
SOL Test Accommodations
  • RESPONSE
  • dictation to a scribe
  • word prediction software
  • use of a calculator on the computation section of
    a mathematics test when calculators are not
    routinely supplied to all students
  • use of a calculator with additional functions
    than those routinely supplied to all students

26
Accommodations Pitfalls
  • Lowering student expectations.
  • Providing too many accommodations for the student
    to handle.
  • Using an accommodation on a test that the student
    has never used.
  • Selecting every accommodation hoping that
    something will work.
  • Providing accommodations based upon a students
    classification or placement (e.g. "all students
    with learning disabilities receive extended
    time").

27
Information
  • Virginia Department of Education website
    (http//www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Assessment/home.
    shtml)
  • Division Directors of Testing
  • Division of Assessment and Reporting, VDOE
    (804-225-2107)
  • Office of Special Education, VDOE (804-225-2707)

28
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