Testing Accommodations North Carolina Testing Program

Testing AccommodationsNorth Carolina Testing Program Conference on Exceptional Children November 2008 Pam Biggs NCDPI Division of Accountability Services

This presentation is the property of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and may be used for training and informational purposes only. It may not be used for personal or financial gain.

Information from this presentation is located in: Look for revised document coming early 2009 Testing Students with Disabilities (Published July 2005) www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/policies/tswd

What are Testing Accommodations? • Changes in the administration of an assessment, such as setting, scheduling, timing, presentation format, response mode, or others • Valid accommodations do not change the construct intended to be measured by the assessment or the meaning of the resulting scores

What are Testing Accommodations? (cont’d) • Are used for equity, not advantage, and serve to level the playing field • Allow students to access the standard test administration • Must be used regularly during instruction and similar classroom assessments administered throughout year

Activity • Testing Accommodations: What’s Allowable and What’s Not • Decide for each accommodation • Is it a valid accommodation for reading? • Is it a valid accommodation for math? • Is more information needed?

Instructional vs. Testing Accommodations INSTRUCTIONAL TESTING Teacher Notes Mark in Book Extended Time Scaffolding Large Print Peer Tutor Separate Setting Graphic Organizers

Who is Eligible for Accommodations? INSTRUCTIONAL Anyone TESTING • IEP • Section 504 Plan

Who Determines Accommodations? For a student with disabilities: • IEP Team • Section 504 Committee All testing accommodations must be documented in IEP or Section 504 Plan

Types of Accommodations • Modified Test Formats • Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements • Special Test Environments

Modified Test Formats • Braille Edition • Large Print Edition • One Test Item Per Page Edition

Modified Test Formats • IEP team/504 committee meets and determines accommodation • Teacher notifies school test coordinator • School test coordinator notifies LEA test coordinator • LEA test coordinator must order test at least 30 working days prior to test administration

AT Devices and Special Arrangements • AT Devices • Computer Reads Test Aloud - Student Controlled (Online Test of Computer Skills) • Dictation to a Scribe • Interpreter/Transliterator Signs/Cues Test • Student Marks Answers in Test Book • Student Reads Test Aloud to Self • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud

Special Test Environments • Hospital/Home Testing • Multiple Testing Sessions • Scheduled Extended Time • Testing in a Separate Room

Top 5 Most Used Accommodations on EOG 1. Scheduled Extended Time 2. Testing in a Separate Room 3. Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (Math) 4. Student Marks Answers in Test Book 5. Multiple Testing Sessions Based on Green Book data from 2006-07

Most Frequently Used Accommodations - EOG Grades 3, 5, and 8 based on Green Book data from 2006-07.

Before Testing IEP Team/504 Committee determines • what accommodations student needs for instruction • what accommodations student needs for assessment then

Before Testing • Make sure school test coordinator is aware of what accommodations are actually documented to be used • Make sure student is aware of what accommodations will be used during test

Before Testing Student should be using accommodations ROUTINELY during instruction and similar classroom assessments - they should not be a surprise on test day!

During Testing • Follow procedures in Test Administrator’s Manual andTesting Students with Disabilities publication • Students must be provided the accommodation(s) listed in IEP/504 Plan

After Testing • Each student’s answer sheet must be coded with exactly which accommodations were provided during testing • Ex. A student has Scheduled Extended Time, but finishes early. • He does not need to be kept extra time. • Scheduled Extended Time may still be marked on the bubble sheet because it would have been provided had the student kept working.

After Testing • Make note of what the student actually used – keep in local records • Some examples • Finished in standard time (no extra time needed) • Followed along with read aloud administration • Went ahead and did not listen to read aloud • Had multiple testing sessions over 2 days, but finished in one

After Testing • This can aid future decisions regarding testing accommodations • Does this student really need it? • Programmatically, are there trends within the school or school system? • Is professional development needed?

Specific Accommodations to Discuss • Scheduled Extended Time • Testing in a Separate Room • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud • Student Marks Answers in Test Book • Multiple Testing Sessions • Computer Reads Test Aloud - Student Controlled

Scheduled Extended Time • The student’s IEP/Section 504 Plan should specify an estimated amount of extra time the student will require • Breaks occur at standard intervals specified in Test Administrator’s Manual unless student also has Multiple Testing Sessions • Student must be allowed bathroom and lunch breaks

Scheduled Extended Time • If testing continues past lunch • student must not communicate with other students during lunch OR • Is not allowed to return to completed portions of test • If student’s estimated time is over, but student is working diligently, let him/her continue

Scheduled Extended Time • Must complete in one day if used without Multiple Testing Sessions • Testing must be complete prior to normal afternoon dismissal • Documentation may be written in terms of minutes (extra 30 minutes) or as multiple of test time (1.5 x)

Scheduled Extended Time • Students are not required by NCDPI to also have the Testing in a Separate Room accommodation in order to receive Scheduled Extended Time • If student does not also have Testing in a Separate Room as an accommodation, he/she would begin the test in his/her appropriate testing location • If test is not complete after standard test administration time, student should be moved to different location to complete test

Scheduled Extended Time EXAMPLE 1: Victor can complete a test in one day with breaks at the same intervals as his peers. However, he needs additional time to complete the test beyond that designated in the Test Administrator’s Manual. His IEP states that he needs the following accommodations: • Scheduled Extended Time (1.5 x the test time) • Testing in a Separate Room (small group) • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud

Multiple Testing Sessions • How test administration is to be divided must be documented • More frequent breaks • Over multiple days • If student does not also have Scheduled Extended Time, total administration time should be limited to that in Test Administrator’s Manual

Multiple Testing Sessions • EXAMPLE 1: • John can complete a test in the standard administration time. However, he needs breaks more frequently than those designated in the Test Administrator’s Manual. His IEP lists the following accommodations: • Multiple Testing Sessions (breaks every 20 minutes) • Testing in a Separate Room (small group)

Multiple Testing Sessions • EXAMPLE 2: • Sasha requires the test to be divided over two days. She can take breaks at the same intervals as her peers. She will, however, need additional time beyond that allowed in a standard test administration. Her IEP lists the following accommodations: • Multiple Testing Sessions (over 2 days) • Scheduled Extended Time (extra 30 minutes) • Testing in a Separate Room (small group)

Multiple Testing Sessions • Student is not allowed to look back over or complete work done in previous session • Before ending each session, student must be told to review work and may not change any part of the responses in the following sessions • At the conclusion of each session, paper clips may be used to secure those pages already completed or planned for future session

Multiple Testing Sessions • If completing test in multiple days or with long breaks during the day, student may return to regular class if general testing has concluded • Student is not allowed to revisit any portion of the test already completed, even if some questions were left unanswered

Testing in a Separate Room • One-on-one or Small Group • Must be designated on documentation • MUST be used if students receive one or more of the following accommodations: • Assistive Technology that reads test aloud (without use of headphones) • Student Reads Test Aloud to Self • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud

Testing in a Separate Room:One-on-One • Really 2:1 • Test administrator and proctor for each student • Only one student per testing location • All standard testing procedures must be followed

Testing in a Separate Room:One-on-One • MUST be used if student uses the following: • Assistive Technology that reads test aloud (without use of headphones) • Dictation to a Scribe • Student Reads Test Aloud to Self accommodation

Testing in a Separate Room:Small Group • NCDPI does not mandate a maximum group size – HOWEVER, it is a “SMALL group” • Test administrator and proctor required • Test administrators and proctors must follow same guidelines/procedures as standard administration

Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud • Valid accommodation for tests that do not measure reading comprehension • NOT a valid accommodation for: • EOG – Reading • NCEXTEND2 EOG – Reading • English I EOC • NCEXTEND2 OCS – Occupational English I • Competency Test – Reading

Administrative Procedures Prior to Testing • Each student’s IEP/504 Plan must state how test is to be read aloud For example: • Everything • By student request • Everything but numbers • Each student must be aware of how test will be read aloud (see above)

Administrative Procedures During Testing • Students should be in test groups based on how test is to be read • Students must be in small group or one-on-one administrations (this must also be in documentation) • One-on-One suggested for Online Test of Computer Skills

Administrative Procedures During Testing (cont’d) • Teacher must have a copy of the test to read from • Directions for the student are located in the Test Administrator’s Manuals • May repeat instructions and test questions as many times as needed • Test items and answer choices must be read in a consistent manner

If Entire Test is To Be Read Aloud • Test administrator must read • Item number • Test item • Corresponding answer choices • Pause and allow students to choose an answer • While students are responding, review next item to determine how it should be read • Proceed to next item after students have marked their answers

If Test is To Be Read by Student Request • Student will indicate which item number he/she needs read. • Test administrator should pause to read problem to self prior to reading to student • Test administrator must move near the student and read • Item number • Test item • Corresponding answer choices

Math Tests Fractions, greater/less than signs, equal signs, exponents, etc. should be read in same manner as routinely used in classroom EXCEPT if reading it provides the student with the answer

Problem Types: Place Value Most numbers can be read as they would be used in the classroom All examples presented are from the Sample Test Items available online at: www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing

Place Value Example 1 RIGHT WAY TO READ Sam got fifty-four stickers from his mother, forty-seven stickers from his father, and seventy-two stickers from his uncle. About how many stickers did Sam receive? A one hundred ninety B one hundred seventy C one hundred fifty D one hundred thirty

Problem Types: Place Value When place value is involved in the question, numbers need to be read as digits, commas, decimals, etc. All examples are from the Sample Test Items available online at: www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing

RIGHT WAY TO READ Place Value Example A class collected seven hundred fourteen box tops. Which number represents seven hundred fourteen? A seven – zero – four B seven – one – four C seven – four – zero D seven – four - one WRONG WAY TO READ A class collected seven hundred fourteen box tops. Which number represents seven hundred fourteen? A seven hundred four B seven hundred fourteen C seven hundred forty D seven hundred forty-one

Problem Types: Fractions In many cases, fractions may be read as done in classroom

Testing Accommodations North Carolina Testing Program