EL Accommodations 101

1. EL Accommodations 101 2019 Coordinator’s Technical Assistance Academy

2. Disclaimer Theacademy was planned under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (USED). However, the content does not necessarily represent the policy of the USED, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

3. EL Participation and the EL Committee

4. Participation Requirements • All EL students participate in Standards of Learning testing, including: • “Recently Arrived” EL students; • EL students in grades 3 through 8; and • EL students enrolled in high school courses with EOC assessments.

5. Exemptions Available to ELs (1 of 2) • Certain exemptions on SOL assessments are available to EL students. Exemptions must be determined by the EL committee, documented in the student’s EL Student Assessment Participation Plan, and conveyed to the parent(s) or guardian(s). The table on the next slide displays available exemptions on SOL assessments. • Note: Available does not mean required. Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia §8VAC20-131-30 G (Dated March 27, 2015)

6. Exemptions Available to ELs (2 of 2) • Reading: One time exemption for ELs in their first 12 months of U.S. school enrollment in Grades 3-8. No exemption available for EOC Reading. • Mathematics: None available • Science: None available • History/Social Science: One time exemption for Virginia Studies OR Civics & Economics • Writing: One time exemption in grade 8 only

7. Formerly EL Students • ELs that are in their first or second year of monitoring ARE eligible for accommodations. • These accommodations must allow for meaningful participation in assessments (there is such thing as too much). • Formerly ELs must have accommodations documented on an Assessment Participation Plan as well. • Parents must be notified of these accommodations (same as currently served ELs).

8. Why Create an EL Committee? “A school based committee shall convene and make determinations regarding the participation of EL students in the Virginia assessment program.” Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia §8VAC20-131-30 G Dated March 27, 2015

9. What is an EL Committee? • EL Committee members should include: • ESL teacher or Title III coordinator; • Course content teacher; • Building administrator or designee; • Parent or guardian; and • EL student, if appropriate. • Determining EL student participation and testing accommodations on the SOL assessments is not an individual decision; it’s a team decision. • More information can be located on page 3 of English Learners: Guidelines for Participation in the Virginia Assessment Program.

10. An Overview of Assessment Participation and Available Testing Accommodations to EL Students

11. Section Objectives • Review requirements for participation in statewide assessments; • Identify direct and indirect linguistic testing accommodations available to EL students; • Determine how direct and indirect linguistic testing accommodations address an EL student’s linguistic characteristics; and • Locate testing accommodation criteria in Examiner’s Manuals for SOL assessments.

12. Definition • Merriam-Webster defines an accommodation as “something supplied for convenience or to satisfy a need.” • Focus Question: Based on the definition provided, what are testing accommodations and how do they work? Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Accommodation. Retrieved May 13, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accommodation

13. Direct Linguistic Testing Accommodations • Involves adjustments to the text of the assessment with the intent of reducing the linguistic load necessary so the EL student can access the content of the test; and • Are delivered in English, per the Code of Virginia. • For more information about any of the following accommodations: Refer to Appendix B in the SOL Test Examiner’s Manuals.

14. Test Directions Delivery • Written directions to accompany oral test directions • Created using the Test Administrator’s Manual (Script) • Only provide what the examiner “says” from the script • Can be created using copies and cut/paste or “whiteout”

15. Read-Aloud or Audio Test (1 of 4) • Available without limitation for Mathematics, Science, History/Social Science, and Writing SOL tests; • Available for the SOL Reading test if one of the following conditions applies:

16. Read-Aloud or Audio Test (2 of 4) • Available for the EOC Reading test if the EL student: • Receives the accommodation on another SOL assessment • Receives the accommodation on a regular basis in the classroom • Failed the first attempt

17. Read-Aloud or Audio Test (3 of 4) • The EL is dually identified and has a qualifying disability • The testing accommodation must specified in the EL’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Management Plan

18. Read-Aloud or Audio Test (4 of 4) • The read-aloud session must be recorded and/or proctored; and • Online audio provides standardized administration. • *Read-aloud requires a test examiner to read the test to the student in English. • *Audio is a pre-recorded reading of the test in English.

19. Dictionaries

20. Dictionaries Continued • Sample dictionary pages are available below: • Elementary dictionary page • Secondary dictionary page • For the paper/pencil short-paper component of the Writing assessment(2010 SOL), the English dictionary is available to all students and does not need to be designated as a testing accommodation.

21. Dictation to Scribe • Scribe must format, capitalize, and punctuate as directed by the EL student; • The scribe’s transcription must be verified by school officials to check for errors in transcription; • The session between the student and scribe must be recorded and/or proctored; and • When using a testing accommodation where the student is speaking aloud or the student interacts with the examiner, the student must be tested individually.

22. Indirect Linguistic Testing Accommodations • Involves adjustments to the conditions under which a test is taken to allow EL students to use direct linguistic testing accommodations more efficiently. • For more information about any of the following accommodations: Refer to Appendix B in the SOL Test Examiner’s Manuals.

23. Multiple Test Sessions • Please note: SOL tests are not timed. • Multiple test sessions with testing over more than one school day; • Requires a paper/pencil test; • Not permitted on the short-paper component of the SOL Writing test; and, • During breaks, the EL student must be properly supervised by school personnel at all times.

24. Flexible Schedule • The SOL tests are not timed. • Testing with breaks requires the test to be completed within one school day. • The schedule for breaks must be determined prior to testing and be based on the routine use of scheduled breaks during classroom assessment. • During breaks, the EL student must be monitored by school personnel at all times so that the student does not discuss the test with anyone or have access to educational materials.

25. Visual Aids • EL students with a documented need for a paper/pencil test and who need to view one test item, word, or line at a time may use a template with the paper/pencil test.* • Since online tests show only one test item at a time, this testing accommodation is not applicable for online tests.

26. Examiner Records Responses • EL student responses must be transcribed to the regular answer document or selected on the student’s computer work station by the test examiner and must be verified by a second school official to ensure that no errors in transcription occurred; • If the student responds verbally, the session must be recorded and/or proctored, and the student must be tested individually; and • The audio/video record shall be retained on file and secured in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the scores are received and verified.

27. Testing Formats Available • Online Testing • Paper/Pencil Testing • Tests are available in a paper/pencil format only for EL students with a documented need for a paper/pencil test. • The documented need must be specified in the EL student’s EL Student Assessment Participation Plan.

28. Documented Needs* for Paper/Pencil Test (1 of 3) • Students may be administered a paper/pencil test if they meet these criteria: • Students attend school in a location where a secure network connection or the required technology is not available to access an online test, such as special situation schools, homebound, residential facilities, hospitals, night schools, or Governor Schools;

29. Documented Needs for Paper/Pencil Test (2 of 3) • Students with disabilities with a testing accommodation in the IEP, 504 Management Plan, or EL students with a testing accommodation specified in the EL Student Assessment Participation Plan that necessitates a paper/pencil format, such as large-print test, Braille test, or multiple testing sessions requiring more than one school day; or

30. Documented Needs for Paper/Pencil Test (3 of 3) • Students with a documented medical condition, such as a seizure disorder where exposure to a computer will aggravate the student’s condition.

31. Accommodations Explained • Spring 2019 Non-Writing Testing Implementation Manual- Pages 132-140 • Guidelines for Special Test Accommodations • Visual Aids – Page 10 • Documented Needs – Pages 44-47

32. Factors to Consider When Assigning Testing Accommodations • Overall Proficiency Level • Native Language Literacy • English Literacy • Prior Schooling • Classroom Accommodations

33. Step 1 Develop The Initial List of Testing Accommodations • Refer to the EL student profile; • Determine the student’s literacy skills in English (and the native language, if possible); • Determine the student’s prior education in the U.S and native country; and • Determine the student’s experience with the testing accommodation(s).

34. Step 2 Increase the Likelihood of Effective Usage • Provide opportunities on a regular basis in the classroom to use the testing accommodation, such as during classroom and benchmark tests and with the online SOL practice items; and • Monitor and evaluate the student’s use of the accommodation(s) for effectiveness during classroom instruction and classroom testing.

35. Step 3 Include the Student in the Process of Assigning Accommodations • Is the student’s participation meaningful when implemented; and • Does the student want to use the testing accommodation on statewide assessments?

36. Test Administration Considerations (1 of 2) • As a reminder, the following adjustments to the conditions under which an SOL test may be administered are available to any student as needed. • Group Size: Students may be tested individually or in small groups with the size of the group determined by the STC. • Environmental modifications: Students may be tested with modifications to the environment to include amount or type of lighting, noise buffers, and/or the use of a study carrel. • Large diameter pencil, pencil grip: Must be #2 lead.

37. Test Administration Considerations (2 of 2) • Assistance with directions: Examiners may simplify or clarify the “SAY” directions (not test items). These directions are in the Examiner’s Manuals, and their Supplements. • Student reading his/her own test out loud: For any student who needs to hear himself or herself read aloud, the student can be tested individually.

38. EL Student Assessment Participation Plan • EL Accommodations must be documented on an Assessment Participation Plan. • A sample template for the plan can be viewed on page 16 of the English Learners: Guidelines for Participation in the Virginia Assessment Program.

39. EL Student Assessment Participation Plan Reminders The EL Committee should: • complete the EL Student Assessment Participation Plan before SOL test administration so the student has ample time to use testing accommodations in the classroom; • notify parent(s) or guardian(s) in writing of decision prior to test administration; and • maintain a copy of the EL Student Assessment Participation Plan in the student’s cumulative record.

40. Contact Information Kia Johnson, M.Ed. ELP Assessment SpecialistOffice of Student Assessment Virginia Department of Education  E: kia.johnson@doe.virginia.gov  P: (804) 225-2102