Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

1. Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities "To give anything less than your best is the sacrifice the gift."-Steve Prefonataine

2. Critical Information What critical information is there about Accommodations for Students with Disabilities?

3. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/ Click this link to see all resources for accommodations for students with disabilities 3 2011 Texas Assessment Conference Texas Education Agency

4. What are Accommodations for Students with Disabilities? • Are changes to instructional materials, procedures, or techniques that are made on an individual basis and allow a student with a disability to participate in grade-level or course instruction and testing • Should be evaluated regularly to determine effectiveness and to help plan for accommodations the student will need each year • Are not changes to the content being assessed and should not replace the teaching of subject-specific knowledge and skills as outlined in the TEKS • Should not be provided to an entire group of students, such as those in the same class or disability

5. Who are students with disabilities making them potentially eligible for accommodations? • Applies to students taking STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR Modified, STAAR L, and TELPAS • For purposes of statewide assessments, a student needing accommodations due to a disability includes • A student with an identified disability who receives special education services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations • A student with an identified disability who receives Section 504 services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations • A student with a disabling condition who does not receive special education or Section 504 services but meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations

6. Who has the authority for decision and documentation? • Special education services: the ARD committee; IEP • Section 504 services: the 504 placement committee; IAP • No special education or Section 504 services: the appropriate team of people at the campus level; documentation determined at local level • Response to Intervention (RTI) team and student assistance team are just examples • This applies to a small group of students

7. Optional Test Administration Procedures & Materials What procedures and materials are available to ALL students? • Includes some things that have been called testing accommodations in previous years • Related to best practices for instruction • Available to any student who needs them • Not intended for every student in a class or disability category • Not recorded on answer document • Available on test administration materials web pages as well as accommodation resources

8. What procedures and materials are available to ALL students? • Allowed for any student NOT every student; test administrators should not distribute these materials on test day; make them available in front of room or ask students if they need it • No documentation required beyond what is necessary for planning on test day • However, a district could require documentation for certain students or for certain procedures/materials

9. What procedures and materials are available to ALL students? • Reading assistance on grade 3 mathematics • Highlighters or colored pencils • Procedures or materials to minimize distractions (e.g., stress ball, noise-reducing headphones) • Reading test aloud to self (e.g., reading into a voice-feedback device or voice recorder) • Signing or translating test administration directions • Scratch paper or other workspace • Colored overlays • Magnifying devices • Blank place markers • Preferential seating

10. The Accommodation Triangle One Eligibility Criteria (REI) Two or more Eligibility Criteria (REI and additional criteria based on student needs) Additional Eligibility Criteria and Accommodation Request Form sent to TEA for approval REI - Must be for students with a specific need and they must routinely, effectively and independently (when applicable) use the accommodation during classroom instruction and testing.

11. This type of PDF document opens when the link to an accommodation in the triangle is clicked.

12. What does Routinely, Independently, and Effectively mean? • Routinely • Used often enough that student is familiar and comfortable using accommodation on a statewide assessment • Not necessarily used every day • Independently • Only applicable to some accommodations (e.g., applies to use of a calculator but not to an oral administration) • Effectively • Accommodation meets student needs as evidenced by scores and observations with or without accommodation use • The student has used the accommodation often enough during classroom instruction and testing that he or she is able to use it independently during the statewide assessment. Independent accommodation use is only applicable to some accommodations (e.g., calculator) and not to others (e.g., oral administration). • The accommodation has proven to be effective in meeting the student’s specific needs, as evidenced by student scores or teacher observations with and without accommodation use. This means that it is acceptable and appropriate to occasionally withhold an accommodation in order to confirm (or deny) its effectiveness.

13. Available Resources What resources are available to help with Accommodations for Students with Disabilities? http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/staar-telpas/#triangle

14. Recording Accommodations on the Answer Document What do we need to do to document Accommodations?

15. What do we need to do to document Accommodations? • “Guidelines for Recording Accommodation Use on the Student's Answer Document”will be posted to the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities webpage soon • Mark Type 1, Type 2, and/or Type 3 accommodations in the blank bubbles for each subject • Specifically mark these accommodations under Type 2 • Braille (BR) • Large Print (LP) • Oral Administration (OA) • Extra Time (XT) • Specifically mark Extra Day (XD) under Type 3 • The LA column is for Linguistic Accommodations

16. Accommodation Request Process What do we need to document and request Accommodations? • Humble ISD Accommodation Form must be submitted for all students needing accommodations. • The classroom teacher (or other knowledgeable staff member) should complete the HISD Accommodation Form and submit it to the campus testing coordinator. • A committee on the campus will review all Accommodation forms to determine eligibility. • If a type 3 accommodation is requested, the Humble ISD District Accommodation Request Form must be submitted and given to the campus testing coordinator. The information will be entered by the CTC into TEA’s online Accommodation Request Form.

17. Documentation Forms

18. Accommodations Spreadsheet • You are required to submit an Accommodations Spreadsheet after each test administration. • Only document Type 1, 2 and 3 Accommodations • Use information from the Accommodations Form to create the spreadsheet. • If a staff member completed an Accommodation Form, but a request was denied because the student did not meet the eligibility requirements, you will mark “Denied.” • The Accommodations Spreadsheet should be verified with sped.

19. Oral Administration • This accommodation allows a test administrator to provide reading support, through speech and/or signing, to a student with a disability. • No longer have Form 1 tests • read parts of the test questions and/or answer choices at student request • read all test questions and answer choices throughout the test

21. For math, science, and social studies tests, the questions and answer choices must be read aloud in the order they are presented. The test question must be read aloud prior to reading the answer choices. • For reading tests (including English I, II, and III), student must read selection first. Then the TA may read aloud each test question and answer choices. The questions and answer choices must be read aloud in the order they are presented. • Appendix D in the Test Administrator reviews Policies and Procedures for Oral Administration.

22. Basic Transcribing • This accommodation allows a test administrator to transfer student responses onto an answer document when a student with a disability is unable to accomplish this task independently. • If the student uses technology to respond to test questions or the writing prompts, ensure the following (if applicable to the technology) • internet access must be disabled • all special features (e.g., spell check, word predictor) must be disabled unless the student meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the Spelling Assistance accommodation policy • When transcribing a student’s dictated or signed responses to the short-answer reading questions, TA is not required to ask for clarification from student regarding spelling, punctuation, or capitalization. Not part of scoring rubric. • The student must be given the full amount of time allotted to complete the test. The TA may transfer student responses onto the answer document after the testing period has ended. • For info about TA transcribing a student’s dictated or signed responses to the writing prompts, refer to the Complex Transcribing accommodation policy. • If student needs TA to write for other reasons (e.g., make notes in test booklet, write computations during math test), refer to the Other accommodation policy.

23. Transcribing for Griddable Questions “TranscribingGriddable Questions – Student Document” • Must be used when transcribing student responses to griddable questions. Also applies to LP tests. • Allows the student to know the maximum number of spaces available for an answer to a griddable question. • All student documents and a training document will be available in February at www.TexasAssessment.com. • STAAR Modified Geometry is a field test this spring; this sheet is not available.

24. Extended Time • Description • Allows a student with a disability to have extra time until the end of the school day to complete a statewide assessment. • Assessments • STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR Modified, STAAR L • TELPAS is already administered during the entire school day

25. Extended Time • Type 2 – no Accommodation Request Form required. • Mark blank bubble and XT under Type 2 in ACCOMMODATIONS field on student’s answer document. • Special Instructions/Considerations • Not intended for all students in a specific disability category. • Only for a student with a disability with a proven need and documented success by using extra time on assignments similar in length and rigor to statewide assessment. • Not allowable for general test anxiety or to complete specific testing strategies. • Extra time testing sessions must never extend beyond a typical 7-hour school day for any one student. • Special instructions for an ELL with a disability using extra time.

26. Questions and Answers "Men are born to succeed, not fail."                                                            --Henry David Thoreau