ACCOMMODATIONS & SOL TESTING

1. An Overview by Carol Jennings Assessment Coordinator ACCOMMODATIONS &SOL TESTING

2. Disclaimer • This presentation is not meant to be the only document STCs, Test Examiners, and Proctors use when testing students who need accommodations. It is only designed to be a guide. • The Test Implementation Manual and the Examiner’s Manual as well as the documents listed on the last page of this document should be read and followed in their entirety prior to administering a test with accommodations to a student, and all guidelines as established by the Virginia Department of Education should be followed.

3. Online Testing • All students are required to take the online version of the SOL tests except in very specific circumstances. • The student attends school in a location where a secure network connection or the required technology is not available (i.e., BRACC, Minnick, etc.). • The student’s accommodation requires a paper/pencil test (i.e., Large Print, Braille, or a flexible day schedule that requires multiple testing sessions over two or more days). • The student has a documented medical condition (i.e., seizures) when exposure to a computer aggravates the condition.

4. ALL Students

5. Allowable for ALL Students • Small Group Size • The Virginia Department of Education does not specify what number constitutes class size; thus, classes of students can be broken into smaller groups for testing—for example, groups of 10.

6. Allowable for ALL Students • Separate Setting for Potentially Disruptive Students • Anticipate those students who may be disruptive and remove them from the whole-class setting BEFORE testing starts. A good place to put them is with a person of authority.

7. Allowable for ALL Students • Students Reading Aloud to Themselves • Students who test better when they read aloud to themselves would need to be tested in a separate setting because the student reading aloud would be disruptive to other students. This strategy pairs with the previous slide which discusses removing potentially disruptive students BEFORE testing begins. • Regular education students may not use whisper phones.

8. Allowable for ALL Students • Environmental Modifications • Special lighting • Noise buffers • Use of a study carrel

9. Allowable for ALL Students • Scratch Paper • Students can have scratch paper for all tests. • The scratch paper must be school issued and cannot be the student’s own paper. • It must be distributed by the Test Examiner. • All the scratch paper must be the same color . • Students cannot have multiple colors. • All scratch paper must be collected and accounted for at the end of the test • Scratch paper must be turned in to the STC • The STC will shred all scratch paper

10. Allowable for ALL Students • Scratch Paper (continued) • Scratch paper may include: • Plain paper (no lines) • Lined paper • Graph paper • Sticky notes • Note cards • The sticky notes and note cards must be all the same color. • Particular care must be taken to ensure all sticky notes and note cards are accounted for after the test (i.e., number them prior to handing them out and then check the numbers when they are picked back up) • Paddy paper—paper/pencilONLY

11. Allowable for ALL Students • Large Diameter Pencil • Special Pencil • Pencil Grip

12. Please follow the Accommodations Charts from the Testing Manuals very carefully as all accommodations are not available for every test, and LEP students are not allowed all accommodations unless they also are identified as a student w/ a disability. Follow the “Special Testing Accommodations Guidelines” carefully in the Examiner’s Manual, Appendix B, and in the Test Implementation Manual, Appendix C. Special Education/504/LEP Students ONLY

13. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Timing/Scheduling • Flexible Schedule (Accommodation Code 1) • All SOL assessments are untimed, and ALL students may take the entire day to test if needed. Students w/ disabilities, 504, and LEP students can have supervised breaks during the day and/or have the test broken into more than one day (EXCEPT for the Short-Paper component on the Writing SOL. • If a test is given over multiple days, it may be administered via the paper/pencil platform only. • One option is to break the book apart and give the student only that portion of the test s/he will take on any given day. The student may not look forward to test questions for another day or look back at questions answered on a prior day. • Online tests must be administered in one day.

14. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Visual Aids (Accommodation Code 4) • Physical magnifying devices—visually impaired students only • Magnifying glass • Screen magnifier • Electronic magnification devices—visually impaired students only • Close-circuit television • Large monitor • Electronic white board • LCD projector which projects on to large screen • Color overlay or tinted screen—one color only

15. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Visual Aids (continued) • Template or masks to view only 1 word, sentence, or line of print at a time—paper/pencil only • Markers that allow students to maintain their place—paper/pencil only • Blank graphic organizer

16. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Large Print (Accommodation Code 6) • This form of the test must be ordered through the Division Director of Testing and cannot be photocopied from the regular form of the test. • If a student marks his/her answers on an enlarged copy of the answer document, the student’s answers must be transcribed to the regular answer document by a school official and verified by a second school official. • The large print answer document must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.

17. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Braille Test (Accommodation Code 9) • Students requiring this accommodation will also receive a test in regular print for the Examiner to use. • If the student’s answers are recorded on a Braille answer sheet, the responses must be transcribed to the regular answer document by a school official and verified by a second school official who has knowledge of Braille. The Braille answer sheet must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If the test is read aloud to the student or if the student responds verbally to the responses, the test session(s) must be recorded or proctored. • If recorded, the recording must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If proctored, both the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify that the test was administered according to standardized procedures. This verification must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.

18. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Reading Test Items (Accommodation Codes 10 & 14) • Special attention must be given to students’ IEP, 504, and LEP plans to determine how the test is to be administered. • The entire test read aloud • Words, questions, or sentences read aloud only upon the student’s request

19. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Reading Test Items (continued) • The Test Examiner must be very careful to not lead the student to the correct answer when reading test items aloud. • Through intonation • Through facial expressions or other non-verbal clues • By repeating any part of the test that is not specifically requested by the student • In describing graphics

20. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Reading Test Items (continued) • An examiner who administer a read-aloud test session must be familiar with how to read test items to students. Prior to testing examiners must (this is mandatory and must be documented): • Listen to an audio practice test prior to testing • Read Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments Guidelines for Administering the Read-Aloud Accommodation • Prior to reading a test item aloud, the Examiner may take a moment to review a test item so that the answer is not inadvertently given to a student. • A printed copy of the test (i.e., regular, large print, or Braille) should be provided to the student so s/he can follow along as the test is read aloud.

21. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Reading Test Items (continued) • A Read Aloud administration must either be recorded or have a proctor present. • If recorded, the recording must be retained on file by Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • The Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test administration was conducted according to standardized procedures. This verification must be retained on file in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If the Examiner forgets to record the session or the session is not recorded in its entirety, the test will need to be administered using an alternate form of the test.

22. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Audio Version of the Test—Paper/Pencil (Accommodation Codes 11 & 15) • Students should have instructional experience with CDs on a regular basis. If the student does not have experience using CDs, the CD may cause more difficulty than assistance. Experience using a CD may include the following: • Textbooks on CD • Recording lectures in class • Recording tests • The CD should be used in conjunction with a printed test (i.e., regular, large print, or Braille).

23. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Audio Version of the Test—Online(Accommodation Codes 11 & 15) • In the past, school divisions have been told that students should not use accommodations during testing unless they used the same accommodation during classroom instruction and assessments.  Since it would be very difficult for school divisions to provide an online audio accommodation during instruction, the following guidelines have been established to provide clarification as to the circumstances under which a student could be provided with an online audio accommodation during testing.

24. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Audio Version of the Test—Online (continued) • The IEP Team or 504 Committee must determine whether the read aloud or audio form of the test is the most appropriate delivery method • The parent must agree to the delivery method, and the decision must be document in the IEP or 504 Plan. • The online audio accommodation may be given to students who have a read aloud during class instruction or those who use audiocassettes/CDs or text readers in the classroom. • Students should practice the audio version of the test before attempting the live version of the test. • Audio Practice Test www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/practice_items/index.html • Audio Training Test in PearsonAccess

25. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items (Accommodations Codes 12 & 16) • An interpreted administration must be proctored by appropriate personnel or video recorded. • If a proctor is present, both the Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test was administered under standardized testing procedures. This written verification must be retained by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If video recorded, the video recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • The interpreter may have access to the test 24 hours prior to the test administration as authorized by the Division Director of Testing.

26. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items (continued) • The Interpreter’s/Transliterator’s role and professional code of ethics prohibit answering questions directly or providing assistance in answering test questions. • The Interpreter must first read the test question to him/herself silently before interpreting/transliterating to the student. • The Interpreter/Transliterator must be very careful to not to lead the student to a correct answer. • Through facial expressions • By repeating any part of the test that is not specifically requested by the student

27. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Amplification Equipment • Hearing aid • Auditory trainer • Whisper phone

28. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Presentation • Plain English Math • This form of the test covers the same content as the regular Mathematics form of the test. • LEP students may not participate for more than three consecutive years. The Access for ELLs ranges that allow the Plain English Math version are as follows: • The modifications on this test include: • Simplification of reading load • Syntax • Vocabulary

29. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Enlarged Copy of Answer Document—Paper/Pencil Only (Accommodation Code 8) • The answers must be transcribed by a school official and then verified by a second school official. The answer document with the larger answer circles must be retained on file with the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • Notify the Division Director of Testing before enlarging an answer document for use.

30. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Communication Board or Choice Cards (Accommodation Code 13) • Student responses must be transcribed to an answer document or entered online by a school staff member. • The test session must either be video recorded or proctored. • If the test session is used, the answer document/online responses must be verified using the video recording. The video recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If the test session is proctored, the Proctor must verify the responses. Both the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test session was administered according to appropriate guidelines.

31. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Student Responds Verbally, Points, Marks in Test Booklet, or Uses Augmentative Device with Auditory Output (Accommodation Codes 18 & 22) • Answers must be transcribed to the regular answer document or entered online by school personnel and verified by a second school employee. The test booklets with the answers must be retained by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.

32. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Student Responds Verbally, Points, Marks in Test Booklet, or Uses Augmentative Device with Auditory Output (continued ) • The test session must either be video recorded or proctored. • If video recorded, the recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. • If proctored, the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing the test session was administered according to standardized procedures. This written verification will be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.

33. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Responds by Word Processor, Brailler , or Augmentative Communication Device (Accommodation Codes 21 & 22) • This accommodation is to be used with students in responding to the Short-Paper component of the SOL Writing assessment. • Only those devices which produce the student’s response verbatim may be used. • If the device produces an auditory output, the session must be recorded and the recording must be retained by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. Or, a proctor can be present.

34. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Responds by Word Processor or Brailler (continued) • Automatic correction, thesaurus, or grammar check features must be disabled. • A hand-held spell checker or spell checking capacity of a computer can be used. However, the student cannot be prompted to use it. • The typed or printed essay must be transcribed to the regular answer document or into TestNav by school personnel and verified by a second school employee.

35. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Responds by Word Processor or Brailler (continued) • A document stating the typed or printed essay is entirely the student’s work and that no automatic correction, thesaurus, or grammar check features were used must be signed by the Test Examiner and Proctor and retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing. • The student’s short-paper component must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.

36. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Augmentative Communication Device (Accommodation Code 22) • This is NOT facilitated communication. • Projects the speech or in some other way communicates for the student. • Board with letters, numbers, etc. where the student may indicate by pressing the letters/numbers his/her responses. It could be as simple as a two-way switch. • If the augmentative communication device produces auditory output, it should be treated as dictation to a scribe and all procedures followed. • Must be specific on IEP/504 Plan the type of augmentative communication device and how it will be used.

37. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Spelling Aids (Accommodation Code 23) • Students w/ disabilities are allowed to use approved spelling aids on the short-paper component of the SOL Writing assessment. • This includes the use of a spell checker, spelling dictionary, etc. • Spelling aids may not automatically correct words, provide prompting for spell checking, or include a thesaurus. • It should only contain the words in alphabetical order. • This does not include the use of grammar check.

38. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • English Dictionary—Short-Paper Component Only (Accommodation Code 29) • Students with an IEP/504/LEP Plan who cannot access the online spell-check tool or other permitted spelling aid are allowed to use an English dictionary to check spelling. • It must be a general dictionary without a thesaurus. • It must not be content specific or specialized. • It must be a paper dictionary. An electronic dictionary is not allowed. • It may be school owned or student owned. • It should be familiar to the student. • It must not be altered in any way with hand-written notes or include class notes.

39. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Bilingual Dictionary (Accommodation Code 17) • The bilingual dictionary is available ONLY to LEP students. • The bilingual dictionary accommodation is available for all SOL tests. • The bilingual dictionary must be paper and not electronic. • It must be a general, word-to-word bilingual dictionary. • It cannot be content specific. • It must not be altered with hand-written notes. • The bilingual dictionary may be used alone or in conjunction with an English dictionary—without a Thesaurus. • The English dictionary is not allowed on the multiple-choice component of the 2010 SOL writing test.

40. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Recorder—Prewriting Onlyon the Short-Paper Component of the SOL Writing Test (Accommodation Code 24) • Organization Phase—A student may organize his/her thoughts for the short-paper component into a recorder and then play it back as s/he composes the short paper. • The final short paper may not be transcribed from a recording device by school personnel .

41. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Dictation to a Scribe (Accommodation Code 25) • The student dictates or uses an augmentative communication device with auditory output to respond to the short-paper component of the Writing assessment. • The scribe must format, capitalize, and punctuate only as directed by the student.

42. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Dictation to a Scribe (continued) • The scribe can either type or write the student’s dictation. When the student is finished, the student should have an opportunity to review the rough draft and make final corrections to capitalization, grammar, punctuation, etc.

43. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Dictation to a Scribe (continued) • The testing session must either be recorded or proctored by a second person. • If the session is recorded, the scribe’s transcription and the audio recording must be verified by a second school official. The recording and the transcription must be retained by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and the appeals period is over. • If the session is proctored, the Proctor must verify the student’s response was typed exactly as the student directed and that nothing was changed, added, or deleted. The scribe and the Proctor must verify in writing that the test administration was conducted according to standardized procedures. This verification and transcription will be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing.

44. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Dictation to a Scribe (continued) • Dictation into speech recognition software, such as DragonSpeak, is the same as Dictation to a Scribe. • The software must type exactly what the student dictates and cannot correct grammar, etc.

45. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Word Prediction/Selection Software—Short-Paper Component of the Writing Assessment Only (Accommodation Code 21) • The software must not provide prompting for spell checking, grammar checking, predicting of phrases, or word choices. • The student cannot use the thesaurus function of the software. • If the software allows selection of a dictionary, a grade-level appropriate dictionary must be chosen.

46. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Word Prediction/Selection Software (continued) • The software used for this accommodation should provide the student with a selection of single words from a student-generated single or multiple keystroke. • The software should not provide phrases, grammatically appropriate options, or other unrelated word choices generated by the student’s keystrokes to predict sentence structure.

47. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Calculators, Arithmetic Tables, and Calculator with Additional Functions (Accommodation Code 26) • The students IEP Team or 504 Committee that the student is eligible based on the calculator accommodation criteria established by VDOE. • Arithmetic tables and charts are defined as tools that serve the same function as a calculator. • Multiplication tables • Division tables • Addition tables • Subtraction tables • This accommodation cannot be used by LEP students unless they are also identified as a student w/ a disability or a 504 student.

48. Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students—Response • Mathematical Aids (Accommodation Code 19) • Math aids allowed examples—number line, fraction circles, colored shapes, etc. • Math aids not allowed examples—place value chart, fraction chart, clocks, coins, bills, base 10 blocks, etc. (See Explanation of Math Aids Handout for Math Aids that are Allowed and Not Allowed)

49. Transcription of Student Answers—All Assessments • This accommodation is available only to those students as stated in their IEPs, 504 Plans, or LEP Plans (or due to a documented temporary condition). • The student’s responses must be entered exactly as the student indicated. • The student’s responses must not be corrected or altered in any way. • The transcription must be verified by a second school official to ensure no errors occurred in the transcription. • All materials containing student responses to test items are considered as secure test materials and must be maintained in a secure location.

50. Transcription of Student Answers—All Assessments • This accommodation is available only to those students as stated in their IEPs, 504 Plans, or LEP Plans (or due to a documented temporary condition). • Documentation of the student’s responses (i.e., audio/video of the session, output from a Brailler, augmentative communication device, word processor, enlarged answer documents, paper and electronic copies of the student’s response, etc.) must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified.