ACT Aspire Accessibility System: Levels of Support

1. ACT Aspire Accessibility System: Levels of Support presented by Jared Hogue, Student Assessment Specialist Assessment Unit Arkansas Department of Education July 10, 2015

2. Click the image to link to the Accessibility User’s Guide.

3. Levels of Support: • Support Level One – Default Embedded System Tools • Support Level Two – Open Access Tools (PNP required) • Support Level Three – Accommodations (PNP required) • Support Level Four – Modifications

5. Default Embedded System Tools Default Embedded

6. Default Embedded System Tools are… common supports made available to all users upon launch/start of the test. These tools are either integrated into the basic computer test delivery platform, or they may be locally provided as needed. No advance request is needed for these supports. A PNP is not needed.

7. Default Embedded System Tools † Available spring 2016

8. Open Access Tools Open Access

9. Open Access Tools are… available to all users but must be identified in advance in the PNP, planned for, and then selected from the pull-down menu inside the test to be activated (online), or else provided locally. A PNP is needed.

10. Open Access Tools Those providing scribe accommodations must sign an ADE Affidavit Waiver Form for Providing an Approved Accommodation.

11. These General Test Condition supports were previously available to Arkansas students as “Administrative Considerations.” They are still available to all, but now require a PNP. * Home/Other administration requires two certified test administrators be present.

12. Differences From Last Year While the mathematics text-to-speech and human reader features were available to all students last year, ACT Aspire lists this feature as an accommodation, meaning it is only available for students with an IEP, 504 plan, or LPAC. Homebound students can be tested in a secure environment with two certified test administrators.

13. Accommodations Accommodations

14. Accommodations are… high-level accessibility tools needed by relatively few students. The ACT Aspire system requires accommodation-level supports to be requested by educational personnel on behalf of a student through the online PNP process. This will allow any needed resources to be assigned and documented for the student.

15. Accommodations † with Braille + Tactile Graphics Those providing the human reader accommodations must sign an ADE Affidavit Waiver Form for Providing an Approved Accommodation.

16. Accommodations Per ACT: other sign systems are allowable, even though it is not listed. Those providing signing (test items) accommodations must sign an ADE Affidavit Waiver Form for Providing an Approved Accommodation.

17. Accommodations †† Braille is only available as PBT for 2015-2016

18. Accommodations ††† Arkansas only allows testing in English. ** ADE does not allow breaking testing sections over multiple days. The same policy for state testing that Arkansas has previously had still applies: all sections that are started must be completed by the end of the school day.

19. Differences From Last Year • TTS and Human Reader accommodations are not allowed for English and Reading sections. • Students using a human reader accommodation must take the paper-based test. • Students using sign language accommodations must take the paper-based test. • All human reader/signer accommodations should be delivered 1:1, but this can be provided as a small group of no more than 5 students per group for schools that will have difficulty providing the 1:1.

20. Differences From Last Year cont. • Word-to-word dictionary must be “non-electronic” and are only available on math, writing, and science sections. They are not allowed on English and reading. • There is no transcription option for sign language users. Responses must be written in English. • “Paper-Based Test” will continue to be an accommodation. Using this accommodation will require a special accommodation request. For those accommodations that require a PBT (ASL, Human Reader, etc.), no special accommodation request is necessary.

21. Modifications Modifications 

22. Modifications are… supports that are sometimes used during instruction, but they alter what the test is attempting to measure and thereby prevent meaningful access to performance of the construct being tested. Because modifications violate the construct being tested, they invalidate performance results and communicate low expectations of student achievement. Modifications are not permitted during ACT Aspire testing.

23. Administration Procedures for Accessibility Supports… can be found on pages 28 – 39 and detail protocols for use of accessibility supports before, during, and after the test.

24. Appendices Appendix A [p. 40]: Personal Needs Profile (PNP) Worksheet Appendix B [p. 45]: General Response Dictation and Scribing Procedures (Summative Testing Only) Appendix C [p. 49]: Guidelines for Sign Language Interpretation Appendix D [p. 54]: Approved Bilingual Word-to-Word Dictionaries Appendix E [p. 66]: Procedures for Local Delivery of Read-Aloud Support

25. Should you have questions or need more information, please contact: Jared Hogue Student Assessment Specialist: 501-682-4946 Accommodations and Alternate Assessments jared.hogue@arkansas.gov ADE Assessment Unit -or- Robin Stripling Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator 501-682-4221 ADE Special Education Unit robin.stripling@arkansas.gov