Accommodations: Decide, Document, Monitor

1. Accommodations:Decide, Document, Monitor Carrie Perkis NCDPI Division of Accountability Services Conference on Exceptional Children November 2010

2. Information from this presentation is located in: Testing Students with Disabilities publication (November 2009) Testing Students with Disabilities Web Site: www.ncpublicschools.org/ accountability/policies/tswd/ Testing Accommodations Web Site: www.ncpublicschools.org/ accountability/policies/accom/ Look for revised document coming December 2010

3. What is an Accommodation?

4. Accommodations . . . • Are changes in the way a student accesses instruction/assessment • Do not change the construct of the assignment/ assessment • Give student equal access to learning without “watering down” the content • Are not to be provided for score enhancement • Must be aligned or matched between classroom instruction, classroom assessments, district tests, and state tests

5. The Linking of Student Accommodations Classroom Instruction Home, Work, Community, Post-Secondary Education Classroom Assessment State/District Assessment Adapted from: Sandra J. Thompson, Ph.D., Research Associate, National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota

6. Accommodations ≠ Modifications!

7. Accommodations Differ from Modifications in that: Modifications change the construct through altering language load, content complexity, and/or cognitive complexity. • Some examples of modifications: • Reduced assignments • Simplified reading passages • Reduced response choices

8. Decide:Making Accommodations Decisions

9. Who is Eligible for Accommodations? INSTRUCTIONAL • Any student TESTING Students with Disabilities • Students with a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) • Students with a current Section 504 Plan as well as….

10. Who is Eligible for Accommodations? (cont’d) TESTING While not covered in this presentation: • Students identified as Limited English Proficient: • http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/ policies/slep/ • Students with current transitory impairment documentation • Transitory impairment = impairment with actual or expected duration of six months or less • Eligible for same accommodations as Section 504

11. Who Makes Accommodations Decisions? For a student with disabilities: • IEP Team • Section 504 Committee The collaborative team should include all relevant individuals involved in the student’s education.

12. Instructional Accommodations Testing Accommodations drive

13. Considerations for Committee Decision-Making • Base accommodations on individual student need • Refer to the list of state-approved testing accommodations • Understand purpose of the accommodation and make sure it is relevant to the student’s need and the demands of the test • Take into account other identifications a student may have (e.g., LEP), which may require specific accommodations based on area of need and/or content • All relevant teachers should be informed of accommodations

14. Considerations for Committee Decision-Making Students should be using accommodations ROUTINELY during instruction and similar classroom assessments – accommodations should not be a surprise on test day! Routine use = at least 30 days prior to test date

15. Document: Recording Accommodations in Student Plans

16. Documentation of Accommodations: Before Testing • IEP Team/Section 504 Committee must document all required testing accommodations in the IEP or Section 504 Plan • Document all specific details necessary for the provision of an accommodation (e.g., estimated amount of Scheduled Extended Time) • Use language that is consistent and aligned with that of state-approved testing accommodations

17. Documentation of Accommodations: Before Testing • For students with more than one identification… Use the following hierarchy of accommodations documentation: A. IEP B. Section 504 Plan C. LEP Plan/Documentation D. Transitory Impairment Documentation

18. Documentation Scenario – Which would you use? • A student has an IEP as well as LEP documentation. What plan would house ALL of the student’s accommodations? • Hierarchy: • IEP • Section 504 Plan • LEP Plan/Documentation • Transitory Impairment Documentation

19. Documentation of Testing Accommodations in the IEPIEP DEC4 Page 6 of 10

20. Documentation of Testing Accommodations in the Section 504 PlanAvailable at:http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/policies/accom

21. State-Approved Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

22. Categories of Testing Accommodations • Special Print Versions • Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements • Special Test Environments

23. Special Print Versions • Braille • Large Print • One Test Item Per Page

24. Special Print Versions • IEP Team/Section 504 Committee meets and determines accommodation • Required accommodations data entered into NC WISE/CECAS/LEA-approved accommodations management system at least 30 days prior to testing date (details to be discussed later in presentation!) • Test orders based on data entered

25. AT Devices and Special Arrangements • AT Devices • Interpreter/Transliterator Signs/Cues Test • Student Marks Answers in Test Book • Student Reads Test Aloud to Self • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (cont’d)

26. AT Devices and Special Arrangements (cont’d) • Other AT Devices and Special Arrangements • Braille Writer/Slate and Stylus (and Braille Paper) • Cranmer Abacus • Dictation to a Scribe • Keyboarding Devices • Magnification Devices

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

28. Special NCDPI Approved Testing Accommodations • Accommodation Notification Form • Submit form for any accommodation that is not on state-approved list • NCDPI team will review information and determine approval of requests • Submit requests early in school year

29. Top 5 Accommodations that Students Required on the EOG and EOC • Scheduled Extended Time • Testing in a Separate Room • Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (not for EOG Reading Test) • Student Marks Answers in Test Book • Multiple Testing Sessions Based on Green Book data from 2008–09