Shelley Loving-Ryder Virginia Department of Education

1. Balancing Test Security and Accessibility on Next Generation Online Assessments: One State’s Perspective Shelley Loving-Ryder Virginia Department of Education

2. Considerations • Provide accessibility without advantaging students • Ensure that assessment responses are student-generated • Maintain security of test items • Maintain constructs being measured • Permit use of assistive technology that may not interact well with online test delivery software.

3. Additional Challenges for Next Generation Tests • Greater challenges in capturing some students’ responses for technology-enhanced or constructed response items. • Assistive technology is ever changing • Accessibility vs accommodations

4. Virginia’s Requirements for All School Staff Involved in Testing • Signed security agreements • Required training • Affidavits

5. Accommodation Procedures • Test session monitored by additional proctor • Video tape or audio taped • Documented procedures for providing accommodations (e.g., “read aloud” and interpreter guidelines) • Supervised access to test prior to administration may be permitted • Individual testing may be required • Additional affidavits for interpreters

6. Security Requirements for Testing Accommodations

7. Security Requirements for Testing Accommodations

8. Assistive Technology Challenges • While online test delivery systems are now being built to provide certain accessibility features, current systems often do not allow the use of assistive technology software that is not provided as a part of the online delivery system • One solution is to use two computers—one that delivers the online test and the other that is loaded with the assistive technology.

9. Security Requirements for Testing Accommodations

10. The Ever Changing Landscape of Accommodations…. • Assistive technology is constantly changing • How to deal with requests for accommodations that aren’t yet on the “approved” list and with those that are individualized for particular students? • Virginia uses a “special accommodations” request process

11. Special Accommodation Requests • Allows the review of requests from local school divisions for the small number of students with disabilities who require assessment accommodations beyond those routinely allowed. • Each request is reviewed by Virginia Department of Education staff and consider the access needs of the student and standardization and test security requirements. • Staff members who are experts in assistive technology may be involved as well as content specialists to ensure that the construct of the test items are not changed by the accommodations. • Assessment accommodations may be “Approved,” “Approved with Conditions,” or “Not Approved.”

12. Special Accommodation RequestProcess

13. Sample Special Accommodation Request Online - Geometry Test • Accommodation request for non-verbal student with physical disabilities • Use of iPad to communicate with scribe • Use of Smart Notebook program on laptop with document camera and LCD projector. Smart Notebook program includes tools such as compass, ruler, straightedge, pen) • Projection of test onto Smart Board to perform calculations and constructions • Approved with Conditions • Test student individually • Guided Access required with iPad to ensure there is no access to the Internet or other iPad applications • Student responses entered in online test by scribe. Verified by a second school official to ensure that errors have not occurred • Test session proctored • Test items and scratch work must be deleted from Smart Board, but a copy of the scratch work must be securely maintained until scores are received and verified • Written statements required by Examiner and Proctor indicating testing according to conditions.

14. Special Accommodation Request: Prompts to Maintain Focus • Accommodation request for student with processing disabilities and difficulties maintaining focus • Use statements – “____, stay focused on what you are doing”, and “Keep focused”. • Use of a simple tap on his desk when student is off-task. • Approved with Conditions • Student must be test individually so other test-takers are not disturbed. • Only the following prompts may be used: “____, stay focused on what you are doing”, and “Keep focused”. • Test session proctored or video-recorded. • Written statements required by Examiner and Proctor indicating testing according to conditions.

15. Security Requirements forEvidence- Based Alternate Assessments

16. Accommodation Resources Accommodations, including assistive technology devices, provided as part of the instructional and testing/assessment process will allow students with disabilities to access the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. Explanation of Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities-Math Aids- Accommodation Code 19 • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/participation/mathAids_swd_accommodation_code19.pdf Explanation of Testing Accommodation for Students with Disabilities-Assistive Technology Accommodations • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/participation/assistive_technology_accommodations.pdf

17. Accommodation Resources Participation of Students with Disabilities in Virginia’s Accountability System • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/participation/participation_va_accountability_system.pdf Limited English Proficient Students: Guidelines for Participation in the Virginia Assessment Program • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/participation/lep_guidelines.pdf

18. Contact Information Shelley Loving-Ryder Shelley.Loving-Ryder@doe.virginia.gov (804) 225-2102