Test Takers from Around the World: Accommodating International Students on High-Stakes Tests

1. Test Takers from Around the World: Accommodating International Students on High-Stakes Tests The Eighth International Conference on Higher Education & Disability July 22-26, 2013 Innsbruck, Austria Loring C. Brinckerhoff, Ph.D. Educational Testing Service Lbrinckerhoff@ets.org

3. ETS is Rapidly Expanding into the International Test Market ETS Global Division • Admission and placement tests at undergraduate and graduate levels • Teacher development and licensure products • English language learning products • Currently the TOEFL and TOEIC assessment programs are used by more than 22,000 organizations in 150 countries

4. Tip Sheet for International Test Takers The following guidelines are provided to assist test takers in obtaining relevant documentation. Documentation provided to ETS should include: • a disability that is verified in the test taker’s primary language • evidence that the functional limitations are not due to English as a Second Language, but are also demonstrated in the test taker’s primary language • all relevant histories, including clinical observations, prior educational background, compensation strategies/techniques and accommodations used in the past, teacher reports and current impact of disability • a brief description of what the tests measure • commentary on whether the test taker’s instructional language (i.e., language used in school) is the same or different from the familial language (i.e., language used at home). Documentation should describe performance in both languages.

5. Tests Designed for the International Test Market • TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) • Designed to measure English proficiency in the workplace context for non-native speakers • Volume last year: 7 million test takers

6. Percentage by Disability Category Students with disabilities - 9% in 2000; 11% in 2008 and is continuing to increase Source: GAO Report (2009). Higher Education and Disability

7. ADA Amendments Act (ADA AA) • Expanded definition of major life activities and a non-exhaustive list of bodily functions • Major life activities: Reading, Concentration, Thinking, Communication • Test anxiety is still not a disability! • Bodily functions: respiratory, circulatory, immune, reproductive systems • ADA AA does not require medical, scientific or statistical evidence to make the average person/most people comparison

8. Accommodation Decisions Eligibility for accommodations is based on answers to 4 fundamental questions: • Is there a disability under the ADA? • What are the impairments as a result of the disability? • Are the impairments substantial enough to warrant accommodations? • What are reasonable accommodations?

9. Documentation Criteria • Documentation on file for the applicant must: • clearly state the diagnosed disability or disabilities • describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability or disabilities • be current — i.e., completed within the last 5 years for LD, last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities, or last 3 years for ADHD and all other disabilities (NOTE: this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature) • include complete educational, developmental, and medical history relevant to the disability for which testing accommodations are being requested

10. Documentation Criteria (Cont.) • include a list of all test instruments used in the evaluation report and relevant subtest scores used to document the stated disability (this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature) • describe the specific accommodations requested • adequately support each of the requested testing accommodation(s) • be typed or printed on official letterhead and be signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about license or certification and area of specialization).

11. DOJ Mandates for Testing Agencies • Documentation requested by a testing agency must be "reasonable and limited to the need for accommodations.” • A testing agency should "give considerable weight to documentation of the past accommodations received in similar testing situations as well as those provided under an IEP or Section 504 Plan." • A testing agency "must respond to requests for accommodations in a timely manner."

12. Complexities of Reviewing International Documentation

13. Concerns About Reviewing International Documentation • Should all documentation be written in English, or with a certifiable translation? • Is it unreasonable to expect test takers with disabilities to conform to North American standards for disability documentation and report writing? • Should ETS endorse certain standardized tests (e.g., Woodcock Johnson III) that may not be readily available, or translated in a foreign country?

14. Complexities of Reviewing International Documentation • Definition of LD • Use of different assessment instruments • Credentials of the examiner • ESL considerations

15. Tip Sheet for International Test Takers The following guidelines are provided to assist test takers in obtaining relevant documentation. Documentation provided to ETS should include: • a disability that is verified in the test taker’s primary language • evidence that the functional limitations are not due to English as a Second Language, but are also demonstrated in the test taker’s primary language • all relevant histories, including clinical observations, prior educational background, compensation strategies/techniques and accommodations used in the past, teacher reports and current impact of disability • a brief description of what the tests measure • commentary on whether the test taker’s instructional language (i.e., language used in school) is the same or different from the familial language (i.e., language used at home). Documentation should describe performance in both languages.

16. Thank you Q & A