Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy and Tools to Guide Decision-Making and Implementation February 2018 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Regents of The University BETTY A. ROSA, Chancellor, B.A., M.S. in Ed., M.S. in Ed., M.Ed., Ed.D. ................. Bronx T. ANDREW BROWN, Vice Chancellor, B.A., J.D. ........................................................... Rochester ROGER TILLES, B.A., J.D. ................................................................................................. Great Neck LESTER W. YOUNG, JR., B.S., M.S., Ed.D. . ...................................................................... Beechhurst CHRISTINE D. CEA, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. . ........................................................................... Staten Island WADE S. NORWOOD, B.A. ............................................................................................... Rochester KATHLEEN M. CASHIN, B.S., M.S., Ed.D. ..................................................................... Brooklyn JAMES E. COTTRELL, B.S., M.D. ...................................................................................... New York JOSEPHINE VICTORIA FINN, B.A., J.D. ............................................................................. Monticello JUDITH CHIN, M.S. in Ed. .............................................................................................. Little Neck BEVERLY L. OUDERKIRK, B.S. in Ed., M.S. in Ed. .......................................................... Morristown CATHERINE COLLINS, R.N., N.P., B.S., M.S. in Ed., Ed.D. ........................................... Buffalo JUDITH JOHNSON, B.A., M.A., C.A.S. ............................................................................. New Hempstead NAN EILEEN MEAD, B.A. ................................................................................................ Manhattan ELIZABETH S. HAKANSON, A.S., M.S., C.A.S. ............................................................... Syracuse LUIS O. REYES, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. ................................................................................... New York SUSAN W. MITTLER, B.S., M.S. ....................................................................................... Ithaca Commissioner of Education and President of The University MARYELLEN ELIA Executive Deputy Commissioner ELIZABETH R. BERLIN Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy (P-12 and Higher Education) JHONE EBERT The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities. Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats, including braille, large print or audio tape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office for Diversity and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234. Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Section I: Federal and State Requirements on Testing Accommodations ........................... 2 Section II: Learn About Testing Accommodations ................................................................. 5 Testing Accommodations and Testing Modifications.................................................................... 5 Computer-Based Testing Tools and Accommodations Features ................................................. 6 New York State Testing Program ................................................................................................. 6 Section III: Recommending Appropriate Testing Accommodations ..................................... 9 Who is Involved in Decision-Making? .......................................................................................... 9 Consider Student Characteristics and Needs ............................................................................... 11 Align Testing Accommodations with Instructional Accommodations ............................................ 12 Documentation of Testing Accommodations ................................................................................ 13 Students Who Incur Disabilities Shortly Before Test Administration............................................. 15 Section IV: Implementing Testing Accommodations .............................................................. 17 Planning and Preparation for Testing ........................................................................................... 17 Training and Professional Development ....................................................................................... 18 Additional Considerations for Professional Development ............................................................. 19 Additional Resources ................................................................................................................ 21 References .................................................................................................................................. 22 Appendices • Appendix A: Testing Accommodations Questions and Answers • Appendix B: Testing Accommodations Dos and Don’ts • Appendix C: Examples of Student Characteristics and Possible Testing Accommodations • Appendix D: Examples of Testing Accommodations for Special Populations: Blind or Visually Impaired • Appendix E: Examples of Testing Accommodations for Special Populations: Deaf or Hard of Hearing • Appendix F: Recommending and Administering Tests Read • Appendix G: Procedures for the Use of a Scribe • Appendix H: Administering Tests Over Multiple Days • Appendix I: Sample Student Accommodation Refusal Form • Appendix J: Allowable Testing Accommodations Across the NYS Testing Program Introduction Many students with disabilities will require testing accommodations in order to participate in testing programs on an equal basis with their nondisabled peers. Such accommodations provide students with the ability to demonstrate skills and attainment of knowledge without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the effects of a disability. This manual provides information and tools to assist Committees on Special Education (CSEs) and Section 504 Committees in making appropriate decisions for determining needed testing accommodations for individual students with disabilities. The manual also provides policy and guidelines for documenting and implementing testing accommodations for classroom, district-wide and State assessments. This document is intended to be used in conjunction with the School Administrator’s Manuals (http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/manuals/) for all assessments and examinations across the New York State Testing Program. Please contact the New York State Education Department’s Office of Special Education Policy Unit at 518-473-2878 or your Special Education Quality Assurance (SEQA) Regional Office listed in the Additional Information section of this manual if you have any questions regarding testing accommodations. 1 Section I: Federal and State Requirements for Testing Accommodations As required under IDEA, all students with disabilities must be included in all general State and district-wide assessment programs, including assessments required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), with appropriate accommodations and alternate assessments where necessary and as indicated in their respective individualized education programs (IEPs). IDEA Section (612)(a)(16) also requires the State (or in the case of district-wide assessments, the local educational agency) to develop guidelines for the provision of appropriate testing accommodations and, to the extent feasible, to use universal design principles in developing and administering assessments. As part of the student’s IEP, the Committee on Special Education (CSE) must include a statement of any accommodations that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the student on statewide and district-wide assessments. If the CSE determines that the student is not able to participate in general State and/or district-wide assessments, the IEP must indicate why the State and/or district-wide assessment(s) is not appropriate for the student and why the alternate assessment selected is appropriate. The rights and responsibilities relating to test access and accommodations at the elementary and secondary school levels are also addressed in Parts 100 and 200 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education (Title 8 of the New York Code of Rules and Regulations). These regulations include the following: • Section 100.2(g) indicates that the Commissioner may approve satisfactory alternative testing procedures for all tests defined in section 100.1 for students identified by the CSE as having a disability. The alternative testing procedures employed shall be based upon a student’s individual needs and the type of assessment administered. School districts and nonpublic schools shall report the use of alternative testing procedures to the Department on a form and at a time prescribed by the Commissioner. • Section 100.2(m) outlines the provision for Public Reporting Requirements including State and local report card requirements and comprehensive assessment report by nonpublic schools. • Section 100.2(s)(1) requires that students with disabilities have access to the full range of programs and services set forth in the Part 100 Regulations to the extent that such programs and services are appropriate for such students' special education needs. 2 • Section 100.2(s)(2) requires that instructional techniques and materials used by schools be modified to the extent appropriate to provide the opportunity for students with disabilities to meet diploma requirements. At each annual review of a student's IEP, the CSE shall consider the appropriateness of such modifications. • Section 200.2(b)(11)(iii) requires that each board of education or board of trustees adopt written policy that establishes administrative practices and procedures that ensure that the chairperson of the committee on special education designates for each student one, or as appropriate, more than one professional employee of the school district with knowledge of the student’s disability and education program to, prior to the implementation of the IEP, inform each regular education teacher, special education teacher, related service provider, other service provider, supplementary school personnel, as defined in section 200.1(hh) of this Part, and other provider and support staff person of his or her responsibility to implement the recommendations on a student’s IEP, including the responsibility to provide specific accommodations, program modifications, supports and/or services for the student in accordance with the IEP. • Section 200.2(b)(13) requires that each board of education or board of trustees adopt written policy that establishes administrative practices and procedures that describe the guidelines for the provision of appropriate accommodations necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the student in the administration of district-wide assessments. • Section 200.4(d)(2)(vi) requires that the IEP provide a statement of any individual testing accommodations to be used consistently by the student in the recommended educational program and in the administration of district-wide assessments of student achievement and, in accordance with Department policy, State assessments of student achievement that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the student. • Section 200.4(d)(2)(vii) requires that if the student will participate in an alternate assessment on a particular State or district-wide assessment of student achievement, the IEP shall provide a statement of why the student cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the student. • Section 200.4(d)(2)(v)(b)(6) requires that the recommended programs and services in a student’s IEP indicate any assistive technology devices or services needed for the student to benefit from education. • Section 200.4(e)(3)(iii) requires that the school district shall ensure that the recommendations on a student’s IEP, including changes to the IEP made pursuant to subdivision (g) of this section, are implemented, including but not 3 limited to ensuring that each regular education teacher, special education teacher, related service provider, other service provider, supplementary school personnel as defined in section 200.1(hh) of this Part, and other provider and support staff person has been informed, prior to the implementation of the IEP, of his or her responsibility to implement the recommendations on the student's IEP, including the responsibility to provide specific accommodations, program modifications, supports and/or services for the student in accordance with the IEP. • Section 200.4(f)(2)(iv) requires that, during an annual review of a student’s IEP, if appropriate, the IEP must be revised to address matters including a student’s need for test accommodations and/or modifications and the student’s need for a particular device or service (including an intervention, accommodation or other program) in consideration of the special factors contained in paragraph (d)(3) of this section in order for the student to receive a free appropriate public education. Students with disabilities must have access to and participate in the general education curriculum and in courses that will prepare them to take and pass the required examinations. As determined by the CSE and indicated in the student’s IEP, students with disabilities must be provided the necessary services and supports, supplementary aids and services, and accommodations to participate and make progress in the general education curriculum. This opportunity must be available to students regardless of their educational placement (public school district, charter schools, BOCES, State-approved private school, State-operated and State-supported school or Special Act School District). 4 Section II: Learn About Testing Accommodations Testing accommodations are changes in testing materials or procedures that enable students to participate in assessments in a way that assesses abilities rather than disabilities1. The purpose of testing accommodations is to enable students with disabilities to participate in assessment programs on an equal basis with their nondisabled peers. Testing accommodations provide an opportunity for students with disabilities to demonstrate skills and attainment of knowledge without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the effects of a disability. Testing accommodations promote the access of students with disabilities to assessment programs, as well as to more challenging courses and programs. The student’s individual needs must drive the recommendation for testing accommodations, and testing accommodations should alter the standard administration of the test to the least extent possible. Testing Accommodations and Testing Modifications Testing accommodations remove obstacles to the test-taking process that are presented by the disability without reducing expectations for learning. The categories of testing accommodations most frequently required by students, as indicated in their IEPs/Section 504 accommodations plans (504 plans) are: • flexibility in scheduling/timing; • flexibility in the setting used for the administration of assessments; • changes in the method of presentation; and • changes in the method of response. Testing modifications are changes made to the testing process or to the content of the assessment itself that may change, lower, or reduce learning expectations. Testing modifications may also alter the underlying construct of the assessment. Examples of testing modifications that reduce expectations for learning and affect the construct of the test include: • simplification, clarification, or explanation of test questions/items; • use of spell-checking devices on a test of the student's spelling skills; and • use of a calculator on a test of the student's computational skills. 1 National Center on Education Outcomes, “Accommodations for Students with Disabilities” (https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/TopicAreas/Accommodations/Accomtopic.htm). 5 When making decisions regarding appropriate testing accommodations for an individual student with a disability, it is critical that CSEs and Section 504 Committees consider the distinction between accommodations and modifications. It is also important for the CSE or Section 504 Committee to be familiar with the purpose and construct of the tests administered because certain accommodations may become modifications, depending on the purpose of the test. Computer-Based Testing Tools and Accommodations Features Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Tools. CBT delivery systems, such as those used by all schools with the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) and by some schools with the Grades 3-8 ELA and Mathematics Tests, often include tools that are generally available to all test takers and aid the students in accessing the online test materials. Features such as answer eliminator, zoom, and line reader are embedded in the testing platform of some computer-based testing environments and may be selected by any student during testing. It is not necessary for a CBT tool that is available to all test takers to be identified as a testing accommodation on a student’s IEP. CBT Accommodations Features. CBT delivery systems often also include accommodations features that may help individual students with disabilities to better access the test materials in an online testing environment. With the New York State tests, such features include answer masking, reverse contrast, and text-to-speech. The use of CBT accommodations features must be listed as testing accommodations in the student’s IEP and must be activated for the student by the school’s testing coordinator prior to the first day of testing. For both CBT tools and accommodations features, students should be given practice that enables them to become familiar with the use of specific CBT tools and accommodations features prior to the students accessing them during an actual test. Use of a CBT tool or accommodations feature during State testing without sufficient practice beforehand may have a negative effect on a student’s test performance. NYSED’s Office of State Assessment provides additional information on CBT tools and CBT accommodations features specific to NYSAA (http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/nysaa/) and New York State’s Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests (http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/manuals/). New York State Testing Program The New York State Testing Program is designed to evaluate the implementation of New York State’s Learning Standards at the student, school, district, and State levels. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Office of State Assessment develops and administers tests that are aligned with the New York State Learning Standards, and are consistent with State and federal mandates. 6