Recommendations for Accommodations

Abstract

When accurately assigned and administered appropriately, testing accommodations help ameliorate the effects of personal characteristics that limit access to critical information and prevent a person from demonstrating his or her true abilities in the tested domain. Inaccurate assignment or misuse of accommodations may counteract the benefits of accommodations and introduce sources of measurement error. In this study, we investigated the consistency of accommodation assignments across 38 third-grade students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), teacher recommendations, and student performance data. We found inconsistencies between the accommodations listed on the IEP and the teachers' recommendations. Similar results were observed when comparing either IEP or teacher recommendations with students' performance. These inconsistencies are interpreted in light of federal mandates and best practices.

The Development of Individualized Education Programs

“…Neither study found definitive relationships between the content/quality of IEPs and student performance. Findings from the other three studies (Ketterlin-Geller et al, 2007;Shriner & DeStefano, 2003;Ysseldyke et al, 2001) identified issues regarding the extent to which instructional and testing accommodations are aligned, and how a lack of alignment may lead to diminished quality of educational programming.…”

Determining Appropriate Testing Accommodations; Complying with NCLB and IDEA

“…MDTs can review assessment data and student work, tests, and records, and observe students in classroom and testing situations. Interviewing students, teachers, family, and ancillary support personnel, or asking these individuals to complete a checklist, survey, or rating scale, are also excellent ways to gather information about students and the factors that affect their learning (Ketterlin-Geller, Alonzo, et al, 2007). Some basic questions can guide MDTs in analyzing student information to determine possible testing accommodations, including:…”

“…For students who need testing accommodations to participate in high-stakes assessment, the MDT must comply with state and district policies regarding approved accommodations (Ketterlin-Geller, Alonzo, et al, 2007;Thurlow, Lazarus, Thompson, & Morse, 2005). In making these determinations, states often consider whether the accommodation is appropriate and valid and would eliminate "a barrier due to a disability without changing the construct being tested" (MacArthur & Cavalier, 2004, p. 55).…”

“…In addition, students may benefit from more than one testing accommodation and therefore may require packaging or combining different types of testing accommodations (Edgemon et al, 2006). Resources to assist MDTs in selecting testing accommodations for students with a wide range of disabilities include the Survey of Teacher Recommendations for Accommodation (Ketterlin-Geller, Alonzo, et al, 2007); Assessment Accommodation Checklist (Elliott, Kratochwill & Schulte, 1998); and the Dynamic Assessment of Test Accommodations (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2001).…”

“…Many multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) experience difficulties in determining which students should receive testing accommodations (see box, "Who Receives Testing Accommodations? "), and in selecting and consistently implementing valid testing accommodations (Elliott & Thurlow, 2006;Ketterlin-Geller, Alonzo, Braun-Monegan, & Tindal, 2007). This article presents guidelines and resources that MDTs can use to identify, select, implement, and evaluate appropriate testing accommodations.…”