TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

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School Improvement Symposium

• TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS
• October 28-29, 2008

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Who to Assess

• Mississippi Code 37-16-3 requires that all
  eligible students enrolled in public school
  participate in the Mississippi Statewide
  Assessment System.
• Students with disabilities are required to be
  included in general statewide and district wide
  assessments with appropriate accommodations where
  necessary (MS Code 37-16-9 and 37-23-148).

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Grade Level Testing ProgramMethods of
Participation
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Subject Area Testing ProgramMethods of
Participation
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Eligible for Accommodations

• ONLY General accommodations are available to ALL
  students.
  
• No accommodations other than general
  accommodations are available to students in Tier
  2 or Tier 3 unless the student has an IEP or 504
  Plan.

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Eligible for Accommodations

• Students with disabilities under the Individuals
  with Disabilities Education
  
• Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)
• Students with disabilities under Section 504
• Students with a temporary physical disability

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What are Accommodations?

• Changes in testing procedures provide students
  with disabilities an equal opportunity to
  participate in testing situations and to
  demonstrate their knowledge and abilities
  accommodations level the playing field.
• Accommodations can change the method in which
  test items are presented to a student and the
  method of the students response to test items.

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What are Accommodations?

• Two types of accommodations -allowable and
  non-allowable
  
• Allowable accommodations ensure that the test
  measures skills and knowledge rather than a
  students disability.
  
• Non-allowable accommodations are accommodations
  that interfere with what the test purports to
  measure.
  

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What Are Accommodations?

• Accommodations are grouped into four categories
• setting conditions,
• timing/scheduling conditions,
• presentation conditions, and
• response conditions.

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Guiding Principles for Accommodations

• Do not assume that every student with
  disabilities needs accommodations.
  
• Plan early for accommodations.
• Understand the purpose of the assessment.
• Request only those accommodations that are needed.

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Guiding Principles for Accommodations

• Integrate assessment accommodations into
  classroom instruction.
  
• Determine if a selected accommodation requires
  another accommodation.
  
• Provide practice opportunities for the student.

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Documentation of Decisions Regarding
Accommodations

• Without accommodations, the assessment may not
  accurately measure the students knowledge and
  skills.
  
• The accommodations must be documented in the
  students IEP.
  
• The IEP allows you to indicate whether the
  accommodation is to be used on the state
  assessments.
  

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Testing with Accommodations

• Accommodations must be
• based upon decisions made prior to the test
  administration by the IEP team or 504 team or the
  result of a students temporary physical
  disability,
• based on the individual students learning needs,
  and
  
• used during the students routine classroom
  instruction and classroom assessment.
  
• Please note some accommodations used in the
  classroom may not be allowable for statewide
  assessments.

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Determining the Need for Accommodations

• Students may take all tests with the
  accommodations addressed in their IEP. However,
  students who will exit with a regular high school
  diploma must pass the applicable subject area
  test (s) utilizing only allowable accommodations
  or the Alternative Assessment for Subject Area
  Testing.

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Questions to Ask About Accommodations

• Does the accommodation interfere with what the
  test is designed to measure?
  
• Does the accommodation provide the answer to the
  student?
  

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Documentation of Decisions Regarding
Accommodations

• District personnel must communicate and inform
  all necessary personnel of the students
  accommodations.
  

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Prior-Approval Required

• Petition for Special Consideration (rare)
• Temporary physical disability accommodations
• Other allowable accommodations
• Use of Accommodation 48

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Petition for Special Consideration

• Information that must be included for the
  Petition to be considered is as follows
  
• the students identifying information,
• the assessment for which the accommodation is
  requested,
  
• a description of the requested accommodation,
• the reason that the special consideration is
  necessary,
  
• supporting evidence and documentation, and
• District Test Coordinators signature
• Districts may use the Accommodation Request Form
  or develop their own form however, all of the
  necessary information must be provided for the
  Petition to be considered.

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Temporary Physical Disability

• Participation of students with a temporary
  physical disability resulting from an illness or
  injury (page 13 in Testing Students with
  Disabilities
• Regulations)
• Students with a temporary physical disability
  resulting from an illness or injury, such as a
  broken limb or temporary vision loss, may be
  provided allowable accommodations during the
  statewide testing with written approval from the
  Office of Student Assessment.
• Students with a temporary physical disability do
  not qualify for an alternate and/or alternative
  assessment.
  

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Special Populations Documents

• Testing Students with Disabilities Regulations
  April 2007
  
• Accommodations Manual
• Accommodation 48 Manual-
• Allowable and Non-allowable Material
• Accessible at http//www.mde.k12.ms.us/ACAD/osa/sp
  ecpop.html
  

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Special Populations Documents
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Testing Accommodations Manual

• General Accommodations (pages 8-9)
• Available to all students
• The accommodations that are allowable on each of
  the statewide tests vary.
  
• A list of allowable and non-allowable
  accommodations for each test is located in this
  document.
  

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Accommodation 48 Manual

• Accommodation 48 Manual-
• Allowable and Non-allowable Material
• Memory aids, fact sheets, and resource sheets are
  available ONLY to students with disabilities.
  

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ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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NON-ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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NON-ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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NON-ALLOWABLE MEMORY AID
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Accommodation 48 Manual (Use of memory aids,
fact charts, resource sheets, and/or abacus)

• If the memory aids, fact charts, or resource
  sheets you desire to use do not appear in the
  Accommodations 48 Manual, you must complete the
  Accommodation Request Form. Form is available at
  http//www.mde.k12.ms.us/ACAD/osa/specpop.html
• Material must be submitted to the Office of
  Student Assessment (OSA).

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Accommodation Request Form

• If the material to be used is for more than one
  student, submit only one Accommodation Request
  Form and attach a list of the student names for
  whom the memory aid, fact chart, and/or resource
  sheets are being requested.
• The Accommodation Request Form is not be to used
  for allowable or non-allowable accommodations
  already documented in the Testing Accommodations
  Manual or the Accommodation 48 Manual.
• If the student does not receive special services
  (IEP or 504 Plan) but the district submits an
  Accommodation Request Form, we strongly suggest
  the submission of supporting evidence. Example A
  request for large print should be accompanied by
  recent and relevant supporting evidence.

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Accommodation Request Form

• Submissions may be sent any time during the
  school year but no later than four (4) weeks
  prior to the test administration.
  
• OSA will review all materials submitted within
  the appropriate timeframe and will inform DTC of
  the decision through written correspondence.
  
• Material received later than four (4) weeks prior
  to the test administration may not be reviewed in
  time for use on the state assessment.
  
• If you do not receive approval from the OSA, you
  may not use the material listed on the
  Accommodation Request Form on the state
  assessment.

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Verification

• The IEP or 504 Plan is the official governing
  document for students with disabilities as it
  relates to accommodations.
  
• Audits will be conducted to verify the use of
  accommodations.

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OSA Webpage
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Contact Information

• Rogina Thomas, Division Director
• rthomas_at_mde.k12.ms.us
• 601-359-3052