1. Increasing the Accessibility of Large-Scale Assessments of Reading Proficiency for Students with Disabilities National Accessible Reading Assessments Projects: Designing Reading Assessments for Students with Disabilities

2. How can tests of reading proficiency be accessible and valid for all students? Two five-year projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2004 to address this question Educational Testing Services University of Minnesota Currently in their second year

3. Goal 1: Definition of Reading Formulate a definition of the construct of reading proficiency that provides a basis for research and development for accessible large-scale tests of reading proficiency.

4. Goal 2: Program of Research Conduct a program of research on the assessment of reading proficiency to determine the effects of various factors of test development, design, and administration on accessibility, validity, and comparability for students with disabilities that affect reading.

5. Goal 3: Principles and Guidelines Develop research-based principles and guidelines for making large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading.

6. Goal 4: Develop & Test Instruments Develop and field-test instruments and/or methods for assessing reading proficiency that are suitable for large- scale administration for school accountability purposes, that are accessible to students who have disabilities that affect reading.

7. Todays Session: Overview of the Designing Accessible Reading Assessment (DARA) Project by Cara Cahalan (ETS) Overview of the Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessment (PARA) Project by Martha L. Thurlow (University of Minnesota) Developing a Definition of Reading Proficiency by Deborah R. Dillon (University of Minnesota) & John P. Sabatini (ETS) Gathering Public Reactions to a Definition of Reading Proficiency by Teresa C. King (ETS) & Christopher J. Johnstone (University of Minnesota) Discussant: Arnold Goldstein (National Center for Education Statistics)