1. Accessible Test Design Michael Russell

2. Principles of Universal Design Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. — Ron Mace

3. Access - Two Perspectives Examinee Access to the Test Test Accessing the Construct

4. Accessing the Construct

5. What is a Test? Indirect measure of a construct or set of closely related constructs Constructs are unobservable A test provides a sample of observable behaviors believed to be the product the intended construct Observable behaviors used to make an inference about the construct

6. How an Item Functions Present Information Stimulate Construct Interact with Content Apply Construct Produce Response Visible Product of Construct Quantitative Score Measure of Construct Inference Statement About Construct

7. Barriers to Access Present Information Stimulate Construct Interact with Content Apply Construct Produce Response Visible Product of Construct Quantitative Score Measure of Construct Inference Statement About Construct Inaccurate “intake” of item content Interference from non-targeted construct Inaccurate transference of response

8. Test Accommodations Test accommodations are changes in format, administration, response, setting, timing or scheduling that do not alter in any significant way what the test measures or the comparability of results. When used properly, appropriate test accommodations remove barriers to participation in the assessment and provide students with diverse learning needs an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge or skills. NECAP Partner States: NH, VT and RI 2009

9. Universal Design “Universal Design does not imply ‘one sizes fits all’ but rather acknowledges the need for alternatives to suit many different people’s needs.” “…the essence of UDL is flexibility and the inclusion of alternatives to adapt to the myriad variations in learner needs, styles, and preferences.” -Rose & Meyer, 2000, p. 4

10. Universal Design for Assessment Flexibly adjust to enable students to: –Access test content –Interact with content –Respond to content

11. Keys to Universal Design Anticipate variety of needs during development Provide multiple, layered options Avoid special actions to meet needs

12. Overcoming Barriers to Access Adapted Presentation –Display of content –Representational form of content Adapted Interaction Adapted Response Mode

13. Imagine… Ability to concentrate on the problem is one of the constituent parts of the successful mental work

14. Imagine… We all see things the same way. We see words in groups or phrases. The print is more dominant than the background. The print shows no movement. The printed letters are evenly black. Black print on white paper gives the best contrast for everyone. White background looks white.

15. Adapted Presentation Examples Magnification High Contrast Color Filters White Space

16. Alternate Representation: WATER W-A-T-E-R

17. Alternate Representation: RELATIONSHIPS

18. Most Common Forms of Alternate Representation Braille American Sign Language Foreign languages Scientific notation Narrative descriptions of images Images for narratives Oral descriptions of table & graphs

19. Supporting Interaction Needs Masking Auditory Calming Prompts Flags Keyword Highlighting Scaffolds Breaks Increased Time Chunking Item placement Reduced answer options

20. Supporting Response Needs Mouse input Keyboard input Touchscreen input Intellikeys input Tab-Enter navigation/input ) Speech-to-text

21. NimbleTools Demonstration

22. Accessible Test Design

23. Accessible Portable Item Profile (APIP) Standards Universally Designed CB Interfaces Accessible Test Delivery x =

24. APIP Test Model

25. Item Information Model Default Content Information Companion Material Information Accessibility Information Inclusion Order Default Item Information Default Item Alternate Content Information Companion Material Information Accessibility Information Inclusion Order Alternate Version

26. APIP Provides Structure to Item Development Specifies Behaviors for Test Delivery Requires Specifications of Student Needs Comprehensive Integrated Solution for Accessible Test Design