UPDATE ON ACCOMMODATIONS Lisa Mullins And Sonya Burnett Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

WHAT ARE ACCOMMODATIONS? Accommodations are changes to materials or procedures that provide effective and equitable access to grade-level curriculum during instruction/testing. An accommodation is intended to provide access to a student who would not otherwise be able to participate in grade-level instruction. The goal of an appropriate accommodation use is to determine which accommodations a student needs (for access) as opposed to which accommodations would merely provide a benefit (increase the passing score to a higher score) Copyright 2010 by Region VII Education Service Center. All rights Reserved. This material may be reproduced, displayed, modified, or distributed without the express written permission of the copyright holder. For permission, contact Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

ACCOMMODATIONS PRESENTATION – A change that allows students to access information in various formats. RESPONSE – A change that allows students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments using various methods. SETTING – A change in the location in which an assignment or assessment is completed or a change to the conditions of the setting. TIMING AND SCHEDULING – A change to increase the standard length of time to complete the assignment or assessment or to alter the way the time is organized. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

WHO CAN USE ACCOMMODATIONS? For students with special needs and disabilities They are unique to one student (not a whole class) Although some accommodations may be appropriate for instructional use, they may not be appropriate or allowed on state assessment. The student should routinely receive the accommodation in instruction, assignments and testing. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

DOCUMENTAITON OF ACCOMMODATIONS If a student receives Special Education services, all accommodations must be documented in the student’s IEP. If a student receives 504 services, all accommodations must be documented in the student’s IAP. Assessment accommodations for ELLs receiving Special Education services must be documented by the LPAC and kept in the student’s permanent record file. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

ACCOMMODATIONS : T EACHER TOOLS AT A GLANCE Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

A CCOMMODATIONS AT A GLANCE ( CONT.) Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

ACCOMMODATIONS : T EACHER TOOLS AT A GLANCE Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

A CCOMMODATION REQUEST PROCESS FLOWCHART Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

A CCOMMODATION REQUEST FORM Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

A CCOMMODATIONS R EQUEST F ORM R EQUIREMENTS Never include confidential student information, such as first and last name, Social Security number, or pages from an IEP. A separate request form should be completed for each student needing an accommodation. Blanket requests for entire classrooms or disability categories will NOT be accepted. The request may list multiple testing programs, multiple accommodations, and/or multiple administrations but must address the needs of only one student per form. The name or a description of the accommodation must be provided. A rationale that describes why the student needs the accommodation must include objective evidence. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

W HAT IS O BJECTIVE E VIDENCE ? The information provided as the rationale on the Accommodation Request Form that clearly indicates why the student needs the accommodation. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

E XAMPLES O F O BJECTIVE E VIDENCE An explanation of disability and how it relates to the requested accommodations. An observational narrative describing how the student performs with and without the accommodation. Test scores with and without the use of the accommodation(s). Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

D YSLEXIA BUNDLED ACCOMMODATIONS May be provided to a student not receiving special education services who is identified with dyslexia Receiving special education services who is identified with dyslexia or has documentation in the IEP that indicates that the student exhibits the characteristics of dyslexia, causing him/her to lack word-identification skills and/or have difficulty reading words in isolation. The student must routinely receive accommodations in the classroom instruction and testing that addresses the difficulties he/she has reading words in isolation. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

W HO HAS THE A UTHORITY TO MAKE A D YSLEXIA B UNDLE D ECISION The placement committee as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of It must be documented in the student’s IAP. The committee of knowledgeable persons as outlined in The Dyslexia Handbook. It must be documented in accordance with district policies and procedures. The ARD committee. It must be documented in the student’s IEP. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

E LIGIBILITY FOR ORAL / SIGNED ADMINISTRATION Oral administration is not allowed for the reading, writing or ELA tests (this does not apply to the dyslexia bundled accommodations or read aloud test questions and answer choices for TAKS-M reading selections). In all cases, the student must routinely receive this type of accommodation in classroom instruction and testing. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

T ESTS MAY BE READ OR SIGNED IN MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND / OR SOCIAL STUDIES IF THE STUDENT IS : not receiving special education or Section 504 services who is identified as dyslexic receiving Section 504 services who is identified as dyslexic or has evidence of reading difficulties as documented in the IAP receiving special education services who is identified as dyslexic or has evidence of reading difficulties as documented in the IEP Receiving special education services who is deaf or hard of hearing and who has evidence of reading difficulties as documented in the IEP Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

SUPPLEMENTAL AIDS A supplemental aid is a resource that assists a student in recalling information. The student must be able to understand the information, but simply needs assistance recalling it. If a student’s disability affects memory retrieval, a supplemental aid may be allowed on certain state assessments. The supplemental aid must serve only as a tool and not a source of direct answers. All supplemental aids must be documented in the student’s IEP and must be routinely used in the classroom instruction and testing. Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

H ELPFUL R ESOURCES ARD Committee Resources menu_id=793 Accommodations Resources menu_id=793 TPM – Texas Protection Measure TAKS - enu_id=793 enu_id=793 TAKS-M &menu_id= &menu_id=793 Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

R ESOURCES Vertical Scale SERP – Special Education Reading Project (Instructional Decision-Making Procedures for Ensuring Appropriate Instruction for Struggling Students) Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) =645&menu_id2=789 Special Education in Texas Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.

R ESOURCES TAKS Assessment Resources 93 TAKS–Alt Assessment Resources TAKS –M Assessment Resources Assessment Resources from Presentations, Conferences and TETNs Copyright 2010 by Region 7 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.