1. Accommodations: Decide, Document, Monitor Carrie Perkis NCDPI Division of Accountability Services Conference on Exceptional Children November 2010

2. Testing Students with Disabilities publication (November 2009) Testing Students with Disabilities Web Site: www.ncpublicschools.org/ accountability/policies/tswd/ Testing Accommodations Web Site: www.ncpublicschools.org/ accountability/policies/accom/ Look for revised document coming December 2010 Information from this presentation is located in: 2

3. What is an Accommodation?

4. Accommodations... Are changes in the way a student accesses instruction/assessment Do not change the construct of the assignment/ assessment Give student equal access to learning without “watering down” the content Are not to be provided for score enhancement Must be aligned or matched between classroom instruction, classroom assessments, district tests, and state tests 4

5. Classroom Instruction Classroom Assessment State/District Assessment Home, Work, Community, Post-Secondary Education Adapted from: Sandra J. Thompson, Ph.D., Research Associate, National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota The Linking of Student Accommodations 5

6. Accommodations ≠ Modifications! 6

7. Accommodations Differ from Modifications in that: Modifications change the construct through altering language load, content complexity, and/or cognitive complexity. Some examples of modifications: Reduced assignments Simplified reading passages Reduced response choices 7

8. Decide: Making Accommodations Decisions

9. Who is Eligible for Accommodations? INSTRUCTIONAL Any student TESTING Students with Disabilities Students with a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) Students with a current Section 504 Plan as well as…. 9

10. TESTING While not covered in this presentation: Students identified as Limited English Proficient: –http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/ policies/slep/http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/ policies/slep/ Students with current transitory impairment documentation –Transitory impairment = impairment with actual or expected duration of six months or less –Eligible for same accommodations as Section 504 Who is Eligible for Accommodations? (cont’d) 10

11. Who Makes Accommodations Decisions? For a student with disabilities: IEP Team Section 504 Committee The collaborative team should include all relevant individuals involved in the student’s education. 11

12. Instructional Accommodations Testing Accommodations drive 12

13. Considerations for Committee Decision-Making Base accommodations on individual student need Refer to the list of state-approved testing accommodations Understand purpose of the accommodation and make sure it is relevant to the student’s need and the demands of the test Take into account other identifications a student may have (e.g., LEP), which may require specific accommodations based on area of need and/or content All relevant teachers should be informed of accommodations 13

14. Considerations for Committee Decision-Making Students should be using accommodations ROUTINELY during instruction and similar classroom assessments – accommodations should not be a surprise on test day! Routine use = at least 30 days prior to test date 14

15. Document: Recording Accommodations in Student Plans

16. Documentation of Accommodations: Before Testing IEP Team/Section 504 Committee must document all required testing accommodations in the IEP or Section 504 Plan Document all specific details necessary for the provision of an accommodation (e.g., estimated amount of Scheduled Extended Time) Use language that is consistent and aligned with that of state-approved testing accommodations 16

17. For students with more than one identification… Use the following hierarchy of accommodations documentation: A. IEP B. Section 504 Plan C. LEP Plan/Documentation D. Transitory Impairment Documentation Documentation of Accommodations: Before Testing 17

18. A student has an IEP as well as LEP documentation. What plan would house ALL of the student’s accommodations? Hierarchy: –IEP –Section 504 Plan –LEP Plan/Documentation –Transitory Impairment Documentation Documentation Scenario – Which would you use? 18

19. Documentation of Testing Accommodations in the IEP IEP DEC4 Page 6 of 10 19

20. Documentation of Testing Accommodations in the Section 504 Plan Available at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ accountability/policies/accom 20

21. State-Approved Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

22. Categories of Testing Accommodations Special Print Versions Assistive Technology (AT) Devices and Special Arrangements Special Test Environments 22

23. Special Print Versions Braille Large Print One Test Item Per Page 23

24. Special Print Versions IEP Team/Section 504 Committee meets and determines accommodation Required accommodations data entered into NC WISE/CECAS/LEA-approved accommodations management system at least 30 days prior to testing date (details to be discussed later in presentation!) Test orders based on data entered 24

25. AT Devices and Special Arrangements AT Devices Interpreter/Transliterator Signs/Cues Test Student Marks Answers in Test Book Student Reads Test Aloud to Self Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (cont’d) 25

26. Other AT Devices and Special Arrangements –Braille Writer/Slate and Stylus (and Braille Paper) –Cranmer Abacus –Dictation to a Scribe –Keyboarding Devices –Magnification Devices AT Devices and Special Arrangements (cont’d) 26

27. Special Test Environments Hospital/Home Testing Multiple Testing Sessions Scheduled Extended Time Testing in a Separate Room 27

28. Special NCDPI Approved Testing Accommodations Accommodation Notification Form –Submit form for any accommodation that is not on state-approved list –NCDPI team will review information and determine approval of requests Submit requests early in school year 28

29. Top 5 Accommodations that Students Required on the EOG and EOC 1.Scheduled Extended Time 2.Testing in a Separate Room 3.Test Administrator Reads Test Aloud (not for EOG Reading Test) 4.Student Marks Answers in Test Book 5.Multiple Testing Sessions Based on Green Book data from 2008–09 29