1. Accessibility Challenges on State Assessments MAER Conference May 1, 2014

2. Online Testing Goal of Assessment:  Provide every student with a positive and productive assessment experience, generating results that are a fair and accurate estimate of each student’s achievement.

3. Online Testing - Benefits  Students offered “built-in” accessibility features that don’t require an IEP/504 plan for usage  Perhaps more student needs will be met?  Less paperwork for teachers, students to keep track of  No materials to inventory, monitor, return  Adaptive testing individually tailored test

4. Online Testing - Benefits  More efficient scoring mechanism than scanning  Quicker turnaround on reporting  Possible increased student engagement in testing process (interactive, customized)  Increased test security

5. Online Testing - Considerations  Will tech-savvy children do better on online assessments than those students less comfortable with technology?  Perhaps increasing socio-economic digital divide?  Are teachers feeling rushed to implement curricular changes?  What about students who are unable to take online assessments and must take paper/pencil assessments: equivalent?

6. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Students may use their own assistive technology devices on SBAC – IF they are certified  Manufacturers can submit their products for certification  http://certification.airast.org/ http://certification.airast.org/  If the device works, it is considered certified, and is added to the list of devices that public can access

7. Online Testing – SBAC Style Accessibility Terms:  Embedded/Non-Embedded  Universal Tools  Designated Supports  Accommodations

8. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Embedded  Part of the online delivery engine, digitally- delivered  Non-Embedded  Separate, outside of test delivery engine

9. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Universal Tools  Available to all students  Designated Supports  Available when indicated by an adult or team  Accommodations  Available only to those students with documented need (IEP, 504 Plan)

10. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Embedded Universal Tools  Breaks  English dictionary  Global Notes  Highlighter  Keyboard Navigation  Zoom

11. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Non-Embedded Universal Tools  Breaks  English dictionary  Scratch Paper  Thesaurus

12. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Embedded Designated Supports  Color Contrast  Masking  Text-to-Speech  Translated Test Directions  Translations (stacked),  Turn off any Universal Tools

13. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Non-Embedded Designated Supports  Color Contrast  Color Overlay  Magnification  Read Aloud  Scribe

14. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Embedded Accommodations  American Sign Language  Braille  Closed Captioning  Text-to-Speech

15. Online Testing – SBAC Style  Non-Embedded Accommodations  Abacus  Alternate Response Option  Print on Demand  Read Aloud (human reader)  Scribe

16. SBAC Accessibility

17. Online Testing – Michigan  Currently in process of selecting online test delivery engine  This engine may not have ALL the accessibility features SBAC specifies  All online state assessments will use this test delivery engine

18. Technology-enhanced Items (TE)  TE: Innovative features in several aspects of item presentation and construct measurement   Enhances the way that the item is presented   Enhances the way a student responds to the item

19. K-2 MI Interim Assessments Kindergarten and 1 st grade ELA and Mathematics items and passages are technology enabled (reader support) Kindergarten and 1 st grade ELA and Mathematics items and passages are technology enabled (reader support) All K/1 items are technology enhanced (innovative item types) All K/1 items are technology enhanced (innovative item types) Majority of 2 nd grade items are technology enhanced (less than 10% are traditional multiple choice questions) Majority of 2 nd grade items are technology enhanced (less than 10% are traditional multiple choice questions)

20. K-2 MI Interim Assessments  Color graphics  Human readers/audio  Male and female  Larger font size than grades 3 and up  When appropriate, include “context” in item to increase interest and provide meaning  No scrolling

21. Additional K-2 Considerations  Item stem needs to include direction on what to do for the TE item type  Fine motor skills impact K-2 student performance on TE items  Use of mouse  Hotspot size and location  Precision

22. K-2 Technology Enhanced Item Types  Drag and drop  Select text  Select object  Hotspot highlighting (color fill)  Matching

23. Hotspot Highlighting (color fill) form of select object

25. Select Object

27. Select Object (text)

29. Drag and Drop with regenerating blocks

31. Drag and Drop

33. Drag and drop

35. Two step: Drag and drop, and Select object (numeral)

37. Two step: Drag and Drop Regenerating, then Select object (numeral)

39. Drag and drop multiple times

41. Matching, two clicks required, no dragging and dropping

43. SBAC Practice Item (drag/drop)

46. SBAC Practice Item (enter text)

47. Challenges of online-testing  Students who are blind, have low vision, or have motor impairments have difficulty with some item types typically used in computer-based testing.  ATEA – Accessibility of Technology- Enhanced Assessments  Students with vision impairments  Students with motor impairments

48. Teacher Panel Feedback  Drag and drop  Intuitive, motivating, and efficient for students without vision or motor impairments  Inaccessible to students who cannot see the screen or navigate with a mouse or touchscreen  Difficult to transcribe into Braille or Print  Difficult for text-to-speech screen readers

49. Teacher Panel Feedback  Radio buttons  Many TE tasks can be transformed into radio button tasks  Preferred as long as radio buttons are large  Should work with tab and enter  Best for voice output and switch access

50. Teacher Panel Feedback  Select text  Preferred for students with low vision  Can be printed and transcribed into Braille  May be accessible using text-to-speech screen readers  Accessible to 2-switch systems with tab and select keys  Accessible to single switch systems

51. Teacher Panel Feedback  Sticky drop  better than drag and drop but still difficult for students with motor impairments  Venn diagrams  inaccessible to blind  matrix format better

52. Teacher Panel Feedback  Matching  would work on touch screen  columns must be identified or labeled  columns must be close enough to make tracking easy  Graphics  often cluttered and confusing  online graphics too small  color cues and highlighting must be bright

54. Alternative to drag and drop

57. Alternative to drag and drop: click to select

58. Online Considerations  It is critical at all grade levels that all students be comfortable with technology in advance of the test  Learn how to use specific elements (item types, tools) that they will see on the test  Embed technology and accessibility features in classroom instruction

59. Accessibility Opportunities  Sign up for GAAP research studies  Email me  Plan to participate in ATEA Field Tests scheduled for Fall 2014  Email me  Be a reviewer of test items for Bias and Sensitivity – Accessibility Issues  committee participation application found at bottom of page www.michigan.gov/baa or www.michigan.gov/baa  Email me

60. Accessibility Resources  Universal Design for Learning  http://cast.org/ http://cast.org/  Assistive Technology  http://mits.cenmi.org/ http://mits.cenmi.org/  American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.  http://www.aph.org/ http://www.aph.org/  Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium  http://www.smarterbalanced.org http://www.smarterbalanced.org  Division of Accountability Services  http://www.michigan.gov/baa http://www.michigan.gov/baa

61. Contact information Linda Howley Accessibility Specialist Michigan Department of Education Division of Accountability Services Office of Standards and Assessment HowleyL@michigan.gov (517) 241-2525