Testing Accommodations for Students

What Are Testing Accommodations?

Test accommodations for students help learners who have disabilities and change the environment so they are able to access the content of the test based on their individual needs. There are many different ways to adjust the testing options, but it should be done in a way that levels the playing field without changing the content of the test.

Testing accommodations simply allow students with disabilities to take the same tests as other students. For example, a visually impaired student will likely need specialized supports to be able to access the content of the test. This may be in the form of someone reading the questions to them, a recorded audio test, access to their assistive technology, or a Braille test.

Testing accommodations are designed to provide students with an equal opportunity when it comes to testing. When done correctly, the adjustments allow students with disabilities to test alongside their peers without disabilities. It essentially creates a fair method of testing for everyone.

Students usually have assessments ahead of time, and the administration and teachers should already be aware of who has special needs. The students may have a 504 plan or IEP in place, so they can work within these parameters to ensure they have the supports they need to access learning based on their individual situation. After all, every student deserves the opportunity to show what they know and have learned.

Common Testing Accommodations

As the accommodations are determined by the student’s personal needs and specific disability, there is no one way to change the testing methods. However, some ways are more common than others. Here are the most common ways to adjust the tests.

1. Presentation

How the test is presented will help the student better understand the questions. The presentation methods may include large print or fewer items on a page, a designated reader, oral instructions, or an audio recording.

2. Response

The student may also need changes made to how they respond to the test questions. For example, some children may need to give a verbal response, dictate the answers, use speech-to-text, enter the responses into a computer or tablet, or mark the answers directly in the test booklet.

3. Time

Not all students can feasibly complete a test in the amount of time given to those without disabilities. For these students, the test time limit may be extended. It may also be beneficial to provide more frequent breaks in some cases.

4. Location

Where the student takes the test may also have an impact on their final result. For many students, a less distracting space may be necessary. Using a private room or administering the test to a small group at a time can be helpful. Students may also benefit from lighting or acoustical changes to the space.

5. Schedule

The schedule used for testing may need to change for students with special needs. They may require a specific time of day for their test due to medication or other issues, or they may do best with the test administered over several days. Sections of the tests may be given in a different order to help the student focus.

Other Changes

There are a number of other issues that students may face, and they should be accommodated as much as possible, even if this is a unique option. Sometimes, it’s helpful to provide focusing tasks for a distracted student or offer special preparation tools for the test. This article covers the ADA requirements for testing accommodations.

The Value of Special Needs Assessments

Sometimes, testing accommodations don’t seem to be effective. This is usually due to a lack of ongoing monitoring. The student’s progress must be assessed regularly to ensure any modifications are up-to-date. Their abilities or disabilities are often changing, so schools can provide better educational resources by monitoring the student’s progress. This is true with all students, whether or not they have a noted disability. In fact, it’s often during these assessments that a teacher notices something is amiss and recommends a student for testing.

Students with physical or learning disabilities can benefit from testing accommodations. In addition, limited English-language students can also find it helpful. Their abilities usually change drastically over time as they learn the language, so assessments regularly will help the school stay abreast of these developments.

How to Track Which Students Need Adjustments in Their Testing

Teachers and administrators must be aware of which students require modifications to their testing procedures. They should also know which accommodations should be made for each student. When there are multiple students per class, this can become quite a challenge.

It’s helpful to have a method of maintaining records of which student requires which accommodation. Tools like TestHound can also be beneficial when ensuring every student has access to the accommodations they should receive during their testing.

Spreadsheets can also be helpful and may include notes by parents and teachers to provide more insight. As the student grows and develops their skills, this information and any other assessments can be included on the spreadsheet. It may also be made available as the student moves up in grades, so each subsequent teacher knows of the potential struggles faced by the student. It can also provide information on what the previous teacher found useful.

Conclusion

To learn more about how to efficiently organize all test accommodations across students to make sure all the right accommodations are given, contact Education Advanced today.

If your school is interested in new ways to improve the learning experience for children, you may also be interested in automating tasks and streamlining processes so that your teachers have more time to support students. Education Advanced offers a large suite of tools that may be able to help:

• Embarc, our curriculum mapping software, helps teachers quickly analyze whether or not their curriculum is aligned with state and national standards as well as share best practice curriculum plans with other teachers to reduce duplication and with parents to keep everyone up to date.
• Evaluation allows school administrators to efficiently document every step of the staff evaluation process, including walk-throughs, self-evaluations, supporting evidence, reporting and performance analytics.
• TesthHound, our test coordination software, helps schools coordinate thousands of students across all state and local K-12 school assessments while taking into account dozens of accommodations (reading disabilities, physical disabilities, translations, etc.) for students.
• Pathways is a graduation tracking tool that allows administrators and counselors to create, track and analyze student graduation pathways to ensure secondary students are on track to graduate and build an educated, talented workforce for the future.