Accommodations and SOL Testing: Overview and Guidelines

ACCOMMODATIONS & SOL TESTING An Overview by Carol Jennings Assessment Coordinator

Disclaimer This presentation is not meant to be the only document STCs, Test Examiners, and Proctors use when testing students who need accommodations. It is only designed to be a guide. The Test Implementation Manual and the Examiner s Manual as well as the documents listed on the last page of this document should be read and followed in their entirety prior to administering a test with accommodations to a student, and all guidelines as established by the Virginia Department of Education should be followed. 2

Online Testing All students are required to take the online version of the SOL tests except in very specific circumstances. The student attends school in a location where a secure network connection or the required technology is not available (i.e., BRACC, Minnick, etc.). The student s accommodation requires a paper/pencil test (i.e., Large Print, Braille, or a flexible day schedule that requires multiple testing sessions over two or more days). The student has a documented medical condition (i.e., seizures) when exposure to a computer aggravates the condition. 3

ALL STUDENTS

Allowable for ALL Students Small Group Size The Virginia Department of Education does not specify the number of students that constitutes class size; thus, classes of students can be broken into smaller groups for testing for example, individual, groups of 5, groups of 10, etc. 5

Allowable for ALL Students Small Group Size (continued) Anticipate those students who may be disruptive and remove them from the whole-class setting BEFORE testing starts. A good place to put them is with a person of authority. 6

Allowable for ALL Students Environmental Modifications Special lighting Noise buffers Use of a study carrel 7

Allowable for ALL Students Environmental Modifications Students may NOT be issued any kind of accessory to modify the environment. Accessories include, but are not limited to: Head phones Ear plugs Ticking clocks Egg timers Stress balls Toys Music or soothing sounds 8

Allowable for ALL Students Students Reading Aloud to Themselves Students who test better when they read aloud to themselves would need to be tested in a separate setting because the student reading aloud would be disruptive to other students. This strategy pairs with a previous slide which discusses removing potentially disruptive students BEFORE testing begins. NOTE: Regular education students may not use whisper phones. 9

Allowable for ALL Students Scratch Paper Students can have scratch paper for all tests. The scratch paper must be school issued and cannot be the student s own paper. It must be distributed by the Test Examiner. All the scratch paper must be the same color. Students cannot have multiple colors. All scratch paper must be collected and accounted for at the end of the test. Scratch paper must be turned in to the STC. The STC will shred all scratch paper 10

Allowable for ALL Students Scratch Paper (continued) Scratch paper may include: Plain paper (no lines) Lined paper Graph paper Sticky notes Note cards The sticky notes and note cards must be all the same color. Particular care must be taken to ensure all sticky notes and note cards are accounted for after the test (i.e., number them prior to handing them out and then check the numbers when they are picked back up) Paddy paper paper/pencilONLY 11

Allowable for ALL Students Large Diameter Pencil Must contain #2 lead if used for paper/pencil test Special Pencil Must contain #2 lead if used for paper/pencil test Pencil Grip 12

Allowable for ALL Students Assistance with Directions Examiners may simplify or clarify the bold directions which are read to the students that explain howto take the test. Examiners and Proctors may not provide assistance with directions for test items within the student s test. 13

SPECIAL EDUCATION/504/LEP STUDENTS ONLY Please follow the Accommodations Charts from the Testing Manuals very carefully as all accommodations are not available for every test, and LEP students are not allowed all accommodations unless they also are identified as a student w/ a disability or 504. Follow the Special Testing Accommodations Guidelines carefully in the Test Implementation Manual and the Examiner s Manual, Appendix B.

NEW Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Multiple Test Sessions (Accommodation Code 1) Testing over two or more school days Requires a paper/pencil test Not permitted on the Short-Paper Component of the Grade 8 & EOC Writing assessments The student must have access only to questions administered on that particular day Break the book apart and give the student only that portion of the test s/he will take on any given day. The student may not look forward to test questions for another day or look back at questions answered on a prior day. 15

NEW2015-16 Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Dry Erase Board (Accommodation Code 2) The student may use a dry erase board in place of scratch paper, and s/he must use it independently without assistance from the Test Examiner/Proctor. The student may not be prompted to use the board. The student must be tested individually where the dry erase board is not visible to others. 16

NEW2015-16/Given a Code Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Additional Writing Implements (Accommodation Code 3) The student may be provided additional (3 or more) writing implements such as highlighters, markers, colored pens, colored pencils, etc. The student may use additional markers if the dry erase board accommodation is used. The additional items must be provided to the student at the beginning of the test session. If the student is being assessed with a paper/pencil test, s/he may NOT use the colored markers, highlighters, pens, and/or pencils on the answer document. The student must not be prompted to use the additional markers, and s/he must use them without assistance from the Test Examiner. 17

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Visual Aids (Accommodation Code 4) Physical magnifying devices visually impaired students only Magnifying glass Screen magnifier Electronic magnification devices visually impaired students only Close-circuit television (CCTV) Large monitor Interactive or electronic white board LCD projector which projects onto large screen Color overlay or tinted screen one color only (paper/pencil) built into TestNav8 18

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Visual Aids (continued) Template or masks to view only 1 word, sentence, or line of print at a time paper/pencil only (built into TestNav8) Blank graphic organizer which cannot contain directions, words, letters, numbers, symbols, color coding, or text of any kind Template Software must produce blank templates Template libraries, hyperlink functions and access to the Internet must be disabled and must be used on a separate computer than the online test 19

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Amplification Equipment (Accommodation Code 5) Hearing aid Auditory Trainer Whisper Phone 20

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Large Print (Accommodation Code 6) This form of the test must be ordered through the Division Director of Testing and CANNOT be photocopied from the regular form of the test. 21

NEW2015-16/Given a Code Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Test Directions Delivery (Accommodation Code 7) Students may be given written directions to accompany oral directions. Interpret/transliterate testing directions 22

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Enlarged Answer Document (Accommodation Code 8) This accommodation is available with paper/pencil tests ONLY. The student s answers must be transcribed to the regular answer document by a school official and verified by a second school official. The large print answer document must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. 23

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Braille Test (Accommodation Code 9) Students requiring this accommodation will also receive a test in regular print for the Examiner to use. If the student s answers are recorded on a Braille answer sheet, the responses must be transcribed to the regular answer document by a school official and verified by a second school official who has knowledge of Braille. The Braille answer sheet must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until scores are received and verified. 24

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Braille Test (continued) If the test is read aloud to the student or if the student responds verbally to the responses, the test session(s) must be recorded or proctored. If recorded, the recording must be retained on file by the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If proctored, both the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify that the test was administered according to standardized procedures. This verification must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. 25

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test (Accommodation Codes 10 Items Math, Science, History, & Writing & Code 14 Reading) The Reading test may be read aloud ONLY if the student has a significant decoding disability or is visually impaired. LEP students may NOT have a read aloud on the Reading test unless they also are identified as a student with a disability. Special attention must be given to students IEP, 504, and LEP plans to determine how the test is to be administered must be specified in the student s plan. The entire test read aloud Words, questions, or sentences read aloud only upon the student s request 26

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test Items (continued) The test must be read aloud in English. The Test Examiner must be very careful to not lead the student to the correct answer when reading test items aloud. Through intonation Through facial expressions or other non-verbal clues By repeating any part of the test that is not specifically requested by the student In describing graphics 27

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test Items (continued) An examiner who administers a read-aloud test session must be familiar with how to read test items to students. Prior to testing examiners must (this is mandatory and must be documented): Listen to an audio practice test prior to testing Read Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments Guidelines for Administering the Read-Aloud Accommodation 28

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test Items (continued) Prior to reading a test item aloud, the Examiner may take a moment to review a test item so that the answer is not inadvertently given to a student. A printed copy of the test (i.e., online, large print, or Braille) should be provided to the student so s/he can follow along as the test is read aloud. 29

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test Items (continued) A Read Aloud administration must either be recorded or have a proctor present. If recorded, the recording must be retained on file by Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If proctored, the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test administration was conducted according to standardized procedures. This verification must be retained on file in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If the Examiner forgets to record the session or the session is not recorded in its entirety, the test will need to be administered using an alternate form of the test. 30

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Reading Test Items for Computer Adaptive Tests (Accommodation Codes 10 & 14) All guidelines on the previous slides for Reading Test Items must be followed The assessment must be administered one-on- one. The student must be seated directly in front of the computer, and the Test Examiner must sit to the side of the student and read from the student s workstation. 31

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Audio Version of the Test (Accommodation Codes 11 Math, History, Science, & Writing & Code 15 Reading) The Reading test may be audio ONLY if the student has a significant decoding disability or is visually impaired. LEP students may NOT have an audio on the Reading test unless they also are identified as a student with a disability. 32

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Audio Version of the Test (Accommodation Codes 11 Math, History, Science, & Writing & Code 15 Reading) If taking the paper/pencil test, students must have instructional experience with audio on a regular basis. If the student does not have experience using audio, the audio may cause more difficulty than assistance. Experience using audio may include the following: Audio textbooks Recording lectures in class Recording tests The audio should be used in conjunction with a printed test (i.e., regular, large print, or Braille). 33

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Audio Version of the Test Online(Accommodation Codes 11 & 15) In the past, school divisions have been told that students should not use accommodations during testing unless they used the same accommodation during classroom instruction and assessments. Since it would be very difficult for school divisions to provide an online audio accommodation during instruction, the following guidelines have been established to provide clarification as to the circumstances under which a student could be provided with an online audio accommodation during testing. 34

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Audio Version of the Test Online (continued) The IEP Team or 504 Committee must determine whether the read aloud or audio form of the test is the most appropriate delivery method The parent must agree to the delivery method, and the decision must be documented in the IEP or 504 Plan. The online audio accommodation may be given to students who have a read aloud during class instruction or those who use audio-cassettes/CDs or text readers in the classroom. Students should practice the audio version of the test before attempting the live version of the test. Audio Practice Test available with TestNav8 www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/practice_items/index.html 35

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items (Accommodation Codes 12 Math, History, Science, & Writing and 16 Reading) The Interpreter s/Transliterator s role and professional code of ethics prohibit answering questions directly or providing assistance in answering test questions. The Interpreter/Transliterator must first read the test question to him/herself silently before interpreting/ transliterating to the student. The Interpreter/Transliterator must be very careful to not lead the student to a correct answer. Through facial expressions By repeating any part of the test that is not specifically requested by the student 36

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items (continued) Students who are deaf or have a hearing impairment may be considered for the interpreting/transliteration accommodation on the Reading assessment because of difficulty hearing phonemes, which is part of the decoding process. Eligibility must be determined by a diagnostic tool or instrument administered by a qualified professional. 37

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items (continued) An interpreted administration must be proctored by appropriate personnel who are fluent in the type of interpretation/ transliteration used or video recorded. If a proctor is present, both the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test was administered under standardized testing procedures. This written verification must be retained by the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If video recorded, the video recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. The interpreter may have access to the test 24 hours prior to the test administration as authorized by the Division Director of Testing. 38

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Interpreting/Transliterating Test Items for Computer Adaptive Tests (Accommodation Codes 12 Math, History, Science, & Writing and 16 Reading) All guidelines on the previous slides for Interpreting/Transliterating must be followed. The assessment must be administered one-on-one. The student and the Interpreter/Transliterator must position themselves so the student has access to the computer and can see the Interpreter/Transliterator, and the Interpreter/Transliterator can see the questions on the student s computer screen. 39

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Communication Board or Choice Cards (Accommodation Code 13) Student responses must be transcribed to an answer document or entered online by a school staff member. This method must be used instructionally on a regular basis. 40

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Communication Board or Choice Cards (continued) The test session must either be video recorded or proctored. If the test session is video recorded, the answer document/online responses must be verified using the video recording. The video recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If the test session is proctored, both the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing that the test session was administered according to appropriate guidelines. This is done on the Examiner s/Proctor s Transmittal Form and Affidavit for Recorded Test Sessions. This verification must be retained on file in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. 41

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Bilingual Dictionary (Accommodation Code 17) The bilingual dictionary is available ONLY to LEP students. The bilingual dictionary accommodation is available for all SOL tests. The bilingual dictionary must be paper and not electronic. It must be a general, word-to-word bilingual dictionary. It cannot be content specific, rhyming, contain pictures, etc. It must not be altered with hand-written notes. The bilingual dictionary may be used alone or in conjunction with an English dictionary without a Thesaurus. The English dictionary is not allowed on the multiple-choice component of the 2010 SOL writing test. 42

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Examiner Records Responses (Accommodation Code 18) Student marks in test booklet, responds verbally, points, or otherwise indicates a response. If a student marks in his/her test booklet, answers must be transcribed to the regular answer document and verified by a second school employee. 43

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Examiner Records Responses (continued ) The test session must either be video recorded or proctored. If video recorded, the recording must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. If proctored, the Test Examiner and Proctor must verify in writing the test session was administered according to standardized procedures. This written verification will be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. 44

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Examiner Records Responses (continued ) This accommodation is available only to those students as stated in their IEPs, 504 Plans, or LEP Plans (or due to a documented temporary condition). Documentation of the student s responses (i.e., audio/video of the session, output from a Brailler, augmentative communication device, word processor, enlarged answer documents, paper and electronic copies of the student s response, etc.) must be retained in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. 45

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Examiner Records Responses (continued ) The student s responses must be entered exactly as the student indicated. The student s responses must not be corrected or altered in any way. The transcription must be verified by a second school official to ensure no errors occurred in the transcription. All materials containing student responses to test items are considered as secure test materials and must be maintained in a secure location. 46

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Mathematical Aids (Accommodation Code 19) Math aids allowed examples number line, fraction circles, colored shapes, etc. Math aids not allowed examples place value chart, fraction chart, clocks, coins, bills, base 10 blocks, etc. (See Explanation of Math Aids Handout for Math Aids that are Allowed and Not Allowed) 47

NEW2015-16 Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Specific Verbal Prompts (Accommodation Code 20) If documented in the student s IEP or 504 plan, the Test Examiner may use verbal prompts to help the student remain focused on completing the SOL assessment. Following are the only prompts that may be used during SOL tests: Please continue with your tests. Keep working. Keep going. Focus. Stay focused. 48

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Specific Verbal Prompts (continued) The IEP Team or 504 Committee must choose from the verbal prompts on the previous screen, and the specific prompt(s) must be documented in the IEP or 504 Plan. All other verbal prompts must be submitted for review on a Special Assessment Accommodation Request form and have prior approval from the VDOE. 49

Students w/ Disabilities, 504 & LEP Students Specific Verbal Prompts (continued) Students must be assessed individually; the test session must either be proctored or recorded. If proctored, both the Proctor and Test Examiner must verify in writing that the test administration was conducted according to standardized procedures. This is done on the Examiner s/Proctor s Transmittal Form and Affidavit for Recorded Test Sessions. This verification must be retained on file in the office of the Division Director of Testing until the Authorization to Proceed has been processed. 50