Accommodations vs Modifications Q&A

Accommodations? Modifications? and Other Challenging Questions About Local Assessment Systems

As the stakes get higher and the performance of more and more children are finally being included in school/district/state accountability systems, new and interesting questions are arising.  School systems are wondering how can all students participate in the local curriculum and assessment systems and what are the implications of this work?  Following are a few of the most frequently asked questions in Maine and their answers.

What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?

These two words are often used interchangeably, even in federal language.  Maine, along with many other states, has a long history of differentiating between the two.  To provide better and more individualized support to students, the following definitions have been used.  Accommodations do not change or alter what is being measured and are considered changes in the way a test (assessment) is given or taken  (e.g. different test setting, timing or scheduling changes, translation of directions, use of assistive technology).

Modifications definitely change or alter what is being measured and are considered substantial changes in the way a test (assessment) is given or taken and (e.g. extended time on a speeded test for reading fluency, spell checker on a spelling test, calculator on test of computation of basic four operations).

How do you decide which to use?

Decisions should always be made by a team of people who know the student, including the student and parents whenever possible, and must be based on need, not benefit. 

Decisions should also reflect the instructional accommodations and or modifications the student is benefiting from in the classroom and reflect the impact of the student’s disability on performance. 

Decisions should not be based on a student’s category of disability, by the availability of an accommodation, or on how a student is performing.

Where do I begin with assessment accommodations?

It is important that team dialogues and discussions about accommodations begin early and continue throughout the year.  For a student with a disability, the IEP must document which state and district assessments the student will participate in and with which accommodations.  If the student is not to participate in the state or district wide assessment, then the team must document the reasons for exclusion and what alternate assessments will be used to assess the student’s progress.

On the back of these questions and answers is a list of possible accommodations.  This is not an exhaustive list but one that was combined from a variety of sources with the hopes that teams will use it as a place to begin discussions of appropriate accommodations based on each student’s needs. 

(Resources for this list include, Policies and Procedures for Accommodations for the Maine Educational Assessment; An analysis of State Policies for the Inclusion and Accommodation of English Language Learners in State Assessment Programs during 1998-1999, Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at George Washington University; Guidelines about Assessment Accommodations, NCEO; Testing students with disabilities: Practical strategies for complying with district and state requirements, Thurlow, Elliott, Yesseldyke (1998))

 What if what the student needs is not an approved accommodation?

If the accommodation is not approved, it probably is because the change in some way compromises the assessment’s content validity.  By definition, this change would then be considered a modification.  It may still be possible to use the modified assessment to measure student progress if the team considers it appropriate.  The key difference, however is that the assessment, with modifications, would become a component of an alternate assessment for that content area..

(For the MEA, refer to the Policies and Procedures For Accommodations for the Maine Educational Assessment.  For district wide assessments, refer to local guidelines)

Are accommodations fair?

Consider this:  You are a person who needs to wear corrective lenses to read and write.  You enroll in a class and attend all classes wearing your glasses during lectures, class activities and completion of assignments in class and at home.  The night of the final exam arrives, and your instructor enters the class with the exam.  The instructor announces you will have 3 hours to complete the exam and requires all students wearing corrective lenses to remove them.  The instructor notes that there will be no unfair advantages given those students who wear glasses. 

If this sounds absurd, it is.  This however, is what happens when we do not allow students to use accommodations for assessments.  In this example, you needed the corrective lenses and wearing them did not in any way change what was being measured.  We must provide assessment accommodations based on students’ needs.  Denying students the use of accommodations because of the fairness argument doesn’t make sense.

Do assessment accommodations invalidate test scores?

Some people argue that accommodations automatically invalidate student scores.  The truth is that decision-making teams must be knowledgeable in the constructs or skills the test is attempting to measure if they are to make appropriate decisions.  A blanket decision that the use of a calculator on a mathematics test would invalidate the assessment may be inaccurate.  If the assessment is measuring basic computation skills then the use of a calculator might result in invalid results.  Using a calculator on an item that is measuring a student’s understanding of a theorem, steps or procedures would be appropriate.

Knowing the test and understanding what each subtest is measuring is the only way a team can make sound decisions.  It is important for every team to know that there is no universal list nor are there any accommodations that can automatically be used. 

How do I make connections between classroom accommodations and state and district accommodations?

The content of the classroom curriculum is identified and aligned with Maine’s Learning Results and school district standards.  Teachers as members of teams make decisions about the use of instructional accommodations to help students meet these standards.  Accommodations may range from reduced numbers of items on an assignment, to extended time to complete assignments, to task-initiated prompts, among others.  Decisions are then made to determine which accommodations the student needs for classroom assessments.  Later on, the decision about providing assessment accommodations on state or district assessment is inextricably linked to accommodations that have been consistently used in the instructional process.  This process makes the transition of classroom accommodations to state and district assessment accommodations more systematic.

What about accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL)?

Most lists of accommodations are based on the needs of students with disabilities.  Teams who support children for whom English is a second language may need a slightly different lens for their accommodation decisions.  A study conducted by the Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at George Washington University suggests that accommodations for ELL students be organized by Native-Language Accommodations, English-Language Accommodations and Non-Linguistic Accommodations.  The list previously referred to includes many of their recommended accommodations but does not organize them in this fashion.

Portions of the information presented above come from: What About Assessment and Accountability?  Practical Implications for Educators, Judy Elliott, Jim Ysseldyke, Martha Thurlow, Ron Erickson, Teaching Exceptional Children, Sept/Oct. 1998

8/29/00

Potential Accommodation Options for Local Assessments   8/29/00

***(DO NOT use this list instead of the pre-approved list that accompanies the MEA)***

NOTE: ü      MEA approved accommodations v     Additional potential accommodations for local assessments Setting Accommodations ü      Small group administration ü      Individual administration ü      Separate location, carrel v     Preferential seating ü      Alternative setting ü      At the student’s home, by school personnel v     Special lighting/acoustics v     Minimal distractions environment Timing/Scheduling Accommodations v     Extended testing time (same day) ü      Appropriate blocks of time followed by breaks ü      Time of day or day of week most beneficial to student v     Several (shorter) sessions v     Testing over several days (some extended time) v     Flexible scheduling (of subtests) v     Other timing/scheduling accommodations Presentation Format Accommodations v     Oral reading of questions in English ü      Directions given and verified for understanding v     Repetition of directions ü     Using magnifying equipment ü     Student using noise buffers ü      Using a template ü      Using amplification equipment ü      Using a calculator for non-calculator sessions v     Using other assistive technology v     Translation of directions ü      Translation of test into native language ü      Person familiar with student administers test ü      Teacher facing student v     Using audio cassette v     Clarification of words (spelling, defining, explaining)

v     Highlighting key words v     Highlighting verbs in instructions v     Oral reading of directions ü      Using an interpreter (sight translator) v     Bilingual version of the test v     Oral reading of questions in native language ü      Assessment used “Sheltered English” ü      Using bilingual dictionary v     Using place markers to maintain place ü      Assessment administered in large print ü      Assessment administered in Braille ü      Assessment read to the student by test administrator v     Increased space between items v     Fewer items per page v     Cues (arrows, stop signs) on answer form v     Additional examples provided Response Format Accommodations ü      Student dictates answer, uses scribe v     Student responds in native language ü      Student marks answers in test booklet or large-spaced paper ü      Student uses machine, typewriter, word processor v     Use brailler v     Tape record for later verbatim translation v     Communication device v     Copying assistance between drafts v     Adaptive or special furniture v     Dark or heavy raised lines v     Pencil grip v     Abacus v     Arithmetic tables v     Spelling dictionary/checker v     Paper secured to work area ü      Student uses voice-activated technology v     Other forms of assistive technology Other Accommodations v     Using brainstorming activities v     Using bilingual word lists v     On task focusing prompts v     Others that do not fit into categories