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Testing=20 Accommodations for Students with = Disabilities

TBI=20 Challenge! (Vol.4, No. 1, 2000)
By Jill = Adams

The issue=20 of accommodating students with disabilities during testing has = generated a=20 great deal of concern. When students with disabilities take = standardized=20 or minimum competency tests to earn high school diplomas or when = they=20 apply to post-secondary training institutions, it is necessary to = consider=20 whether and how these tests should be modified to accommodate for = their=20 special needs. This dilemma arises because these tests require = specific=20 procedures, which create fair and ethical testing environments. = These=20 procedures often do not account for the special needs of students = with=20 disabilities and could put them at a distinct disadvantage. This=20 discussion is focused on the alteration of testing or application=20 processes to place students with disabilities on equal footing = with their=20 peers. While this issue deals primarily with standardized testing=20 procedures, it also can be applied to other situations such as=20 credentialing exams and employment testing.

Although wide = ranges of=20 accommodations are possible, a single set of guidelines that = outline=20 acceptable testing accommodations for individuals with = disabilities does=20 not exist. Both constitutional and statutory law, however, have = shaped=20 policy concerning testing students with disabilities. The 14th = Amendment=20 to the Constitution, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) all play a = fundamental=20 role in policies and guidelines regarding students with = disabilities and=20 testing. These federal laws are designed to prohibit = discrimination=20 against individuals with disabilities.

Achieving = reasonable=20 accommodations for testing students with disabilities requires = shared=20 responsibility between students, parents (of young children), = educators=20 and test administrators. All of these people need to know not only = what=20 the law requires and what accommodations are reasonable, but also = have=20 disability awareness and be familiar with available resources. = Students=20 and/or parents must identify the concerning disability to the = appropriate=20 student support services, provide documentation of the disability = and=20 request necessary accommodations, preferably in writing. It is = very=20 important to request testing accommodations in advance to ensure = they can=20 be made in a timely manner.

In addition to constitutional = and=20 federal laws, a wide range of state policies on testing = accommodations=20 exists. State guidelines on accommodations and current practice = vary from=20 providing no accommodations during testing to providing numerous = types of=20 accommodations. Furthermore, accommodations recommended in one = state may=20 be prohibited in others. Luckily, guidelines by state assessment = programs=20 on acceptable testing accommodations are changing and advancing.=20

Some standard accommodations may include extended time for = test=20 administrators, readers for tests, separate testing locations, = alternate=20 testing formats, assistive devices, large print, scribes, = calculators,=20 interpretation of directions, oral responses and/or additional = breaks=20 during testing. When these accommodations are granted, many = individuals=20 taking the tests with modification are unaware that the score = reports for=20 such testing usually are sent to the score recipients with a = =93flag=94 or=20 other designation indicating that the test was given under = nonstandard=20 conditions.

The use of flagged scores on admission, = credentialing=20 and employment tests presents a troublesome problem for students = with=20 disabilities, educators, admissions officers and advocates. While = students=20 with disabilities and their families desire equal evaluation of = their=20 skills, the placement of a flag on a test score results in an = opportunity=20 for unfair and discriminatory treatment. Although organizations = legally=20 are barred from discriminating against persons with disabilities, = flagged=20 test scores could create potential opportunities for = discrimination=20 against persons with disabilities. This creates a clear conflict = for test=20 companies that feel they have an ethical obligation to alert score = recipients when a test was given under non-standard conditions and = for=20 persons with disabilities who may be unfairly discriminated = against.=20

It becomes apparent that the creation of reasonable = accommodations=20 for persons with disabilities during standardized testing = procedures=20 represents a difficult task. A tradeoff is created between the = avoidance=20 of discrimination and the creation of fair testing procedures. It = also=20 becomes clear that special procedures for students with = disabilities might=20 generate grounds for discrimination. The resolution of these = concerns has=20 not yet been agreed upon. No coherent and consistent set of = guidelines at=20 the federal or state level exists.

Since the individual = cases and=20 the types of disabilities vary, parents and educators should = gather as=20 much information on the local guidelines. Of course, the = accommodations=20 will depend on the type of disability. All people involved should = bear in=20 mind that a tradeoff exists. Each case should be decided on an = individual=20 basis, in order to best fit the characteristics and desires of = those=20 involved. These following resources may be further sources of = information=20 regarding education for students with brain injury and other=20 disabilities:

National Information Center for = Children and=20 Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
P.O. Box = 1492
Washington, DC=20 20013
(800) 695-0285 or (202) 884-8200
Website: http://www.nichcy.org

ERIC=20 Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Children
(703) = 620-0285=20 or (800) 328-0272
Website: http://www.ericec.org

Lash = and=20 Associates
L & A Publishing and Training
708 Young = Forest=20 Drive
Wake Forest, NC 27587
(919) 562-0015
Website: http://www.lapublishing.com

Learning= =20 Disabilities Association
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, = PA=20 15234-1349
(412) 341-1515
Website: http://www.ldanatl.org =

=20

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