Yet, there is almost no research in this area. Research findings favor the use of familiar examiners, typically the student's classroom teacher, to provide accommodations and administer the test. It appears that making changes in the way tests are presented has a positive impact on student performance. Scores from non-standard administrations are not systematically inflated or deflated. Dictation to a proctor or scribe appears to be uniformly effective in improving performance for students with and without disabilities.
Research done on alternative responses reflects the difficulty in creating comparable tasks.
Tindal and Fuchs comment that the IDEA mandate for alternate assessments will likely generate more research and development in this area. Marking in test booklets show no positive or negative results. At best, it appears this accommodation is effective only for some individual students. Findings on the use of word processors in writing tests are contradictory. In using the computer in writing tests, all dimensions of the process need to be considered - the task, the process and the judgment.