The approach we take to understand testing accommodations and 'what works with students with disabilities' is a rather slow, individualized process, says Elliott. This pace is also made necessary by the nature of the research questions and the importance of the resulting consequences for all students in the accountability system. The importance of validity Many test users and consumers of test-based information struggle to understand the relatively abstract concept of validity and its importance to the meaningful use of tests or assessments. Validity refers to the decisions that are made from assessment information, not the assessment approach or test itself. Assessment information that is valid for one decision or group of students is not necessarily valid for other decisions or groups.
Validity involves an overall evaluative judgment.
It requires an evaluation of the degree to which interpretations and uses of assessment results are justified by supporting evidence and in terms of the consequences of those interpretations and uses. Making best use of scores Given the increasingly higher stakes that are placed on state and district-wide test scores, attention must be given to individuals' perceptions and judgments about the usefulness and fairness of accommodations for students with disabilities. Studies are needed to obtain evidence of the consequences accommodations may have by surveying students, teachers, and parents about their perceptions of the validity and fairness of testing accommodations. In particular, feedback from teachers is needed to learn how they use test results obtained by students receiving accommodations and to procure their professional judgment about the degree to which they believed accommodations interfered with the purposes of the test.