Assessment Policy and Practices: Test Accommodations for Students without Disabilities?
Author: Lin, Pei-Ying
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Disabilities,Foreign Countries,Testing Accommodations,Standardized Tests,Reading Tests,Writing Tests,Mathematics Tests,Eligibility,Individualized Education Programs,Grade 6,Statistical Analysis,Computer Assisted Testing

This study investigated accommodations for students without disabilities in order to fill critical gaps in both knowledge and practices in fields of special education and educational assessments. In Ontario, students at different grade levels were assessed by the provincial assessments developed by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO): mathematics, reading and writing assessments for Grades 3 and 6 in Primary and Junior Divisions; mathematics for Grade 9; and literacy for Grade 10. It provided test accommodations in accordance with Ontario's policies and legislation, including the policy document, &quot;Individual Education Plan: Standards for Development, Program Planning, and Implementation&quot; (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2000). The eligibility requirements, available accommodations, and procedures of administration for test accommodations were laid out in the guidelines developed by the EQAO. Students were eligible for the use of test accommodations and/or special provisions in specific conditions (EQAO, 2012): Students with special needs should have: (1) an Individual Education Plan (IEP); and (2) typically receive these accommodations for all forms of tests, including provincial and summative (classroom) assessments. This study investigated two important questions: (1) What were the most commonly used accommodations for students without disabilities or IEPs? and (2) Who used accommodations regardless of receiving special permission from the school principals? Participants were Grade 6 students (N = 150,214) taking Ontario's provincial reading, writing and mathematics assessments in 2005-2006 developed and administered by the EQAO. The descriptive statistics shows that three major types of accommodations were the most frequently used by non-disabled students for math, reading, and writing (N = 1,636 for math, N = 1,686 for reading, N = 1,406 for writing): (1) setting; (2) prompts; and (3) scribing accommodations. According to EQAO's accommodation policy (EQAO, 2006), one of groups may receive accommodations: students who do not have IEPs because they are new to the school and the country, but require the use of an accommodation based on available documentations. Approximately 22% of students fell into this category, including examinees who were ELLs and recently immigrated to the country. Although non-disabled students without IEPs may have to obtain special permission from the school principals for accommodations, many did not receive permission (Math: 43.8%; Reading: 43.9%, Writing: 45%). Of this group without special permission, about 65% of the students were new to the school but had stayed in the country for more than one year. Approximately 20% of students without special permission for accommodations were new immigrants and there was not enough time to obtain IEPs.