Florida Administrative Code › 6 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 6A - State Board of Education › Chapter 6A-6 - SPECIAL PROGRAMS I › Section 6A-6.09091 - Accommodations of the Statewide Assessment Program Instruments and Procedures for English Language Learners

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) The
				Department of Education shall provide accommodations for English Language
				Learners (ELLs) to enable them to fully participate in the statewide
				standardized assessment program as defined in Section
				1008.22, F.S.
(2) Each school board shall utilize
				appropriate and allowable accommodations for statewide standardized assessments
				within the limits prescribed herein. Accommodations are defined as adjustments
				to settings for administration of statewide standardized assessments,
				adjustments to scheduling for the administration of statewide standardized
				assessments to include amount of time for administration, assistance in
				heritage language during the administration of statewide standardized
				assessments, and the use of an approved translation dictionary or glossary to
				facilitate the student's participation in statewide standardized assessments.
				Accommodations that negate the validity of statewide standardized assessments
				are not allowable.
Accommodations shall include:
(a) Flexible Setting. ELLs may be offered the
				opportunity to be tested in a separate room with the English for Speakers of
				Other Languages (ESOL) or heritage language teacher serving as test
				administrator. Parents must be informed of this option for students not of
				legal age and shall be given the opportunity to select the preferred method of
				test administration.
(b) Flexible
				Scheduling. ELLs may take a test session during several brief periods within
				one (1) school day; however, each test session must be completed within one (1)
				school day. ELLs may be provided additional time to complete a test session;
				however, each test session must be completed within one (1) school
				day.
(c) Assistance in the Heritage
				Language. ELLs may be provided limited assistance by an ESOL or heritage
				language teacher using the student's heritage language for directions, prompts,
				items, and answer choices. This should not be interpreted as permission to
				provide oral presentation of prompts, items, and answer choices in English or
				in the student's heritage language. Assistance may not be provided for passages
				in Reading and Writing tests. Assistance in the heritage language shall be
				limited to the following:
1. The ESOL or
				heritage language teacher or other trained individual familiar with the student
				may answer questions about the general test directions in the student's
				heritage language. If the test is administered to a group of students, the
				teacher may answer questions about directions for the benefit of the group.
				Questions of clarification from individual students must be answered on an
				individual basis without disturbing other students.
2. The ESOL or heritage language teacher or
				other trained individual familiar with the student may answer specific
				questions about a word or phrase in a prompt, item, or answer choice that is
				confusing the student because of limited English proficiency but is prohibited
				from giving assistance that will help the student produce, correct, or edit
				responses. Assistance may not be provided for words or phrases in Reading and
				Writing passages.
(d)
				Approved Dictionary and Glossary. ELLs must have access to English-to-heritage
				language/heritage language-to-English dictionaries or glossaries or both, in
				print, electronic, or digital format, such as those made available to ELLs in
				an instructional setting. The dictionary or glossary must provide word-to-word
				translations only and may not contain definitions or other information. A
				dictionary or glossary writtten exclusively in the heritage language or in
				English shall not be provided. If the dictionary, glossary, or website uses the
				Internet, schools must ensure that students have access only to the dictionary,
				glossary, or website that meets the same requirements and must not have access
				to any other sites. Students in Grades K through 2 may be provided with a
				picture translation dictionary or glossary that meets the requirements of this
				paragraph.