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What Does the Research Say?
 Looking to the research evidence, unfortunately, does not provide definitive answers to guide thoughtful policy and practice in this area (Chiu & Pearson, 1999; Johnstone, Altman, Thurlow, & Thompson, 2006; Koenig & Bachman, 2004; Sireci et al., 2003; Tindal & Fuchs, 1999; Thompson, Blount, & Thurlow, 2002). Considering the very real implications related to the use of accommodations and their extensive application across testing environments, the lack of conclusive direction from the research base is both disappointing and frustrating. That is not to say that a long look at the research base cannot be instructive. In fact, doing just that can lead to a better understanding of the complexities at play, for both researchers and practitioners alike, and more informed decision making about accommodations may indeed follow.
Assessment Accommodations in Action
Samantha was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. Her parents put walking independently on the top of their goal list for her, but she has some learning and speech/language disabilities as well. At 12 years old, she can walk with braces, but only for short periods of time. Her handwriting is hard to read, and her breathing problems make her hard to understand. She uses simplified sign to speak when others are unable to understand her. She also uses a keyboard in her classroom work or has an assistant who transcribes for her.
Samantha's past performance on the state assessment shows improvement over the years, but she is not performing at the same level as her classmates without disabilities. Since most of her classroom work is done with a word processor, and Samantha has demonstrated success in using it, her IEP team decides she will use it during the state assessment. The team also chooses extra time because Samantha's physical and learning disabilities affect the speed at which she processes and responds to information.
During the assessment, Samantha is calm and confident. She works slowly and carefully to make her responses. Samantha takes at least an extra half hour to complete most of the assessment and walks out saying, "I aced it" to her teacher. Samantha's parents call her teacher and thank her for the support. It was a really positive, confidence-building experience for Samantha, they explain.
When the results arrive, the IEP team meets and discusses them. Samantha's results show that she learned much of the curriculum, although she does not have complete mastery. She did show progress from the year before, and this is what her parents focus on when they share the results with Samantha. When discussing the next steps, she asks to have some activities to do over the summer so she really can "ace" the assessment the following year. |
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What we do know is that research has been able to suggest the following:
- Accommodation policies vary considerably from state to state. Interestingly, 12 states even extend eligibility for accommodations to all students (Clapper, Morse, Lazarus, Thompson, & Thurlow, 2005).
- Approximately two-thirds of special education students have been afforded accommodations in statewide assessments, the most common being extended time, alternative setting, and/or read-aloud accommodations (Bolt & Thurlow, 2004).
- Accommodations affect test scores for students with disabilities, lowering scores in some cases, raising scores in most others (Chiu & Pearson, 1999; Elliott et al., 1999; Elliott, Kratochwill, & McKevitt, 2001; Kettler et al., 2005; McKevitt, 2000; Koenig & Bachman, 2004; Schulte, Elliott, & Kratochwill, 2001; Tindal, Heath, Hollenbeck, Almond, & Harniss, 1998). Lowered scores appear to result when accommodations are poorly matched to student need or when the student has not had sufficient opportunity to practice using an accommodation in day-to-day settings prior to the testing situation.
- The use of read-aloud accommodations on assessments of mathematics for students with low reading skills and the use of Braille for blind students were found to be the most effective accommodations in a meta-analytic synthesis by Tindal & Fuchs (1999).
However, because of inconclusive and contradictory findings, we cannot automatically say with confidence that accommodations provide an accurate picture of a student’s ability (Koenig & Bachman, 2004; Sireci et al., 2003; Thompson et al., 2002). Introducing an unfamiliar accommodation for the first time during a required testing situation may not necessarily help a student who has not had the opportunity to practice its use. Similarly, while providing a one-on-one administration of a test to a student with severe attention problems may help to reduce some distractible elements, it may not necessarily remove them all.
Neither can we automatically say with confidence that scores obtained by students with disabilities in accommodated situations can always be compared fairly to scores obtained by nondisabled students in unaccommodated situations (Elliott et al., 2001; Fuchs & Fuchs, 1999; Koenig & Bachman, 2004; McKevitt, 2000; McKevitt & Elliott, 2001; Tindal & Fuchs, 1999; Zuriff, 2000).
These last two points in particular make the important task of choosing appropriate accommodations for individual students all the more challenging. Students with disabilities bring an extremely broad range of strengths and weaknesses with them to testing environments. It is quite possible, in fact, for two students with very similar disabilities to require very different accommodations. Teacher training and practical guidance in selecting appropriate accommodations for individual students would clearly go a long way toward improving and informing decision making, but the availability of these valuable commodities can vary even in the same district or school (Helwig & Tindal, 2003; Hollenbeck, Tindal, & Almond, 1998; McDonnell et al., 1997; McKevitt & Elliott, 2001; Tindal & Fuchs, 2000).
What to do? First, it’s good to know that there are readily available tools and resources. To connect you quickly with these, we’ve provided “Choosing and Using Accommodations: IEP Team Considerations” on page xx and “Other Helpful Resources for IEP Teams” on page xx. Second, it’s important for states (and districts) to make targeted and sustained professional development available to strengthen professional skill and judgment in this area. Many states are already doing this. In discussing Connecticut’s approach to professional development, for instance, Susan Kennedy, Education Manager of the state’s NCLB Office, comments, “We talk about the theory that drives providing accommodations and the purpose of providing them. Some teachers think that they're doing it so the students will score better. We try to get across to them that we're trying to level the playing field.” Melissa Fincher, Assistant Director of Georgia’s Department of Education’s Testing Division, explains that Georgia educators follow a “five-step process that helps IEP teams through a decision-making process, making sure that the right kids get the right accommodations.”
There is a concern that some accommodations are overused, with teachers simply checking off a long list of accommodations they think might help improve a student’s scores. Finch mentions that professional development opportunities in her state are mindful of this tendency, saying, “We want to provide some guidance about how to really match up the kids' needs with the right accommodations so that you're facilitating the students showing what they know in the best way possible…that's something that we’ll work on in getting teachers to really be specific about the accommodations and make sure that they match very closely to the student's disability.”
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Assessment and Accommodations:
-Introduction
-The Big Picture: Expectations, Content, and Testing
-Deciding Which Accommodations a Student Needs
-Types of Accommodations
-What Does the Research Say?
-What About Alternate Assessments?
-The Value of Progress Monitoring
-Conclusion
-References
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