ACCOMMODATIONS
As a requirement of the IDEA, students must take part in statewide and districtwide assessments. Schools use this testing to monitor student achievement and to provide a systematic approach to track student progress for IEP. To support student participation in assessment students are provided accommodations in how the assessment is administered and how the student takes the test. The significance of accommodations to the IEP is that,” It’s the responsibility of the IEP team to decide how the student with a disability will participate, and then to document that decision in the child’s IEP.” (NICHCY, 2014) The IEP team also decides whether a test is appropriate for the student, and in this case they must provide an explanation as to why and an alternate plan of assessment for the student. According to the IDEA the section under accommodations states,” it states that the IEP must contain: (i) A statement of any individual appropriate accommodations that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the child on State and districtwide assessments consistent with §612(a)(16) of the Act; and (ii) If the IEP Team determines that the child must take an alternate assessment instead of a particular regular State or districtwide assessment of student achievement, a statement of why—(A) The child cannot participate in the regular assessment; and (B) The particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the child.” (NICHCY, 2014) All children are required to participate in state and district wide assessment to determine their level of content mastery.
The IEP team may decide a student cannot participate in statewide assessments unless the assessment is otherwise deemed as inappropriate for the child. Accommodations are usually determined for a particular student by their IEP Team. Some accommodations include: “Presentation Accommodations—Allow students to access information in ways that do not require them to visually read standard print. These alternate modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile, and visual. Response Accommodations—Allow students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer. Setting Accommodations—Change the location in which a test or assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting, and Timing and Scheduling Accommodations—Increase the allowable length of time to complete an assessment or assignment and perhaps change the way the time is organized. (NICHCY, 2014) Assessment accommodations usually mirror classroom accommodations for children with disabilities so that students are familiar and comfortable using the accommodation prior to testing. However, IEP teams can not confuse classroom accommodations with assessment accommodations because what is allowed in class may not be applicable in district or statewide assessments.
Some examples of accommodations include: Large print textbooks, Books on tape, Textbooks for at-home use, and Graphic organizers
Modifications: Allow outlining, instead of writing for an essay or major project, Projects instead of written reports, Use of alternative books or materials on the topic being studied, Highlighting important words or phrases in reading assignments, Computerized spell-check support, and Modified workload or length of assignments/tests
The IEP team may decide a student cannot participate in statewide assessments unless the assessment is otherwise deemed as inappropriate for the child. Accommodations are usually determined for a particular student by their IEP Team. Some accommodations include: “Presentation Accommodations—Allow students to access information in ways that do not require them to visually read standard print. These alternate modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile, and visual. Response Accommodations—Allow students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer. Setting Accommodations—Change the location in which a test or assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting, and Timing and Scheduling Accommodations—Increase the allowable length of time to complete an assessment or assignment and perhaps change the way the time is organized. (NICHCY, 2014) Assessment accommodations usually mirror classroom accommodations for children with disabilities so that students are familiar and comfortable using the accommodation prior to testing. However, IEP teams can not confuse classroom accommodations with assessment accommodations because what is allowed in class may not be applicable in district or statewide assessments.
Some examples of accommodations include: Large print textbooks, Books on tape, Textbooks for at-home use, and Graphic organizers
Modifications: Allow outlining, instead of writing for an essay or major project, Projects instead of written reports, Use of alternative books or materials on the topic being studied, Highlighting important words or phrases in reading assignments, Computerized spell-check support, and Modified workload or length of assignments/tests