The Use of Recommended and Provided Testing Accommodations

WCER Working Paper No. 2003-8

Deitra Gibson, Frances B. Haeberli, Todd A. Glover, and Elizabeth A. Witter

July 2003, 29 pp.

ABSTRACT: Testing accommodations used in students’ individualized education programs (IEPs) or recommended by classroom teachers were investigated. Three domains of testing accommodations are examined: (a) accommodations recommended through the IEP process, (b) accommodations recommended by the teacher, and (c) accommodations that were actually provided in the testing sessions. Factors are explored that potentially influence the implementation of recommended testing accommodations. The Assessment Accommodations Checklist (AAC) was used as a means of translating the IEP process from diverse school districts into a common framework. A three-category system developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill is used to characterize potential threats to validity posed by each of the recommended and provided accommodations. Accommodations that were frequently recommended and used are discussed in regard to the CTB/McGraw-Hill categories, and aspects of future research are outlined.

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keywords: Provided Accommodations; Recommended Accommodations; Taxonomy