Faculty make the final decisions about whether an exam will be accommodated within the department, or in CADR. Students may discuss their preferred testing location with their professors. Alternate Testing LocationĪlternative Testing accommodations can be facilitated by the faculty member, academic department, or through the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources (CADR). Students with disabilities who receive testing accommodations are required to take the same assessment and reach the same level of proficiency as students who do not use them. Testing accommodations change how students are tested but do not change what a test measures. Testing accommodations are changes to the format of a test (e.g., providing a test in large print) or its administration procedures (e.g., permitting extended time to complete the test). Arranging and providing accommodations is an interactive process between the student, faculty member, and staff at the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources.

There are several different types of accommodations that may be suggested based on the academic environment, the course objectives, and the abilities of the student. The ISAAP Tool should be used in conjunction with the Smarter Balanced Usability, Accessibility and Accommodations Guidelines and state regulations and policies related to assessment accessibility as a part of the ISAAP process.Accommodations for exams allow students with disabilities to fairly represent their knowledge and skills while mitigating the impact of disability-related impairments. The web-based ISAAP tool is designed to facilitate selection of the Designated Supports and Accommodations that match student access needs for Smarter Balanced assessments, as supported by the Smarter Balanced Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines. Any printed or electronic materials with student information must be securely stored. *The ISAAP Tool may be used to facilitate the selection of Designated Supports and Accommodations. Federal law-the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act-prohibits the release of any student’s personally identifiable information. Check for delivery of assigned Designated Supports and Accommodations at the time of test administration.Perform a pre-administration check of assigned access supports.Enter Designated Supports and Accommodations into test engine.Select the appropriate Designated Supports and Accommodations for each student identified.*.Identify students who will benefit from Designated Supports, Accommodations, or both.Provide training and information to staff, students, and parents.Select key staff members and define roles.Schools may organize these steps to fit local resources and needs, adding or collapsing steps as needed: The following seven-step ISAAP process helps to ensure students have the accessibility supports they need for Smarter Balanced assessments.

Tool to Evaluate Language Complexity of Test Items (PDF).Smarter Balanced is exploring the psychometric and statistical analysis that can be completed with the language complexity scores. Question writers and reviewers can verify that there is enough diversity in the amount of language complexity used across questions and that the level of language complexity in an individual question is appropriate for the question’s purpose.

Smarter Balanced uses this rubric to develop questions. WIDA produced a one-page rubric that allows Smarter Balanced to quantify text density, language form and structure, and vocabulary. Smarter Balanced partnered with WIDA to help question writers and reviewers examine the language complexity level used in the Consortium’s questions.

White Paper: Considerations for Providing a Non-Embedded Sign Language Accommodation for the Smarter Balanced Assessments of Listening and Mathematics (PDF).

Accommodations for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities: A Research-Based Decision Algorithm (PDF).

Item Accessibility and Language Variation Conceptual Framework (PDF).

Translation Accommodations Framework for Testing English Language Learners in Mathematics (PDF).

Literature Review: Empirical Studies of the Validity and Effectiveness of Test Accommodations for English Language Learners: 2005–2012 (PDF).

Literature Review: Testing Accommodations and Accessibility Tools for Students with Disabilities (PDF).