Category: Series: Assessment Accommodations, April 2022

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Advocacy Resources Bridges Blog Educational Resources Series: Assessment Accommodations, April 2022

Assessment Accommodations April: Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

For individuals with disabilities, accommodations make the difference between access to opportunities and being shut out of those opportunities. Accommodations, while vital, vary from individual to individual and depend on many different factors. Join the Bridges Helpdesk as we explore understanding, identifying, and advocating for accommodations in the area of assessments, including quizzes and tests, state-required tests, and tests required for college admission and for earning college credit.

Join us as we explore blind/low vision-related accommodations, from definition through application on high-stakes tests.

  • April 5: Accommodations versus Modifications
  • April 12: Categories of Assessment Accommodations
  • April 19: Importance of Using Assessment Accommodations Consistently
  • April 26: Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

In this fourth installment of our “Assessment Accommodations April” series, we share “Guides” to testing accommodations for tests required by the State of Maryland and “Guides” to tests required for college entrance and for college credit. These guides can help students, families, and educators understand which accommodations are available on any given test. This understanding will help all members of the IEP team identify and consistently provide needed accommodations to adequately prepare students for high-stakes testing and post-secondary education and employment.

Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

College-related Exam Guides

College Entrance Exams (PSAT®, SAT®, and ACT®) for Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

College Board Credit-Earning Exam Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge Assessments Credit-Earning Exam Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

Maryland Assessments Guides

For Kindergarten Students

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) for Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

For Students Grades 3-8 and High School

MCAP for English and Math for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

MCAP for Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Social Studies, and Government for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

MISA (Science) for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

Alternate MCAP and MISA for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

For English Language Learners

WIDA Screener for Kindergarten for Maryland Blind/Low Vision for Students Guide

WIDA Screener for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide—Paper Tests

WIDA Screener for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide—Online Tests

WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide

WIDA ACCESS for ELLs for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide—Paper Tests

WIDA ACCESS for ELLS for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Students Guide—Online Tests

WIDA Alternate ACCESS for Blind/Low Vision for Students in Maryland Guide

For Students with “Significant Cognitive Disabilities”

Alternate MCAP and MISA for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Guide

WIDA Alternate ACCESS for Blind/Low Vision for Students in Maryland Guide

Contact us

Follow the Bridges Helpdesk Facebook page for more transition tips, and please contact the Free Helpdesk for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Transition Students, Families, and Educators anytime using:

This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.

Categories
Advocacy Resources Bridges Blog Educational Resources Series: Assessment Accommodations, April 2022

Assessment Accommodations April: Importance of Using Assessment Accommodations Consistently

For individuals with disabilities, accommodations make the difference between access to opportunities and being shut out of those opportunities. Accommodations, while vital, vary from individual to individual and depend on many different factors. Join the Bridges Helpdesk as we explore understanding, identifying, and advocating for accommodations in the area of assessments, including quizzes and tests, state-required tests, and tests required for college admission and for earning college credit.

Join us as we explore blind/low vision-related accommodations, from definition through their application on high-stakes tests.

  • April 5: Accommodations versus Modifications
  • April 12: Categories of Assessment Accommodations
  • April 19: Importance of Using Assessment Accommodations Consistently
  • April 26: Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

In this third installment of our “Assessment Accommodations April” series, we discuss why it is important to use accommodations regularly.

Content is Key

Most assessments, from pop quizzes in class to the highest of high-stakes tests, are used to measure one’s grasp of content. In all cases, performance on assessments should relate to an individual’s knowledge of the content area. Assessments should NOT be measuring other factors, such as the individual’s familiarity with the testing platform or method used.

Use Accommodations Early and Often

By identifying needed accommodations and using them often, you will get familiar with their use. This can be especially true for electronic assessments because you don’t want to be struggling to understand the technology during your assessment. The more comfortable you are with the test’s format, the more likely your score will reflect your actual knowledge level.

Advocacy for Full-time Accommodations

Your school should make sure that you have many opportunities to use whatever testing accommodations you need, such as screen reading/magnifying software, QWERTY/six-key entry keyboards, tactile graphics, allowable online accessible calculators, etc. Even pop quizzes and regular classroom tests should be provided using the accommodations spelled out in your IEP.

In fact, both Maryland and federal law require that IEP documents specifically identify all accommodations you need on all state-wide and district-wide assessments. See COMAR 3A.05.01.09.A(1)(f) and 34 CFR §300.320(a)(6)(i). Additionally, the Maryland State Department of Education directs that: “The accommodations provided to a student must be the same for classroom instruction, classroom assessments, and district and State assessments. The administration of an assessment should not be the first time the accommodation is introduced to the student.” See Maryland Assessment, Accessibility, & Accommodations Policy Manual, page 2-2 (eighteenth page of the PDF document).

If You Don’t Use It, You Might Lose It

Using accommodations helps you become familiar with them, but that’s not all. If you do not use an accommodation, it may appear that you do not NEED the accommodation at all. Regular use of an accommodation is important to preserve your right to that accommodation – at school, on high-stakes tests, in college, and at work.

Of course, there may be some accommodations that you don’t need all the time. For example, you might not need frequent breaks when taking quizzes or tests during a class period. However, for extremely long tests (tests that take several hours each, perhaps two or three of them in a day), you might need frequent breaks and/or extended time. Also, you might need different amounts of time depending on the content (English versus math) or depending on the kinds of questions (multiple-choice, short-answer, etc.). If you find that your need for accommodations changes depending on the type or format of the test, it’s important to document that.

Reach Out to the Bridges Helpdesk

If you are unsure about what accommodations you have or need or how to advocate to your IEP team to document them, contact us. If you want to discuss these matters, including how to develop your own “Reasonable Accommodations Request,” reach out to us. We are ready, willing, able, and eager to help!

Contact us

Follow the Bridges Helpdesk Facebook page for more transition tips, and please contact the Free Helpdesk for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Transition Students, Families, and Educators anytime using:

This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.

Categories
Advocacy Resources Bridges Blog Educational Resources Series: Assessment Accommodations, April 2022

Assessment Accommodations April: Categories of Assessment Accommodations

For individuals with disabilities, accommodations make the difference between access to opportunities and being shut out of those opportunities. Accommodations, while vital, vary from individual to individual and depend on many different factors. Join the Bridges Helpdesk as we explore understanding, identifying, and advocating for accommodations in the area of assessments, including quizzes and tests, state-required tests, and tests required for college admission and for earning college credit.

Join us as we explore blind/low vision-related accommodations, from definition through their application on high-stakes tests.

  • April 5: Accommodations versus Modifications
  • April 12: Categories of Assessment Accommodations
  • April 19: Importance of Using Assessment Accommodations Consistently
  • April 26: Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

In this second installment of our “Assessment Accommodations April” series, we discuss the different categories of accommodations related to assessments, including high-stakes testing. Understanding these categories helps one determine which accommodations are needed to provide both access and equivalent ease of use when taking assessments.

Categories of Assessment Accommodations

Presentation

Presentation refers to how you interact with the assessment. Examples of presentation accommodations include:

  • Braille (hard copy or on a refreshable braille display)
  • Enlarged print (hard copy or using a magnification tool)
  • Via a computer or tablet using screen reading or magnifying software
  • Tactile graphics
  • Human reader

Response

Response accommodations deal with the manner in which you provide your answers and include:

  • Embossing braille (typically with a brailler, your responses are then transcribed)
  • Handwriting (your responses are then transcribed)
  • Electronic entry (into a QWERTY or six-key keyboard or using another data entry device; your responses are then transcribed)
  • Human scribe (you verbally provide answers; your responses are then transcribed)
  • Tactile graphics
  • Human reader
  • Calculator

Setting

Setting accommodations refer to the environment where the testing occurs. Common setting accommodations include:

  • Small group testing setting
  • Individual testing setting
  • Alternate location (might include testing at home)
  • Special furniture/desks
  • Headphones to reduce environmental noise

Timing/Scheduling

Timing/Scheduling accommodations refer to alterations in the length of time for a portion of the assessment or for the assessment as a whole. Common timing/scheduling accommodations include:

  • Time of day
  • Extended time
  • Frequent breaks
  • Multiple test sessions
  • Testing over multiple days

Determining Which Accommodations You Need

In order to get accommodations, you must show that you need them in order to have access to the assessment and/or in order to have equivalent ease of access to the assessment. Accommodations do not give you an advantage; they merely attempt to counter disadvantages you face because of the inaccessibility of the “regular” assessment.

While too many accommodations can slow you down, you are entitled to all the accommodations you need. For example, you might be a braille reader who uses both tactile graphics AND print graphics. You do not have to choose which type of graphic you will use; you have the right to request and receive both – assuming that you need the accommodations as a result of a qualifying disability.

Also, you are entitled to all the accommodations you need to meet all areas of disability. For example, a student might be a braille reader but might also have a reading disability. That student might need both braille assessments and human reader support. The human reader is needed because the student cannot efficiently or accurately read text as a result of the reading disability. The braille is needed because the student can read braille even though it is difficult because access to the braille may help the student focus on certain words in the passage. Again, the focus is on the student’s individual needs created by the student’s disabilities, not on disability categories.

Reach Out to the Bridges Helpdesk

Deciding what accommodations you need can be overwhelming, but know that we are here for you. If you want to discuss these matters, including how to develop your own “Reasonable Accommodations Request,” reach out to us. We are ready, willing, able, and eager to help!

Contact us

Follow the Bridges Helpdesk Facebook page for more transition tips, and please contact the Free Helpdesk for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Transition Students, Families, and Educators anytime using:

This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.

Categories
Advocacy Resources Bridges Blog Educational Resources Series: Assessment Accommodations, April 2022

Assessment Accommodations April: Accommodations versus Modifications

For individuals with disabilities, accommodations make the difference between access to opportunities and being shut out of those opportunities. Accommodations, while vital, vary from individual to individual and depend on many different factors. Join the Bridges Helpdesk as we explore understanding, identifying, and advocating for accommodations in the area of assessments, including quizzes and tests, state-required tests, and tests required for college admission and for earning college credit.

Join us as we explore blind/low vision-related accommodations, from definition through their application to high-stakes tests.

  • April 5: Accommodations versus Modifications
  • April 12: Categories of Assessment Accommodations
  • April 19: Importance of Using Assessment Accommodations Consistently
  • April 26: Guides to Testing Accommodations for Blind/Low Vision Students in Maryland

In this first installment of our “Assessment Accommodations April” series, we define accommodations, compare them with modifications, and discuss the lifelong benefits of correctly identifying accommodations you need.

What are Accommodations?

The first step in understanding accommodations is knowing where the right to accommodations comes from. While accommodations can and are listed in a student’s IEP, the right to accommodations is not based on the law that governs IEPs, the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act).

Instead, the legal right to accommodations comes from two federal civil rights laws: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The IDEA focuses on providing both access and educational and instructional services for individuals with specific disabilities. In contrast, Section 504 and the ADA focus on access for all individuals with a great variety of disabilities.

Accommodations focus on access to programs, materials, etc. However, accommodations CANNOT change the nature of the program or activity. For example, using a computer with screen reading software on an assessment (test, quiz, etc.) is an accommodation, but using that computer with spellchecking software might NOT be an accommodation if spelling is part of the assessment itself.

How do Accommodations Differ from Modifications?

Defining modifications

Unlike accommodations, modifications change some portion of the program or activity. For example, on an assessment, having fewer questions per page is an accommodation while having fewer multiple-choice answers to pick from is a modification.

Modifications limited to K-12 school (IEPs)

Modifications are permitted and sometimes required in the IEP of a student in public school. Even on tests in school, modifications can be provided, even if they change the nature of the assessment. However, the right to modifications is limited to a student’s IEP. Individuals do not have the right to modifications outside the school arena; even extracurricular school activities do not need to make accommodations if the activity is competitive, such as a sports team that requires try-outs. Also, the school does not need to offer modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of that extracurricular activity.  

The right to modifications is limited to public school attendance and the IDEA. Thus, once a student graduates from or otherwise leaves public school, the student no longer has the right to modifications.

Accommodations for a Lifetime

Accommodations are not tied to the educational environment or to school attendance. “Reasonable accommodations” are available to all individuals with qualifying disabilities in most environments, including in most public places and employment. There are some restrictions, and the “reasonableness” of a proposed accommodation is not always clear. Nevertheless, individuals of all ages with qualifying disabilities have the right to “reasonable accommodations” under both Section 504 and the ADA.

Defining the accommodations you need is important, even while you are in school. Designating these accommodations in an IEP as accommodations is an important transition planning step because you can request these reasonable accommodations after you leave school. Additionally, you will benefit from identifying modifications and developing a plan to move toward accommodations that you will have the right to request long after you leave school.

Reach Out to the Bridges Helpdesk

If you are unsure about whether you have modifications or accommodations or want guidance on how to transition toward accommodations, contact us. If you want to discuss these matters, including how to develop your own “Reasonable Accommodations Request,” reach out to us. We are ready, willing, able, and eager to help!

Check Out the Bridges Helpdesk Life After IEPs Series

Part 1: When Do Things Change, and Why?

Part 2: Changes in Rights to Instructional Services

Part 3: Changes in Rights to Accessible Equipment

Part 4: Changes in Rights to Accommodations and Modifications

Contact us

Follow the Bridges Helpdesk Facebook page for more transition tips, and please contact the Free Helpdesk for Maryland Blind/Low Vision Transition Students, Families, and Educators anytime using:

This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.