Test Accommodations

Every state is different, but in Ohio we require students with learning disabilities to take the same test as their other peers that don’t have a learning disabilities. They are allowed to have extra time and accommodations when testing. Stated in the article Implications of High Stake for Students “It is a challenge, however, for the students to pass the courses and particularly the related high stakes tests that may be involved” (Landers). Students that have a learning disability should be taken into more consideration and have a separate test made for them. They aren’t going to be going at the same paste as their other peers so it is wrong to give them the same test. Data shows that students with disabilities fail large-scale tests at higher rates than other students, which cause them to start dropping

Several students have IEP (individualized education plans) at my school. An IEP puts into writing the specific, individualized requirements for the child's education that must be fulfilled for that child to have an education which is commensurate with

In 1991 the Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was replaced by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law was passed to provide free and appropriate public education to every child with a disability. It requires that each child with a disability “have access to the program best suited to that child’s special needs which is as close as possible to a normal child’s educational program” (Martin, 1978). The Individualized education program (IEP) was developed to help provide a written record of students’ needs and procedures for each child that receives special education services. The IEP will list all the services to be provided, the student's performance level, academic performance, and

I believe students face the challenges of assessment and accommodations in different ways than their educators. In the past testing accommodations for schools were often found to be unpredictable

In the American system the curriculum serves 5, 000 students and more than 20 countries and we need to review and look at the IEP process. The question that has spark concerns is to look at students direct IEP and how we can look to evaluate it? How students benefits from an IEP and what would be the first logical steps to change the process. We have a mixture of students who are not all English speaking students from all backgrounds and have some disabilities. I’m not here to complain about the teachers in your system, you have wonderful teachers who capture student’s interest and encourage students learning. But we are here to address the IEP’s process issue.

Students with disabilities may require accommodations in order to find success. Some accommodations may include additional time to complete assignments and/or assessments, oral presentation of content or instructions, or allowing the student to type work vs. writing it. Accommodations must be individualized and reasonable based on the needs of the student.

Prior to 1975, no federal requirements existed for students with disabilities to attend school, or requirements for schools to attempt to teach students with disabilities (Salvia, Yesseldyke, & Bolt, 2013, p. 25). However, upon the enactment of several federal laws, such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), student with disabilities received access to free, appropriate public education which in turned required students with disabilities to participate in statewide assessments. According to Public Law 94-142 (now included in IDEA), it requires an individual education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. As part of the IEP, it contains items such as present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, criteria of progress, special education and related services as well as documenting any necessary accommodations needed for statewide assessments. The author provides a comparison of statewide assessments including items such as participation, accommodations and types of assessments between the states of Texas and Massachusetts.

Students with disabilities are increasingly being included in large scale, high-stakes testing programs despite inadequate accommodations. In recent years, the school system has increased pressure on students in regards to testing. In the past, Kentucky has done a poor job of including impaired students in its statewide assessments; mainly in failing to provide the mandated accommodations for disabled students. In order to help these students with their learning skills, test scores, appropriate testing accommodations and the performance of students with disabilities. Results indicate that most Kentucky students have been included in the CATS assessment, but many the scores obtained from disabled students may not be reliable due to

High Stakes Testing has been overly integrated in the education systems. High-stakes testing are used to determine grade retention, school curriculum, and whether or not students will receive a high school diploma (Myers, 2015). Since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, high stakes testing has become the norm and mandating that students must pass a standardized test before moving up in grade. As a special education director, the focus is to ensure the student’s accommodations are being followed. Accommodations help increase students’ academic performance. “Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for students with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum and in testing programs to the maximum extent possible for each student (Luke and Schwartz, 2010).” Throughout the years, high stakes testing is becoming more common than ever before. The reality is high stakes testing is one indicator in evaluating children with specific needs. This paper will discuss, the violation of the statutory language regarding assessment based on IDEA, the strategies and goals of a remediation, staff training, common Core and PARCC assessment, and funding for the remediation plan under IDEA.

The student’s present level of academic performance and functional performance and a statement of how the disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. Preschool children must have a statement explaining how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.

“The IEP, Individualized Education Program, is a document that is developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education” The IEP describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. When developing an IEP the team will consider how their students specific disability affects their learning and come up with goals and objectives that will accommodate those needs and place the student in the least restrictive environment to achieve the goals and

Beakstead, personal communication, October 31, 2013). Alternately, another student’s area of concentration might be based solely on independent living skills at home or with caretakers, and less focused on academic goals. As the goals are implemented by the special education team the student’s achievements can be evaluated daily, weekly, or monthly and in independent and group settings until mastery of the IEP goal is achieved, and where the learning goals of the IEP are age and skill level appropriate and address the future needs of the student. Additionally, these experiences encourage opportunities to practice new knowledge and skills, where teacher-directed and student feedback is available, and where instructional practice and student expectations can be reflected on and adjusted if necessary (Johnson-Gerard, 2012).

Throughout the history of education the negative effects of standardize testing on students with learning disabilities had become a major issue for educators today (Kessler, et al., 2006). Kessler stated that a mixed method research proposal was used to examine whether or not a connection exist between students’ standardize test scores and testing accommodation. Kessler also stated that there are extending circumstances pertaining to the timeframe in which standardize test are being taken. According to Kessler the accommodation for testing students’ with standardize test indicates that it is more beneficial to accommodate students’ with standardize testing by adding extended time and classroom placement. Lee, Osborne, Hayes, and Simoes, (2008) stated that the mixed method research indicated that there is a relationship between tests scores and testing accommodation being provided to these students’ with learning. Also, Lee, Osborne, Hayes, and Simoes, (2008) indicated that this particular mixed method research uses interviews and surveys to conduct standardize testing of students’ with learning disabilities in order to determine whether or not testing accommodation indicates if a significant differences is found in student test scores. Lee, Osborne, Hayes, and Simoes stated that there are different types of testing conditions in which data has been taken from

In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while

Provide Assistance with children who have an IEP It is understood that when a parent is worried or concerned for their Child’s academic performance they contact the school to set up a meeting with the school's child study team. A child study team consists of a psychologist, a learning disabilities consultant and social worker. From that point on they will discuss the needs that would be better suited for the child’s academic performance. For instance, the social worker along with the child study team must follow certain guidelines set by law and must be included in every Child’s IEP. For this reason it must state the Child’s performance in school during the present term, it must also include educational goals, including the support and services that the school will provide to help each student meet these goals, it also includes modifications and the accommodations to help with their progress, accommodations when taking standardized tests, and a report of how and when the school will measure the child’s progress toward annual goals, and the transition planning that prepares for life after high school. (Stanberry, 2017)