ERIC Number: ED467722
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2002-Jun
Pages: 70
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Access to Computer-Based Testing for Students with Disabilities. Synthesis Report.
Thompson, Sandra J.; Thurlow, Martha L.; Quenemoen, Rachel F.; Lehr, Camilla A.
With pressure to find more cost effective and less labor-intensive approaches to testing, states are seeing computer-based testing as a way to address the increasingly challenging prospect of assessing all students in a state at nearly all grades. Unfortunately, most states have not specifically considered the needs of students with disabilities. This paper recognizes the opportunities created by the new frontier of computer-based testing and identifies the challenges. Research findings and accommodations considerations are also addressed. The recommended process for a good transformation of a paper and pencil test to computer-based testing assumes that the principles of universally designed assessments have been followed. Then, the five recommended steps are: (1) assemble a group of experts to guide the transformation; (2) decide how each accommodation will be incorporated into the computer-based test; (3) consider each accommodation or assessment feature in light of the constructs being tested; (4) consider the feasibility of incorporating the accommodation into the computer-based test; and (5) consider training implications for staff and students. The paper also presents initial considerations for common accommodations within the categories of timing/scheduling, presentation, response, and setting. Appendices include information on federal requirements and a Web-accessibility checklist. (Contains 78 references.) (Author/CR)
Descriptors: Accessibility (for Disabled), Achievement Tests, Check Lists, Computer Assisted Testing, Disabilities, Educational Assessment, Educational Testing, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, Student Evaluation, Testing Accommodations
National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, 350 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Rd., Minneapolis, MN 55455. For full text: http://education.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis45.html.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: National Center on Educational Outcomes, Minneapolis, MN.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: In collaboration with: the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE).