Effects of Test Modifications on the Minimum Competency Performance of Learning Disabled Students

Abstract

Fueled by significant decreases in student achievement and general discontent with the American educational system, minimum competency testing (MCT) is viewed by many as the last chance to bring about educational accountability and to force changes in student performance. For special education students, testing of minimum competence is both a blessing and a bane. In view of the characteristics of this population of students, the anticipated benefits of system accountability must be weighed against the disadvantages and potential harm resulting from official documentation of failure to achieve minimum competence. To address the issues which surround minimum competency testing of exceptional students, officials in a number of states have chosen to exempt handicapped children from testing. Others have addressed the problem by permitting modifications in testing instruments and procedures to be part of the MCT program for special education students. In the state of Florida, for example, the use of auditory aids (e.g., tape-recorded versions of appropriate parts of a test) as well as situational modifications (e.g., flexible scheduling, settings, and answerrecording systems) are part of the statewide MCT program. Furthermore, students in Florida may also be administered modified versions of the State Student Assessment Test (SSAT). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of several test modifications on the performance of third-grade learning disabled (LD) students. The grade 3 SSAT was designed to measure student achievement of desirable minimum standards in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Specifically, vocabulary, reading comprehension, logical thinking, and study skills are measured on the reading portions of the test. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and organizational skills are measured by the writing standards included in the SSAT, while number concepts, addition, subtraction, measurement, and solution of word problems are assessed by the mathematics standards. The changes under investigation in the present study included modifications of line length, item groupings, answer formats, and administration procedures, as well as alterations of the general physical layout and graphic representations of the test. The content (i.e., state standards assessed) of the SSAT (Grade 3) test was not altered in this research; test items were simply reformatted and rearranged to prepare a different-looking test. Three specific questions were of interest: