The Effects of Accommodations on Performance Assessments

Abstract

Most states in the United States are implementing standards-based reform. A key component of this type of reform is the notion that higher standards are intended for all students, including students with disabilities. Performance on these higher standards is typically measured through large-scale assessment systems, from which many students with disabilities have been excluded. Without these students' participation in the standards movement, states will be lacking critical information on the efficacy of instructional programs for all students. In order to participate, some students with disabilities may require accommodations on these assessments. The issue of accommodations presents many challenges, from legal to psychometric. Given the high-stakes nature of these assessments when used as part of the state accountability system in which financial, legal, and instructional decisions are made, these challenges need to be addressed. This study examined the effects of providing the accommodation of reading the mathematics items to students on the fourth-grade version of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Specifically this study addressed the question, Does reading the mathematics items allow students with learning disabilities to demonstrate their knowledge without affecting the validity of the test? Results provide support for the continued use of this accommodation for students with disabilities that affect reading. Further research is needed in this area, especially as stakes increase for both schools and individual students.