Accommodation in Assessment

The purpose of accommodation is to allow students to best demonstrate their development, understanding, and achievement. There is, however, a lack of consistency in the design, development, and provision of accommodation which is a controversial issue. The types of accommodation adopted include extended time such as time and a half, double time, or unlimited time; small group/individual assessment to reduce distraction to other test takers; providing test directions such as interpretation for students taking tests not in their first language or for English language learners (ELLs); test items read aloud or interpreted; and student sign response for those students having difficulty expressing themselves in writing. Further, there are accommodations in settings such that the environment setup is changed, which is a common practice for students who are easily distracted. Many of these accommodations are not limited to science but are also common in other subject areas.

Considerations of...