GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES | Administrative Procedures

2623D - GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Determination of appropriate accommodations in assessment situations for students with disabilities shall be based on the individual needs of each student. Decisions on accommodations shall be made by the IEP team and recorded on the IEP or Section 504 Plan. Students with disabilities should be oriented to any test situation through test‑taking instruction designed to familiarize them with testing format and procedures. This orientation should take place near the time of testing.

Procedures recommended for making accommodations decisions include:

Accommodations should facilitate an accurate demonstration of what the student knows or can do.
Accommodations should not provide the student with an unfair advantage or interfere with the validity of a test; they must not change the underlying skills that are being measured by the test.
Accommodations must be the same or nearly the same as adaptations used by the students in completing classroom instruction and assessment activities.
Accommodations must be necessary for enabling the student to demonstrate knowledge, ability, skill, or mastery.

Students with disabilities who are not currently enrolled in public schools or receiving services through public school programs and require accommodations in order to participate in a test administration may have access to accommodations if the following information is provided:

evidence that the student has been found eligible as a student with a disability as defined by F.S. 1003.01(3)(a), and
documentation that the requested accommodations are regularly used for instruction.

Special Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (Unique Accommodations)

In accordance with State Board Rule F.A.C. 6A-1.0943, the School District may request unique accommodations for individual students with disabilities. Unique accommodations are specialized accommodations that require alterations to existing test materials, presentation, or administration guidelines for any student with an active Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan and must be used regularly by the student in the classroom and must not negate the validity or threaten the security of the assessment.

Allowable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Accommodations must be provided as indicated on student IEPs or Section 504 Plans. Listed below and on the following pages are allowable accommodations for the 2017–2018 Florida Standards Assessments. Not all allowable accommodations are listed.

Flexible Presentation
1. For computer-based test administrations, paper-based test materials may be requested for a student with an IEP or Section 504 Plan that clearly indicates the reason that the computer-based test is not currently accessible or appropriate. Student eligibility information for paper-based accommodations must be submitted to FLDOE.
2. A regular print paper version of the test may be requested for a student. For computer-based test administrations, student eligibility information for regular print test materials must be submitted to FLDOE.
3. A large print paper version of the test may be requested for a student. The minimum font size for large print test materials is eighteen (18) points.
4. A contracted or uncontracted Braille version may be requested for a student who uses Braille materials. Student eligibility information for Braille test materials must be submitted to FLDOE. In Braille versions, test items may be altered in format or deleted as authorized by FLDOE.
5. A one-item-per-page paper version may be requested for a student who requires one (1) test item on a page, fewer test items on a page, increased space between test items, or true black-and-white print. Student eligibility information for one-item-per-page test materials must be submitted to FLDOE.
6. A regular print or large print passage booklet may be requested for a student participating in a computer-based Reading or Writing test. The passage booklet contains the passages only and does not contain prompts, test items, or answer choices. Student eligibility information for passage booklets must be submitted to FLDOE.
7. Oral presentation may be provided for directions, prompts, items, and answer choices. Passages in ELA Reading and ELA Writing tests may not be read aloud to students. Passages in Mathematics or EOC assessments may be read aloud. Prompts, items, and answer choices may not be reworded, summarized, or simplified. When reading answer choices, the test administrator or proctor must be very careful not to use inflection that might lead a student to the correct/incorrect responses.
8. For computer-based test administrations, a student may use the text-to-speech (TTS) form for oral presentation of directions, prompts, items, and answer choices. TTS will not be enabled on passages in ELA Reading and ELA Writing tests.
9. American Sign Language (ASL) videos and Closed Captioning for ELA Reading audio content are available for eligible students who have these accommodations identified in their IEPs or Section 504 Plans.
10. Signed presentation may be provided for directions, prompts, items, and answer choices. Passages in ELA Reading and ELA Writing tests may not be signed to students. Passages in Mathematics or EOC assessments may be signed. The test administrator or proctor may sign directions, prompts, items, and answer choices using the same method of sign language that 2017–2018 FSA Accommodations Guide General Information about Accommodations the student regularly uses in the classroom but must be careful not to use signs that might lead the student to a correct response. In such cases, fingerspelling may be used as an alternative. Directions, signs, prompts, items, and answer choices may be signed as many times as a student requests.
11. For oral or signed presentation, the test administrator or proctor may sign or read aloud allowable portions of the tests to the student in the manner that is regularly used in the classroom. Examples of allowable oral/signed presentation include but are not limited to reading/signing to a group of students, reading/signing to a student individually, reading/signing only when a student requests.
12. Test directions may be repeated, clarified, or summarized as many times as a student requests.
13. A student may be provided with a copy of directions from the administration script that is read by the test administrator.
14. A student may be allowed to demonstrate that s/he understands the directions (e.g., repeating or paraphrasing).
15. A student may read aloud directions, passages, prompts, items, and answer choices to himself/herself, would require use of a device such as a WhisperPhone®, or would require that the student be tested in a separate setting so that other students are not disturbed.
16. Verbal encouragement (e.g., “keep working”, “make sure to answer every question”) may be used; however, it may not be used to assist a student in producing or correcting responses.
17. Students may use magnification devices (e.g., CCTV/video magnifiers, reading loupes, handheld magnifiers). Devices must be used without accessing image-upload features (e.g., devices with a memory card must have the memory card removed during testing).
18. A student may use a straightedge to maintain or enhance visual attention to test items.
19. Portions of a test may be masked to direct attention to uncovered item(s). For computer-based test administrations, a student may use the masking accommodation.
20. Colored transparencies/overlays may be used.
21. Test documents may be secured to a work area. If adhesives are used to secure scannable documents, responses must be transcribed into replacement documents.
22. Positioning tools, such as a reading stand, may be used.
23. A student may use a highlighter to highlight key words or phrases in directions, passages, prompts, items, and answer choices. If a highlighter is used on a scannable document and the ink is visible on a response area (e.g., writing response, answer bubble), responses must be transcribed into a replacement document.
Flexible Responding
1. A student may use a highlighter to highlight key words or phrases in directions, passages, prompts, items, and answer choices. If a highlighter is used on a scannable document and the ink is visible on a response area (e.g., writing response, answer bubble), responses must be transcribed into a replacement document.
2. Students must be told the amount of space into which the response will be recorded or transcribed. Recorded or transcribed responses must accurately reflect the response of the student, without addition or enhancement by the test administrator or proctor. Copies must be erased or destroyed after the responses have been transcribed.
3. If a student provides a verbal or signed response, the test administrator or proctor must ask the student to indicate punctuation and the spelling of words that s/he is not completely certain that the student can spell (i.e., words not on the Dolch word list for the grade level tested). The student may review the written material and direct the test administrator or proctor on editing the response.
4. If a student taking a paper-based ELA Writing test provides a typed response, transcription of the response into the paper-based test is not required.
5. A student may use speech-to-text technology to record responses.
6. A student may provide responses using a mouse, keyboard, or assistive technology that uses either device.
7. A student may use a computer or other device to provide responses.
8. A student may use a computer switch or pointing device to provide responses.
9. A student may use a communication device to provide responses.
10. A test administrator or proctor may check periodically to be sure that a student is entering answer choices correctly on a computer-based or paper-based test.
11. A student may use special paper such as raised-line, shaded-line, or color-coded. Responses must be transcribed from the special paper to the format required by the test.
Flexible Scheduling
1. A student may be administered a test session during several brief periods within one (1) school day, allowing frequent breaks. Between sessions and during breaks (e.g., restroom breaks, lunch breaks), students must be closely monitored to ensure that they do not share information about the test.
2. A student may use a specific time of day for test sessions.
3. A student may be provided extended time to complete a test session. Extended time must be provided in accordance with the student’s IEP or Section 504 Plan. Extended time is not unlimited time; it should align with the accommodation used regularly in the student’s classroom instruction and assessments. The student is not required to use all of the extended time that is allowed and may end the test session prior to the expiration of the extended time. Each test session must be completed within one school day.
4. A student with a flexible scheduling accommodation that requires more than one (1) day to complete an FSA reading, mathematics, or EOC test session must participate in testing using paper-based test materials.
  
  The following conditions must be maintained to ensure the validity of the test administration across days:
  1. The student may not be permitted to change his/her responses to items that were completed on a previous day.
  2. The test administrator must closely supervise the administration of the test on an individual basis to ensure that responses from the previous day are not changed and that the student does not preview parts of the test to be answered the following day.
  3. The test administrator must use a paper clip or binder clip to secure the test documents and prevent the student from reviewing his/her answers from the previous day. Staples or tape should not be used. Clips must be removed after testing.
  4. All FSA Writing administrations must be completed in one (1) school day.
  5. Grades 6–8 students with extended time accommodations may be administered one (1) FSA Mathematics session per day (over three (3) days).
Flexible Setting
1. A student may be administered a test in a familiar place with a test proctor present, and/or a familiar person who has been appropriately trained may administer the test. Procedures for test security must be followed and precautions taken in order to ensure that the test remains secure.
2. A student may be administered a test individually or in a small group setting. A small group should be of a comparable size to the normal instruction group size indicated on the student’s IEP or Section 504 Plan.
3. If a student requires use of an accommodation that may disturb or is not allowed for other students in the room (e.g., read aloud), the student should be tested in a separate setting.
4. A student may use special lighting.
5. A student may use adaptive or special furniture.
6. Special acoustics, such as FM systems, may be used to enhance sound, or special rooms may be used to decrease auditory distractions.
7. The opportunity for movement may be increased or decreased.
8. Stimuli may be reduced (e.g., by limiting the number of items around the student’s desk or computer station).
9. White noise/sound machines or music that are approved by District/school personnel may be used to reduce auditory distractions. During testing, machines and music players must be controlled by the test administrator or proctor.
Assistive Devices and Tools
1. A student may use software programs to ensure access to the computer and to approved assistive technology (e.g., switch scanning software, specialized on-screen keyboards, mouse emulators).
2. A student may use varied assistive devices to access the computer (e.g., alternative keyboards, trackballs, joysticks, switch scanning systems, touch screens, mouth sticks, head wands, eye-gaze or head control systems).
3. Visual magnification and auditory amplification devices may be used.
4. Other assistive technology typically used by the student in classroom instruction may be used, provided that the purpose of the test is not violated. Implementation of assistive devices must ensure that test responses are the independent work of the student.
5. Students who use sign language as their primary means of communication may use an English/sign or sign/English translation dictionary. The dictionary must be similar to one used in an instructional setting and may not contain definitions of words. The dictionary may contain the sign picture, the word, synonyms, and an index. Electronic sign language dictionaries that meet the same requirements without accessing the Internet may be used.
6. For Sessions 2 and 3 of Grades 7–8 Mathematics and for Session 2 of EOC mathematics tests, a regular, large key/large display, or talking calculator may be used. No other calculator may be used. Calculators may not be used during other tests or test sessions.
7. A student with a visual impairment may use an abacus and products such as the Graphic Aid for Mathematics, Math Window®, and the geoboard. These devices are approved substitutes for paper-and-pencil computation.
8. A student may use blank mathematics grids/guides to organize mathematical computation.
9. Multiplication charts/tables may not be used.
10. Devices designed to check grammar or spelling must not be used.
11. Manipulative materials, including but not limited to counters, base-10 blocks, clock faces, or geometric shapes may not be used except when approved by FLDOE for use with Braille test materials. Real coins may be used to represent coins depicted in test items. Coins may not be used as counting devices.
12. Students who require the use of an electronic device for a purpose specified on his/her plan (e.g., health monitoring application on the studentʼs phone) may have access to the device during testing. A test administrator must be able to monitor the studentʼs use of the device at all times during testing.

Revised 10/23/18