ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLs)

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLs)

ap2623FAdopted August 1, 2002Revised October 23, 2018

2623F - ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLs)

All ELLs participate in Statewide assessments.  Students who are identified as ELLs must be provided with the allowable accommodations listed below.  ELLs who have been enrolled in school in the United States for less than one (1) year may be exempt from FSA ELA assessments.  (Reading and Writing components).  Exempt ELLs must participate in the annual English language proficiency assessment.

Allowable Accommodations for ELLs

  1. Flexible Settings

    ELLs may be offered the opportunity to be tested in a separate room with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) or heritage language teacher acting as     test administrator. Parents/Legal guardians must be informed of this option for students not of legal age and shall be given the opportunity to select the preferred method of test administration.
  2. Flexible Scheduling
     
    1. ELLs may take a test session during several brief periods within one (1) school day; however, each test session must be completed within one (1) school day.
    2. ELLs may be provided additional time to complete a test session; however, each test session must be completed within one (1) school day.
  3. Assistance in Heritage Language
     
    1. ELLs may be provided limited assistance by an ESOL or heritage language teacher using the student’s heritage language for directions, prompts, items, and answer choices. This should not be interpreted as permission to provide oral presentation of prompts, items, and answer choices in English or in the student’s heritage language. Assistance may not be provided for words or phrases in ELA Reading and ELA Writing passages.
    2. The ESOL or heritage language teacher or other trained individual familiar with the student may answer questions about the general test directions in the student’s heritage language. If the test is administered to a group of students, the teacher may answer questions about directions for the benefit of the group. Questions of clarification from individual students must be answered on an individual basis without disturbing other students.
    3. The ESOL or heritage language teacher or other trained individual familiar with the student may answer specific questions about a word or phrase in a prompt, item, or answer choice that is confusing the student because of limited English proficiency but is prohibited from giving assistance that will help the student produce, correct, or edit responses. Assistance may not be provided for words or phrases in ELA Reading or ELA Writing passages.
  4. Approved Dictionary and Glossary

    ELLs should have access to an English-to-heritage language translation and/or heritage language to-English translation dictionary or glossary or both, such as those made available to ELLs in an instructional setting. Glossaries containing content specific word-to-word translations in heritage language can also be provided. The dictionary or glossary must provide word-to-word translations only and may not contain definitions or other information. A dictionary or glossary written exclusively in the heritage language or in English shall not be provided. Electronic translation dictionaries or glossaries that meet the same requirements without accessing the Internet may be used.

Oral Presentation Accommodations

The following read-aloud accommodations are available for FSA:

  1. FSA ELA Writing—Students with an oral presentation accommodation on their IEPs or Section 504 Plans may have the directions and prompt read aloud to them. The Writing test requires that students read a variety of texts and respond to what they have read. Because this portion of the test assesses reading skills as well as writing skills, the passages may not be read aloud to students.
  2. FSA ELA Reading—Students with an oral presentation accommodation on their IEPs or Section 504 Plans may have the directions, test questions, and answer choices read aloud to them. The Reading passages may not be read aloud to students.
  3. FSA Mathematics and EOCs—All mathematics and EOC directions, passages, test questions, and answer choices may be read aloud to students with this accommodation.

Any portions of tests that may be read aloud may also be signed for students with this accommodation. 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. For computer-based tests, text-to-speech features are available on the appropriate read-aloud portions for students who are assigned this accommodation in TIDE. If the type of oral presentation is not specified on the IEP or Section 504 Plan, the accommodation may be provided by a human reader or via the computer based text-to-speech form. If specified, the accommodation should be provided as documented. As with all accommodations, the manner in which the accommodation is provided should be consistent with its use in the classroom (ensuring that students have sufficient practice and are familiar with the format).

Computer-Based Accommodations

The following CBT accommodations are available for students who have these accommodations specified on their IEPs or Section 504 Plans:

  1. text-to-speech
  2. masking
  3. American Sign Language (ASL) videos for ELA Reading tests
  4. Closed Captioning (CC) for ELA Reading tests
  5. writing and reading passage booklets

For text-to-speech accommodations, students must have headphones or earbuds for testing, and headphones/earbuds must be plugged in prior to launching the secure browser on student computers or devices. In addition, FLDOE recommends that schools install the Julie Voice Pack (found in TIDE) for use with the FSA TTS forms administered on Windows computers or devices.

Student Eligibility for Paper-Based Accommodations

A student with a disability who has an IEP or Section 504 plan may be eligible for paper-based accommodations (regular print, large print, Braille, one-item-per-page) on computer-based Statewide assessments. Decisions regarding accommodations, including eligibility for paper-based accommodations, should be based on a student’s needs and should not be made for preferential reasons. The use of computers and mobile devices for instructional engagement and assessment is a fundamental aspect of general education, and the ability to access online environments must be considered. Students with disabilities should be given access to online environments during the educational day, including on assessments, in order to be prepared for college and careers. In addition, students should be given opportunities to practice on computer-based instructional programs and on computer-based test platforms using the available features and accommodations to determine their effectiveness and appropriateness.

Students who are eligible to receive paper-based accommodations must have an IEP or Section 504 Plan that clearly indicates the reason that the computer-based test is not currently accessible or appropriate for the student. Documentation should include:

  1. Whether or not the student is currently able to use a computer or mobile device to engage in instruction/assessments.
  2. Accommodations/Assistive technology the student needs when using a computer or mobile device.
  3. Training and services the student needs to successfully use a computer or mobile device in instruction/assessments.
  4. The type of media/accommodations (e.g., paper, Braille) that are necessary if it is determined that the student cannot use a computer or mobile device for the foreseeable future.

Students who are hospitalized/homebound and students who currently reside at Department of Corrections facilities, excluding Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities, are also eligible to receive paper-based test materials.

Revised 10/23/18

© Brevard County Public Schools 2018