Accommodations and Modifications

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Accommodations and Modifications

• Accommodations and modifications are adaptations
  that are made to the environment, curriculum,
  instruction, or assessment practices in order for
  students with disabilities to be successful
  learners and to participate actively with other
  students in the general education classroom and
  in school wide activities.

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Accommodations

• An accommodation is a change in the tests
  presentation, student response, location,
  timing/scheduling, expectations, and/or other
  attribute which is necessary to provide access
  for a student with a disability to participate in
  the test, and which does not fundamentally alter
  or lower the standard or expectations of the test
  and does not invalidate the test.

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Modifications

• A modification is a change in the tests
  presentation, student response, location,
  timing/scheduling, expectations, and/or other
  attribute which is necessary to provide access
  for a student with a disability to participate in
  the test, but which fundamentally alters or
  lowers the standard or expectations of the test.
  That is, it invalidates the test.

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Assessment Related Terms

• The Department of Education, Special Education
  Programs compiled several assessment terms that
  relate to NCLB and put together a booklet to aid
  educators, parents, and individuals responsible
  for the education of our youth.
• The NCLB glossary of South Dakota
  assessment-related terminology has been prepared
  for you, with this new era in education you will
  find the booklet to be very informative.

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Criterion-Referenced Test

• An assessment designed to compare each students
  performance to specific learning objectives or
  academic content standards.

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High Stakes Tests

• Tests that have high stakes for the student.
• Involves an entitlement for the student.
• The student is the one accountable.
• Exit or graduation exams

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NRTNorm-Referenced Test

• Is an assessment designed to compare student,
  school, district and state performance to that of
  a norm group, typically a national sample
  representing a wide and diverse cross-section of
  students.
• Purpose is to provide information on how well a
  student performs in comparison to other
  students.

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Credit

• We would like to thank Miriam Freedman for her
  emails, proofing and wonderful book.
• Testing Students .and the Law
• schoollawpro.com

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Contact Information
Ann Larsen and Dawn Smith Special Education
Programs ann.larsen_at_state.sd.us
773-4693 dawnl.smith_at_state.sd.us 773-2535