Title:
_Test Access & Modification for Individuals with Disabilities_
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF
NEW YORK
Regents of The
University
CARL T.
HAYDEN, Chancellor, A.B., J.D. ........................Elmira
LOUISE
P. MATTEONI, Vice Chancellor, B.A., M.A., Ph.D ........Bayside
EMLYN
I. GRIFFITH, A.B., J.D ....................................Rome
JORGE
L. BATISTA, B.A., J.D. ...................................Bronx
J.
EDWARD MEYER, B.A., LL.B. ..................................Armonk
R.
CARLOS CARBALLADA, Chancellor Emeritus, B.S. ............Rochester
MIMI
LEVIN LIEBER, B.A., M.A. ...............................New York
NORMA
GLUCK, B.A., M.S.W. ...................................New York
ADELAIDE
L. SANFORD, B.A., M.A., P.D. .......................New York
WALTER
COOPER, B.A., Ph.D. .................................Rochester
DIANE
O'NEILL McGIVERN, B.S.N., M.A., Ph.D. .................New York
SAUL B.
COHEN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. ........................New Rochelle
JAMES
C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D. ........................Peru
ROBERT
M. BENNETT, B.A., M.S. ..............................Tonawanda
ROBERT
M. JOHNSON, B.S., J.D. ...........................Lloyd Harbor
President
of The University and Commissioner of Education
RICHARD
P. MILLS
Executive
Deputy Commissioner of Education
THOMAS
E. SHELDON
Deputy
Commissioner for Vocational and Educational Services for
Individuals
with Disabilities
LAWRENCE
C. GLOECKLER
Coordinator
of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Administration
RONALD
G. CALHOUN
Executive
Coordinator for Special Education Services
THOMAS
B. NEVELDINE
Bureau
Chief for Special Education Data Collection, Analysis and
Reporting
JAMES
C. VIOLA
The State Education Department does not
discriminate on the
basis
of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status,
veteran
status, national origin, race, gender or sexual orientation
in the
education programs and activities which it operates. Portions
of this
publication can be made available in a variety of formats,
including
braille, large print or audio tape, upon request.
Inquiries
concerning this policy of equal opportunity and affirmative
action
should be referred to the Department's Director of Affirmative
Action,
NYS Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY
12234.
Title:
_Test Access & Modification for Individuals with Disabilities_
PREFACE
The mission of the New York State
Education Department Office
of
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with
Disabilities
(VESID) includes an expanded role in developing and
coordinating
appropriate services so that people with disabilities
can
lead self-sufficient, self-directed lives to the maximum extent
possible. Consistent with this mission, VESID provides
vocational
rehabilitation
services and coordinates lifelong educational services
for
individuals with disabilities to assist in expanding and
enhancing
their opportunities to live and work independently in their
communities. Office planning and initiatives are directed
toward the
establishment
of mechanisms to ensure that individuals with
disabilities
will continue to have their needs appropriately met,
throughout
their lives if necessary, as they grow from infants and
toddlers
to preschoolers; as they progress through elementary and
secondary
education programs; and as they pursue higher education and
employment
opportunities.
In January 1995, the administration of
the Education
Department's
Office for Special Education Services (OSES) was
consolidated
into VESID. This consolidation will
help ensure the
continuity
of services and encourage long-term planning and goal
setting
so individuals with disabilities will have an equitable
opportunity
to access and succeed in high quality educational
programs
and be fully employed.
This publication is an example of how New
Yorkers with
disabilities
will be better served by this consolidation and a
lifelong
view to educational opportunity. Test
access and
modification
is not an issue only in elementary and secondary school;
it is
also an important consideration in identifying and pursuing
postsecondary
education and employment opportunities.
The
information
presented in the following pages is intended to increase
access
to local, State and national test programs, as well as the
consistent
provision of test modifications which are necessary in
order
to demonstrate knowledge and abilities.
Moreover, this
publication
will promote and facilitate short and long-range planning
for
individuals with disabilities by focusing on a particular segment
of
their life, kindergarten through grade 12, within the framework of
life
opportunities.
FOREWORD
This publication provides State Education
Department policies
and
information regarding test access and modification which will
assist
school staff, parents, students, and others involved in
designing
educational programs and setting academic and career goals
for
students with disabilities. This manual
addresses testing only
as it
relates to ensuring appropriate access and accommodations. It
is not
intended as a primary source of information on testing
programs
and testing issues in general. Each
module indicates
sources
for obtaining additional information regarding the tests or
program
discussed.
This publication does not include an
exhaustive listing or
discussion
of all local, State and national tests and test programs.
However,
the various tests and programs which are addressed will
provide
a basis for identifying trends and similarities across tests
and
programs, as well as policies and procedures which may differ.
Individuals
with disabilities who require test modifications are
strongly
encouraged to contact appropriate testing authorities well
in
advance of test administration in order to receive information
regarding
policies and procedures for requesting test modifications,
as well
as the extent to which such modifications are available.
The information contained in this
publication is accurate as of
the
date of publication. The policies
presented in Module 2 (TESTS
AND
EXAMINATIONS ADMINISTERED TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
KINDERGARTEN
THROUGH GRADE 12) and Module 3 (HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY
DIPLOMAS
AND GENERAL EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TESTS) of this document
supersede
all Education Department policies previously published in
regard
to test access and modification for students with
disabilities.
This publication has been developed in a
modular format in
order
to facilitate the insertion of personal notes or applicable
local
policies and procedures.
CONTENTS
note- Page numbers in the Contents section of this
document
correspond to the original by the
author. There are no page
numbers in the electronic
document.
Acknowledgements
..................................................iv
Preface
............................................................v
Foreword
..........................................................vi
Test
Access and Modification and School Reform ...................vii
Module
1 - Federal and State Requirements
Pertaining to
Test Access and Modification
............................1
Module
2 - Tests and Examinations Administered
to Students with
Disabilities Kindergarten through
Grade 12 ..............6
Module
3 - High School Equivalency Diplomas
and General Educational
Development Tests
......................................29
Module
4 - Advanced Placement Program
............................36
Module
5 - Preliminary SAT/National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying
Test (NMSQT) SAT I:
Reasoning Test and SAT II:
Subject
Tests
..................................................40
Module
6 - ACT Assessment Program
................................45
Module
7 - Graduate Record Examinations
..........................49
Module
8 - Miller Analogies Test
.................................53
Module
9 - Professional Licensing Examinations
...................57
Module
10 - New York State Civil Service Examinations .............64
Appendices
A. Special Education Training and Resource
Center Network
Directory
B. New York State Education Department,
VESID Office for Special
Education Services, Regional Office
Directory
C. New York State Education Department,
VESID Educational
Institution Linkages Unit, Regional
Office Directory
D. NYS Competency Test Program - Pupil
Evaluation Program Tests,
Program Evaluation Tests, Regents
Preliminary Competency Tests
E. NYS Competency Test Program - Regents
Examinations, Regents
Competency Tests, Proficiency
Examinations
F. SAT and College Board Achievement Test
Scores Acceptable for
Meeting Requirements for a Regents High
School Diploma
G. ACT, SAT and College Board Achievement
Test Scores Acceptable
for Meeting Competency Requirements for
a Local High School
Diploma
H. Office of Vocational and Educational
Services for Individuals
with Disabilities, Regional Office
Directory
I. Glossary of Abbreviations and Terms
Index
TEST ACCESS AND MODIFICATION
AND
SCHOOL REFORM
Three education reform initiatives have
recently been enacted
which
specify important goals and principles applicable to all
students,
and strongly support the appropriate provision of test
access
and modification for students with disabilities. The three
initiatives
are:
- Goals 2000: Educate America Act
- _A New Compact for Learning_
- Least Restrictive Environment
Implementation Policy Paper
On March 31, 1994, President Clinton
signed into law the Goals
2000: Educate America Act. Its purpose is to improve learning and
teaching
by providing a national framework for education reform by
promoting
research, consensus building and systemic changes in order
to ensure
equitable educational opportunities and high levels of
educational
achievement for all students.
Three years earlier, the New York State
Board of Regents
adopted
_A New Compact for Learning_, a comprehensive strategy for
improving
public elementary, middle and secondary education results.
The
Compact is based on the principle that all children can learn and
calls
for collaboration by parents, educators, State and local
governments,
colleges, libraries, museums, social services agencies,
community
groups and other stakeholders in the efficacy of the
State's
educational system.
The innovative and far reaching
provisions of these national
and
State educational reforms are completely consistent with one
another,
each acting as a catalyst to advance and support the other.
Both
are focused on educational results and call for the
establishment
of high educational standards to be applicable to all
students
regardless of race, gender, marital status, color, religion,
national
origin or disability. Understanding
that all children are
not the
same, however, the expectation that all children will excel
is
coupled with the recognition that individual talents and
abilities,
interests and emotions, strengths and needs must be
addressed
in order to provide each student an equitable opportunity
to
learn.
Both the Compact and Goals 2000 focus on:
-Academic Mastery - Students will excel
in mathematics and
science achievement. They will also be proficient in knowledge
and skills which will prepare them for
college, employment,
family life responsibilities and
citizenship.
-School Completion - At least 90 percent
of students will
successfully complete the assessments
and course work which are
required in order to graduate with a
high school diploma.
-Student Results - Every student will
have access to the
resources which are necessary to be
successful in the school
program. The requirement is not equality of input, but equity
of results.
Advancing the principles of the Compact
and Goals 2000, the
Board
of Regents adopted the Least Restrictive Environment
Implementation
Policy Paper in May 1994. The
Implementation Policy
Paper
calls for greater representation and participation of people
with
disabilities in all aspects of society.
It recognizes that
students
with and without disabilities need to learn to interact and
develop
interdependent relationships so that, as adults, they can
successfully
participate together in the mainstream of American
society. The Implementation Policy Paper includes the
following
eight
principles:
1. Services and programs will be made
available to students based
on their individual needs, without
regard to classification.
2. A continuum of alternative placements
will be available to
meet the needs of students with
disabilities. However, no
placement may effectively restrict the
full appropriate
participation of students with
disabilities in the programs
and assessments necessary for a high
school diploma.
3. All students with disabilities will have
equal access to a
high quality program based on their
individual needs and
abilities and designed to enable them
to achieve desired
learning results established for all
students. Educational
placement decisions for students will
be determined by a
process which first considers a general
education environment
in the school the student would attend if he or she did not
have a disability.
4. The removal of a student with a
disability from the general
educational environment occurs only
when the needs of the
student are such that, even with the
use of supplementary aids
and services, his or her needs cannot
be met. However,
consideration must be given to the
impact of a student with a
disability on the education of other
students in the general
or special education class when making
placement decisions.
5. Efforts will be made to access and
coordinate with other
available services within a local
school district, Board of
Cooperative Educational Services, or
agency program before a
student fails in his or her current
educational placement.
6. The responsibility for all students is
shared among all staff
of the school. Parents and guardians will have an
opportunity
for meaningful participation in the
development of the
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
as equal partners with
school personnel.
7. Students with disabilities will be full
participants in all
aspects of the school program,
including extracurricular
activities and State and local testing programs, to the
maximum extent appropriate to their
needs.
8. Students with disabilities in segregated
placements will
transition to general education
programs, when appropriate.
_Test Access and Modification for
Individuals with
Disabilities_
has been developed in a manner fully consistent with
the
words and spirit of the above three educational reforms. The
appropriate
provision of test modifications provides students with
disabilities
an equitable opportunity to demonstrate acquired
knowledge
and abilities during the administration of State and local
examinations. Just as importantly, test modifications
promote
students
with disabilities participation in State and local testing
programs,
as well as their access to more challenging educational
programs
(such as Regents or Advanced Placement courses).
This publication will be broadly
distributed statewide in order
to
provide a consistent understanding of the requirements associated
with
the full and consistent provision of test access and
modifications
for individuals with disabilities.
Consistent with the
State
and local accountability provisions contained in the Compact
and
Goals 2000, statistical information regarding the participation
and
performance of students with disabilities in State Education
Department
examinations is published annually in the Consolidated
Special
Education Performance Report.
A copy of _A New Compact for Learning_,
the Least Restrictive
Environment
Implementation Policy Paper, the Consolidated Special
Education
Performance Report, and additional copies of this
publication
may be obtained at a Special Education Training and
Resource
Center (SETRC). (A statewide directory
listing the location
of each
center is included as Appendix A.)
These information
materials
may also be obtained by contacting the Office of Vocational
and
Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID),
One
Commerce Plaza, Room 1624, Albany, New York
12234.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The New York State Education Department
wishes to acknowledge
the
following individuals who substantially contributed to the
content
of the publication, _Test Access and Modification for
Individuals
with Disabilities_.
Publication Development:
James
C. Viola, Bureau Chief
Office
of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with
Disabilities
New
York State Education Department
Publication Consultants:
David
R. Bower, Coordinator of Assessment
Bureau
of Professional Examination
Development
and Assessment
New
York State Education Department
Rosalind
Day, Assistant Program Director
Advanced
Placement Program
Educational
Testing Service
GRE
Administrative Office Staff
Graduate
Record Examinations
Educational
Testing Service
Kelley
Hayden, Director
Office
of Corporate Communications
American
College Testing
Anthony
Lofrumento, Unit Leader
High
School Equivalency Programs
and GED Testing
New
York State Education Department
Kenneth
Ormiston, Bureau Chief
Office
of State Assessment
New
York State Education Department
Sandra
Petronis, Supervisor
Special
Accommodations Unit
New
York State Department of Civil Service
Kathleen
E. Surgalla, Assistant Counsel
Office
of Counsel
New
York State Education Department
William
F. Wilkinson III, Area Director
Postsecondary
Educational Assessment
The
Psychological Corporation
(Miller
Analogies Test)
June
Zumoff, Associate Program Director
SAT
Program
Educational
Testing Service
Publication
Design:
Bruce
Stewart, Supervisor
Center
for Art and Design
New
York State Education Department
Publication
Word Processing:
Kathy
Bunney, Secretary I
Office
of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with
Disabilities
New
York State Education Department
December 1995
TO: District Superintendents
Superintendents of Schools
Superintendents of State-Operated and
State-Supported Schools
Organizations, Parents and Individuals
Concerned with Special
Education
Nonpublic School Administrators and
Educators
Principals of Public Schools
Directors of Special Education
Chairpersons of Committees on Special
Education
Directors of Pupil Personnel Services
Guidance Counselors
Colleges with Special Education and
Rehabilitation Preservice
Programs
Commissioner's Advisory Panel on
Special Education Services
Impartial Hearing Officers
Community Dispute Resolution Centers
SETRC Project Directors and Training
Specialists
Transition Coordination Sites
VESID District Office Managers
FROM: Lawrence C. Gloeckler
SUBJECT:Test
Access and Modification for Individuals with
Disabilities
During the 1990s, education reforms were
enacted at the State
level
(_A New Compact for Learning_ and the Least Restrictive
Environment
Implementation Policy Paper) and federal level (Goals
2000: Educate America Act) to improve educational
results for all
students,
including those with disabilities; and emphasis was placed
on the
appropriate integration of students with disabilities in all
general
education programs, including test programs.
All students,
including
those with disabilities, are expected to learn and achieve
high
standards. By the close of the 1993-94
school year, 7,319
students
with disabilities graduated with a Regents or local high
school
diploma. Of these students, 4,536 were
provided test
modifications.
The issue of test access and modification
has grown because our
expectations
for students with disabilities have grown.
These
expectations
transcend the public school secondary education program.
Upon
becoming adults, some students with disabilities will need entry
level
employment opportunities and their public school program should
be
designed so that they may obtain and succeed in such
opportunities. However, many students with disabilities
consider,
and
should be encouraged to pursue, higher education opportunities
and
highly competitive careers. Admissions
requirements established
by
colleges and universities, authorized accommodations for
Scholastic
Assessment Tests (SATs) and American College Tests (ACTs),
tests
required for licensure as a professional, State civil service
examinations,
and for other tests/examinations are important to
consider
in making career plans.
This publication addresses test access
and modification much
more
comprehensively than previous publications of the New York State
Education
Department. It is designed as an
important tool to be used
by
schools, parents and students to make informed decisions in
designing
special education programs and making long-range plans. It
has
been developed for students with disabilities to promote their
access
to challenging course work, to local, State and national
examination
programs, and to higher education and employment
opportunities
which are commensurate with their abilities.
MODULE 1
FEDERAL AND STATE REQUIREMENTS
PERTAINING
TO TEST ACCESS AND MODIFICATION
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Important considerations for assuring
appropriate test access
and
modifications for individuals with disabilities are prescribed in
federal
and State laws and regulations. The
federal laws and
regulations
are:
-Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (20 USC 1400 et seq.) -
Formerly known as the Education of All
Handicapped Children Act, this
law allocates federal funds to State and
local education agencies to
establish and implement policies and due
process procedural
safeguards for the identification of students
with disabilities, up
to 21 years of age, and for the provision of
special education
programs and services in the least
restrictive environment,
consistent with each student's needs and
abilities.
Implementing regulations: 34 CFR Part 300
-Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (29 USC
794) - This civil rights law prohibits
recipients of federal funds
from discriminating on the basis of
disability. It provides that no
otherwise qualified individual with a
disability (regardless of age)
shall, soley by reason of such disability, be
excluded from, denied
the benefits of, or subjected to
discrimination under any program or
activity receiving federal financial
assistance.
Implementing regulations: 34 CFR Sections 101.1-104.61
-The
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101-12213) -
This civil rights law extends the Section 504
prohibition against
discrimination to public and private
entities, regardless of whether
they receive federal funds.
Implementing regulations: 28 CFR Part 35
These federal laws and regulations apply
to all operations of
school
districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES),
colleges/universities,
agencies, corporations, and others either
because
they receive federal financial assistance (pursuant to
Section
504) or are public or private entities (pursuant to the
Americans
with Disabilities Act). They require
that qualified
individuals
with disabilities be provided the opportunity to
participate
in all programs and services, curricular and
extracurricular,
which are available to nondisabled individuals,
including
test programs and examinations. In
order to permit
individuals
with disabilities the opportunity to benefit from such
participation,
reasonable accommodations, including appropriate
adjustments
and modifications of examinations, must be implemented.
Pursuant
to Section 504, the aids, benefits and services are not
required
to produce the identical result or level of achievement for
individuals
with and without disabilities, but must afford
individuals
with disabilities an equal opportunity to obtain the same
result,
to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of
achievement. It is discriminatory to exclude individuals
with
disabilities
from programs or activities, or to deny them services or
accommodations.
In regard to examinations and courses,
Section 309 of the
Americans
with Disabilities Act states:
Any person that offers examinations or
courses related to
applications, licensing, certification,
or credentialing for
secondary or post-secondary education,
professional, or trade
purposes shall offer such examinations or
courses in a place and
manner accessible to persons with
disabilities or offer
alternative accessible arrangements for
such individuals.
STATE LEGAL REFERENCES
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE
12
The issue of test access and modification
at the elementary and
secondary
school levels is also addressed in Part 100 (Subchapter E:
Elementary
and Secondary Education) and Part 200 (Subchapter P:
Students
with Disabilities) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education. Both regulations address the extent to which
student
access
must be safeguarded. Section 100.2(s)
of the regulations
requires
that students with disabilities have access to the full
range
of programs and services set forth in the Part 100 regulations
(including
courses and State examinations) to the extent that such
programs
and services are appropriate for each individual student.
In addition, Section 200.2(b) of the
regulations requires that
each
Board of Education or Board of Trustees adopt written policy to
establish
administrative practices and procedures ensuring that
students
with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in
school
district programs, "to the maximum extent appropriate to the
needs
of the student," including extracurricular programs and
activities
which are available to all other students enrolled in the
public
schools of the district. In regard to
school programs and
test
modifications, Section 100.2(s)(2) of the regulations requires
that
instructional techniques and materials used by schools be
modified
to the extent appropriate to provide the opportunity for
students
with disabilities to meet diploma requirements; and Section
100.2(g)
authorizes the implementation of test modifications for
students
with disabilities during the administration of State
Education
Department examinations. In addition,
Section 200.4(c)(2)
of the
regulations requires that the Individualized Education Program
(IEP)
for each student with a disability list those test
modifications
to be used consistently by the student in the
recommended
educational program. In summary, Part
100 and Part 200
of the
Regulations of the Commissioner of Education require that, to
the
maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities have
access
to all courses, tests and examinations which are available to
nondisabled
students, and that they receive test
modifications
consistently
during their school program (including tests
administered
by teachers in special education and general education
classroom
settings, and commercially developed standardized tests
administered
at the discretion of school districts) and during State
Education
Department examinations.
New York State case law has supported the
State Education
Department's
authority to establish requirements for graduation with
a high
school diploma which are applicable to all students, including
those
with disabilities. The case,
Northport-East Northport Union
Free
School District vs. Ambach, was an Article 78 proceeding brought
by the
school district in the State Supreme Court in 1979, when the
Education
Department ordered the revocation of high school diplomas
awarded
to two students with disabilities who completed their
respective
IEPs, but did not pass required Regents Competency Tests
(RCTs). In 1982, the Appellate Division of the New
York State
Supreme
Court determined that the State Education Department had the
authority
to adopt regulations with respect to diploma requirements
for all
students. (In 1984, the U.S. Supreme
Court denied the school
district's
petition for review.)
Northport-East Northport Union Free
School District vs. Ambach
was
also investigated by the United States Department of Education
Office
for Civil Rights (OCR). In this regard,
OCR determined that
the
denial of a diploma based on the inability of a student with a
disability
to meet the competency testing requirements does not
constitute
the denial of a benefit since the student is not a
"qualified
handicapped person" (i.e., the individual has not
demonstrated
competency in specified academic areas).
Since the
Education
Department instructed school districts to properly design
and
construct IEPs for students with disabilities in regard to the
competency
testing requirement, and the Education Department
guidelines
provide for administration of the competency tests in an
environment
and in a manner which maximize the opportunity for
students
with disabilities to satisfactorily complete such tests in
light
of their disabilities, OCR concluded that the students were
afforded
an equal opportunity. Based on this
case, it is clear that
the
State Education Department has the authority to specify course
and
examination criteria which must be completed by all students in
order
to receive a Regents or local high school diploma.
FEDERAL LEGAL REFERENCES
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
Subpart E of Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act applies to
postsecondary
education programs and activities, including
postsecondary
vocational education programs and activities that
receive
or benefit from federal financial assistance.
In regard to
admissions
and recruitment, the law states that no qualified
individual
with a disability may, due to his or her disability, be
denied
admission or be subjected to discrimination in admission or
recruitment
procedures. It further prohibits limits
on the number or
proportion
of individuals with disabilities who may be admitted to
such
programs.
Tests or criteria used for admissions
purposes may not be used
if they
have a disproportionate, adverse effect on individuals with
disabilities
unless:
-the test or criterion has been validated
as a predictor of
success in the education program or
activity; AND
-alternate tests or criteria that have a
less disproportionate,
adverse effect are not available.
Admissions tests, course examinations or
other procedures for
evaluating
students' academic achievement must be selected and
administered
to best ensure that, when administered to an applicant
with a
disability, the results accurately reflect the applicant's
aptitude
or achievement level or any other factor the test is
designed
to measure, rather than reflect the applicant's disability
(except
where such skills are what the test is designed to measure).
Such
tests must be administered in facilities which are accessible to
individuals
with disabilities. Special editions of
tests which are
designed
for individuals with impaired sensory, manual or speaking
skills
must be offered as often and in as timely a manner as are
other
admissions tests.
Upon being accepted in a postsecondary
education program,
modification
of academic requirements must be implemented to the
extent
that general academic requirements may discriminate, on the
basis
of a disability, against a qualified student with a disability.
Such
modifications may include extended time for completion of degree
requirements,
substitution of specific courses or degree
requirements,
and adaptation of the manner in which courses are
conducted. The program is also barred from imposing
rules, such as
the
prohibition of tape recorders in classrooms or of dog guides in
campus
buildings, which may limit the participation of individuals
with
disabilities in programs. In fact,
programs must ensure
individuals
with disabilities are not denied benefits or are
otherwise
subjected to discrimination because of the absence of
auxiliary
aids, such as taped texts, interpreters, readers or
adaptations
of classroom equipment. (It should be
noted that the
postsecondary
program is not required to provide attendants,
individually
prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study,
or
other devices or services of a personal nature.)
In regard to course examinations or other
procedures for
evaluating
students' academic achievement, programs must use methods
for
evaluating individuals with impaired sensory, manual or speaking
skills
which will best ensure that results represent the student's
achievement,
rather than the student's disability (except where such
skills
are what the test is designed to measure).
FEDERAL LEGAL REFERENCES
EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
Section B of Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act requires
that no
qualified individual with a disability may, due to his or her
disability,
be subjected to discrimination by employers who receive
or
benefit from federal financial assistance.
An employer may not
use any
employment test or selection criterion which tends to screen
out
individuals with disabilities unless:
-the test score or criterion is
job-related for the position in
question; AND
-alternative job-related tests or
criteria that do not tend to
screen out as many individuals with
disabilities are not
available.
An employer must select and administer
tests to best ensure
that,
when administered to an applicant or employee with a disability
of
impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills,
the results
accurately
reflect the individual's job skills, aptitude, or any
other
factor the test is designed to measure, rather than reflect the
individual's
disability (except where such factors are what the test
is
designed to measure).
Employers must also make reasonable
accommodations for the
"known
physical or mental limitations" of an otherwise qualified
applicant
or employee with a disability (unless the employer can
demonstrate
that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship).
Reasonable
accommodations may include:
-making facilities readily accessible to
and usable by
individuals with disabilities;
-job restructuring, including part-time
or modified work
schedules;
-acquisition or modification of equipment
or devices; or
-the provision of readers or
interpreters, or other similar
actions.
MORE INFORMATION
More information in regard to federal and
State requirements
addressing
test access and modification for students with
disabilities
and the provision of appropriate special education
programs
and services in the least restrictive environment may be
obtained
by contacting a Special Education Training and Resource
Center
(SETRC). (A statewide directory listing
the location of each
center
is included as Appendix A.) SETRCs are
staffed by special
education
training specialists, and are supported by the State
Education
Department Office of Vocational and Educational Services
for
Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) and by local education
agencies.
Information is also available from VESID
regional offices. (A
statewide
directory listing the regional locations of the Office for
Special
Education Services is included as Appendix B and a directory
of
Regional Educational Institution Linkages staff is included as
Appendix
C.) Information and technical
assistance is also available
from:
New York State Education
Department
VESID
Special Education Policy
Unit
One Commerce Plaza, Room
1624
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 473-2878
or
New York State Education
Department
VESID
Educational Institution
Linkages Unit
One Commerce Plaza, Room
1609
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 473-7918
MODULE 2
TESTS AND EXAMINATIONS
ADMINISTERED TO
STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH
GRADE 12
INTRODUCTION
This module addresses test access and
modification in regard to
the
tests and examinations which are ordinarily administered to
public
school students in New York State.
These tests include
special
education and general education classroom tests, local
testing
programs (e.g., California Achievement Tests), and State
Education
Department examinations including Pupil Evaluation Program
(PEP)
tests, Program Evaluation Tests (PETs), Regents Preliminary
Competency
Tests (PCTs), Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) and Regents
Examinations.
DEFINITION OF TEST
MODIFICATIONS
Test modifications are changes in testing
procedures or formats
which
provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to
participate
in test situations and to demonstrate their knowledge and
abilities. Test modifications can change the way in
which test items
are
presented to the student, the student's method of responding to
test
items or the process a student uses to derive responses to test
items. Test modifications should not be excessive;
they should alter
the
standard administration of a test to the least extent possible.
There
is no comprehensive listing of every possible test modification
that
may be appropriate for students, since students' needs and
educational
characteristics are too diverse to attempt to address all
possible
situations. However, a detailed
description of the most
commonly
implemented test modifications is included in this module,
in the
section Types of Test Modifications (see page 15).
THE PURPOSE OF TEST
MODIFICATIONS
The purpose of test modifications is to
enable students with
disabilities
to participate in test programs on an equal basis with
their
nondisabled peers. They provide an
opportunity for students
with
disabilities to demonstrate mastery of skills and attainment of
knowledge
without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the
effects
of a disability. In addition, test
modifications promote the
access
of students with disabilities to test/examination programs as
well as
to more challenging courses and programs, such as Regents
courses
and examinations.
In determining a student's need for such
modifications,
emphasis
must be placed on the necessity for modification, not merely
the
potential benefit from modification.
Test modifications are
provided
in order to address a disability, and to the extent
possible,
they are intended to minimize the effects of a student's
disability. Conversely, such modifications are not
intended to
substitute
for knowledge and abilities which the student has not
achieved;
they are not intended to provide an unfair advantage over
students
taking tests and examinations under standardized conditions.
The
fact that a student may be expected to achieve a higher score
with
test modifications is not an appropriate sole criterion for
providing
such modifications.
Test modifications are based on
individual student needs and
educational
characteristics. For a Committee on
Special Education
(CSE),
the determination regarding student eligibility for test
modifications,
or the specific type(s) of modifications to be
provided,
should neither be restricted nor automatically provided
based
on a student's classification.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR TEST
MODIFICATIONS
There are four circumstances in which
students with
disabilities
may be eligible to receive test modifications.
1. Students with disabilities whose
Individualized Education
Program includes testing modifications
The Individualized Education Program
(IEP) for each student
determined
by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) to be eligible
for
special education or related services must list those test
modifications
to be used consistently by the student in the
recommended
educational program. (In order to be
eligible for
special
education programs or services a child must be identified as
a
"student with a disability" under one of the thirteen disabilities
listed
in Section 200.1(mm) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education.) In making its decision regarding the need
for test
modifications,
the CSE reviews all available information regarding
the
student's individual needs. Such
information might include
recent
evaluations, previous school records and IEPs, classroom
observations,
and the student's experience on previous tests.
Information
and suggestions from the student's teachers, related
service
providers, and parents should also be sought.
2. Students who are declassified by the
Committee on Special
Education
As part of the annual evaluation of
student progress that is
conducted
by the CSE, the Committee may determine that a student no
longer
needs to participate in special education programs or
services. At such time, the CSE recommends that the
student be
declassified
and participate in the general education program on a
full-time
basis. Even though such a student no
longer requires
special
education programs or services in order to benefit from the
general
education program, the effects of the disability may continue
to
prevent the student from demonstrating the achievement of certain
knowledge
and skills. In such instances, a
student may continue to
need
the test modification(s) previously documented in the IEP. If
such a
determination is made by the CSE and documented in the
recommendation
for declassification, the test modification(s) must
continue
to be consistently provided to the student for the balance
of his
or her public school education. Such
test modifications may
include
the complete range of modifications which are available to
students
with disabilities, as long as they have been consistently
included
in the student's IEP when classified pursuant to Part 200 of
the
Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.
The continuation
of test
modifications upon declassification, however, is not
automatic. During subsequent school years, if it is
felt that such
modification(s)
is no longer appropriate, the school district may use
local
procedures, such as a meeting with the student's parent and CSE
or
Section 504 Multidisciplinary Team, to review and document the
discontinuation
or revision of the test modification(s).
3. Students with disabilities whose Section
504 Accommodation
Plan includes test modifications
The definition of a "handicapped person" under Section
504 of
the
Rehabilitation Act is broader than the definition of "a child
with a
disability" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act and
Article 89 of New York State Education Law.
Under Section
504, a
"handicapped person" includes anyone who:
- has a physical or mental impairment which
substantially limits
one or more major life activities, or
- has a record of such an impairment, or
- is regarded as having such an impairment.
Students who are determined to have a
disability pursuant to
Section
504 who do not require special education or related services
(and,
therefore, may not be classified by the Committee on Special
Education)
are entitled to accommodations and services in the general
school
setting which are necessary in order for them to benefit from
all
programs and activities available to nondisabled students.
Appropriate
accommodations and services must be documented in a
Section
504 Accommodation Plan (504 Plan), and may include behavioral
management
techniques, computer aided instruction, adjusted class
schedules,
use of tape recorders, test modifications and other
adaptations. The complete range of test modifications
which may be
included
in the IEP of a student who has a disability pursuant to
Part
200 of the regulations may also be included in the 504 Plan for
a
student who has a disability pursuant to Section 504.
4. Students who acquire disabilities shortly
before test
administration
School principals may modify testing
procedures for regular
education
students who experience temporary (e.g., broken arm) or
long-term
(e.g., paraplegia) disabilities shortly before the
administration
of State examinations. In such cases,
when sufficient
time is
not available for the development of an IEP or 504 Plan,
principals
may authorize the following modifications which will not
significantly
change the student skills being tested:
- Time limit may be extended.
- Tests may be administered in a special
location.
- Answers may be recorded in any
manner. When answering
questions designed to measure writing
ability in English or a
second language, such students must
provide all punctuation,
the spelling of more difficult words,
paragraphing, etc.
- Tests may be read to students. This modification is allowed
only for those students whose vision is
impaired. Only those
tests or parts of tests that do not
measure reading
comprehension may be read to such
students.
Eligibility for such modifications is
based on the principal's
professional
discretion; however, the principal may confer with CSE
members
or with other school personnel in making such a
determination. Pursuant to Section 102.3 of the Regulations
of the
Commissioner
of Education, building principals are responsible for
administering
Education Department examinations and maintaining the
integrity
of examination content and programs, in accordance with
directions
and procedures established by the Commissioner of
Education.
Prior permission need not be obtained
from the Education
Department
for authorization of test modifications for general
education
students. However, a full report
concerning each
authorization
should be sent to the Education Department along with
the
report forms for the applicable examinations.
Also, if the
student
is expected to continue to need test modifications, the
principal
should immediately make the appropriate referral for the
development
of an IEP or 504 Plan.
DOCUMENTING TEST
MODIFICATIONS
A student's need and eligibility for test
modification must be
documented
in an IEP developed by the Committee on Special Education
or
in a Section 504 Accommodation Plan
developed by the Section 504
Multidisciplinary
Team. (There is no difference between
the test
modifications
which may be provided to a student based on an IEP or
504
Plan.) Test modifications must be
documented in a clear manner
to
ensure a consistent understanding by the CSE or 504 Team, the
principal,
the teacher(s) and the parents.
Specific test
modifications
(e.g., use of word processor with spell check function)
should
be indicated, not generic test modification categories (e.g.,
answers
recorded in other manner). It is
appropriate to indicate the
conditions
or types of tests which will require test modifications
(e.g.,
use of an amanuensis for tests having answer sheets requiring
answers
to be blackened), but qualifying terms such as "as
appropriate"
or "when necessary" are inappropriate. Test
modifications
should not be indicated in a test-specific manner
(e.g.,
"calculator with fraction capability" not "calculator with
fraction
capability on Regents Competency Test in mathematics").
The Regents or local high school diploma
earned by a student
with a
disability who has received test modifications during the
administration
of required State examinations may not include any
annotation
regarding the provision of test modifications, nor of any
other
special accommodations which the student has received.
ACCESS TO TESTS AND
EXAMINATIONS
Classroom tests, quizzes and examinations
are a normal part of
the
school experience for almost all students, including students
with
disabilities. In addition to the tests
which are administered
in
special education settings or in general education settings,
students
with disabilities must have full appropriate access to State
Education
Department examinations and local test programs (e.g.,
California
Achievement Tests).
Students with disabilities must be
included in State and local
testing
programs to the fullest extent appropriate.
The CSE, a
multi-disciplinary
team of professionals, must address the extent of
student
participation in such testing programs.
Similar to
determinations
regarding testing modifications, the CSE's
recommendation
is based on the needs, characteristics and abilities
of each
student - not on the student's classification (e.g., learning
disability). A school district may not establish any
policy or
procedure
which, in effect, automatically excludes (or excuses or
exempts)
all students with disabilities, or groups/classes of
students
with disabilities, from State or local test programs.
In some instances, such determinations
may be made in a
subject-specific
manner. For example, although the
school experience
for a
particular student may be expected to culminate with a High
School
Individualized Education Program Diploma, which does not
require
the successful completion of any State or local tests, if the
student
is able to master the content within a given subject area
(e.g.,
mathematics), the IEP should indicate that the student will
participate
in State and local tests in that subject.
Although a CSE may expect that a student
will not perform well
on a
State or local test, such an expectation should not
automatically
lead to a recommendation for exemption.
Participation
in such
programs may create anxiety for some students but will
provide
important information regarding the extent and type of
remediation
which is needed. Also, the student will
become familiar
with
testing formats, which may lessen anxiety during subsequent
tests,
and develop test-taking skills, which may contribute to
improved
scores on examinations required for a Regents or local high
school
diploma. Conversely, exempting students
with disabilities
from
State and local test programs deprives them access to the test
program,
as well as to a normal school experience which provides an
opportunity
to demonstrate abilities and competencies.
Exemption of
students
from State and local tests gives the appearance that
students
with disabilities are not capable learners and may lower the
expectations
held for them by school staff, as well as the
perceptions
held of them by themselves and by their nondisabled
peers.
LOCAL TESTING PROGRAMS
Students with disabilities must have full appropriate access to
the
school district's testing program, including access to tests such
as the
Stanford Achievement Test or California Achievement Tests,
which
may be administered at the discretion of local school
districts. Students with disabilities must participate
in such local
test
programs unless their IEP, developed on an individual student
basis,
specifically indicates that the student should not participate
in such
tests.
PUPIL EVALUATION PROGRAM TESTS, REGENTS
PRELIMINARY COMPETENCY TESTS
AND PROGRAM EVALUATION
TESTS
The Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) tests
and Regents
Preliminary
Competency Tests (PCTs) are administered to students in
public
and non-public schools for the assessment of student
achievement
and for the early identification of students who need
additional
assistance in developing the basic skills of reading
comprehension,
mathematics and writing. Early
identification and the
monitoring
of student progress in developing basic skills are
important
features of the Regents Competency Testing Program. A
State
Reference Point (SRP) has been established for each test, and
students
who score below the SRP must be provided appropriate
remedial
instruction.
The Program Evaluation Tests (PETs) in
social studies and
science
are designed to measure the effectiveness of the
instructional
programs in public and non-public schools.
These tests
provide
information to be used in planning, management and evaluation
of
educational programs at both the State and local levels. State
Reference
Points have not been established for the PETs in science or
social
studies, and remedial instruction is not required for students
who
obtain low scores on these tests.
In regard to the Program Evaluation Test
in science, some
students
with disabilities will use specialized/adaptive equipment
and
instruction/demonstration techniques during science instruction
for
activities that require manipulative skills.
Therefore, for the
manipulative
skills component of the grade 4 science test, such
students
should be provided with the specialized/adaptive equipment
and
instruction/demonstration techniques which they use in their
science
program, as well as the test modifications indicated in their
IEPs.
All students with disabilities must be
provided full
appropriate
access to the PEPs, PCTs and PETs. (A
schedule for the
administration
of the PEPs, PCT and PETs, according to subject areas
and
grade level, is included as Appendix D).
Determinations by
school
principals regarding such access must be based on each
student's
IEP, including students who attend programs operated by a
Board
of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) or who attend other
programs
located outside the school district.
Each student with a
disability
must participate in these tests unless their IEP, as
developed
by the CSE, specifically indicates that the student should
not
participate in one or more of the tests.
(Students may not be
exempted
from State or local test programs, nor from second language
requirements,
based on a Section 504 Accommodation Plan.)
In those
cases
where students with severe disabilities are exempted from one
or more
State tests, the number of students exempted must be reported
on a
school district information sheet (SIS) which is submitted to
the
State Education Department to report the results of the test
program. In determining which statewide test to
administer to
students
with disabilities, schools must adhere to the following
schedule:
- Students with disabilities who receive
instruction in regular
education programs of a specific grade
level must be
administered these tests according to
the same schedule as
general education students at the same
grade level.
- Students with disabilities who receive
instruction in graded
(equivalent) special class programs must
be administered these
tests according to the same schedule as
general education
students at the same grade level.
- Students with disabilities who receive
instruction in
non-graded/multi-graded special class
programs must be
administered these tests according to
the grade level schedule
of general education students of the same chronological age.
If it is apparent either before or during
the administration of
a State
test that a student for whom testing is required will achieve
a score
close to zero, the principal or designee may elect not to
administer
the test and assign a score of zero to that student. The
score
of zero must be included in the scores reported to the
Education
Department, and the student must be provided with
appropriate
remediation (except for the Program Evaluation Tests in
science
and social studies).
Students who are absent at the time such
tests are
administered,
and for whom testing is required, should be tested as
soon as
possible after they return to school.
Even though students
may return
too late for their scores to be included in the test
reports
sent to the Education Department, they should be tested to
determine
whether remedial instruction is needed.
During the 1993-94 school year, 91
percent of students with
disabilities,
overall, participated in the PEP tests and PETs. A
summary
of student participation in each test follows:
Participation by Students with Disabilities
in PEP Tests and PETs
Test Participation Rate
Grade 3 PEP Test in Reading 90.2%
Grade 3 PEP Test in Mathematics 90.9%
Grade 4 PET in Science 92.0%
Grade 5 PEP Test in Writing 92.4%
Grade 6 PEP Test in Reading 91.8%
Grade 6 PEP Test in Mathematics 91.7%
Grade 6 PET Test in Social Studies 90.5%
Grade 8 PET in Social Studies 89.5%
Based on statistical analyses and
research conducted by the New
York
State Education Department, the goal has been established that
98
percent of students with disabilities will participate in these
tests. Students with disabilities should
participate in State and
local
testing programs unless it is clear to the CSE that such
participation
is not appropriate.
REGENTS EXAMINATIONS, REGENTS COMPETENCY
TESTS AND PROFICIENCY
EXAMINATIONS
Regents examinations are achievement
tests for the
demonstration
of outstanding scholastic achievement based on rigorous
State
courses of study used in secondary education programs.
Prepared
by teacher examination committees and Education Department
subject
and testing specialists, they provide schools with a basis
for
evaluating the quality of the instruction and learning that has
taken
place. They are used by school
personnel to identify major
learning
goals, offering both teachers and students a guide to
important
understandings, skills and concepts.
The examinations also
provide
students, parents, guidance counselors, administrators,
college
admissions officers and employers with objective and easily
understood
achievement information for use in making educational and
vocational
decisions. Passing scores on the
Regents Examinations in
English,
mathematics, science and social studies satisfy the
competency
testing requirements for a high school diploma. (The
words
"With Honor" may be added to the Regents endorsement if a
student
has earned an average of at least 90 in the Regents
examinations
in comprehensive English, global studies, United States
history
and government, and in the examination(s) necessary to
complete
the major sequence requirement.)
The Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) are
achievement tests
designed
to assess student proficiency in the areas of reading,
writing,
mathematics, science and social studies.
Passing scores on
the
tests satisfy competency requirements for a local high school
diploma.
The Proficiency Examinations in
occupational education are
achievement
tests based on State courses of study in occupational
education. Passing scores on these examinations satisfy
the testing
requirements
for sequences in occupational education areas.
The
Proficiency
Examinations in second languages are achievement tests
designed
to measure learning outcomes at Checkpoint A of the State
Syllabi,
_Modern Languages for Communication and Latin for
Communication_.
As these examinations are administered to
students upon the
completion
of applicable prescribed courses of study, the exemption
procedure
described above for the PEP tests, PETs and PCTs is not
applicable. Students with disabilities, however, must be
provided
full
appropriate access to the general education courses, or course
content,
which are required for administration of these examinations.
(A
listing of all Regents examinations, RCTs and proficiency tests,
by
subject area, is included as Appendix E.)
In regard to Regents
high
school diplomas and courses, Section 100.2(e) of the Regulations
of the
Commissioner of Education requires that each public school
district
offer students attending its schools the opportunity to meet
all the
requirements for and receive a Regents high school diploma.
Students
must have the opportunity to take Regents courses in grades
9-12
and, when appropriate, in grade 8. It
should be noted, however,
that
the second language proficiency examinations are optional for
all
students and are taken mainly by students below grade 9 who wish
to earn
one unit of high school credit in a second language.
USE OF ALTERNATIVE
EXAMINATIONS
Section 100.2 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education
makes allowance for the use of alternative examinations
which
measure student knowledge and skills in a manner equivalent to
the
State Education Department examinations described above.
Alternative
examinations may be used to satisfy Regents examination
requirements
or Regents Competency Test requirements.
REGENTS EXAMINATIONS
Scholastic Assessment Test II and College
Board Achievement
Test
score(s) can be substituted for Regents examinations when a
student
is unable to take the required Regents examination because of
extraordinary
circumstances, but has successfully completed the
Regents
course of study for the subject. (The
minimum acceptable SAT
II/College
Board scores are listed by subject area in Appendix F.)
REGENTS COMPETENCY TESTS
Two methods are available for the
demonstration of knowledge
and
skills which are equivalent to those measured on Regents
Competency
Tests:
1. Students who achieve specified minimum
scores on American
College Tests, Scholastic Assessment
Tests and College Boards
may be regarded as having demonstrated
competencies equivalent
to those required for RCTs. (The minimum acceptable scores
are listed by subject area in Appendix
G.)
2. Consistent with Section 100.2(n) of the
Regulations of the
Commissioner of Education, a school
district may apply for a
variance from the Regents Competency
Test requirements
prescribed in the Part 100
regulations. Such a variance, if
approved by the Education Department,
may allow a failing
grade on a Regents examination to be
equivalent to the minimum
passing grade required for the RCT in
the same subject area,
and to satisfy such criterion for
graduation with a local high
school diploma.
IMPLEMENTATION OF TEST
MODIFICATIONS
Consistent Implementation
Building principals must ensure that test
modifications are
consistently
administered to students with disabilities, as specified
in
their IEP or Section 504 Accommodation Plan, by appropriately
trained
or qualified individuals throughout their school program.
This
includes tests, quizzes and examinations administered either in
special
education class settings or in general education class
settings. In addition to tests administered at the
discretion of the
teacher(s),
test modifications must be fully and consistently
administered
during State examinations. Any test
modification
permitted
for PEP tests, PETs or PCTs is also permitted for RCTs.
Conversely,
any test modification permitted for the RCTs is also
permitted
for PEP tests, PETs, and PCTs. In this
way, there is a
single
State testing program, not a series of piecemeal testing
programs.
Test modifications must be fully and
consistently implemented
during
local test programs. The use of test
modifications during
tests
such as the California Achievement Tests (CATs), though
contrary
to directions of the publisher for standardized test
administration,
permits an equitable opportunity to demonstrate
abilities
and competencies. Although, from a
statistical
perspective,
test modifications may invalidate results, there is no
requirement
that such students' scores be merged with those who have
completed
the test under standardized conditions.
The school may
establish
several sets of scores by disaggregating information (e.g.,
nondisabled
students/standard test administration; students with
disabilities
(IEP or 504 Plan) standard test administration; and
students
with disabilities (IEP or 504 Plan)/nonstandard test
administration). It is important to remember that test
modifications
are
included in students' IEPs or 504 Plans because they are
necessary
in order to provide an equitable opportunity to demonstrate
knowledge
and abilities.
The requirement to ensure the consistent
provision of test
modifications
is not restricted to the traditional school year
(September
to June). Pursuant to Section
200.4(c)(2)(v) of the
Regulations
of the Commissioner of Education, the IEP for some
students
with disabilities will specify the provision of special
education
programs or services on a twelve-month basis.
In addition,
students
with an IEP or 504 Plan must also be provided an equitable
opportunity
to participate in general education summer school
programs
which some school districts operate, pursuant to Part 110 of
the Regulations
of the Commissioner of Education, in order to provide
advanced
instruction or remedial instruction.
The school district
operating
such special education and/or general education programs is
responsible
for the continued implementation of test modifications
included
in students' IEPs or 504 Plans.
ADMINISTRATION OF DIAGNOSTIC
EVALUATIONS
Pursuant to Sections 200.1(v) and
200.4(b)(4) of the
regulations,
a CSE must initiate an individual evaluation for each
student
referred due to a suspected disability.
(Similar evaluation
procedures
must also be initiated, to the extent necessary, for a
student
suspected of a disability pursuant to Section 504.) An
individual
evaluation consists of procedures, tests or assessments
used
selectively with an individual student in order to determine
whether
a student has a disability and the extent of special
education
needs. (It does not include the basic
tests which are
administered
to, or the procedures used with, all students in a grade
or
class.) Unlike local and State testing
programs, the specific
types
of tests or assessments which are administered, and the manner
in
which they are administered (with and/or without test
modifications)
are left to the discretion of the evaluator since the
purpose
is diagnostic.
BASIS FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING TEST
MODIFICATIONS
STUDENT
REFUSAL - In some instances, students may refuse or request
to
waive test modifications for local or State tests. School staff
should
take appropriate action to effectuate full implementation of
the IEP
or 504 Plan (e.g., explaining to the student the reasons for
test
modifications). However, where such
action is not effective in
altering
the student's position, officials should document the
incident
and consider the appropriateness of additional counseling or
of
requesting a review of the student's program by the CSE or 504
Team.
RESTRICTIONS
BY TEST AUTHORITIES - Special test modification
considerations
and restrictions apply to examinations for which the
Education
Department has established separate standards, such as
those
discussed in Module 9, and to other tests and examinations
which
are beyond the purview of the Education Department, such as
those
discussed in Modules 3 through 8.
TYPES OF TEST MODIFICATIONS
Test modifications can change the way
test items are presented
to a
student, the student's method of responding to test items or the
process
a student uses to derive responses to test items. The test
modifications
included in students' IEPs or 504 Plans should modify
the
standard administration of a test to the least extent possible.
Numerous test modifications, and
important considerations for
including
them in students' IEPs or 504 Plans, are described below.
Every
possible modification that may be appropriate for students with
disabilities
is not included, since students' needs are too diverse
to
attempt to address all possible situations.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
Some students with disabilities may
require flexible scheduling
of
examinations. These students may have
learning and/or behavioral
characteristics
which affect the rate at which they process
information. Physical disabilities, such as visual or
motor
impairments,
may decrease students' working rate.
Students who use
other
test modifications, such as special equipment to record
responses
or dictating responses to an amanuensis, may also complete
examinations
more slowly. Other students who have
health impairments
may
tire easily and require frequent breaks.
All of these students
may
require test modifications which alter the scheduling of the test
in
order to demonstrate knowledge and skills on an equal basis with
other
students.
There are two ways of addressing a
student's need for flexible
scheduling:
-TIME EXTENSION in which the test or
examination is administered
on the scheduled day, beginning before
the specified time
and/or continuing after the specified
time on the same day. To
facilitate the appropriate
implementation of this modification,
the IEP or 504 Plan should
quantitatively indicate the amount
of time to be provided (e.g., time and a
half).
-TESTING DURATION in which the maximum
amount of time a student
should work without a break is specified
(e.g., a ten minute
break for each 40 minute test period).
ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
EXAMINATIONS OVER SUCCESSIVE
ADMINISTRATIONS
In unusual instances, a student with a
disability may have
physical
development and/or management needs which, even with
extended
time, preclude completion of a State Education Department
examination
on the scheduled date for administration.
Physical Development and Management Needs
are defined in
Section
200.1(kk) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education
as
follows:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT...shall mean the
degree and quality of the
student's motor and sensory development,
health, vitality, and
physical skills or limitations which
pertain to the learning
process.
MANAGEMENT NEEDS...shall mean the nature
of and degree to which
environmental modifications and human or
material resources are
required to enable the student to benefit
from instruction.
Due to a student's needs in regard to
time extension and test
duration,
as specified in the IEP or 504 Plan, a student may take the
Regents
Competency Tests (RCTs) in reading, writing, mathematics,
global
studies, United States history and government, or the
occupational
education proficiency examination in introduction to
occupations,
over successive examination administrations.
Application
to the Education Department for this test modification is
not
required. However, the school district
must notify the Office of
State
Assessment, at the address indicated at the end of this module,
at
least three months prior to the scheduled date for administration.
Other
important considerations associated with this test modification
follow:
-The
student may receive time extension for completing the
examination section(s) administered during
the given administration.
-For
each successive administration of a given examination, the
current edition of the examination will be
administered (e.g., Part
A of the RCT in mathematics administered in
June, Part B of the RCT
in mathematics administered in August).
-Each
administration should end at a completed section.
-Students
with disabilities who are administered examinations over
multiple administrations will be permitted to
retake sections, if
necessary (rather than retake the entire
test), in order to
successfully complete the examination
requirement.
See addendum dated March 2005- Administration of
State Examinations over Multiple Days
FLEXIBLE SETTING
For some students with disabilities, the
standard location for
test
administration may not be appropriate.
Some students are easily
distracted
or have difficulty remaining on task.
Some students
require
the use of specialized equipment or other test modifications
which
may be distracting to others. Other
students, due to severe
health
impairments, are unable to leave their home or the hospital.
Others
with visual or auditory impairments may require special
lighting
or special acoustics. All of these
students require changes
in the
standard test setting.
Examples of flexible setting
modifications include individual
or
small group administration in a separate location, and provision
of
special lighting, acoustics or furniture in the same or at a
different
location. In all instances, the special
location should be
one
that is appropriate for test administration.
Students should not
be
required to take examinations in corridors or other uncomfortable
locations.
REVISED TEST FORMAT
Some students with disabilities may not
be able to take a test
using
the standard test format. Some students
with visual,
perceptual
or motor impairments do not have the ability to read
regular
size print. Other students with
behavioral, visual,
perceptual
or motor impairments have difficulty maintaining their
place
in a standard examination booklet. Some
students with learning
disabilities
are unable to read items with standard print and
spacing. All of these students require some
modification of the test
format.
Test modifications which change the test
format include:
transcription
of the test to braille or large print; increasing the
spacing
between test items; changing the size, shape, or location of
the
space for answers; and placing fewer items on each page.
Modifications of test format, such as
braille editions or test
forms
with fewer items on each page, may not be available for all
standardized
tests. In some instances, modifications
can be made on
an
individual basis at the local school level.
For example, a
standard
test form could be altered to increase spacing or texture
(with
use of a felt pen) of items, or to change the location of
spaces
for providing answers.
On some tests, students with disabilities
may be unable to
complete
a test item due to the item format.
Whenever possible, the
format
of the item should be changed to allow the student to complete
the
item. However, this is not always possible. For example, some
test
items cannot be reproduced in braille.
Similarly, items which
are
presented auditorily cannot always be signed to students with
hearing
impairments without changing the purpose of the item. In
these
unusual instances, when questions cannot be interpreted or
relayed
to students, such questions should be omitted from the
examination
and the credit for the question prorated.
(In regard to
the
manipulative skills component of the Program Evaluation Test in
science,
items should be revised at the local level to permit the
demonstration
of equivalent skills or knowledge. For
example, in
regard
to electrical circuits, a bell may be substituted for a light
bulb
for a visually impaired student.)
Omitting questions and prorating credit
should not be used to
eliminate
items which students cannot answer due to lack of ability
related
to the skills or content being tested.
Great care must be
taken
to differentiate between the inability to complete an item due
to item
format and the inability to complete an item due to lack of
competence
in the skills or knowledge being measured.
For State
examinations,
all decisions to omit questions and prorate credit must
be
approved by the school principal.
REVISED TEST DIRECTIONS
In addition to revising the format of
tests, revisions are
sometimes
made to the test directions in order to enable students
with
disabilities to complete the test. Some
students with
behavioral
or learning disabilities may be unable to interpret
directions. Students with visual, perceptual, or motor
impairments
may be
unable to read and interpret lengthy directions. These
students
may require modifications to test instructions.
Some examples of changes in test
directions include rewriting
directions
in simple language, underlining key words in directions,
or
providing a set of directions for each new set of skills in the
examination. Reading the standard directions several
times at the
start of
the examination and rereading them for each new page of test
items
is another example.
Only a student who would be unable to
complete test items
without
changing the standard instructions should be provided with
this
test modification. The degree of
modification to the
instructions
should be the minimum required. The
individual
administering
the test should be sure that the student understands
the
instructions, but should not provide additional information.
Care
must be taken to ensure that the integrity of the test is not
compromised
by changes made to the standard test directions.
USE OF AIDS TO INTERPRET TEST
ITEMS
Some students with disabilities require
the assistance of
special
equipment or testing personnel in order to interpret test
items.
Students who have visual, perceptual or
motor impairments may
be
unable to read test items without assistance.
Students with
hearing
impairments may be unable to hear items presented orally.
Students
with behavioral, motor, visual or learning disabilities may
be
unable to maintain their place or stay on task during the
examination. These students require the use of aids
during testing.
Some examples of special equipment which
students may use
include
visual magnification devices, auditory amplification devices,
auditory
tapes of test items, and masks or markers which cover a
portion
of the examination or mark the student's place. The use of
equipment,
rather than personnel, helps to maintain maximum
reliability
and validity of test results. Proctor
assistance,
however,
may be essential to meet the needs of some students in
testing
situations. Examples of proctor
assistance that students may
require
include reading test items or providing cues to maintain
on-task
behavior. When a proctor reads test
items to a student, the
items
must be read as they appear on the page.
Test items should be
read or
signed only to those students whose reading ability is
impaired
because of a disability.
In cases where test items are to be read,
the entire test must
be read
including reading passages, questions, multiple choice items,
etc. In implementing this test modification for
State examinations
and
commercially developed tests, content must be read in a neutral
manner,
without intonating, emphasizing or otherwise drawing
attention
to key words and phrases. Except for
directions, passages
and
items must be read word-for-word, without any clarification or
explanation. (However, such content may be read more than
once.) In
regard
to tests and quizzes which are teacher developed and
administered,
test questions and items may be clarified at the
discretion
of the teacher. (Since the teacher
developed the
instrument,
the teacher will be able to make an appropriate
determination
whether, and the extent to which, any clarification may
be
provided without compromising test validity.
A given
clarification
of a question or item is appropriate if it can also be
provided
to all other students without nullifying results.)
USE OF AIDS TO RESPOND TO
TEST ITEMS
Some students who have motor, visual or
learning disabilities
which
affect their ability to write may be unable to record their
responses
to examination questions in the conventional manner. These
students
require the use of aids to be able to participate in the
test on
an equal basis with other students.
Some students use equipment to enable
them to record responses.
Examples
of such equipment include typewriters, word processors,
spell
check devices, pointers, communication boards, and adaptive
writing
instruments. Other students may need to
dictate their
answers
to a tape recorder or an amanuensis.
In general, the student who uses an aid
to record responses
must
provide all information, including spelling of difficult words,
punctuation,
paragraphing, grammar, etc. Only those
students whose
disability
affects their ability to spell and punctuate should be
excused
from providing such information.
Although students with
disabilities
may be provided multiple test modifications, an IEP or
504
Plan may not include both a spell check device and deletion of
spelling
requirements as test modifications. If
a spell check device
is
provided as a test modification, the student will be accountable
for
spelling accuracy, including hyphenated words and homonyms.
Some students have the reasoning ability
to complete narrative
mathematics
problems and involved computations, but may have visual
or
motor impairments which make them unable to use paper and pencil
to
solve computations. Some students with
disabilities are unable to
memorize
arithmetic facts but can solve difficult word problems.
These
students may require the use of computational aids, such as
arithmetic
tables, abacuses or calculators. Only
those students
whose
disability affects their ability to either memorize or compute
basic
mathematical facts should be allowed to use computational aids.
TEST MODIFICATIONS ALLOWED AND DISALLOWED
Local Tests, Pupil Evaluation Program
Test, Program Evaluation
Tests, Regents Preliminary Competency Tests
and Regents Competency
Tests
For tests requiring mathematical
calculations, the following
test
modifications may be provided:
-Mathematics tables
-Calculators which are nonprogrammable;
the following functions
are authorized: addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, square root, percent, change
sign and memory
-Calculators with fraction capability
-Calculators with audible functions
For tests requiring mathematical
calculations, the following
test
modifications may NOT be provided:
-Scientific calculators with
trigonometric or logarithmic
functions
-Sheets containing mathematical formulas
For tests requiring written communication
skills, the following
test
modifications may be provided:
-Delete spelling, punctuation and
paragraphing requirements
-Spell check device (either a separate
device or as a word
processing function)
-Grammar checker
For tests requiring written communication
skills, the following
test
modifications may NOT be provided:
-Thesaurus and dictionary publications
and devices
REGENTS EXAMINATIONS AND PROFICIENCY
EXAMINATIONS
The modifications in testing procedures
that may be authorized
when
students with disabilities take competency tests may also be
authorized
for Regents Examinations, Occupational Education
Proficiency
Examinations and Second Language Proficiency Examinations
in the
following manner:
-Questions designed to measure reading
ability in English or in
a second language may be read or signed
to students. The
comprehension section of the Regents
Examination in English may
not be deleted. Students who use sign language due to a
hearing impairment may use any form of
sign language (American
Sign Language, Signing Exact English,
etc.) as "language
communication" rather than
"English communication" is the skill
being measured.
-Answers to questions designed to measure
writing ability in
English or in a second language may be
recorded in an
alternative manner (e.g.,
dictation). Spell check and grammar
check devices are permitted. Students with severe spelling
disabilities may be excused from
spelling requirements. For
students who use a spell check device or
are excused from
spelling requirements, the Spelling
Section of the Regents
Examination in English should be deleted
and the examination
score prorated.
-In regard to the Regents Examination in
English and to second
language examinations, the listening
comprehension section may
not be deleted but students with hearing
impairments may use
finger spelling for both the listening
comprehension and
interactive communication sections. Students who have hearing
impairments but are not proficient in
sign language may read
these sections. Also, the oral comprehension section may be
repeated more than two times but the
examination should be
administered in a separate location if
such a modification is
provided.
-Beginning in June 1996, for Regents
Examinations in
mathematics, all students must have a
scientific calculator
available. Only nonprogrammable and nongraphing scientific
calculators are authorized for all
students. If documented on
an IEP or 504 Plan, calculators with
graphing capability are
authorized for students with
disabilities. Also, for students
with spatial relationships disabilities,
the spatial
relationships section of the examination
may not be deleted.
Coloring is permitted for single figures
only, not for
overlapping figures or drawings.
EXAMPLES OF TEST
MODIFICATIONS
CATEGORY EXAMPLES
Flexible
Scheduling -extended time to
complete tests,
specify amount
(e.g., double time)
-administer
tests over several
sessions,
specify duration (e.g.,
sessions not to
exceed 40 minutes)
-administer
tests in several sessions
over several
days*
Flexible
Setting -administer tests
individually in
separate
location
-administer
tests to a small group in
separate
location
-provide special
lighting, specify type
(e.g., 75 Watt
incandescent light on
desk)
-provide
adaptive or special equipment,
specify type
(e.g., study carrel)
-provide special
acoustics during
testing,
specify manner (e.g., minimal
extraneous
noises)
-administer
tests in location with
minimal
distraction, specify manner
(e.g., minimal
visual distractions)
Revised
Test Format -braille editions
of tests
-large print
editions of tests
-increase
spacing between test items
-increase size
of answer blocks
-reduce number
of test items per page
-increase size
of answer bubbles
-arrange
multiple choice test items in
vertical format
with answer bubble to
right of each
possible choice
-omit questions
which cannot be
revised,
prorate credit
Revised
Test Directions -read directions
to student
-reread
directions for each page of
questions
-simplify language in directions
-highlight (or
underline) verbs in
instructions
-provide cues
(e.g., arrows and stop
signs) on answer form
-provide
additional examples
Use of
Aids -amanuensis
-tape recorder
-typewriter
-spell check
device**
-grammar check
-word processor
-calculator
(specify type/functions)
-abacus
-arithmetic
tables
-visual
magnification devices, specify
type
-auditory
amplification devices,
specify type
(e.g., FM system)
-auditory tape of questions
-repeat oral
comprehension items more
than specified
in standard
administration
directions (e.g.,
repeat oral comprehension test items
four times)
-masks (or
markers) to maintain place
-passages read
to student
-test passages, questions, items and
multiple choice
responses read to
student
-test passages,
questions, items and
multiple choice
responses signed to
student
Other
Accommodations -record answers
in test booklet
-delete
requirements to provide
punctuation,
paragraphing and
spelling**
*In
order to administer Education Department examinations over
successive
administrations, the school district must implement the
prior
notification procedures specified on page 16.
In order to
administer
State Education Department examinations over multiple
days,
the prior application procedures specified on page 17 must be
followed.
**A
student who is provided a spell checker device as a test
modification
is responsible for spelling accuracy.
Therefore, a
student
provided a spell check device cannot also be excused from
such
requirements.
ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Many individuals are involved in
important decisions regarding
the
extent to which students with disabilities will access local,
State
and national tests; will participate in challenging courses
(e.g.,
Regents courses and Advanced Placement courses); the type of
credential
toward which their secondary school program should be
directed;
and long-term adult goals for higher education and/or
employment. These individuals include members of the
Board of
Education,
school superintendents, the Committee on Special Eduction
and
Section 504 Multidisciplinary Team, the building principal,
guidance
counselors, special and general education teachers, and
parents. The responsibility for students with
disabilities should be
shared
by all staff of the school, and parents must have an
opportunity
for meaningful participation in the development of the
Individualized
Education Program or Section 504 Accommodation Plan.
The
purpose of this section is to define the role of each and to
provide
suggestions for carrying out their respective
responsibilities.
BOARDS OF EDUCATION AND SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENTS
The Board of Education and school
superintendent have important
roles
in establishing and promoting the expectation that students
with
disabilities are capable learners, and will be full participants
in all
aspects of the school program, including local and State test
programs,
to the maximum extent appropriate to their needs. All
students
with disabilities must have equal access to high quality
programs,
based on their individual needs and abilities, which are
designed
to enable them to achieve desired learning results
established
for all students. With regard to test
modifications for
students
with disabilities, school superintendents should arrange for
members
of the Board of Education to receive information so they are
familiar
with the different types of test modifications and the
manner
by which they are matched to individual student needs. School
district
policies can emphasize that the use of these modifications
is
consistent with the school district's responsibility to maintain
educational
standards, and does, in fact, enhance the school's
ability
to allow all students equal access to the full range of
instructional
and testing opportunities.
Procedures regarding the use of test
modifications should be
consistent
for all schools within the school district and should be
fully
understood by the CSE, 504 Team, building administrators,
teachers,
related services personnel, other school staff, and
parents. One means of ensuring such consistency is
the inclusion of
this
topic in school districtwide training programs. Because
principals
are responsible for ensuring implementation of test
modifications
included in student IEPs and 504 Plans, district policy
should
identify the procedure by which principals will receive such
information. This might be done by including the
principal among
those
who regularly receive copies of Individualized Education
Programs
and Section 504 Accommodation Plans which include test
modifications. Procedures should also indicate the manner
in which
the
school district will report the use of test modifications to the
State
Education Department as required by Section 100.2(g)(3) of the
Regulations
of the Commissioner of Education.
Boards of Education and superintendents
should receive
information
regarding the extent to which students with disabilities
access
local, State and national achievement tests, as well as the
students'
performance on such tests. (For those
students with severe
disabilities
who do not participate in local and State test programs,
information
should be provided regarding the special education
programs
and services they are provided, as well as the alternative
means
used to assess their effectiveness.) It
is recommended that
test
results for students with disabilities be reported to the Board
in the
same manner and according to the same schedule that such
information
is reported for nondisabled students.
COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL EDUCATION AND
SECTION 504 MULTIDISCIPLINARY
TEAM
The Committee on Special Education and
Section 504
Multidisciplinary
Team are responsible for identifying and
documenting
the student's need for test modifications.
The CSE must
also
document student participation in State and local test programs.
These
determinations are made when a student is initially referred to
the CSE
or 504 Team, is reviewed periodically for as long as the
student
receives special education services or accommodations, and is
reviewed
when the student is determined to no longer need special
education
accommodations, programs or services.
In making its decision, the CSE or 504
Team reviews all
available
information regarding the student's individual needs. Such
information
might include recent evaluations, previous school records
and
IEPs or 504 Plans, classroom observations, and the student's
experience
on previous tests. Information and
suggestions from the
student's
teachers, parents and others must also be considered.
Members of the CSE and 504 Team should be
knowledgeable of the
types
of test modifications that may be used by students with
disabilities,
the types of tests that are commonly administered, and
the
extent to which test modifications are allowed/disallowed for use
on
certain tests (e.g., Regents examinations).
Such information may
be
obtained from guidance counselors, teachers, school testing
personnel
and the principal.
Finally, in regard to the CSE, it should
be noted that
beginning
at age 15 (or earlier if appropriate) a shift should occur
in the
focus of the IEPs and educational programs for students with
disabilities. Appropriate transition services must be
identified and
provided
to such students to promote their movement from school to
post-school
activities, including, but not limited to, postsecondary
education,
vocational training, integrated competitive employment
(including
supported employment), continuing and adult education,
adult
services, independent living and community participation. The
coordinated
set of services/activities must be based on the student's
abilities,
needs, preferences and interests.
Determinations
regarding
the extent and types of transition services which are
appropriate
must be made on an individual student basis by the CSE,
carefully
considering any information which may be provided by the
student,
the student's parent or guardian, appropriate agency
representatives
(including representatives from institutions of
higher
education), and others. More
information in this regard is
available
in the State Education Department publication _Transition
Services,
A Planning and Implementation Guide_, which may be obtained
at a
Special Education Training and Resource Center (SETRC). (A
statewide
directory listing the location of each center is included
as
Appendix A.) The publication may also
be obtained by contacting
the
Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals
with
Disabilities (VESID) at the address or phone number listed at
the end
of this module.
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
The principal promotes the expectation at
the school building
level
that students with disabilities are capable learners who will
participate and succeed in all local and State test programs. The
principal in each school is responsible for implementing the school
district's policies which provide equal access to instructional and
testing
programs for all students.
Principals have direct
responsibility for ensuring that test modifications included in each
student's IEP or 504 Plan are fully and consistently implemented
during
the administration of local and State achievement tests, as
well as
by general and special education teachers during the
administration of classroom quizzes, tests and examinations.
If it
is felt
that test modifications for a particular student should be
added,
revised or discontinued, a referral must be submitted to the
CSE or
504 Team to review the student's program.
On an emergency basis, pursuant to
Section 102.3 of the
Regulations
of the Commissioner of Education, principals may exercise
professional
discretion in allowing test modifications for a student
who
acquires a disability shortly before the administration of a
State
examination, without sufficient time for the development of an
IEP or
504 Plan.
Building principals should also be
familiar with the policies
and
procedures included in one or more of the following State
Education
Department publications which are revised annually:
-_New York State Pupil Evaluation Program
Test and Program
Evaluation
Tests - School Administrator's Manual_
-_New York State Preliminary Competency
Tests - School
Administrator's
Manual_
-_Regents Examinations, Regents Competency Tests &
Proficiency
Examinations - School Administrator's
Manual_
These publications address general
requirements for the
administration
of the various State examinations, as well as special
considerations
for students with disabilities and students who have
limited
English proficiency. The manuals are
available, at no
charge,
from the State Education Department, Office of State
Assessment,
at the address indicated at the end of this module.
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS
Guidance counselors and guidance programs
play an important
role in
ensuring school success for all students, kindergarten
through
grade 12. Pursuant to Section
100.2(j)(i), for all students
in kindergarten
through grade 6, the guidance program must be
coordinated
with teaching staff to prepare students to participate
effectively
in their current and future educational programs, to help
students
who exhibit any attendance, academic, behavioral or
adjustment
problems, to educate students in the avoidance of child
sexual
abuse, and to encourage parental involvement.
For all students in grades 7 through 12,
pursuant to Section
100.2(j)(ii)
of the regulations, a guidance counselor must annually
meet
with students, individually or in small groups, and review each
student's
educational progress and career plans.
Instruction at each
grade
level must be provided by guidance counselors, or by classroom
teachers
in cooperation with school counselors, to help students
learn
about various careers and career planning skills. Other
advisory
and individual or group counseling assistance must also be
provided,
to the extent necessary, to enable students to benefit from
the
curriculum and to help students develop and implement
postsecondary
education and career plans. It is
essential that
guidance
counselors have a thorough understanding of the types of
examinations
which are required both during and subsequent to the
public
school experience of students with disabilities, as well as
the
types of admissions, examination and programmatic accommodations
which
are available.
In regard to counseling services, Subpart
D of Section 504 of
the
Rehabilitation Act states that a school which provides personal,
academic,
or vocational counseling, guidance, or placement services
to its
students must provide such services without discrimination on
the
basis of disability. Students with
disabilities must not be
counseled
toward more restrictive career objectives than are
nondisabled
students with similar interests and abilities.
(It
should
be noted that a similar requirement is included in Subpart E
of
Section 504 for guidance programs at the postsecondary education
level.)
During the annual guidance review,
attention should be focused
on the
level of courses in which the student is enrolled; the extent
of past
and future participation in local, State and national
achievement
tests; the types of test modifications which are included
in the
student's IEP or 504 Plan and the extent to which such
modifications
may be implemented on other tests (such as Scholastic
Assessment
Tests and American College Tests); and the student's
secondary
education and postsecondary education goals.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER
The special education teacher's direct
contact with the student
in
classroom instruction and testing provides a strong basis for
recommending
appropriate test modifications and student participation
in
local and State testing programs. The
special education teacher
may be
the individual to initially recognize a student's need for
test
modifications. The teacher, therefore,
can provide the CSE or
504
Team with essential information for revision of the student's IEP
or 504
Plan when test modifications are recommended.
They must fully
and
consistently implement test modifications as specified in
students'
IEPs or 504 Plans, and refer students back to the CSE or
504
Team when it is suspected that test modifications should be
added,
revised or discontinued.
The special education teacher should work
closely with related
service
providers and general education teachers who provide services
to
students with disabilities. This cooperative
relationship ensures
consistent
and appropriate use of instructional and test
modifications
in all settings. The special education
teacher may
serve
as a consultant to provide information and advice on test
modifications
for students, and may also provide direct assistance to
school
staff in the development and administration of tests using
test
modifications which are included in a student's IEP.
GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER
The general education classroom teacher has
an active and
significant
role in the use of test modifications for students with
disabilities. Students with disabilities must have full
appropriate
access
to the programs and services which are available to their
nondisabled
peers. Teachers are expected to be able
to work
effectively
with all students who are appropriately placed in their
classrooms. In some instances, this will require that
general
education
teachers modify or adapt instruction and testing. They
must
fully and consistently implement test modifications as specified
in each
student's IEP or 504 Plan, and refer students to the CSE or
504
Team when it is suspected that test modifications should be
added,
revised or discontinued.
Test modifications which have been approved
for use by a
student
must be used consistently in both special and general
education
settings. General education classroom
teachers should be
aware
of the different types of test modifications and should be
skilled
in their implementation. Strategies to
assist teachers in
preparing
for this responsibility include a review of the current
literature
on the subject, attendance at in-service training
(periodically
conducted by the State Education Department and by
training
specialists from the Special Education Training and Resource
Center
(SETRC) network), and consultation with special education
teachers
and the Committee on Special Education and Section 504
Multidisciplinary
Team.
Parents may have questions regarding the
use of test
modifications
within the general education setting.
As the teacher
providing
instruction in a given subject area, general education
teachers
communicate with parents regarding the nature and rationale
of
modifications in use.
PARENTS
Parents are encouraged to exercise their
right to participate
in the
development of recommendations for special education programs
and
services, and special accommodations, for their child who has a
disability. Parents, knowing the strengths and needs of
their son or
daughter,
should contribute to the discussion about the need for test
modifications. Providing such information to appropriate
persons at
meetings
with the CSE or 504 Team, or at other times during the year,
will
help to ensure that an appropriate program is being provided.
Parents
should be aware of the purpose of test modifications and
understand
the rationale for their provision.
Parents who believe that their child with
a disability is being
denied
appropriate use of test modifications, or access to local or
State
tests, may request a meeting with the CSE, principal, guidance
counselor
or others. Parents may also pursue
their due process
rights
which are specified in Section 200.5 of the Regulations of the
Commissioner
of Education or in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act.
Parents should have adequate information
regarding the variety
and use
of test modifications. Such information
may be obtained from
members
of the Committee on Special Education, Section 504
Multidisciplinary
Team, the principal, guidance counselors and
teachers. Parents should refer their child to the CSE
or 504 Team if
they
feel that test modifications should be added, revised or
deleted.
PRACTICE MATERIALS
Practice materials are provided by the
State Education
Department
to school districts for the grade 3 Pupil Evaluation
Program
tests, to be administered by school teachers to students
shortly
before the administration of the PEP tests.
No other
practice
materials are available from the State Education Department
for the
assessments discussed in this module.
Commercially developed practice
materials, primarily for
Regents
examinations, are available in many book stores and public
libraries.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information regarding
requirements for Regents and
local
high school diplomas, the administration of State Education
Department
examinations and the appropriate use of test modifications
contact:
New York State Education
Department
Office of State Assessment
Education Building Annex, Room
771
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 474-5099
For more information regarding the
development of the
Individualized
Education Program and roles and responsibilities of
persons
involved in the planning and preparation of test
modifications,
contact a SETRC. (A statewide directory
listing the
location
of each center is included as Appendix A.)
SETRCs are
staffed
by special education training specialists, and are supported
by the
State Education Department Office of Vocational and
Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) and by
local
education agencies.
Information is also available from VESID
regional offices. (A
statewide
directory listing the regional locations of the Office for
Special
Education Services is included as Appendix B.)
Information
and
technical assistance are also available from:
New York State Education
Department
VESID
Office for Special Education
Services
One Commerce Plaza, Room
1624
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 473-2878 or
(518) 486-4678
MODULE 3
HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY
DIPLOMAS AND
GENERAL EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TESTS
INTRODUCTION
The high school diploma is a minimum
qualification for many
types
of employment and for admission to most postsecondary
educational
programs. Because of the importance of
a high school
diploma,
the New York State High School Equivalency (HSE) Program was
established
by the New York State Education Department more than 45
years
ago to assist people who have not completed a formal program
leading
to graduation from high school with a Regents or local high
school
diploma.
Over 90,000 people annually participate
in the High School
Equivalency
Program. Research has demonstrated that
recipients of a
High
School Equivalency Diploma are more likely to be employed and to
earn
more than high school dropouts. The HSE
diploma is also of
great
value to persons who wish to qualify for union apprenticeship
programs,
for certain types of employment, or for promotion in
industry. In addition, most postsecondary educational
institutions
recognize
and admit individuals with such diplomas who meet their
established
admissions requirements.
The High School Equivalency Diploma is
not intended to replace
the
Regents or Local High School Diplomas as the primary credentials
which
should culminate the secondary school program for students with
disabilities. However, the HSE diploma is preferable to
either a
High
School Individualized Program Education Diploma or a Local
Certificate
(neither of which require achievement of any minimum
competencies
or quality standards which are applicable to all
recipients),
and is certainly preferable to having a student drop out
with no
credential.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A NEW YORK STATE HIGH
SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY
DIPLOMA
In order to earn a New York State High
School Equivalency
Diploma,
an individual must meet each of the following requirements:
1. The individual must not have graduated
from high school with a
Regents or Local High School Diploma,
or already qualified for
the New York State High School
Equivalency Diploma.
2. The individual must take the General
Educational Development
(GED) test and receive a satisfactory
score.
3. The individual must have lived within New
York State for at
least one month prior to taking the
General Educational
Development (GED) tests or receiving a
New York State High
School Equivalency Diploma.
4. On the date of GED testing, the
individual must meet one of
the following age criteria:
-the individual must be 19 years of age
or older; or
-the candidate must be at least 17
years of age and either not
have been regularly enrolled in a
full-time high school
program of instruction for at least
one year or be a member
of a high school class that has
graduated; or the individual
must be at least 16 years of age, must have been enrolled in
an approved alternative high school
equivalency preparation
program, and must be referred for
testing by his or her
program coordinator, or
-the individual must be at least 17
years of age and be a
resident of a narcotic addiction
control center, an inmate of
a correctional institution, or a
resident patient in a
hospital in New York State. In addition, acquisition of the
High School Equivalency Diploma must be an integral part of
the individual's educational
rehabilitation program.
As an alternative to taking and passing
the GED tests, an
individual
may also qualify for a HSE diploma by successfully
completing
at least 24 college credits as a recognized candidate for
a
college-level degree or certificate in an approved program of
study.
INFORMATION ABOUT GENERAL EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TESTS
Most individuals who wish to earn a New York
State High School
Equivalency
Diploma will take the GED tests of the American Council
on
Education (ACE). The GED tests are
available in English, Spanish,
and
French language editions. The required
GED tests are:
-Test 1
- Writing Skills (Part I, multiple choice; Part II, essay)
-Test 2
- Social Studies
-Test 3
- Science
-Test 4
- Interpreting Literature and the Arts
-Test 5
- Mathematics
PREPARATION FOR TAKING THE GENERAL
EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TESTS
Individuals are not required to take any
courses or to prepare
in any
way for the GED tests. The courses and
examinations which the
student
has taken while in high school, and the student's performance
in such
courses and examinations, will not affect eligibility for a
High
School Equivalency Diploma. High School
Equivalency Preparation
Programs
are available in virtually all school districts and Boards
of
Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and must be available to
students
with disabilities, without having to drop out of school or
be
declassified, in the same manner they are available to nondisabled
students. (During the 1993-94 school year, 1,182
students with
disabilities
participated in Alternative High School Equivalency
Preparation
Programs.) There are two types of such
alternative
school
programs:
-Alternative High School Equivalency
Preparation Programs, for
students at least 16 years of age and
under the age of 18
(pursuant to Section 100.7(j) of the
regulations)
-High School Equivalency Preparation
Programs, for students at
least 18 years of age and under the age
of 21 (pursuant to
Section 100.7(k) of the regulations)
For individuals who are no longer
enrolled in school, many
public
schools offer, through their continuing education programs,
classes
for those who want help preparing for the GED tests. These
classes
are usually free or very low in cost.
GED SCORE REQUIREMENTS FOR EARNING THE
HIGH SCHOOL
EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA
Individuals who meet the residence and
age requirements for a
New
York State High School Equivalency Diploma may be awarded such a
diploma
if they meet one of the criteria described below:
- If an individual was first administered
the GED tests prior to
September 1, 1985, a standard score of
35 or more on each of
the five tests AND a total standard
score of 225 or more for
all five tests must be achieved.
- If an individual was first administered
the GED tests on or
after September 1, 1985, a standard
score of 40 or more on each
of the GED tests AND a total standard
score of 225 or more for
all five tests must be achieved.
An individual may take the General
Educational Development
Tests
more than once. A period of at least
two months must elapse
between
testing periods. On each retesting, on
a different form of
the
examination, the individual has the option either to retake one
or two
of the five tests in the battery, or of taking all five tests.
Eligibility
for a HSE diploma will be based on the highest score
achieved
on each of the five tests.
The High School Equivalency Diploma
earned by a student with a
disability
who has received test modifications during the
administration
of the General Educational Development Tests may not
include
an annotation regarding the provision of such test
modifications.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN TAKING THE
GENERAL EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TESTS
The GED tests and GED test centers are
accessible for
individuals
with disabilities. However, standard
test administration
procedures
may not be appropriate for some individuals with
disabilities
wishing to earn a New York State High School Equivalency
(HSE)
Diploma. In these cases, a completed
application and
supporting
documentation must be sent to the New York State Education
Department,
High School Equivalency Program Office, at the address
indicated
at the end of this module, in order to receive prior
approval
of modifications to be implemented during the administration
of the
GED tests. Special testing
accommodations requests for
individuals
with physical, psychological and/or specific learning
disabilities
must be verified. All requests are
evaluated and must
be
determined to be appropriate to the nature of the disability. Any
administration
of GED tests with special accommodations without prior
authorization
will be disqualified and not scored.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Each request for test modifications must
include the following
materials:
- A cover letter from a doctor, school
program, guidance
counselor or other appropriate
professional that lists the
specific modification(s) necessary for
the individual to have a
fair opportunity to demonstrate
knowledge and abilities.
- A completed application for testing that
establishes the
individual's eligibility to test or retest
and identifies a
test center. It is not necessary to select a test date as one
will be scheduled by special
arrangement.
- Documentation to substantiate the need
for the specific test
modification(s) requested. For individuals with PHYSICAL
DISABILITIES, such documentation must
include:
1.
a diagnosis from existing medical records of the
condition for which the
individual is being treated, and
2.
a statement indicating, in layperson's terms, how this
condition (or prescribed
medication) adversely affects
the individual's ability to
perform under standard test
administration conditions.
- Documentation is needed to substantiate
modifications for
individuals with LEARNING DISABILITIES
and/or PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISABILITIES. Such documentation must include:
1.
a recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) or
Section 504 Accommodation Plan
(504 Plan), if one has
been developed, AND
2.
psychological evaluations, or
3.
educational and psychological test results, or
4.
any other substantial documentation of the disabilies and
the related accommodations
requested.
A copy of the IEP or 504 Plan identifying
the specific
modifications
is not sufficient documentation alone upon which to
approve
requested test modifications. It is
essential that
certifying
professionals describe the individual's disability and the
reasons
why requested test modifications are necessary. The
certifying
professional must also list his or her qualifications for
diagnosing
learning disabilities or psychological conditions in
recommending
such accommodations. Applications may
be denied if the
qualifications
and employment of the certifying professional are not
indicated.
Professionals qualified to document an
individual's need for
test
modifications include medical doctors, psychologists,
educational
diagnosticians, guidance counselors, rehabilitation
counselors/therapists
or social services staff. When multiple
modifications
are requested in order to accommodate the needs of an
individual
with severe disabilities, the professional must have
training
appropriate to the diagnosis. An
ophthalmologist, for
example,
could diagnose blindness but not a hearing impairment.
AUTHORIZED TEST
MODIFICATIONS
AUDIO CASSETTE
There is one U.S. English language audio
cassette tape of the
GED
test. It is accompanied by a large
print reference manual (test
book)
with enlarged graphics. The individual
must have a documented
visual,
visual-motor, or perceptual disability that adversely affects
ability
to obtain information from the standard printed word.
LARGE PRINT
There are two forms of the U.S. English
language large print
test. An individual may test on the large print
edition under normal
time
limits simply upon request. However,
administration of the
large
print edition under special conditions, such as time extension
or in a
private room, requires documentation of the special need.
BRAILLE
There is one form of the U.S. English
language braille test.
The
braille edition uses level 2 braille and Nemeth code. The
braille
edition is accompanied by a regular print reference manual
(test
book).
EXTENSION OF TIME
LIMITS
The GED tests were developed so that
approximately 85 percent
of
individuals are able to finish comfortably within the prescribed
time
limits under standard conditions. The
time limits are extended
under
special conditions or when the audio cassette or braille
editions
are used. Those with disabilities often
require extra time
to
answer questions and may become easily fatigued. Individuals with
physical
or psychological impairments will receive extra time as is
warranted
by a professional assessment of their needs.
Up to twice
the
normal time limits may be allowed for each of the tests. Each
test
may be administered on a different day, but each test must be
completed
on the day that it is started.
Administration of all tests
should
be completed in no more than two weeks.
ADMINISTRATION IN A SPECIAL
LOCATION
Testing in a private room at the test
center is available to
those
who, because of an illness or disability, need to be away from
others. It is also available to those whose specific
learning
disabilities
or psychological condition make testing in a group
distracting
to them or to others. Some individuals
may be
non-ambulatory
or may require special equipment or care that would
preclude
their testing at the local test center.
In such documented
cases,
arrangements can be made to test at home or at some other
location
that is suited to the needs of the individual.
FREQUENT BREAKS
Some individuals, because of physical
discomfort or because of
their
inability to concentrate for extended periods of time, require
frequent
breaks during testing. For breaks
between parts of the
test,
such as between the Social Studies and Science Tests, no
special
permission is required. For breaks
during a test, such as
during
the Social Studies Test, special permission from the HSE
Program
Office is required.
ANSWERS RECORDED IN A SPECIAL
MANNER
Some individuals are unable to record
their responses to test
questions
in the conventional manner. Individuals
with documented
physical
disabilities may respond in whatever manner is appropriate
for
them. Their responses will be
transcribed by the proctor onto
the
standard answer sheets to allow normal processing.
SCRIBE
A scribe, sometimes called a secretary,
amanuensis or recorder,
is
someone who records the answers to multiple-choice questions or
the
essay as dictated by the individual. For essay items, spelling of
more
difficult words, punctuation, paragraphing, etc., must be
provided
by the individual. This modification is
appropriate for
those
who have difficulty writing as a result of visual or physical
impairments
or specific learning disabilities. For
those with
limited
use of their arms, the scribe is also responsible for turning
pages
of the test booklet or operating the audio cassette player.
INTERPRETER
A certified interpreter may be used to
interpret the test
instructions
and essay topic only -- not the multiple-choice test
questions
-- to individuals who are deaf or have severe hearing
impairments. Such an interpreter must not be a relative
or friend of
the
individual. The test takers may also
have up to twice the normal
time
limit to complete each part of the test.
Also, an
open-captioned,
sign language video tape, "GED Test Administration
for
Deaf Candidates," provides test instructions for each part of the
test.
CALCULATOR
Individuals who are legally blind are
entitled to use a talking
calculator
or abacus on the Mathematics Test only.
Individuals with
physical
or learning disabilities may be granted the use of a
calculator
only by written permission of the GED Testing Service.
The
need for use of a calculator must be documented by a qualified
professional. Calculators with advanced memory functions
that can
store
both problems and answers in their memory are prohibited in all
cases.
ACCOMMODATIONS NOT ALLOWED
The following test modifications MAY NOT
be authorized for the
GED
Tests: computers, rulers, alphabet
cards, word processors, spell
checking
programs or readers.
PRACTICE MATERIALS
Practice materials are not available from
the State Education
Department
for the General Educational Development tests.
Commercially
developed practice materials, however, are available in
many
book stores and public libraries.
MORE INFORMATION
Information and materials for applying
for test modifications
for the
General Educational Development tests are available from:
New York State Education
Department
High School Equivalency
Program Office
P.O. Box 7348
Albany, NY 12224
(518) 474-5906
Your:
Local Library
BOCES - Adult Education Programs
High School
MODULE 4
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
The Advanced Placement (AP) Program is
owned by the College
Board,
which contracts with Educational Testing Service (ETS) for
administrative
and operational services. The program,
established
approximately
40 years ago, provides high school students worldwide
an
opportunity to access college-level material through participation
in an
AP course, and provides them the opportunity to demonstrate
knowledge
and skills by taking an AP Examination.
Students benefit
by
participating in AP courses and examinations by learning a subject
in
greater depth, developing skills that will promote successful
study
in college, and demonstrating to colleges their willingness to
undertake
challenging course work. The AP Program
encourages
students
with disabilities to participate in AP courses and
examinations.
Almost 50 percent of secondary schools in
the United States
participate
in the AP Program, serving approximately 15 percent of
their
college-bound students. On average, 65
percent of those who
take an
AP Examination receive a grade that is acceptable for college
credit,
advanced placement, or both. AP courses
and examinations are
available
in the following content areas:
--Art --Spanish
-History of Art -Language
-Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio, -Literature
General Portfolio) --Government and Politics
--Biology -Comparative
--Chemistry -United States
--Computer
Science --History
-Computer Science A -United States
-Computer Science AB --Latin
--Economics -Vergil
-Microeconomics -Latin Literature
-Macroeconomics --Mathematics
--English -Calculus AB
-Language and Composition -Calculus BC
-Literature and Composition --Music Theory
--French --Physics
-Language -Physics B
-Literature -Physics C (Mechanics,
--German
Language
Electricity and Magnetism)
--Psychology
Students should be selected for
participation in AP courses on
the
basis of their preparation for such a course, their willingness
and
ability to meet its academic challenges, and the level of support
they
have from school staff, family and friends.
(It should be noted
that
all students are permitted to use scientific calculators with
graphing
capability on appropriate AP Examinations.)
Each AP course culminates with an AP
Examination which is newly
developed
each year by committees comprised of college and high
school
faculty appointed by the College Board and aided by
consultants
from ETS. Virtually all examinations
(except Studio Art
which
is a portfolio assessment) include multiple-choice sections and
constructed
response sections that include essay writing, problem
solving,
programming, speaking, and singing.
Each AP Examination
grade
is reported on a five-point scale:
5-extremely
well qualified
4-well
qualified
3-qualified
2-possibly
qualified
1-no
recommendation
Results of the AP Examinations are sent
to students, their
secondary
schools, and any colleges they select.
A student who earns a grade of 3 or
better on an AP Examination
is
generally considered qualified to receive credit for the
equivalent
course in one of the 2,900 colleges and universities that
give
credit for AP Examinations. In general,
studies indicate that
AP
grades of 5 and 4 are comparable to a college course grade of A
(in
some institutions, an AP grade of 4 is comparable to a college
course
grade of B). An AP grade of 3 is
approximately equal to a
college
course grade of B in many institutions (in some institutions,
it is
more comparable to a college course grade of C). The American
Council
of Education (ACE) recommends that colleges and univerisities
award
credit for AP grades of 3 or better on any AP examination.
BEFORE REQUESTING TEST
MODIFICATIONS
Not all students with disabilities need
test modifications in
order
to demonstrate knowledge and abilities.
Before making
arrangements
to take an Advanced Placement Examination, students with
disabilities
should determine whether they can complete the
examination
without the use of test modifications; within the
standard
time limits, and using the standard test booklet and answer
sheet. The grade report for students taking an AP
Examination with
modifications
will include the designation "Nonstandard
Administration"
or "Certified Disability."
(The student will have
the
option as to which designation is inserted.)
ELIGIBILITY FOR TEST
MODIFICATIONS
In order for a student with a disability
to be eligible to take
an
Advanced Placement Examination with test modifications, the
student
must:
-have a
disability which necessitates test modifications, and
-have
documentation on file at school (the disability and need for
the test modifications must be documented in
an Individualized
Education Program (IEP), Section 504
Accommodation Plan (504 Plan)
or in a signed statement from an appropriate
professional such as a
physician, psychologist, child study team, or
reading specialist).
AUTHORIZED TEST
MODIFICATIONS
Proctors who administer an AP Examination
will be knowledgeable
about
the kinds of lifestyle accommodations that have been made
during
the school year to support a student who has a disability in
order
to establish an appropriate, reasonable and comfortable testing
environment
for the student. For example, if a
school provides sign
language
interpreter services for students who have a disability due
to
deafness, the AP Coordinator should offer such services to AP
students
who are deaf.
PHOTO-ENLARGED EXAMINATIONS AND
ANSWER SHEETS
Photo-enlarged examinations (135 percent,
on paper 11 inches
wide
and 17 inches long) and answer sheets may be approved for
students
with visual impairments. If students
using photo-enlarged
editions
of the examination take the examination under standard
conditions,
with no additional time, the annotation "Nonstandard
Administration"
will not appear on their grade report.
BRAILLE EXAMINATIONS
Braille examinations are available in almost
all AP subjects.
AUDIA TAPES
Complete examinations are available on
audio tapes for some AP
subjects.
SCRIPTS
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing
may request a written
script
of the audio tapes used in the listening and speaking sections
of the
modern languages examinations. Such
scripts are usually
translated
to the student by a sign language interpreter.
(Any
person
who assists a student with a disability during an AP
Examination
may not be a member of the student's family, a
prospective
candidate for the same AP Examination, or an AP teacher.)
INTERPRETERS
If the school provides a sign language
interpreter to
accommodate
the needs of students who are deaf during the school year
and for
other standardized examinations, the AP Coordinator should
offer
the same accommodation for students who are deaf taking the AP
Examination. Interpreters are to translate any audible statements
made
during the examination administration (e.g.,
instructions
regarding
forms completion, when to begin the examination, when to
end the
examination).
TRANSCRIBED RESPONSES
If a student cannot record responses
directly on the answer
sheet
or essay book provided, a braille slate, typewriter or computer
(with
prior approval) may be used and/or responses may be dictated to
an
amanuensis who will record the student's comments verbatim during
the
examination.
USE OF COLORED OVERLAYS
Students who have disabilities due to
dyslexia may be permitted
to use
colored overlays to help them read the examination. The
colored
overlays should be provided by the school or the student.
TIME EXTENSION/LIMITED TEST
DURATION
As a general guideline, the AP Program
authorizes up to double
the
testing time. To avoid fatigue for a
student, a testing day
should
not exceed 6 hours.
If extensive time is required, an AP
Examination may be
administered
over consecutive days. In implementing
this
modification,
testing on the first day should be discontinued after
the
multiple-choice section of the examination so that the student
has no
advanced knowledge of upcoming content.
The free response
section
should be administered in a similar fashion during the next
day(s).
If a student's disability necessitates
the administration of
the
examination over restricted time periods, in addition to the
scheduled,
standard break, the student may be permitted an
unscheduled
rest period. During such rest
period(s), examination
materials
will be closed or collected in order to ensure examination
security.
PRACTICE MATERIALS
At
the time of publication of this document, practice materials
are not
available from the Educational Testing Service for Advanced
Placement
Examinations; however, a lending library is currently being
developed. Commercially developed practice materials
are also
available
in many bookstores and public libraries.
MORE INFORMATION
Information materials regarding the
administration of Advanced
Placement
Examinations to students with disabilities are available
from:
AP Services
P.O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6771
(609) 771-7300
TTY: (609)
882-4118
MODULE 5
PRELIMINARY SAT/NATIONAL MERIT
SCHOLARSHIP
QUALIFYING TEST (NMSQT)
SAT I: REASONING TEST
AND
SAT II: SUBJECT TESTS
INTRODUCTION
Most colleges and universities rely upon
multiple criteria in
selecting
students for undergraduate admission (first year college
students). Admissions officers look for evidence of
achievement,
motivation
and intellectual curiosity. The most
important criterion
is
usually an evaluation of academic performance, including an
appraisal
of the standards and rigor of the student's secondary
school
program. Many colleges and universities
also place heavy
emphasis
on recommendations from teachers, essays prepared by the
applicants
and applicant interviews. Other
important considerations
may
include special talents (musical, artistic, literary and
athletic);
active commitment to social, political or environmental
issues;
participation in student government; extra curricular
activities;
volunteer work; and employment.
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Students
with disabilities are encouraged to contact any college and
university
in which they are interested, prior to submitting
admissions
applications, in order to determine the availability of
accommodations
in admissions procedures requirements and the program
and
boarding accommodations which would be available upon enrollment.
Students
and their parents may also review the Directory of Higher
Education
Services for Students with Disabilities, which may be
accessed
at regional offices of the Office of Vocational and
Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities (listed in
Appendix
H) or through public
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Many colleges and universities also use
standardized assessment
information
as part of the selection process. The
SAT I: Reasoning
Test
and SAT II: Subject Tests, as well as
the ACT Assessment which
is
discussed in Module 6, are frequently required as part of the
application
process since they provide consistent information,
student-to-student,
on national and worldwide bases.
The content of the Preliminary
SAT(PSAT)/National Merit
Scholarship
Qualifying Test (NMSQT) is very similar to that of the
SAT
I: Reasoning Test. It includes two verbal sections and two
mathematics
sections. PSAT/NMSQT scores are not to
be sent to
colleges
and/or used for admissions. The intent
is to allow students
a
"no-risk" opportunity to practice for the SAT I without worrying
about
colleges seeing their scores. This test
has two primary
purposes:
-It provides experience at taking a test
which is very similar
to the SAT I, and
-It is an initial consideration in the
competition for National
Merit Scholarships.
The SAT I: Reasoning Test is usually administered in the
spring
of the junior year and/or the fall of grade 12 in order to
predict
the likelihood of success in college.
This test does not
measure
intelligence, motivation, creativity or special talents - it
measures
verbal and mathematical reasoning.
The verbal questions test the student's
ability to:
-understand and analyze written material
-recognize relationships between parts of
a sentence
-establish relationships between pairs of
words
The mathematics questions test the
student's ability to solve
problems
using:
-arithmetic
-algebra
-geometry
The SAT II: Subject Tests measure the student's knowledge and
skills
in particular subject areas. All
subject tests take one hour
of
testing time (for administration under standard conditions) and
consist
entirely of multiple-choice questions, except for the Writing
Test
which includes a 20-minute essay and 40 minutes of
multiple-choice
questions. For administration under
standard
conditions,
the use of a calculator is permitted only for Mathematics
Level
IC and Level IIC. The following SAT
II: Subject Tests are
available:
-Writing -Chinese
with Listening
-Literature -French
(reading only)
-American
History and Social Studies -French
with Listening
-World
History
-German (reading only)
-Mathematics
Level I -German with Listening
-Mathematics
Level IC -Modern
Hebrew
-Mathematics
Level IIC -Italian
-Biology -Japanese
with Listening
-Chemistry -Latin
-Physics -Spanish
(reading only)
-Spanish with Listening
-English Language
Proficiency
BEFORE REQUESTING TEST
MODIFICATIONS
Not all students with disabilities need
test modifications in
order
to demonstrate knowledge and abilities.
Before making
arrangements
to take the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT I or SAT II, students with
disabilities
should determine whether they can complete the test(s)
without
the use of test modifications, within the standard time
limits,
and using the standard test booklet and answer sheet.
The scores for students taking such tests
with modifications
may not
reflect educational ability in the same manner as scores for
students
completing the tests under standardized conditions.
Therefore,
the score report for all students taking the PSAT/NMSQT,
SAT I
or SAT II with test modifications will include the designation
"Nonstandard
Administration." (The types of
modifications provided
and the
reasons why modifications were necessary will not be
indicated.) Final responsibility for interpreting test
results will
rest with
the score recipients (e.g., college and university
admissions
officers).
ELIGIBILITY FOR TEST
MODIFICATIONS
In order for a student with a disability
to be eligible to take
the SAT
Program tests with test modifications, the student must:
- have a disability which necessitates test
modifications,
- have documentation on file at school (the
disability and need
for test modifications must be
documented in an Individualized
Education Program (IEP), Section 504
Accommodation Plan (504
Plan), or in an evaluation completed by
a qualified
professional), AND
- have test modifications administered for
classroom tests and/or
standardized tests provided by the
school.
In some instances, a student with a
documented disability who
does
not receive accommodations in school may still be eligible for
accommodations
on a SAT Program test. To request an
exception to the
accommodations
requirement above, an EVALUATION completed by a
qualified
professional (i.e., a person licensed or certified to
diagnose
the student's ability) explaining why the student needs the
test
modifications must be submitted to Educational Testing Services,
Inc. A panel of qualified professionals will review
the evaluation.
Materials
received for special consideration that are postmarked
after
the registration deadline will be considered only for the next
available
test date.
A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL, as a general
rule, is an individual
who is
licensed or certified in a medical or allied health
discipline,
and who can diagnose particular disabilities.
For
example,
an ophthalmologist can diagnose vision disabilities; and
otolaryngologist
or clinical audiologist can diagnose hearing
disabilities;
and a clinical or school psychologist or a learning
disability
specialist can diagnose learning disabilities.
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
recommends that students with
temporary
disabilities consider registering for a later test date in
the
national testing program unless an admissions application
deadline
requires earlier testing. Colleges or
scholarship programs
will
sometimes extend deadlines upon receiving special requests for
such
extensions. If accommodations are
required, a physician's
statement
must be on file at the school verifying that the student's
disability
will exist at the time of the nonstandard administration
and
that the disability requires the requested accommodations.
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