Assessing Students with Special Needs, Explained

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Assessing Students with Special Needs

Educational Psychology · Chapter 8: Assessment, Testing, and Making Sense of ResultsSection 8.13 · lesson 82 of 1009 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

Accommodations, modifications, alternate assessments, and the line between them.

  • State what IDEA requires of a special education evaluation
  • Distinguish accommodations from modifications
  • Describe alternate assessments and who they serve
  • Apply UDL principles to assessment design

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (1,112 words). Read along, or search it.

Assessment, Testing, and Making Sense of Results

Assessing Students with Special Needs

One distinction runs through this entire section. The difference between an accommodation and a modification. It sounds like a matter of vocabulary. It is a matter of law. We begin with what IDEA requires before any eligibility decision. Then accommodations, which change how a test is given. Then modifications, which change what a test measures. Then alternate assessments, and the cap that governs them. And finally Universal Design for Learning, applied to assessment. Keep one question in mind as we work through the examples. After this change, is the test still measuring the same thing? That single question sorts almost every case correctly.

Legal Basis

What the Law Requires Before Eligibility

Two federal laws govern assessment of students with disabilities. IDEA, and Section five oh four of the Rehabilitation Act. Together they establish comprehensive legal requirements. IDEA requires an evaluation before any eligibility determination. That evaluation must be nondiscriminatory, and multidisciplinary. Four requirements attach to it. It must use multiple measures, not a single instrument. It must be conducted in the student's native language. It must not be discriminatory on the basis of race or culture. And no single test score may be the sole basis for the decision. That last requirement covers eligibility and placement alike.

The Team

Who Conducts the Evaluation, and When

Initial evaluations run on a clock. They must be completed within sixty days of parental consent. Or within the timeline established by state law, where that differs. The evaluation team includes the parents. The general and special education teachers, a school psychologist, and other specialists. That team reviews all available data. And conducts additional assessments as needed. The aim is to understand strengths and challenges across three domains. Academic, developmental, and functional. The process is deliberately heavy, and for a reason. Decisions should reflect the full complexity of the student. Not a single moment of test performance on one afternoon.

Accommodations

Changing How, Not What

Now the crucial distinction, starting with accommodations. An accommodation changes how an assessment is administered. Or how the student is allowed to respond. And crucially, it does not alter the construct being measured. Extended time, a quiet testing room, and oral administration are all accommodations. So is using a calculator, on a test that is not about calculation. And so are large-print or Braille formats. Here is the case that makes the principle clear. A student with dyslexia uses text-to-speech on a science content test. She is still being measured on science knowledge. Not on reading ability, which the test never meant to test.

Modifications

Changing What Is Measured

Modifications work differently, and the difference is not small. A modification alters the content of the assessment. Or its complexity, or the expectations attached to it. Take a student on a modified assessment, covering fewer standards. Or lower-level content than the grade-level assessment would cover. That student is being measured on different content entirely. Which is a fundamental change in what the test assesses. Modified assessments are appropriate for some students. Those with significant cognitive disabilities, specifically. But they must be clearly distinguished from accommodated ones. They carry different implications for grade-level certification. And for access to general education standards.

The Line

Why This Distinction Is Legal, Not Semantic

Two examples, placed side by side, make the line visible. First, a student with a physical disability. She uses voice-to-text software to respond to an essay prompt. She is still being assessed on writing quality. The accommodation removed a physical barrier, and nothing else. Second, a student assessed on a shorter, simplified version. The same prompt, but reduced. That student is being assessed on different content. So here is the rule in one line. Accommodations remove barriers. Modifications change standards. That distinction has profound legal and educational implications. IEP teams must understand it when making assessment decisions.

Alternate

Assessments for a Different Set of Standards

There is a third category beyond accommodation and modification. Alternate assessments. They are designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Students whose learning objectives differ substantially from grade-level standards. Under ESSA, there is a cap on how many students take them. States may assess up to one percent of all tested students this way. Aligned to alternate academic achievement standards. These assessments look quite different from a standard test. They are typically portfolio-based, performance-based, or observation-based. They reflect the authentic functional and academic skills being worked toward. When designed with rigor and fidelity, they do real work. They provide meaningful accountability data for this population.

Six Examples

Does It Change the Construct?

Six examples, sorted by one question. Does this change the construct being measured? Extended time is an accommodation. It measures the same construct. Text-to-speech on a content test is an accommodation. It removes an irrelevant reading barrier. A quiet, separate testing room is an accommodation. It reduces distraction, not content. Fewer test items with reduced content is a modification. That changes what is measured. A below-grade-level reading passage is also a modification. It alters the content standard itself. And a portfolio of functional skills is an alternate assessment. Aligned to alternate standards altogether.

UDL

Designing the Flexibility In From the Start

Universal Design for Learning offers a way to need less of this. Applied to assessment, UDL means building flexibility in from the outset. Providing multiple means of expression. Allowing varied response formats. And minimizing construct-irrelevant barriers for all students. Notice how far the benefit of that reaches. Reducing linguistic complexity in a science test item helps several groups. English language learners benefit from it. So do students with language-based learning disabilities. And so do students from low-literacy households. So proactive design reduces the need for after-the-fact accommodations. Fewer barriers built in means fewer barriers to remove later.

Classroom Example

An IEP Team at Work

Here is an IEP team doing this work in practice. They meet to plan assessment accommodations for a sixth grader. She has ADHD, along with a processing speed deficit. Reviewing her evaluation data, the team makes three decisions. She qualifies for extended time, and for small-group testing. And for permission to use a noise-canceling headset. These are documented in her IEP. And provided consistently on all major assessments through the year. The team also adds a process assessment tool. A brief bi-monthly teacher observation form, tracking executive function. And notice what none of those decisions did. Not one of them changed what the assessments measure.

How To

Five Practices, and Why the Law Is Only a Floor

Five practices make this work in an ordinary classroom. First, implement all IEP and five oh four accommodations consistently. Consistency is the part that most often slips. Second, use multiple assessment formats, and not only paper tests. Third, collaborate with special education staff on assessment planning. Fourth, apply UDL principles in your original assessment design. Fifth, document assessment conditions and responses for the IEP record. One closing thought about all of these legal requirements. Students with disabilities are entitled by law to fair assessment. But legal compliance is a floor, and not a ceiling. The goal is assessment that genuinely reveals what a student knows. And what that student can actually do.

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About Assessing Students with Special Needs

What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?
An accommodation changes how a test is given or how a student responds without changing what it measures, while a modification changes the content, complexity or expectations, so the student is measured on something different. Extended time and text-to-speech on a science test are accommodations; fewer items with reduced content are a modification. In short, accommodations remove barriers and modifications change standards.
What does IDEA require for a special education evaluation?
IDEA requires a nondiscriminatory, multidisciplinary evaluation before any eligibility decision. It must use multiple measures, be conducted in the student's native language, avoid racial or cultural discrimination, and not rely on any single test score. Initial evaluations must be completed within 60 days of parental consent or within the state's own timeline, and the team includes parents, teachers, a school psychologist and other specialists.
What is an alternate assessment?
An alternate assessment is a test designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities whose learning objectives differ substantially from grade-level standards. It is aligned to alternate academic achievement standards and is typically portfolio-based, performance-based or observation-based. Under ESSA, states may assess up to 1 percent of all tested students this way.
How does Universal Design for Learning apply to assessment?
Applied to assessment, Universal Design for Learning means building flexibility in from the start by offering multiple means of expression, varied response formats and fewer construct-irrelevant barriers for every student. For example, simplifying the language of a science item helps English language learners, students with language-based learning disabilities and students from low-literacy households. Good design reduces the need for accommodations added later.

About the Educational Psychology course

How many college credits is Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
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