La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § CXI-3306

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 8, August 20, 2024

Section CXI-3306 - Approved Accommodations for Special Education and Section 504 Students

A. The following accommodations, if used in classroom instruction and assessment and specified on a student's IEP or IAP may be used for testing.

1. Braille

a. Braille editions of the test are provided for students who are proficient in this mode of access to written material. The regular print edition may be modified in braille. Supplementary test administration instructions and manipulatives are provided as needed. All responses must be transferred to the scorable answer document.

2. Large Print

a. Large-print editions may be used by students who use large print as an accommodation in classroom instruction and assessment. Large-print editions contain all test items that are in the regular edition. Essentially the large-print edition is an enlarged version of the regular-print edition, though the layout may vary slightly so as not to make the document more difficult for a student to use. All responses must be transferred to the scorable answer document.

3. Answers Recorded

a. If a student is unable due to his/her disability to write, provisions the test administrator must record the student's answers on the scorable answer document. Scribes and others supporting a student's test taking must be neutral in responding to the student during test administration. Assistance in test administration must not give away the answers. The student's responses must accurately represent the student's own choices. If a scribe is used for a writing topic, the scribe must write exactly what the student dictates without punctuation or capitalization. The student then must edit what the scribe wrote and provide punctuation and capitalization or any other changes.

4. Assistive Technology

a. Assistive technology can include, but is not limited to a:

i. computer;

ii. tape recorder;

iii. calculator;

iv. abacus;

v. grip for a pencil;

vi. visual magnification device;

vii. communication device;

viii. mask or marker to maintain place;

ix. speech synthesizer; and

x. electronic reader.

5. Extended Time/Adjusted Time

a. Every student must be given extended or sufficient time to respond to every test item. Time may be adjusted for certain students, such as those who have short attention spans or who may be unable to concentrate for long periods of time on a given task. The test administration time may have to be altered considerably to allow for intermittent short breaks during the testing period, or it may be determined appropriate to administer the test in a number of short sessions. Testing may also be stopped and continued at a later time if a student's behavior interferes with testing. The elapsed time must be documented and the test administrator must closely monitor that test security is maintained. The time of day the test is administered may also be adjusted to a time more beneficial to the student. All sessions, however, must be completed within the specified test administration dates, including makeup sessions.

6. Communication Assistance

a. A test administrator who is fluent in the cuing or signing modality routinely used by a student should be available to repeat or clarify directions and sign portions of the test if warranted by the student's reading level as documented on the IEP or IAP.

b. No passages, questions, or distractors (multiple choices) of any English language arts test that measures reading comprehension may be signed or cued. Such tests include the Reading and Responding session of LEAP, GEE, and LAA 2, Reading, Part 2 of iLEAP grades 3, 5, 6, and 7, Reading Comprehension of iLEAP grade 9 and the "old" GEE, Reading session of ELDA, and any others developed to measure this skill. Directions only to these sessions may be signed or cued. When signing or cueing, the test administrator must exercise caution to avoid providing answers. It is a breach of test security to provide signs or cues that convey answers.

7. Transferred Answers

a. Student responses that are recorded in any format other than on the standard answer document must be transferred by the test administrator precisely as instructed in the appropriate test manual. Such formats include braille, large print, oral responses, typewritten responses, computer responses, and any other responses recorded with the assistance of mechanical or technological devices. Student responses not transferred will not be scored. If both a student's and a test administrator's handwriting appear on an answer document, only the student's writing will be scored.

8. Individual/Small Group Administration

a. Tests may be administered to a small group (maximum, eight students) or to an individual requiring more attention than can be provided in a larger classroom. If other selected accommodations affect the standard administration of the test (e.g., extended time on a timed test, tests read aloud), individual or small group administration must be used.

9. Tests Read Aloud

a. Students may be allowed to have portions of the tests read to them, with the exception of portions designed to measure reading comprehension, which are clearly designated in the Test Administration Manuals. No passages, questions, or distractors (multiple choices) of any English language arts assessment that measures reading comprehension may be read aloud. Such tests include the Reading and Responding session of LEAP, GEE, and LAA 2, Reading, Part 2 of iLEAP grades 3, 5, 6, and 7, Reading Comprehension of iLEAP grade 9 and the "old" GEE, Reading session of ELDA, and any others developed to measure this skill. Directions only to these sessions may be signed or cued. When signing or cueing, the test administrator must exercise caution to avoid providing answers. It is a breach of test security to provide signs or cues that convey answers.

10. Other

a. Any necessary accommodations may be used, but they must be decided by the IEP team or Section 504 committee and listed on the student's IEP or IAP. The accommodation must not invalidate the meaning of the test score or the purpose of the test. Examples of other accommodations include highlighting the task or verbs in the directions on the test or assisting the student in tracking the test items.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § CXI-3306

Promulgated by the Department of Education, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 33:263 (February 2007), LR 33:1010 (June 2007).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:7, R.S. 17:24 et seq., R.S. 17:391-400, R.S. 17:1941 et seq., R.S. 17:397, R.S. 17:1946, and R.S. 17:1947.1.