NAEP and accommodations
By JohnL on Dec. 13, 2007.
Are accommodations for students with disabilities compromising the integrity of scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress? According to a story by Elizabeth Green in the New York (NY, US) Sun, educators are considering that question closely. Ms. Green reported that, “Responding to mounting concerns about the validity of a test considered the gold standard for measuring American students, federal officials are pushing for a change in how the test is administered.”
The revision would set a single standard for how to decide which students are excluded from testing and which receive special accommodations, such as extra time or permission to take the test in a small group.
Right now, policies for administering the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, vary widely between states and school districts. In New York City, school officials this year gave extra time to at least 21% of students who took NAEP’s fourth-grade reading test, while nationally just 5% of test takers got extra time.
Arguing that the discrepancies compromise the test’s purpose, officials in the group that oversees NAEP are pushing to eliminate them before the next time the test is administered, in 2009.
Previously, Ms. Green reported that ~20% of students in NYC received accommodations on the 2007 NAEP testing.
Links:
- Ms. Green’s articles about officials considering changes and the number of students given accommodations in NY.
- US Department of Education resources about inclusion of students with disabilities in NAEP.
- Google Scholar search on “+naep +accommodations.”
Nations Report Card (NAEP) information for media agents about accommodations.
Category: Commentaries, News, Public Policy