The University of the State of New York, The State Education Department, and VESID have detailed important information on testing accommodations and modifications in a lengthy document. One of the very important distinctions it makes is testing accommodations vs. modifications. An accommodation is a change made in the way the test is administered to make it fully accessible to the student with a disability. Accommodations do not change the constructs being tested in anyway. In contrast, a modification changes the constructs of the test by altering the content, changing the test process, or adding assistive technology.
I imagine it must be difficult to meet a student's needs with an accommodation rather than a modification in some cases. All of the students in my current student teaching placement do not participate in state assessments. They are administered alternative assessments. I wonder where the state draws the line in how much modifications and accommodations a student needs before they should just be administered an alternative assessment.
I think it is very important that teachers use the accommodations provided to students on state tests regularly in the classroom. Students who have no prior experience using the accommodations may find them intrusive, unfamiliar, or confusing. I believe the IEP and the CSE team should make it a requirement that the teacher use these accommodations in the classroom as well as for state tests.
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