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4 Inclusion and Accommodation
Pages 43-50

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From page 43...
... ~311. The same legislation called on the National Research Council "to evaluate whether the test items aciciress the needs of clisacivantagec3, limited English proficient, anc3 clisablec3 stuclents." There are two key challenges to testing students with disabilities or limited English proficiency.
From page 44...
... At that time, no VNT development activities or plans had been specifically aimed at the needs of clisacivantagec3 students or those with limited English proficiency, but such students slid partici' pate in one development activity the cognitive labs. YEAR 1 EVALUATION FINDINGS In its year 1 report, the National Research Council (1999a:46)
From page 45...
... However, the success of these policies in increasing participation has not yet been established, nor have their effects on test performance and score comparability been validated. The year ~ evaluation report also observed (National Research Council, 1999a:46~: Unless extensive development work is done with students with disabilities and with limited English proficiency, it would be unreasonable to expect that the VNT will be valid for use with these student populations.
From page 46...
... In particular, an effort is being macie to include students with disabilities anc3 with limited English proficiency among the nine students in each item trial in this year's cognitive laboratories. The AIR planning document also reports that, in connection with its exploration of reporting anc3 test use, focus groups with parents anc3 teachers incluclec3 (American Institutes for Research, 1998m:5~: "one composed of special education teachers, one comprising parents of special education stuclents, and one involving teachers of students with limited English proficiency." We have not seen a report of the findings or implications of these focus groups.
From page 47...
... Witnesses were asked to respond to a series of questions about inclusion anc3 accommodation in large- scale assessment, including the proposed VNT. For example, in the case of students with disabilities (National Assessment Governing Board l999a:13)
From page 48...
... They included preparation of two background papers, public hearings, and the summary of testimony from those hearings. However, these activities have not yet carried the development process much beyond its state in the summer of 1998, when the report found (National Research Council, ~ 999a:47 ~ "a limited basis for evaluation of provisions for inclusion anc3 accommodation in the VNTancl no specific basis to address the quality of item development relative to the needs of those stuclents." We applaud AIR's proposal to evaluate the effects of two common accommodations on VNT perfor' mance among students with disabilities anc3 with limited English proficiency in the pilot test, but little else has been accomplishecl.
From page 49...
... That winclow is aireacly half closed, anc3 there are modest signs of progress: the effort to include more students in cognitive labs, the intent to apply guidelines for simplified language, anc3 the AIR proposal to study effects of accommodation in the pilot test. We concur with the observation in the NRC earlier report (National Research Council, 1999a:46~: "the federal government has an important leadership role to play in subsidizing anc3 demonstrating valid efforts to include these populations." We offer two aciclitional recommendations to underscore our concern for the urgency anc3 NAGB's need to expand inclusion anc3 accommodation efforts for the VNT.
From page 50...
... Our speciAc recommendations suggest ~ step~By~step approach to learning more Tout testing students with learning dis~Lides and students with limited EngRsh proAciency. They should provide new evidence that w11 improve testing guidelines or suggest additiona1 lines of research to improve practice.


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