The effects and perceived consequences of testing accommodations on math and science performance assessments.

Northern Illinois UniversityThe present study examined the effect accommodations have on test results of studentswith and without disabilities and documented experts’ judgments about the appropri-ateness of testing accommodations. Test score data were collected from 218 fourth-grade students with and without disabilities on mathematics and science performancetasks and from eight testing experts who evaluated the fairness and validity of a sampleof testing accommodations used with these students. Results indicated that, for moststudents with disabilities and some students without disabilities, packages of testingaccommodations had a moderate to large effect on performance task scores. Expertreviewers rated most accommodations for a student with disabilities as being both validand fair, and they gave accommodations listed on a student’s individualized educationprogram (IEP) signicantly higher validity and fairness ratings than accommodationsthat were not listed on the student’s IEP. Interpretations of these data are provided andimplications for practice and future research are discussed.Keywords:

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