Using Technology to Create and Administer Accessible Tests

Ms. Smith, a special education teacher, had worked as a cooperative teaching team for several years. Knowing that their students benefited from using technology, they had integrated a wide range of instructional technologies into their classroom to differentiate their instruction. They noticed that their students were particularly excited about using technology and that it helped motivate them to learn and complete their assignments. However, Ms. Randolph and Ms. Smith were disappointed that many of their students still performed poorly on tests and quizzes. They discussed the possible reasons for the discrepancy between their students’ classroom and testing performance and concluded that they needed to use technology to make their testing conditions more like their classroom instructional conditions. The teachers shared their goals with Ms. Rodriguez, the school’s instructional technology (IT) specialist, who liked their ideas and was eager to work with them. The three teachers began by researching the ways to use technologybased testing by reviewing relevant Web sites and resources. Ms. Rodriguez obtained additional information by posting an inquiry on a Listserv used by professionals interested in educational technology. Several local educators who responded invited the teachers to visit their classrooms. On these visits, they learned how others were using technology to create and administer tests to students. As the teachers learned more about using technology-based testing, they realized there were many different ways to use it, so they developed a plan to implement it in steps. They began by using technology to improve the readability and the format of their tests so that they were easier for students to complete. They then had their students take online quizzes. As students became more familiar with the online testing format, the teachers started to convert their tests to PDF files so that students could complete them via the computer. For their students with reading difficulties, the teachers used text-tospeech and optical character recognition systems to help students read the test’s directions and items. Although they noted an improvement in their students’ test grades, the teachers also had some concerns. Some of their students did not feel comfortable taking tests via technology, and the teachers also were concerned about students who accessed online resources while taking tests. After meeting with Ms. Rodriguez to discuss these issues, they decided to teach students how to take tests using technology and to establish rules and procedures that prevented online cheating. As everyone became more comfortable using technology-based testing, the teachers started to use other technologies to add new features.