Participation of and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities and English

Language Learners

NAEP State Analysis Project

Jenifer Harr María Pérez

CCSSO National Conference on Large-Scale Assessment

June 2006

Participation of and accommodations for students with disabilities (SDs) and English learners (ELs) have been a growing challenge over the past decade.

This study explores the relationships between changes in participation and accommodations and assessment results (e.g., state and NAEP assessments).

Data Sources• CCSSO SSAP surveys from 1997-98 and 2001-02• NAEP SD/LEP Questionnaire from 1998 and 2002• NAEP test score results

Background of the Study Background of the Study

1. How are changes in state assessment policies on the participation and accommodation of SDs and ELs related to changes in participation and accommodation rates on state assessments?

2. How are changes in NAEP participation and accommodation rates related to changes in state assessment participation and accommodation rates for SD and ELs?

3. How are differences between NAEP and state achievement trends related to changes in participation and accommodation rates?

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

State Policy

State identification policy

State participation policy

State accommodation policy

State identification rate

State participation rate

State accommodation rate

NAEP participation rate NAEP accommodation rate

Difference between state and NAEP achievement gain

NAEP achievement gain

State Practice

NAEP Practice

NAEP and State Achievement Trends

Policies and Practice for Policies and Practice for Assessing SDs and ELsAssessing SDs and ELs

Research Question 1: How are changes in state policies related to changes in participation and accommodation

rates on state assessments?

State Policy

State identification policy

State participation policy

State accommodation policy

State identification rate

State participation rate

State accommodation rate

NAEP participation rate NAEP accommodation rate

Difference between state and NAEP achievement gain

NAEP achievement gain

State Practice

NAEP Practice

NAEP and State Achievement Trends

States grouped by whether their accommodation policies changed between 1997-98 and 2001-02

Group YY – States that had policy both years Group NY – States that did not have policy in 1997-98

and did in 2001-02 Group YN – States that had policy in 1997-98 and did

not in 2001-02 Group NN – States that did not have policy either year

Research Question 1Research Question 1

State Accommodation Policies and Participation Rates

SDs: The introduction of two of 30+ accommodation policies for SDs was related to greater increase in participation rates (extended testing time and use of scribe) (Comparing NY to YY)

ELs: The introduction of two of 17+ accommodation policies for ELs was related to greater increase in participation rates (explanation of directions and translations of directions) (Comparing NY to YY)

Research Question 1Research Question 1

State Accommodation Policies and Accommodation Rates

SDs: The introduction of accommodation policies for reading problems aloud and reading directions aloud appear to be related to higher increases in accommodation rates for students in grade 4 (Comparing NY to YY)

ELs: The introduction of an accommodation policy for extended testing time appear to be related to higher increases in accommodation rates for students in grade 4 (Comparing NY to NN)

Research Question 1Research Question 1

Research Question 2: How are changes in NAEP participation and accommodation rates related to changes in state assessment

participation and accommodation rates?

State Policy

State identification policy

State participation policy

State accommodation policy

State identification rate

State participation rate

State accommodation rate

NAEP participation rate NAEP accommodation rate

Difference between state and NAEP achievement gain

NAEP achievement gain

State Practice

NAEP Practice

NAEP and State Achievement Trends

State and NAEP Assessment Participation Rates

SDs: The average change in NAEP participation rates in grade 8 is significantly correlated with changes in state participation rates. In grade 4, it is not significant.

ELs: The average change in NAEP participation rates is not significantly correlated with changes in state participation rates in either grade.

Research Question 2Research Question 2

State and NAEP Accommodation Rates for SDs Changes in overall state assessment accommodation rates

are significantly correlated with changes in overall NAEP accommodation rates in grades 4 and 8.

Changes in state accommodation rates for the following state accommodations are significantly correlated to changes in overall NAEP accommodation rates:

Oral reading of directions, testing in small groups, extended testing time for grades 4 and 8

Oral reading of questions, interpretation of directions, and more breaks for grade 4 only

Research Question 2Research Question 2

Research Question 3: How are differences in achievement trends related to changes in participation and accommodation rates?

State Policy

State identification policy

State participation policy

State accommodation policy

State identification rate

State participation rate

State accommodation rate

NAEP participation rate NAEP accommodation rate

Difference between state and NAEP achievement gain

NAEP achievement gain

State Practice

NAEP Practice

NAEP and State Achievement Trends

Comparing State and NAEP Assessment Results in Grade 4 to Change in Participation Rates of SDs on State Assessments

Research Question 3Research Question 3

Number of

states

Average change in

state participation

rates Standard deviation Difference2

States’ assessment gains that are larger than NAEP1 5 -8.3 17.1

States’ assessment gains that are not larger than NAEP1 6 13.1 28.4

21.4

1 Data based on analysis comparing state assessment results with full-population NAEP assessment results. These analyses are described in a separate NAEP State Analysis Project Report (McLaughlin et al., 2005). 2 This column represents the difference in the change in participation rates between states that do not have and do have larger gains on their state assessments than on NAEP.

Summary of Findings:Summary of Findings: Policies and practice for assessing

students with disabilities

State Policy

State identification policy

State participation policy

State accommodation policy

State identification rate

State participation rate

State accommodation rate

NAEP participation rate NAEP accommodation rate

Difference between state and NAEP achievement gain

NAEP achievement gain

State Practice

NAEP Practice

NAEP and State Achievement Trends

**

(-)

** Grade 8

Lack of additional years or alignment of data limit analyses State policy data source – the SSAP survey – has been

discontinued Other state policy data sources include the NCEO (SD)

and CEEE (EL)

Future Directions?Future Directions?

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003NCEO x x x xCEEE x xNAEP Reading x x xNAEP Math x x