PARCC Accessibility Features and
Accommodations Manual
For Consideration by PARCC Governing Board
June 26, 2013
Trinell Bowman, Maryland
Tamara Reavis, Achieve
PARCC Accessibility Features and
Accommodations Manual
First edition
• Represents best thinking of PARCC states to date; focus is on
accessibility and accommodations for computer-delivered PBA,
EOY and MYA
• First edition has support of majority of PARCC State Leads.
• Future editions will be drafted based on upcoming field tests,
research, and operational testing.
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Development & Review
 Manual was developed and reviewed over the past year through an
iterative process involving the following groups:
– State experts serving on the PARCC Accommodations, Accessibility and
Fairness Operational Working Group;
– K-12 PARCC State Leads;
– Additional state agency experts (including special education and English
learner experts);
– External experts, including English learner expert Lynn Shafer Willner, the
National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) and the PARCC Technical
Working Groups on Equity, English Learners and Students with Disabilities;
– National advocacy groups for SWD, ELs, and equity and fairness; and
– Staff from PARCC’s project management partner Achieve.
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Technical Working Group
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Name
Affiliation
Dave Edyburn
Claudia Flowers
Dianne Piche
Alba Ortiz
Diane Spence
Martha Thurlow
Diane August
H. Gary Cook
Kenji Hakuta
Alba Ortiz
Charlene Rivera
Amy Epstein
Keena Arbuthnot
Edward Bosso
Yvette Jackson
Carol D. Lee
Teresa L. McCarty
Dianne Piche
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of North Carolina-Charlotte
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
The University of Texas at Austin
Region 4 Education Service Center, Braille Services
National Center on Educational Outcomes
Center for Applied Linguistics
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Stanford University
The University of Texas at Austin
George Washington University
Leadership Public Schools
Louisiana State University
Gallaudet University
National Urban Alliance for Effective Education
Northwestern University
Arizona State University
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Daniel Wiener, chair
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
PARCC Accessibility System
Features for All
Students
Tools embedded
Accessibility Features
for All Students
Identified in advance
Accommodations
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Accessibility Features for All Students
• Features that PARCC will make available to all students, either
through the online platform or through the test administration
process.
• Each student should determine whether they wish to use the
support on an item-by-item basis, based on the supports they
use during instruction and in daily life.
• Some features must be identified in advance as part of the
student’s Personal Needs Profile (PNP) because of the concern
of student overload or clash of supports.
• All of these features are based on research and universal
design features principals.
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Accessibility Features for All Students
Audio Amplification
Blank Paper (provided by test administrator)
Eliminate Answer Choices
Flag Items for Review
General Administration Directions Clarified (by test administrator)
General Administration Directions Read Aloud and Repeated as Needed
(by test administrator)
Highlight Tool
Headphones
Magnification/Enlargement Device
NotePad
Pop-up Glossary
Redirect Student to the Test (by test administrator)
Spell Checker
Writing Tools
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Accessibility Features to be Selected in
Advance
Accessibility Features
Adaptive and Specialized Equipment or Furniture
Answer Masking
Background/Font Color (Color Contrast)
General Masking
Line Reader Tool
Text-to-Speech for the Mathematics Assessments
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Accommodations for Students
With Disabilities
Proposed Presentation Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities
ELA/Literacy
Text-to-Speech or Video of a Human Interpreter for the
ELA/Literacy Assessments, including items, response
options, and passages
Refreshable braille displays
Closed-Captioning of Multimedia Passages
Descriptive Video
Mathematics
Video of a Human Interpreter
Both Content Areas Assistive Technology
Hard-copy braille tests
Video of a Human Interpreter for Test Directions
Tactile Graphics
Paper-and-Pencil Edition
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Proposed Response Accommodations
for Students with Disabilities
ELA/Literacy
Scribing or Speech-to-Text (i.e., Dictation/Transcription
or Signing) for constructed responses
Word prediction PBA
Mathematics
Calculation Device and Mathematics Tools (on Noncalculator Sessions)
Both Content Areas Assistive Technology
Scribing or Speech-to-Text for selected response items
Braille Note-taker
Other Proposed Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities
Category
Accommodation
Timing & Scheduling Extended Time
Setting
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Many settings that were once considered accommodations
are now consider accessibility features for all students and
will be included in the test administrator manual. These
include – separate location, small group testing, specified
area or seating, time of day, and frequent breaks.
Accommodations Policies for
English Learners
Proposed Guidance on Selecting
Accommodations for English Learners
When selecting accommodations for ELs, consider the student’s:
1. Level of English language proficiency (ELP) on the state ELP test
o Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced
2. Literacy development in the native language
o Native language literacy
o Interrupted schooling/literacy background
3. Background factors that impact effective accommodations use
o Grade/age
o Affective filter (i.e., level of student anxiety/comfort with English)
o Time in U. S. schools
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Mapping Accommodations to ELP
WIDA ACCESS for ELLs®
English Language Proficiency
(ELP) Levels
Level 1
Entering
ELDA
English Language Proficiency
Levels
Level 1
Composite ELP Level
(Acosta et al., 2008)
Pre-Functional
Beginning
Level 2
Emerging
Level 2
Beginning
Level 3
Developing
Level 3
Intermediate
Intermediate
Level 4
Expanding
Level 4
Advanced Intermediate
Level 5
Bridging
Level 5
Advanced
Level 6
Full English Proficiency
not exited
Level 6
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Reaching
Advanced
Accommodations for English Learners
recommended for use by ELs at this English language proficiency level
• Highly
Recommended for use by ELs at this English language proficiency level
○ May not be appropriate for students at this ELP level
Accommodation
English/ Native Language Word-to-Word Dictionary
(ELA/Literacy & Mathematics)
Test Directions clarified by test administrator in student’s
Native Language (ELA/Literacy & Mathematics)
Scribe or Speech-to-Text:
Responses Dictated for Mathematics assessment in
English (Mathematics)
Extended Time (ELA/Literacy and Mathematics)
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Beginning
Intermediate
Advanced
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Next Steps
• AAF OWG and core writing team to finalize
document and accompanying tools
• Stakeholder out reach and communications to
key audiences
• Released to the public July 25, 2013
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Draft Motion for Consideration
The Governing Board votes to approve the first edition
of the PARCC Accessibility Features and
Accommodations Manual for the field test in 2013 –
2014. Based on item try-out, field testing and other
research, this document will continue to be revisited in
an iterative manner, consistent with best practice.