Universal Design, Accessibility,
Bias and Sensitivity Considerations
Quality of Measurement
High Quality Evidence
Item or Task
Lower Quality Evidence
Accessibility
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Bias
Sensitivity
Sensory or Learning Disability
English Language Proficiency
Jimmy is the star on his football team. This season he scored ten
touchdowns, kicked twenty extra points, and had eight field goals.
What is the total number of points Jimmy has scored this season?
104
What is
a field
goal?
What is this
question
asking me?
Keys to Accessing Assessment Targets
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Universal Design
Bias
Sensitivity
Accessibility
Universal Design
“Universal design is the design
of products and environments to
be usable by all people, to the
greatest extent possible, without
the need for adaptation or
specialized design.”
– Ron Mace
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
“Universal Design does not imply ‘one size fits all’
but rather acknowledges the need for alternatives
to suit many different people’s needs.”
“… the essence of UDL is flexibility and the inclusion
of alternatives to adapt to the myriad variations in
learner needs, styles, and preferences.”
– Rose and Meyer
Universal Design and Assessment
Jimmy has been searching a park for coins…
Jimmy
is the
has
been
starbeen
searching
on his football
a parkteam.
for coins.
This
season
He found
he coins.
Jimmy
has
searching
a
park
for
scored
ten
nickels,
ten touchdowns,
twenty pennies,
kicked
andtwenty
eight dimes.
extra points, and
He
found
had eight
field ten
goals.nickels, twenty pennies, and
What
is the
total amount of money Jimmy found?
eight
dimes.
What is the total number of points Jimmy has scored this season?
What is the total amount of money
Jimmy found?
How an Item Functions
Present
Information
Interact
with
Content
Stimulate Construct
Apply Construct
4
x8
?
32
Produce
Response
Produce
Score
Make
Inference
Produce Visible Product
of Construct
Measure of
Construct
Statement
About Construct
4
×8
32
Beth achieved the
assessment target.
Correct = 1 point
Barriers to Valid Measurement
Present
Information
Interact
with
Content
Stimulate Construct
Apply Construct
Produce
Response
Quantitative
Score
Inference
Visible Product
of Construct
Measure of
Construct
Statement
About Construct
Inaccurate receiptChallenges
Inaccurate Inaccurate
or interpretation
interacting
with production or
interpretation of
What is a
field goal?
of stimulus
content
recording ofstudent response
response
4 Challenges to Accessibility Review
1. Inaccurate receipt or interpretation
of stimulus
2. Interacting with content
3. Inaccurate production or recording
of response
4. Inaccurate interpretation of response
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
Braille
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
Read
Aloud
Braille
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
Read
Aloud
Braille
Translation
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
ASL
Read
Aloud
Braille
Translation
Universal Design Provides Foundation
for Accessible Assessment
One Size Does Not Fit All
ASL
Read
Aloud
Braille
Translation
Bias
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Bias occurs when content contained in an
item or task creates an unfair disadvantage
for a sub-group of students
– Unfamiliar contexts or examples
– Unusual names of people or places
– References to local events or issues
Sensitivity
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Sensitivity focuses on content that creates
unease, provokes negative feelings, or
challenges beliefs or values
– Religions, religious practices, and religious figures
– Political topics
– Issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and culture
Accessibility Extensions
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Audio presentation of text-based content
Audio descriptions of graphics
Braille presentation of text-based content
Tactile presentation of graphics
Signed presentation of text-based content
Presentation of content in another language
Examples of Accessibility Guidelines
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Only use graphics when necessary
Avoid idioms, jargon, and terminology
that is difficult to translate
Clearly label all graphics
Keep tables as simple as possible
Accessibility Considerations
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Vision
Cognitive Load
Language
Motor Skills
Vision
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Minimize the use of graphics
Simplify the complexity of graphics
Simplify the complexity of tables
Cognitive Load
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Minimize the amount of information contained in an item
Simplify the layout of an item
Avoid items that spread information across multiple
pages or screens
In school, Myra uses a desktop computer. Myra’s mother
began a new job and received a laptop computer. Myra’s
mother’s laptop screen seems smaller than the computer
Myra uses at school.
What is the area, in square inches, of the laptop screen as
shown in the picture?
13
The diagram below shows the dimensions for a computer
screen. What is the area of the screen, in square inches?
Dimensions of Screen
13
8
8
Language
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Simplify vocabulary
Simplify sentence structure
Avoid unusual names, places, and terms
Place problems in familiar contexts such as school-based
activities or settings
Paris went on a trip to Belgium and bought
a large box of chocolates containing 36
pieces that she wants to share evenly with
her three friends. How many pieces will
each friend receive?
Maria has 36 pieces of candy. Maria
wants to share the pieces evenly
with three friends. How many pieces
will each friend receive?
Motor Skills
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Limit the number of required manipulations
Avoid precise manipulations such as selecting a single
point in a graph
Minimize the length of constructed-responses
The drawings below show four different ways of dividing a
rectangle into equal sized sections and shading the equivalent
of 1/3 of the sections. One of drawings is inaccurate. Place the
inaccurate drawing into the trash can.
The drawings below show four different ways of dividing a
rectangle into equal sized sections and shading the equivalent
of 1/3 of the sections. One of drawings is inaccurate. Select
the drawing that is inaccurate.
A
B
C
D
Guidelines for
Universally Designed Items and Tasks
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Simplify vocabulary and sentence structure
Place problems in familiar contexts with familiar items
and names
Use graphics only when necessary
Simplify graphics and tables
Avoid the use of color and maximize contrast
Avoid content that spans multiple pages or that contains
multiple elements
Use highly interactive manipulations only when necessary
Identify terms and visuals that should not be altered