Accommodations Toolkit

Familiar Proctor/Test Administrator: States’ Accessibility Policies, 2023

This summary of states’ accessibility policies for familiar proctor/test administrator is part of the Accommodations Toolkit published by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).[1] The toolkit also contains a summary of the research literature on familiar test proctor/test administrator.

Accessibility policies often have several tiers of accessibility features: universal features, designated features, and accommodations.[2] Figure 1 summarizes how states included familiar proctor/test administrator in their accessibility policies for students with disabilities in 2023. Figure 2 summarizes how states included familiar proctor/test administrator in their accessibility policies for English learners in 2023. Table 1 shows how familiar proctor/test administrator was included in the policies, while Table 2 contains additional details and specifications.

Figure 1. States’ Accessibility Policies for Students with Disabilities for Familiar Proctor/Test Administrator, 2023

Figure 2. States’ Accessibility Policies for English Learners for Familiar Proctor/Test Administrator, 2023

Table 1. Accommodations Policies for Familiar Proctor/Test Administrator by State, 2023

U = Universal Feature, D = Designated Feature, A = Accommodation, ELA = English Language Arts, X = Allowed, SD = Allowed for Students with Disabilities, E = English Learners, P = Prohibited, Blank cell = no policy found, N = Notes in Table 2
State	Reading/ELA/Writing			Math			Science			Notes (See Table 2)
State	U	D	A	U	D	A	U	D	A	Notes (See Table 2)
Alabama
Alaska			SD, E			SD, E			SD, E	N
Arizona	X			X			X			N
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware	X			X			X			N
District of Columbia
Florida			SD, E			SD, E			SD, E	N
Georgia			SD			SD			SD
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois			SD, E			SD, E			SD, E	N
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts		X			X			X
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri		X			X			X
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio	X			X			X			N
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee	X			X			X
Texas
Utah
Vermont			SD, E			SD, E			SD, E	N
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming		X			X			X		N
Total	4	3	5	4	3	5	4	3	5
Total (English Learners)	4	3	4	4	3	4	4	3	4

Note: Blank cell = no policy found

Table 2. Details and Specifications: States' Braille Accessibility Policies

State	Details/Specifications
Arizona	Universal Test Administration Condition (Universal Feature): Having the test administered by a familiar test administrator
Alaska	Accommodation: Specific Test Administrator: For students who need a familiar test administrator.
Delaware	Universal Feature: Familiar Test Administrator: The student knows the test administrator and/or interpreter and has been working with that individual throughout the school year.
Florida	Accommodation (Students with Disabilities): Flexible Setting: A student may be administered a test in a familiar place with a test proctor present, and/or a familiar person who has been appropriately trained may administer the test. Procedures for test security must be followed and precautions taken to ensure that the test remains secure. Accommodation (English Learners): Assistance in Heritage Language: The ESOL or heritage language teacher or other trained individual familiar with the student may answer specific questions about a word or phrase in a prompt, item, or answer choice that is confusing the student because of limited English proficiency but is prohibited from giving assistance that will help the student produce, correct, or edit responses. Assistance may not be provided for words or phrases in Writing and ELA Reading passages.
Illinois	Accommodation: In general, the administration of the assessment should not be the first occasion in which an accommodation is introduced to the student. In addition, Test Administrators administering the assessment or providing accommodations should be an education professional who is familiar with the student, and who is typically responsible for providing the accommodation in the classroom.
Ohio	Universal Feature: Familiar Test Administrator: The student knows the test administrator and/or interpreter. Both the test administrator and the interpreter must be adults and nonrelatives of the student.
Rhode Island	Universal Feature: Familiar Test Administrator: Someone familiar to the student who is not the classroom teacher, may administer the test. This could include a speech pathologist, TVI, etc. Anyone involved in test administration must meet all criteria to become a test administrator, sign all necessary confidentiality and security documents, and participate in all required training.
Vermont	Accommodation: The administration of the assessment should not be the first occasion in which an accommodation is introduced to the student. In addition, Test Administrators administering the assessment or providing accommodations should be an education professional who is familiar with the student, and who is typically responsible for providing the accommodation in the classroom.
Wyoming	Administrative Consideration (Designated Feature): Familiar Test Administrator: The student knows the test administrator and/or interpreter.

Footnotes

[1]: States’ accessibility policies on familiar proctor/test administrator were obtained through the examination and analysis of publicly available information, including accommodations manuals or other policy documents, on state department of education websites. The policies were gathered from states’ websites in August 2023.The information in the tables from each state was coded based on information in the state policy.
[2]: Universal Features are available to all students as they access instructional or assessment content. Designated Features are available to any student as long as an educator (or team of educators, with student and parent input) indicates that they would be helpful given the student’s characteristics and needs. Accommodations are changes in procedures or materials to ensure equitable access to instructional and assessment content and generate valid assessment results for students who need them. Accommodations are generally available to students for whom there is documentation on an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 accommodations plan; some states also have offered accommodations to English learners.

Attribution

Quanbeck, M., Holden, L., & Lazarus, S. S. (2023). Familiar proctor/test administrator: States’ accessibility policies, 2023 (NCEO Accommodations Toolkit #8b.1). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

NCEO is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G210002) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The Center is affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration at the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Consistent with EDGAR §75.62, the contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government. Project Officer: David Egnor