Accommodations Toolkit

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Accommodation:

The Oral Presentation accommodation consists of Text-to-Speech (TTS) or Human Reader for Math and Science and the ELA language and writing sessions (no read aloud accommodation is allowed for ELA reading sessions). This accommodation may not be identified in the IEP or Section 504 Plan as "Text-to-Speech" but rather as a read aloud accommodation that is provided regularly in the classroom.

Text-to-Speech (TTS): The TTS accommodation is used for students who have a documented reading disability that is indicated in the IEP or Section 504 Plan as a "read aloud" accommodation. Students using this accommodation will automatically be assigned extended time (2x standard time).

Human Reader: This accommodation is used for a student who has a documented reading disability and a need for an "in person" reader (example: a student with a hearing impairment who reads lips) who cannot benefit from the TTS functionality embedded in the DRC INSIGHT test engine. This read aloud accommodation must be provided regularly in the classroom and indicated in the IEP or Section 504 Plan as a read aloud accommodation. Students using this accommodation will automatically be assigned extended time (2x standard time).

Accommodation:

Human Read Aloud: A test administrator reads aloud the English language arts, mathematics, and science assessments.

• Questions
• Answer choices

Reading of reading passages is not allowed.

Universal Feature:

Read-aloud (text-to-speech or human reader) content of the ELA Writing, Mathematics, and Science assessments only. The use of a Human Reader requires one-on-one administration so as not to disturb other students. The Human Reader must not cue or influence the student’s responses in any manner. Test content must be read exactly as written.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Human Reader: The room supervisor reads aloud to one examinee using the provided Reader's Script in English.

Notes: Recommend examinees authorized for a human reader are also assigned triple time (extra testing time), as that is the length of time required to orally present the test. Requires time for shipment of materials. The human reader must sign an agreement (found in the Test Coordinator manual) on test day. The examinee must be tested one-to-one.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud: Text can be read aloud to a student by a trained and qualified person who follows the administration guidelines and read-aloud protocol at https://portal.smarterbalanced.org/library/en/read-aloud-guidelines.pdf—these instructions apply to both the CAASPP and the ELPAC. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

This resource is a designated support for all ELA items but not for reading passages. Refer to the read aloud accommodation for ELA reading passages.

Accommodation:

Read Aloud: Text can be read aloud to a student by a trained and qualified person who follows the administration guidelines and read-aloud protocol at https://portal.smarterbalanced.org/library/en/read-aloud-guidelines.pdf. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

This resource is an accommodation for ELA and CSA reading passages and a designated support for CSA and ELA items. Refer to the read aloud designated support for ELA and CSA items.

Accessibility Feature (Designated Feature; Math, Science):

Auditory Presentation – PBT Script for Math and Science: PBT script is the paper-based auditory presentation available to a student who is unable to decode printed or tactile code and receives auditory presentation of text during instruction and classroom assessment. Through an auditory presentation script, assessment text is read aloud to the student by a Test Administrator. Note: Contact CDE Assessment regarding ELA/CSLA. Any modification of the assessment is a misadministration and will result in an invalid score.

A trained Test Administrator uses the auditory presentation script to read the entire test orally to a student who is unable to decode printed or tactile code. Administration on a 1:1 basis is recommended (i.e., one Test Administrator to one student). A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. Test Administrators must read word-for-word from the physical oral script and may not read from the test book. Auditory presentation scripts are secure; return auditory presentation scripts to the vendor after testing.

Designated Feature (Math and Science, Stimuli & Items; ELA Items, NOT Reading Passages):

Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the test administration manual, security procedures, and the Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud, depending on content area. Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment, excluding the reading passages, read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and do not yet have adequate braille skills. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede the performance on assessments. Readers must be provided to students on an individual basis–not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and the student must be tested in a separate setting. Refer to the section Additional Designated Supports for Students Identified as an English Learner/Multilingual Learner for information about options for the Read Aloud in Spanish. A Read Aloud of the ELA Reading Passages may be available to students with an IEP or 504 Plan through a Special Documented Accommodation Request. See Appendix C for more information.

Accommodation (ELA Reading Passages Grades 3-8):

There are a variety of reader options for students with various access needs. Begin by reviewing the Connecticut Smarter Balanced and NGSS Reader Options Table to learn more about available designated supports and accommodations. The read aloud accommodation for ELA reading passages for students in Grades 3-8 may only be provided through the submission of a Special Documented Accommodations Petition unless documented in an IEP/504 Plan finalized in CT-SEDS. Text is read aloud in English to the student in a 1:1 test setting by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the Guidelines for Read Aloud, Test Reader and who has submitted a signed Read Aloud Protocol for Smarter Balanced Assessments: Confidentiality/Security Form. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. More information will be specified during the approval process. When submitting the Special Documented Accommodations Petition, the teacher must complete and submit the Documented Evidence for a Read Aloud of the Smarter Balanced ELA Reading Passages form.

Designated Feature (for math stimuli and items and ELA items, not for reading passage):

Human Read Aloud: Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and do not yet have adequate braille skills. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis—not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting. Human read aloud for Questions and stim/passages for ELA PT, Math CAT and Math PT, can be selected by school and district staff. TTS and Human Read Aloud are NOT interchangeable. Each must be selected separately and considered carefully if a student needs both accommodations. All Test readers must complete Read-Aloud Protocol Training.

Designated Feature (in Spanish – stimuli & items on Dual Language – Math):

Human Reader: Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in Appendix C-7. All portions of the content may be read aloud. Students receiving the translations (dual language) designated support and who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities): This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students. Read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. Human Read Aloud for ELA passages of the assessment can only be activated by DOE. TTS and Human Read Aloud are NOT interchangeable and must be considered carefully if a student needs both accommodations. TTS is preferred but there are some students for whom TTS can be difficult to use or for whom TTS is not familiar. Complete Appendix A-3. All test readers must complete Read-Aloud Protocol Training.

Universal Feature:

General Administration Directions Read Aloud and Repeated as Needed: The Test Administrator reads aloud the general administration directions only. A student may raise his or her hand and request the directions be repeated.

Designated Feature:

Human Reader or Human Signer for the Mathematics Assessments: A Test Administrator (Human Reader or Human Signer) reads aloud to a student using the provided Human Reader Script. The student must be tested in an individual or small group setting. Small groups should only be used if all students are able to work at approximately the same pace. The number of students in a small group is determined at the state level.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Text-to-Speech, ASL Video, Human Reading/Human Signer (ELA/Literacy Assessments, Including Items, Response Options, and Passages): Student uses a human reader, human signer, or text-to-speech function to hear the test questions and passages read aloud for ELA/Literacy assessments. This accommodation is intended to provide access to printed or written texts on ELA/Literacy assessments to a very small number of students with print-related disabilities who would otherwise be unable to participate in the assessment because their disability severely limits or prevents their ability to access printed text by decoding. This accommodation is not intended for students reading somewhat (i.e., only moderately) below grade level.

Students with a visual impairment who are unable to read braille, and students with a hearing impairment that severely limits their ability to decode text may also qualify for this accommodation.

Accommodation (English Learners):

Human Reader or Text-to-Speech in Spanish (Mathematics & Science Assessments): Human reader and the text-to-speech* in Spanish present all PARCC Math and DC Science test content in Spanish, in tandem with the Spanish online readers will be provided with a script in Spanish to match Spanish paper-based edition of the PARCC Math and DC Science assessments. For further guidance on administering this accommodation, please see the AF&A Manual, Appendix B: Test Administration Protocol for the Human Reader Accommodation for English Language Arts/Literacy Assessments, and the Human Reader Accessibility Feature for Mathematics Assessment. With the text-to-speech player, PARCC Math is read aloud to the student in Spanish using embedded text-to-speech software, and all test content on the screen is presented in Spanish. Students must be tested in a separate setting if unable to wear headphones. This accommodation is not available in any other languages. Ad-hoc translation of secure test content by test administrators or other personnel is not allowed and will result in a test security violation and test invalidation.

*Spanish Text-to-Speech is not available for DC Science

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Oral Presentation: Oral presentation may be provided for directions, prompts, items, and answer choices. Passages in Writing and ELA Reading tests may not be read aloud to students, with the exception of students who have been approved for a unique accommodation (see page 10). Passages in Mathematics, Science, EOC assessments, or the FCLE may be read aloud. Prompts, items, and answer choices may not be reworded, summarized, or simplified. When reading answer choices, the test administrator or proctor must be very careful not to use inflection that might lead a student to the correct/incorrect responses. Directions, prompts, items, and answer choices may be repeated as many times as a student requests.

For students who have oral presentation of directions only, directions are the scripts and the bold text in the test and answer book (or test book) before test items.

For computer-based test administrations, a student may use the text-to-speech (TTS) accommodation for oral presentation of prompts, items, and answer choices. TTS will not be enabled on passages in Writing and ELA Reading tests, except for students who have been approved for a unique accommodation.

For computer-based Writing test administrations, students who have text-to-speech may also receive Text-to-Speech on Writing Response.

For oral or signed presentation, the test administrator or proctor may sign or read aloud allowable portions of the tests to the student in the manner that is regularly used in the classroom. Examples of allowable oral/signed presentation include, but are not limited to, reading/signing all allowable portions without request by a student and reading/signing only when a student requests.

Test directions may be repeated, clarified, or summarized as many times as a student requests.

For students who are ELLs or recently exited ELLs and who also have an IEP or Section 504 Plan that allows oral presentation, the oral presentation must be in English and not in the student’s heritage language. These students may still receive limited assistance in their heritage language.

The following read-aloud accommodations are available:

• Writing—Students with an oral presentation accommodation on their IEPs or Section 504 Plans may have the directions and prompt read aloud to them. See a Writing prompt example on page 35. The Writing test requires that students read a variety of texts and respond to what they have read. Because this portion of the test assesses reading skills as well as writing skills, the passages may not be read aloud to students, with the exception of students who have been approved for a unique accommodation (see following page).
• ELA Reading—Students with an oral presentation accommodation on their IEPs or Section 504 Plans may have the directions, test questions, and answer choices read aloud to them. The Reading passages may not be read aloud to students, with the exception of students who have been approved for a unique accommodation (see following page). Please see the Instructions for Oral Presentation Accommodations on pages 30–34 for more details about what content may be read aloud in Reading items.
• Mathematics and Algebra 1 and Geometry EOCs—All Mathematics and Algebra 1 and Geometry EOC directions, passages, test questions, and answer choices may be read aloud to students with this accommodation. See Mathematics examples beginning on page 36.
• Statewide Science, Biology 1 EOC, Civics EOC, U.S. History EOC, and FCLE—Grades 5 & 8 Science, Biology 1 EOC, Civics EOC, U.S. History EOC, and FCLE directions, passages, test questions, and answer choices may be read aloud to students with this accommodation. See examples on pages 41–43.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Oral Reading (ELA):

The use of this conditional accommodation for the English Language Arts Georgia Milestones, regardless of grade level, must be restricted to only those students with IEPs/IAPs who meet ALL eligibility criteria outlined below:

1. The student has a specific documented disability that severely limits or prevents his/her ability to decode text at any level of difficulty, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (i.e., the student is a non-reader, not simply reading below grade level); and

2. The student has access to printed materials only through a reader or electronic format during routine instruction; and

3. There are clear and specific goals within the student’s IEP addressing the deficits which necessitate the need for this conditional accommodation.

Note: The preferred method of administration for this conditional accommodation is the screen reader. Where a human reader delivers the accommodation, examiners must adhere to directions provided in the posted Read-Aloud Guidelines.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (for math stimuli and items and ELA items, not for reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Protocol (see Appendix D). All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Read Aloud in Spanish (for mathematics, all grades): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and the Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Read Aloud (for ELA reading passages, all grades): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Members can refer to the Guidelines for Choosing TTS or Read Aloud in Grades 3-5 when deciding if this accommodation is appropriate for a student.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (for math and science stimuli and items and ELA items, not reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Guidelines for Read Aloud. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Read Aloud in Spanish (for math and science, all grades): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Guidelines for Read Aloud in Spanish. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Accommodation:

Read Aloud (for ELA reading passages, all grades): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and Guidelines for Read Aloud. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Members can refer to the Guidelines for Choosing TTS or Read Aloud in Grades 3-5 when deciding if this accommodation is appropriate for a student.

Designated Feature:

General Administration Directions Read Aloud and Repeated as Needed: The Test Administrator reads aloud the general administration directions only. A student may raise his or her hand and request the directions be repeated.

Human Reader or Human Signer for Mathematics Assessments: A Test Administrator (Human Reader or Human Signer) reads aloud to a student using the provided Human Reader Script. The student must be tested in an individual or small group setting. Small groups should only be used if all students are able to work at approximately the same pace.

Human Reader or Human Signer for Mathematics Assessments in Spanish: A Test Administrator (Human Reader or Human Signer) reads aloud to a student using the provided Human Reader Script. The student must be tested in a separate setting, and the Test Administrator must provide the read aloud in Spanish only (i.e., the test cannot be read aloud in English in addition to Spanish). Students may be tested in an individual or small group setting. The number of students in a small group is determined by individual states. Be sure to click on the Proctor Reads Aloud box to ensure that all students in this session get the same script.

Accommodation:

Human Reader/Human Signer: For the Human Reader/Human Signer, students must be placed in a read-aloud session type when creating test sessions. The proctor will be assigned a separate authorization login to access the same form as all students within the Human Reader session.

A student receives an audio representation of the ELA/literacy assessment either through embedded Text-to-Speech, embedded ASL video, or a Human Reader/Signer. For Human Reader, the Test Administrator will need to reference Appendix G: ELA Audio Guidelines. Note: If headphones are not used for Text-to-Speech, or the student has a Human Reader or Signer, the student must be tested in a separate setting.

In making decisions on whether to provide a student with this accommodation, IEP teams, ISP teams, and 504 Plan Coordinators should consider whether the student has:

• Blindness or a visual impairment and has not learned (or is unable to use) braille; OR
• A disability that *severely limits or prevents* him/her from accessing printed text, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (e.g., student is unable to decode printed text); OR
• Deafness or a hearing impairment and is severely limited or prevented from decoding text due to a documented history of early and prolonged language deprivation.

Accommodation:

Human Reader or Sign Language Interpreter for Reading Comprehension Items (ELA): Students who require a human reader or sign language interpreter on ILEARN ELA will display one of the following options in TIDE:

• Reading Comprehension Items are Read Aloud by Human Reader or Signed by Sign Language Interpreter
• Reading Comprehension Items are NOT Read Aloud by Human Reader or Signed by Sign Language Interpreter

Students who require a human reader or sign language interpreter except items testing reading comprehension on ELA will only have items and passages read aloud or signed that do not measure reading comprehension. TDS will display a “Do Not Speak/Sign” icon on items and passages that cannot be read aloud or signed to the student. Due to TDS displaying a “Do Not Speak/Sign” icon on items and passages, this accommodation will display under embedded accommodations in TIDE for ELA as Reading Comprehension Items are NOT Read Aloud by Human Reader or Signed by Sign Language Interpreter.

Students who require a human reader or sign language interpreter for all items including reading comprehension will have text read aloud by a human reader or signed by an interpreter for the online ELA CAT. Students with this accommodation will not display a “Do Not Speak/Sign” icon on items and passages. This accommodation will display under embedded accommodations in TIDE for ELA as Reading Comprehension Items Are Read Aloud by Human Reader or Signed by Sign Language Interpreter.

Accommodation:

Human Reader Except Items Testing Reading Comprehension: Text is read aloud to the student by a human reader for the online CAT or paper fixed-form tests.

Students who require a human reader except items testing reading comprehension on ELA will only have items and passages read aloud that do not measure reading comprehension. TDS and paper fixed-forms will display a “Do Not Speak” icon on items and passages that cannot be read aloud to the student.

Students who require a human reader for non-ELA subjects will receive all items and stimuli read aloud. This accommodation is applicable to ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Human Reader Including Items Testing Reading Comprehension: Text is read aloud to the student by a human reader for the online CAT or paper fixed-forms. All items are read aloud including items testing reading comprehension. Students with this accommodation will not display a “Do Not Speak/Sign’ icon on items and passages. This accommodation is only applicable to ILEARN ELA.

Designated Feature:

Human Read Aloud Available in Reading (Grades 6-11), Language and Writing, Mathematics, and Science: For students taking the paper and pencil test ONLY, a trained and qualified human reader will read all or parts of the assessment content to the student.

For a student taking the online test, a trained and qualified human reader will read all or parts of the assessment content from the student’s testing device screen in a 1-on-1 setting.

Not allowed for Reading (Grades 3-5).

Accommodation:

Human Reader: The human reader accommodation can be provided in a one-on-one setting or a group setting of up to four students. In order to provide this accommodation in a small group setting, all students must have the same form of the test and cannot have other accommodations – such as scribe – that require a one-on-one test administration. Extended time is an accommodation that would permit small group assessment administrations to be provided along with a human reader.

The human reader accommodation can be provided by allowing the human reader to sit next to the student(s) and read from the computer screen.

Accessibility Feature (Accommodation):

Math Read Aloud (Text-to-Speech, Kurzweil, Recorded Voice, Human Reader): Audio will begin immediately when the student navigates next/back to each question. On-screen audio controls are provided, allowing the student to pause the audio, adjust the audio volume, turn on/off the follow along feature, and indicate specific areas of the question they wish to replay.

Test Read Aloud (Text-to-Speech, Kurzweil CD, Recorded Audio File): A Kurzweil CD and Human Reader File are available for students testing with a paper-based test and require that their test be read aloud.

Accommodation:

Human Reader (Paper Based Tests ONLY): This accommodation is only allowed for students that have a documented need for paper/pencil.

The student will have those parts of the test that have text-to-speech support in the computer-based version read by a qualified human reader in English. (This accommodation applies to directions, questions, and answer choices, not Reading Passages.)

Human Reader for Reading Passages (Reading Assessment, Grades 6+ ONLY): This accommodation is only allowed for students in grades 6+ that have a documented print disability. The student will have the Reading Passages on the Reading Assessment read by a qualified human reader in English.

Designated Feature (Math, Science):

Human Reader or Human Signer for the Mathematics, Science, and Government Assessments: A Test Administrator (Human Reader or Human Signer) reads aloud to a student using the provided Human Reader Script. The student must be tested in an individual or small group setting. Small groups should only be used if all students are able to work at approximately the same pace. The number of students in a small group is determined to be 5 in Maryland.

Accommodation (ELA; Students with Disabilities):

Human Reader/Human Signer for ELA/L, including items, response options and passages: The purpose of the Human Reader/Human Signer accommodation is to provide accesses to printed or written texts in ELA/L for a very small number of students with print-related disabilities and/or who are deaf or hearing impaired who would otherwise be unable to participate in instruction or assessment because their disability severely limits their ability to access print. This accommodation is not intended for students reading somewhat (i.e., only moderately.) below grade level.

In making decisions on whether to provide the student with this accommodation, IEP teams and 504 Plan Coordinators are instructed to consider whether the student has:

• Blindness or a visual impairment and has not yet learned (or is unable to use) braille; OR
• A disability that severely limits or prevents them from accessing printed text, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (e.g., student is unable to decode printed text); OR
• Deafness or a hearing impairment and is severely limited or prevented from decoding text due to a documented history of early and prolonged language deprivation.

When determining the need for this accommodation, it is important to consider the purpose of the tests the student will be taking and the skills the test is intending to measure so that it can be determined how the accommodation might affect the results.

A student should have the option of asking a human reader to slow down or repeat text. This is difficult when a person is reading to an entire group of students. However, verbatim reading to a group of students is permitted in testing if the accommodation is provided on that basis during regular ongoing instruction. No more than five (5) students may be grouped together for reading tests aloud by a human reader, since students typically proceed through the test at different rates. Students grouped together must be assigned the same test form.

Accommodation:

Human Read-Aloud for Mathematics and STE (not ELA): A human reader may read aloud the student’s test. Note that for computer-based testing, test administrators will need their own device next to the student to sign in to their own version of the test using a proctor testing ticket. No responses should be entered into the test using a proctor testing ticket, as the responses will not be saved. (Students will sign in and respond using their student testing tickets.)

Note: Reading aloud the ELA tests is a special access accommodation (SA1). See Table 6 for guidelines and criteria to receive this accommodation.

Text-to-Speech (SA1.1) or Human Read-Aloud (SA1.2) for ELA (not Math or STE), including oral presentation of test questions, response options, and passages:

• Text-to-speech may be used either with or without headphones. If headphones are used, the student may be tested in a typical-sized group. If headphones are not used, the student must be tested individually.
• A human reader may either read aloud from the computer-based test (logged in to a nearby computer or sitting next to the student) or from the paper-based test. A human reader may read aloud to a group of up to five students.

This accommodation is intended for a very small number of students with disabilities that severely limit or prevent them from reading, as documented in locally administered diagnostic evaluations. To receive the text-to-speech or human read-aloud accommodation for ELA tests, the student must meet all of the following criteria:

• be virtually unable to read, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (i.e., the student is at the beginning stages of learning to read, and not simply reading below grade level), as determined by locally administered diagnostic evaluations (reading below the second grade-level)
• receive ongoing intervention to learn the skill of reading
• use this accommodation routinely (except during instruction in learning to read)

The human read aloud (SA1.2) may also be provided to a student who is blind or has a visual impairment and uses a screen reader and/or is unable to use Braille on the tests and retests listed above. If the student will use a screen reader and if the screen reader accommodation is indicated, a separate hard copy Braille test edition will be sent to the school to allow the student to access the appropriate Braille graphics (see accommodation A3.1).

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (Human Reader):

Note: There are two different types of Read-aloud options. One is a Designated Support and the other is an Accommodation which is only available to students whose IEP or Section 504 plan identifies that accommodation as a need for that student. The support described here is a Designated Support. This option does not include reading aloud the Reading passages for the M-STEP ELA test.

Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified person (human reader) who follows the security and administration guidelines provided in the M-STEP Read Aloud Guidelines. Students who struggle with reading for a variety of reasons (including visual or cognitive disabilities) may need assistance accessing the assessment, by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. If read-aloud is not used regularly by the student during classroom instruction, this support will likely be confusing and may impede his/her performance on the assessment.

For online test takers: this support is meant to be provided to students on an individual basis and not to a group of online test takers.

For paper/pencil schools that have students needing this support AND would like to group-administer: The support may be provided to students in groups of no more than five students. Follow the directions outlined in the Supports and Accommodations Table in this document.

A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment. For M-STEP mathematics and ELA, using read-aloud as a Designated Support means the questions and answer options may be read aloud to students. Reading aloud the reading passages for the M-STEP ELA assessment is allowable as an Accommodation only in grades 6 and 7 (see Read-aloud for M-STEP ELA Reading Passages on page 16). For additional information, refer to the M-STEP Mathematics and ELA Read-Aloud Guidelines chapter of this document.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read-Aloud for M-STEP ELA Reading Passages: Students in grades 6 and 7 may have Reading passages within the M-STEP ELA assessment read aloud to them. They could use this in conjunction with having test questions and answer options read aloud to them. Having Reading passages read aloud is appropriate only for a very small number of students (estimated to be up to two percent of students with disabilities participating in a general assessment). However, this percentage is not intended as a cap for the number of students who may utilize this support. It is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or Section 504 plan.

Note: For online test takers, this Accommodation is intended to be provided to students on an individual basis and not in group settings. For paper/pencil schools that have students needing this support and would like to group-administer, the Accommodation may be provided to students in groups of no more than five students. Refer to the M-STEP Mathematics and ELA Read-aloud Guidelines chapter for more information.

While using this support, a student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment.

Prohibited (Reading):

Listening to the Reading MCA (whether through a screen reader or with a human reader) rather than reading it through more traditional means (such as text or braille) is not an allowable accommodation.

Accommodation:

A script for Mathematics MCA may be read to students with an IEP or 504 plan and can be administered in a small group or individual setting. The script is the only source Test Monitors may use to read the test to the student. Reading any test content from the test book is not allowed and will require the test to be invalidated. In addition, a TSN must be submitted if the test is read from any other source.

If the IEP or 504 plan requires read-aloud support, consider if the student needs this support from a human reader or if the standard text-to-speech available in the online test can provide it; if the student needs the additional read-aloud support for the labels, charts, and graphs, accommodated text-to-speech may also be an option. Refer to the item samplers on PearsonAccess Next to hear examples of both types of text-to-speech.

A script for Science MCA may be read to students with an IEP or 504 plan and can be administered in a small group or individual setting. The script is the only source Test Monitors may use to read the test to the student. Reading any test content from the student’s online test or test book is not allowed and will require the test to be invalidated. In addition, a TSN must be submitted if the test is read from any other source.

For Science MCA, the script can be used in conjunction with the online test because the test is not adaptive; it can also be used in conjunction with large print and braille test books. The script will be automatically shipped if this code is indicated in Pretest Editing by Jan. 20. Large print or braille test book codes must be indicated separately, if needed. After this date, the script and test book (if the student is not testing online) must be ordered as additional orders in PearsonAccess Next.

Accommodation:

Read test questions and answer choices (includes ASL, human reader, and Text-to-Speech)

IEP/504 Plan/LSP–Specify the delivery method in the respective document(s).

• Not allowable for the ELPT Reading domain 1 and the Third Grade Reading Summative 1,2.
• For ELA (grades 3-8) and English II, passages cannot be read to the student 1.
• ASL is not allowable for the ELPT 1,2

Universal Feature:

Read Aloud is a Universal Tool that allows the student to have test directions and items (questions and answer choices) in all content areas presented to them orally via Text-To-Speech or a Human Reader.

Read Aloud is available for students who can benefit from it including those who can decode but have poor comprehension skills and those who simply have not mastered decoding skills. This universal tool is designed for the student who is struggling with reading and is using this as an instructional strategy in the everyday classroom.

Accommodation (ELA; Students with Disabilities):

The presentation of ELA Reading Passages via Read Aloud requires an IEP or 504 plan.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud Items/Stimuli (Math items and stimuli, ELA items, all Science): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Guidelines (see Appendix B). All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and are advancing toward English braille proficiency. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis – not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Read Aloud – Spanish Items/Stimuli (Math Items and Stimuli only): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Test Administration Manual and the Read Aloud Guidelines (See Appendix B). All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students receiving the dual language translations designated support and who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (ELA Passages only; Students with Disabilities): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Read Aloud Guidelines (See Appendix B) All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students. Read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this accommodation may result in the student needing additional time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Linguistic Support (Accommodation; English Learners):

Read Aloud: The student will have those parts of the test that have audio support in the computer-based version read by a qualified human reader in English or native language. Must be read verbatim.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud: This accommodation is only allowed for students that have a documented need for paper/pencil. The student will have those parts of the test that have audio support in the computer-based version read by a qualified human reader in English.

Designated Feature (ELA, Math):

Read Aloud (Math stimuli and items, ELA items, not for reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Protocol (see Appendix D). All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and are advancing toward English braille proficiency. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis—not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Read Aloud in Spanish (Math): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and the Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students receiving the translations (dual language) designated support and who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (ELA; Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud (ELA reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Smarter Balanced Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Members can refer to the Guidelines for Choosing TTS or Read Aloud in Grades 3-5 when deciding if this accommodation is appropriate for a student.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students. Read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this accommodation may result in the student needing additional time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Designated Feature (Items and Stimuli)/Accommodation (Stimuli):

Read Aloud: Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System Test Administration Manual. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Students using this accommodation will need to be tested individually in a separate setting.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and do not yet have adequate braille skills. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis – not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment.

*Reading passages may not be read aloud to any student when reading comprehension is being assessed.

Designated Feature (Math, Science):

Human Reader or Human Signer: A Test Administrator (Human Reader or Human Signer) reads aloud to a student using the provided Human Reader Script. The student must be tested in an individual or small group setting. Small group is defined as a small number of students not to exceed 15, with similar accessibility features and/or accommodations who will be administered the test as a group. Student IEPs may specify a smaller group size and must be accommodated during testing. Districts/schools are responsible for determining the composition and compatibility of the members of the small group.

Accommodation (ELA):

The purpose of the embedded text-to-speech, ASL video, and Human Reader/Human Signer accommodation for the NJSLA and NJGPA ELA assessment is to provide access to printed or written texts on the NJSLA and NJGPA ELA assessments for a very small number of students with print-related disabilities who would otherwise be unable to participate in the assessment because their disability severely limits or prevents their ability to access printed text by decoding. This accommodation is not intended for students reading somewhat (i.e., only moderately) below grade level.

Human Reader/Human Signer: A student receives an audio representation of the ELA assessment either through embedded text-to-speech, embedded ASL video, or a Human Reader/Signer. Important Note: If headphones are not used for text-to-speech, or the student has a Human Reader or Signer, the student must be tested in a separate setting.

IEP teams and 504 Plan Coordinators should carefully review the following guidelines before identifying students to receive these accommodations on the ELA assessments.

In making decisions on whether to provide a student with this accommodation, IEP teams and 504 Plan Coordinators should consider whether the student has:

• Blindness or a visual impairment and has not learned (or is unable to use) braille; or
• A disability that severely limits or prevents him/her from accessing printed text, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (e.g., student is unable to decode printed text); or
• Deafness or a hearing impairment and is severely limited or prevented from decoding text due to a documented history of early and prolonged language deprivation.

Accommodation:

Human Reader: A human reader will read the test to a student. The student may either be tested in a small group or a separate setting based on the student’s experiences during classroom assessments.

Presentation Options for ELA: A student receives an audio representation of the ELA assessment either through embedded text-to-speech, embedded ASL video, or a Human Reader/Signer. For Human Reader, the Test Administrator will need to reference Appendix F: ELA Audio Guidelines. Note: If headphones are not used for text-to-speech, or the student has a Human Reader or Signer, the student must be tested in a separate setting.

In making decisions on whether to provide a student with this accommodation, IEP teams and 504 Plan Coordinators should consider whether the student has:

• Blindness or visual impairment and has not learned (or is unable to use) Braille; OR
• A disability that severely limits or prevents him/her from accessing printed text, even after varied and repeated attempts to teach the student to do so (e.g., student is unable to decode printed text); OR
• Deafness or hearing impairment and is severely limited or prevented from decoding text due to a documented history of early and prolonged language deprivation.

ELLs may receive accommodations on content assessments (math, ELA, science, social studies) but are not entitled to accommodations on the ELP assessment (ACCESS) unless they also have an IEP or 504 Plan. Accommodations for ELLs on content assessments include:

• Word-to-word dictionary or glossary (English-native language)
• Human reader (test directions or test items in native language)
• Text-to-speech (test directions or test items in native language)
• Extended time (on timed tests)

Universal Feature:

Read Aloud Test Directions (in English): Test administrators can read test directions aloud to students as many times as necessary for students to understand the directions. Test administrators must not omit, revise, interpret, explain, or paraphrase the test directions.

Accommodation:

Test Read Aloud (in English) for Online Testing: Students provided the Test Read Aloud (in English) accommodation for online testing can control which portions of the online test are read aloud by clicking a button beside the desired text. The device will read aloud what a human reader typically reads aloud.

If students receiving the Test Read Aloud (in English) accommodation are testing online wearing headphones, they may test in a standard test setting. However, to ensure validity of the test, students using a human reader or not wearing headphones for the Test Read Aloud (in English) accommodation must also receive the Testing in a Separate Room accommodation. The IEP team or Section 504 committee must determine if the student will take the test in a separate room, in either a one-on-one or small group setting. For paper test administrations, a testing session comprised of a small group must use one test form (i.e., same form letter and form number) for students provided the Test Read Aloud (in English) accommodation at one test site (i.e., classroom).

Reading aloud, signing, or cueing the selections, sample questions, test questions, or answer choices from the reading tests invalidates test results because the tests measure reading comprehension. However, the test directions in the test administration guides may be read aloud or signed/cued during the administration of any state test.

Designated Feature:

Human Reader/Human Read-Aloud/Read Aloud: The student accesses test content via read aloud by a qualified human reader. Students who use the paper-and-pencil version of the test can have the same test content read aloud that is supported through audio in a computer-based version. If a human reader is selected, that person must have appropriate experience providing read-aloud support and must sign a document verifying adherence to state policy or practice to ensure test security and ethical practices.

Accommodation (ELA; Students with Disabilities):

Read-Aloud (ELA): “Read-aloud” as a general term is when a student is administered a test via text-to-speech, human reader, screen reader, or sign language interpreter.

The read-aloud accommodation for the English language arts test is intended to provide student access to printed or digital texts on the tests. These students have print-related disabilities and otherwise would be unable to participate in the state tests because their disabilities severely limit or prevent them from decoding, thus accessing printed or digital text.

Because students who require this accommodation are unable to access printed or digital text, they must have a read-aloud for the entire test, including the items, answer options, charts/graphs/figures, and passages. Reading the questions and answer options to a student is not allowable on the ELA test. If a student qualifies for this accommodation, they must have the entire test read aloud, including the passages.

In making decisions on whether to provide a student with this accommodation, IEP teams and 504 Plan coordinators should use Appendix B. IEP teams and 504 Plan coordinators make decisions about who receives this accommodation. Districts should use a variety of sources as evidence (including state assessments, district assessments, and one or more locally administered diagnostic assessments or other evaluation).

Human Reader Accommodation for Online OST Test Administrations: Students who meet the criteria outlined in Ohio’s Accessibility Manual are eligible for a human reader. During this type of test administration, the test administrator reads the test to the student. If the student is testing online and is eligible for a human reader, the test administrator may read from the student’s device.

A read-aloud on the English language arts (ELA) test is only allowed for a very small number of students with print-related disabilities who would otherwise be unable to participate in the state tests because their disabilities severely limit or prevent them from accessing printed text. Refer to Ohio’s Accessibility Manual for information about a read-aloud on the ELA test.

A human reader accommodation may be given to one student or a group of students. A group test administration is permissible if all participating students are writing their responses. Review the Group Oral Test Administrations information in Section 5.5 of the OST Fall 2023 Test Administration Manual for preparatory steps for online testers. The group test administration is not permissible if a student is providing their responses orally. Students who are providing their responses orally must be tested individually.

For all tests, the test administrator reads aloud the entire test including the test directions and question and answer choices. In addition, for the ELA tests, the test administrator must also read the passages. Anything read can be repeated for the student as often as necessary, if the student requests the repeat. The test administrator may not answer student questions regarding the content of test questions. The best response is, “I can’t answer that; just do your best.”

Accommodation (English Learners):

A human reader is not allowed for English learners on the English language arts OST, unless the student also has an IEP or 504 Plan that documents the need for a human reader.

For mathematics, science, and social studies tests, a test administrator reads in English from the student’s computer screen to the student. For online testing, students may use text-to-speech for a read-aloud.

Test administrators must administer the read-aloud accommodation in a separate setting. This feature can be provided in small groups if the “group oral administration” setting is enabled in TIDE. The group oral administration setting is only available for spring administrations of OST. If testing in a small group, test administrators should ensure that all students in the group have similar abilities so that the reader’s pace meets all student’s needs without being too slow or too fast for some students.

If a person other than the test administrator reads the test aloud, that person must sign, be an adult non-relative, and receive training from the district.

The person providing the accommodation must read the entire test to the student. Reading access accommodations cannot be provided “as needed” or “on demand.”

This accommodation is appropriate for students who regularly have a human reader in the classroom and who have had very little or no prior experience or familiarity taking online tests

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Human Reader (Math, Science, and Grades 5 & 8 ELA writing/extended constructed response sections only): Human Reader reads test directions, test items, and answer choices. This is limited to small groups or individualized testing.

Online tests have built in Text-to-Speech functionality. Earphones are required. Students may test with nondisabled peers. Please note: A student should be familiar with the accommodation prior to testing; if they do not use it for benchmark or other online testing platforms throughout the year it may not be appropriate.

For online tests, if a Human Reader is required for a student, then the test must be read from the computer screen verbatim. (S1 or S2) is required when utilizing a Human Reader for Online tests.

For paper tests, tests (test forms must be the same) are read by a Human Reader. Test Administrator uses separate test booklet or reads over a student’s shoulder. Small group testing (S1 or S2: 8-10 maximum) is required and test forms must be the same.

Students may request items be read more than once.

Accommodation (English Learners):

Text-to-Speech or Human Reader provided in English (excludes ELA tests, except for Grades 5 and 8 Extended Response sections): Text-to-Speech is built into the online testing client, requires the use of earphones, and may be administered individually, in small groups, or in regular setting.

A Human Reader reads test directions, test items, and answer choices from a separate test booklet. This is limited to small groups or individualized testing. Test directions, test items, and answer choices must be read verbatim in English.

Paper tests are read by a Human Reader. Test Administrator uses separate test booklet.

Online tests have built in Text -to -Speech functionality. This is the preferred method for providing read aloud to students (S2 is not required and S4 may be utilized; however, earphones are required). However, if a human reader is required for the student, then the test must be read from the computer screen verbatim.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (All Math, ELA CAT items, all ELA PT items): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Read Aloud Guidelines for ELA and Mathematics assessments, including the student’s written responses to text response items.

* All or portions of the approved content may be read aloud.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and are advancing toward English Braille proficiency. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments.

Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis – not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may require the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud (ELA Reading Stimuli): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Read Aloud Guidelines for our ELA and Mathematics assessments, including the student’s responses to constructed response items.

*All or portions of the approved content may be read aloud. Refer to the Guidelines for Choosing the Read Aloud Accommodation when deciding if this accommodation is appropriate for a student.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students. Read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this accommodation may require the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation:

Read Aloud All Allowable Items: Teachers should work closely with special education students to identify those students who need the most intensive intervention of having all allowable test items read aloud by the test administrator. These are the students (no more than 5 in the group for human read aloud) who may need the same form of the test read aloud to them by the test administrator. Keep in mind that reading aloud all test items to a group of students may artificially pace the students. Some students may be reluctant to ask the reader to slow down or repeat the question in a group setting.

• Allowable for the Mathematics, Algebra I, Science, and Biology tests; multiple choice Conventions of Standard English items, and the Text Dependent Analysis prompt on the ELA PSSA.
• Should be used as intensive intervention for a few students only who receive this intervention regularly.
• Must follow guidelines for Small Group (1-5) for reading aloud of ALL math, science, language items.
• Multiple students with this accommodation in the same room must have the same test form number.

Occasionally, a non-IEP student requires all test items to be read aloud. This may be a student who has not yet been identified as needing special services and may be included in the small group of 1-5 with IEP students. Documentation must be kept in the student record of the need for this intensive accommodation for both instruction and assessment. Tools 5 and 7 may be used for record keeping. If the student does not require a read aloud of all math or science items for instruction, then the student does not require a read aloud of all math or science items for the PSSA or Keystone tests.

Because reading all test items aloud creates an artificial pace, the online audio version of the test is recommended for students who require a read aloud of all or most of the test items on the Mathematics, Algebra I, Science, and Biology tests, multiple choice Conventions of Standard English items, and the Text Dependent Analysis prompt. This allows students optimal independence in moving through the test at his/her own pace. The student may individually listen to a question being read aloud more than once as needed. If testing online, when a read aloud of ALL Mathematics, Algebra I, Science, or Biology is required, the audio function of the online test must be used. Human readers may not read aloud ALL allowable test items for online testers.

Read Aloud All ELA Items for Visually Impaired Students ONLY: The purpose of this accommodation is to provide access to students who have blindness or a visual impairment and have not yet learned (or are unable to use) braille. This accommodation must be administered by a human reader in a one-to-one setting. There is no Audio available for the online ELA PSSA or Literature Keystone.

Readers may not clarify, elaborate, paraphrase, assist, or cue a student through uneven voice inflection. All test readers must follow the Read Aloud and Scribing Guidelines for Operational Assessments.

Accommodation:

Human Read Aloud (Science): Student requires a human read aloud for science tests in English or Spanish for either paper or computer-based science tests.

Human Read Aloud (ELA): The student requires a human read aloud for the ELA test and meets the criteria below. This includes oral presentation of test questions, response options, and passages, using a human reader (the test administrator reads aloud the computer-based test either logged in to a nearby computer or sitting next to the student; or reads aloud the paper-based test to the student).

Human Read Aloud (Math): Student requires a human read-aloud for math test in English or Spanish.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Oral Administration: The student has test content that is provided by an audio file in a computer-based test, read by a qualified human reader.

Students who use the paper-and-pencil version of the test can have the same test content read aloud that is supported through audio in a computer-based version. If a human reader is selected, that person must have appropriate experience providing read aloud support and must sign a document verifying adherence to state policy or practice to ensure test security and ethical practices.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (for math & science stimuli and items and ELA items, NOT for reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader (certified staff) who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Protocol (see Appendix D). Allowable portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having allowable portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind and are advancing toward English braille proficiency. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis – not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Read Aloud in Spanish (Math): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified (certified staff) human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Test Administration Manual and the Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud.

Students receiving the translations (dual language) designated support and who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud (for ELA passages): Text is read aloud to the student via an external screen reader or by a trained and qualified human reader who follows the administration guidelines provided in the Test Administration Manual and Read Aloud Guidelines. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Teams can refer to the Guidelines for Choosing the Read Aloud Accommodation when deciding if this accommodation is appropriate for a student.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students. Read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this accommodation may result in the student needing additional time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation:

Oral Presentation (Read Aloud): Test administrator ensures only students who receive this accommodation are included in the oral presentation group and adheres to the directions for test administration.

Provides an oral presentation of directions, test items, and answer options on the assessments for students. Refer to the Oral Accommodations Considerations when deciding whether this accommodation is needed for a student. See the appendices for Oral Presentation Guidance by Subject Area.

Oral/Signing Presentation Accommodation Considerations: Oral presentation (read aloud, Text to Speech, or signing) is an accommodation available to students with an IEP, 504 plan, or English Learner ILP if the IEP, 504 or ILP team determines that oral or signing presentation is required for the student to access the assessment.

Students who communicate with sign language may have a human signer as an accommodation. The human signer will read the assessment using the conventions of the student’s sign language (e.g., American Sign Language [ASL]).

The following questions should be used by the IEP, 504, or ILP team to help determine if a student’s disability and/or limited English proficiency is significant enough to warrant oral presentation. For a student with a visual impairment, the IEP team must consider the impact of the visual impairment on the student’s ability to access printed text. Questions a team may want to consider in discussions determining oral presentation include:

• Does the student have a documented decoding or fluency deficit which precludes access to printed text?
• For students with an IEP, does the student have a goal to address the deficit listed in the present level of educational performance?
• Is the student engaged in intensive intervention through their IEP, 504, or ILP to address the specific deficit?
• For students identified as active EL, does the student show limited reading ability in English?

NOTE: EL students who score a 4, 5, or 6 on the reading portion of WIDA ACCESS for ELs from the prior testing year should be considered reading at grade level; therefore, a read aloud accommodation should not be necessary.

Designated Feature:

Oral and Signed Administration: This designated support allows test material to be read aloud or signed to a student. All references in this document to reading support during an oral administration also apply to oral interpretation (e.g., lipreading) and signing during a signed administration. An online oral or signed administration is administered via text-to-speech (TTS) or ASL videos.

A student may use this designated support if that student routinely and effectively uses the designated support during classroom instruction and classroom testing and meets at least one of the following criteria:

• the student is a current emergent bilingual (EB) student and takes a State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) test in English,
• the student is identified with dyslexia or a related disorder per Texas Education Code §38.003, or
• the student has documented evidence of reading difficulties.

Oral Administration of STAAR Paper Tests, STAAR Spanish Paper Tests, and STAAR Braille Tests: The Oral Administration designated support should be provided only to an eligible student by a test administrator who has been trained in the procedures specific to oral administration. The test administrator may use one of the following approaches:

• read parts of the test questions and answer choices at student request, or
• read all test questions and answer choices in the order they are presented.

Test administrators must be made aware of the level of reading support each student is to receive and whether the student is permitted to change the level of reading support during testing, based on documentation in the student's official record.

Human Reader: Not allowed for any student – use text-to-speech for all students instead.

Designated Feature (Math, Science):

Read Aloud/Human Reader: Trained and qualified human readers may read some or portions of the content aloud to students.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud (ELA): Trained and qualified human readers may read some or portions of the content aloud to students in accordance with the guidelines provided.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read-Aloud: Students with disabilities that impact their ability to read may have test items read aloud in English by the test examiner using the read-aloud accommodation or delivered through an audio or text-to-speech player in an online test. The IEP Team or 504 Committee must determine whether the audio or read-aloud accommodation is the most appropriate delivery method for the student for online or paper testing.

The IEP or 504 Plan must document how the test items will be administered during a read-aloud testing session. The IEP or 504 Plan must state whether the student will have:

• the entire test read (directions, questions, and answer options); or
• words, questions, sentences, or answer options read only when requested by the student.

When reading test items aloud, the Examiner must be careful not to lead the student to select an answer by intonation or to repeat any part of the test which is not specifically requested by the student. For more detailed information on reading test items aloud, refer to the Procedures for the Read-Aloud Accommodation: Growth Assessments and Standards of Learning Tests.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud in English: See non-embedded accommodations for ELA reading passages.

Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified test reader who follows the Read Aloud Guidelines for Washington State Assessments.

ELA CAT: Only the items may be read aloud. The reading passages shown on the left side of the screen CANNOT be read.

ELA PT: All the content may be read aloud, including the stimuli on the left side of the screen.

Math and science: All the content may be read aloud.

Students who are struggling readers, have reading-related disabilities, or students who are blind and are advancing toward English braille proficiency may benefit from assistance in accessing assessments by having all or portions of the assessment read aloud.

If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments.

Read aloud is available for both online and paper tests. Read aloud should be provided to students on an individual basis, not to a group of students.

Read Aloud in Spanish (Math, Science): Spanish text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified test reader who follows the Read Aloud Guidelines for Washington State Assessments. All the content may be read aloud.

Students receiving the dual language translation designated support and who are struggling readers, or students with reading related disabilities may benefit from assistance in accessing the assessment by having all, or portions of the assessment read aloud.

If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Read aloud is available for both online and paper tests. Read aloud should be provided to students on an individual basis, not to a group of students.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud in English (ELA): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified test reader who follows the Read Aloud Guidelines for Washington State Assessments.

ELA CAT: All of the content may be read aloud, including the reading passages on the left side of the screen.

This accommodation is appropriate for a very small number of students (estimated to be approximately 1-2% of students with disabilities participating in state assessments) for whom there is no other way to access the reading passages (e.g., a student who is blind and doesn't read braille). It is not necessarily appropriate for students who have reading skills below grade level as that is what we are measuring (a student’s grade level reading skills) regardless of a student's disability. This accommodation should only be provided to those who receive it (or audio/read aloud) daily for instruction across environments or subjects.

Accommodation:

Human Read Aloud (excluding ELA reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader. The trained examiner reads aloud the directions, stimulus material, questions, and answer choices. This accommodation excludes passages.

For students who are struggling readers and may need assistance accessing the assessment by having the assessment read aloud, excluding ELA reading passages: This accommodation may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities. This option may also be appropriate for EL students.

Human Read Aloud (including ELA reading passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained and qualified human reader. The trained examiner must follow administration guidelines. All or portions of the test may be read aloud including ELA reading passages for any grade.

When to select:

• The student is blind or has low vision.
• The student is a beginning braille reader who has not yet developed braille fluency.
• The student whose disability severely affects their ability to read passages independently and who utilizes classroom accommodations such as text-to-speech, audio recordings, and/or a human reader during classroom instruction and during classroom assessments.

Designated Feature:

Read Aloud (Human Reader) in English (Not allowed for the passages in the ELA Reading Session): Allows the student to listen to test information displayed on the screen and read to them by a qualified human reader. Words and numbers, test directions, answer choices, and other information is read aloud by a human reader and can be repeated as necessary.

The majority of students who require text read to them should use the TTS (computer voice) universal tool, to ensure students are provided a standardized support across the state. This includes students who have IEP or 504 plans. Human readers (Read Aloud designated support) are ONLY permitted in cases where students cannot manage to work with the computer audio voice (e.g., some students with autism, hearing impairments).

Read Aloud (human reader) is allowed as a designated support for all grades in mathematics, science, social studies, and English language arts (ELA) as appropriate (not allowed for the passages in the ELA Reading Session). It is provided only in the English language. Read Aloud (human reader) is intended only for students who may need assistance accessing the assessment. Students should use a similar support on a regular basis in the classroom. Allowing Read Aloud (human reader) for all students is not a proper use of this support. Students receiving the Read Aloud designated support will need to be tested individually in a separate setting.

NOTE: Read Aloud and text-to-speech (TTS) are mutually exclusive and should not be used together, because they are the same support provided in different formats (computer read vs. human read). Both supports provide the information auditorily.

Read Aloud (Human Reader) in Spanish: Read Aloud (human reader) in Spanish allows the students to listen to Spanish translation (stacked) test information displayed on the screen read to them by a qualified human reader in Spanish. Words and numbers, test directions, questions, answer choices, and other information is read aloud in Spanish by a human reader and can be repeated as necessary.

The majority of students who require text read to them in Spanish should use the Stacked Translation (Spanish) with Spanish TTS (computer voice) designated support, to ensure students are provided a standardized support across the state. This includes students who have IEP or 504 plans. Human readers (Read Aloud designated support) are ONLY permitted in cases where students cannot manage to work with the computer audio voice (e.g., some students with autism, hearing impairments).

Read Aloud (human reader) in Spanish is allowed as a designated support for all grades in mathematics, science, and social studies for students who need the Spanish portion of the Spanish translation (stacked) read to them. Read Aloud in Spanish is intended only for students who may need assistance accessing the assessment. Students should use a similar support on a regular basis in the classroom. Students receiving the Read Aloud (human reader) in Spanish designated support will need to be tested individually in a separate setting.

NOTE: Translation is not permitted during ELA as the ELA test is designed to measure the student’s knowledge of the English language.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Read Aloud (Reading Passages for Visually Impaired; including the passages in the ELA Reading Session): Read Aloud (human reader) accommodation allows a visually impaired student to listen via a qualified human reader to ELA test information displayed on the screen, including test directions, questions, answer choices and the passages in the ELA Reading Session can be repeated as necessary.

This accommodation is only available to a student with visual impairments who is receiving instruction in contracted braille but is not yet proficient.

Read Aloud (human reader) is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan and have met all five criteria on the Request for Read Aloud Accommodation for the Forward Exam.

There is a special protocol for requesting the Read Aloud (human reader) accommodation. If a student requires the Read Aloud (human reader) accommodation, the DAC must submit a Request for the Read Aloud Accommodation Approval Form located at http://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/forms .

Students who do not meet these criteria but require Read Aloud (human reader) should use the Read Aloud designated support including those who have IEP or 504 plans.

Designated Feature:

Human Reader (for ELA items, Math items, Science stimuli & items, Writing items & passages, NOT for ELA passages): Text is read aloud to the student by a trained staff member who follows the administration guidelines provided in Appendix B: Human Reader Protocol. Allowable portions of the content may be read aloud. Use Appendix D: Text-to-Speech, Human Reader/Human Signer Decision-Making Tool to determine appropriate level of support.

Students who are struggling readers may need assistance accessing the assessment by having allowable portions of the assessment read aloud. This support also may be needed by students with reading-related disabilities, or by students who are blind, have low vision, and/or do not have adequate Braille skills. If not used regularly during instruction, this support is likely to be confusing and may impede performance on assessments. Readers should be provided to students on an individual basis—not to a group of students. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. The use of this support may result in the student needing additional overall time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.

Accommodation (Students with Disabilities):

Human Reader (for ELA passages): Text is read aloud to the student via external screen reader or by a trained and qualified staff member who follows the administration guidelines provided in Appendix B: Human Reader Protocol. All or portions of the content may be read aloud. Use Appendix D: Text-to-Speech, Human Reader/Human Signer Decision-Making Tool to determine appropriate level of support.

Human reader is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 Plan. ELL Students may only receive this accommodation if it is documented in their IEP or 504 Plan. A student should have the option of asking a reader to slow down or repeat text. Human reader should only be used with students who practice and use this accommodation routinely during daily instruction. Read Aloud should NOT be used as a substitute for braille or Nemeth Braille Code for students who routinely access information through braille or Nemeth Braille Code. Human reader can be used in ADDITION to braille or Nemeth Braille Code for students who are blind AND also routinely use a reader for that subject. The use of this accommodation may result in the student needing additional time to complete the assessment and/or the use of a separate setting.