Arkansas PARCC English Learner Accommodations & Accessibility FeaturesBeginning Academic Year 2014-2015

Created: 9/22/14 - Revised: 12/22/14

Accommodations vs. Accessibility Features

0 ACCOMMODATIONS = intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of a student’s disability and/or English language proficiency level. The accommodations provided to a student on the PARCC assessments must be generally consistent with those provided for classroom instruction and classroom assessments.

0 These DO NOT reduce learning expectations.

0 These should be based upon individual student needs.

0 These should be based upon documented needs in instruction/assessment settings.

0 Documentation should be in an IEP, 504, or LPAC

0 exception – ELA Text-to-Speech accommodation should not appear in an LPAC because it is not an allowable language accommodation.

0 See the following PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual (beginning p. 36) for ELs:

0 http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/parcc-accessibility-features-accommodations-manual-11-14_final.pdf

Created: Fall 2014

Accommodations vs. Accessibility Features (cont.)

0 ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES = tools or preferences that are either built into the assessment system or provided externally by test administrators.

0 These are available to ALL students; some of the features need to be activated by being documented in a Personal Needs Profile (PNP) before the PARCC assessment.

0 See the link below to determine which features need activation via a PNP.

0 Based upon individual student needs.

0 Based upon documented needs in instruction/assessment settings.

0 See the following PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual (beginning p. 36) for ELs:

PDF Version of Manual Created: Fall 2014

Extended Time

0The student uses “extended time” to complete testing. A maximum of up to one school day is allowed to complete one test unit during the prescribed testing window. Students who use this accommodation must be given a quiet location in which to test. Please refer to the Test Administration Manual for additional information.

Created: Fall 2014

General administration directions clarified in student’s native language

0 This is new for the PARCC operational test this year.

0 The native language accommodation is OPTIONAL.

0 If an LEA does not have the capacity to offer it, then they might decide to forego it; this is NOT a REQUIRED accommodation.

0 This is ONLY for what appears in the Testing Administration Manual. Nothing included on the students’ tests may be interpreted into their native languages or answered in their native languages.

0 The test administrator MUST be a certified teacher.

0 If an interpreter is used other than the test administrator, he/she MUST be a certified teacher, also.

0 PDF Version of ManualCreated: Fall 2014

General administration directions read aloud and repeated in student’s native language0 This is new for the Arkansas operational test this year.

0 The native language accommodation is OPTIONAL, and that if an LEA does not have the capacity to offer it, then they might decide to forego it; this is NOT a REQUIRED accommodation.

0 This is ONLY for what appears in the Testing Administration Manual. Nothing included on the students’ tests may be interpreted into their native languages or answered in their native languages.

0 The test administrator MUST be a certified teacher.

0 If an interpreter is used other than the test administrator, he/she MUST be a certified teacher, also.

0 PDF Version of ManualCreated: Fall 2014

Scribe or Speech-to-Text

0Student dictates responses in English to Mathematics test items either to a human scribe or through speech-to-text technology. Students must be tested in a separate setting.

Created: Fall 2014

Text-to-Speech (Read Aloud)

0 Text-to-Speech is an ACCESSIBILITY FEATURE in math only & needs to be in a Personal Needs Profile (PNP) to be turned on for the PARCC assessment.

0 Text-to-Speech is an ACCOMMODATION in ELA only & MUST be documented in an IEP and 504, NOT in an LPAC – this is meant for a very small percentage of the population.

0 PARCC has provided a planning form for Text-to-Speech (Appendix D).

Link to Form

Created: Fall 2014

Word-to-Word Dictionary

0English/native language.

0Students use a bilingual, word-to-word dictionary, or electronic translator.

0Dictionaries that include definitions are NOT allowed.

0The following link will be helpful with PARCC-authorized bilingual dictionaries: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testadmin/lep_bilingual_dictionary.pdf

Created: Fall 2014