Testing accommodations are some of the most-used and least-understood supports on an IEP. Their whole purpose is to remove a barrier that has nothing to do with the skill being tested, so the score reflects what the student knows rather than what their disability gets in the way of. Choose them well and a student's results finally tell the truth; choose them carelessly and you either under-support the student or change what the test measures. Here's a tour of the common ones and how to choose.
The principle behind every testing accommodation
A testing accommodation changes how a student accesses a test or shows what they know, without changing what the test measures or the standard for success. A read-aloud on a math test removes reading as a barrier so the test measures math, not decoding. The test for whether something is a legitimate accommodation: does it remove a disability-related barrier while leaving the actual skill being assessed intact? If it changes what's being measured, it's a modification, not an accommodation — and that's a different decision with bigger stakes.
Presentation accommodations
These change how the test is presented to the student:
- Read-aloud / text-to-speech — directions or items are read to the student (appropriate when reading isn't the skill being tested).
- Large print or magnification — for visual needs.
- Directions clarified or repeated — without giving away answers.
- Fewer items per page — to reduce visual overwhelm.
The read-aloud is the one to think hardest about: it's appropriate on a math or science test, but reading a reading-comprehension test aloud usually changes what's being measured.