ERIC Number: ED415640
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996-Aug
Pages: 21
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Accommodations for Students with Limited English Proficiency: Analysis of Guidelines from States with Graduation Exams. State Assessment Series: Minnesota, Report 6.
Thurlow, Martha; Liu, Kristin; Erickson, Ronald; Spicuzza, Richard; El Sawaf, Hamdy
In order to investigate the types of testing accommodations allowed for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) on exams used to determine whether a student earns a diploma, a study examined 18 states' written accommodations guidelines and testing policies. Each of the 18 states studied used a different test for its graduation examinations. The most frequently tested subjects were mathematics, reading, and writing. Results of the study found that nine states did not list accommodations for students with LEP in their written documents, and three states allowed students to be exempted from the tests. A chart provides information on individual state accommodations. The most frequent accommodations are: (1) setting/administration accommodations, including providing a bilingual dictionary and a separate room for testing; (2) scheduling accommodations, including allowing students to have extra time and using multiple testing sessions for students with LEP; and (3) response accommodations, including allowing students to mark answers directly in the test booklets. Findings indicate minimal considerations being given to accommodations as a way of increasing the participation of students with LEP in graduation exams. Recommendations for states to increase participation of these students are provided. (CR)
Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accountability, Achievement Tests, Educational Assessment, Educational Testing, Evaluation Methods, Graduation Requirements, High Schools, Language Minorities, Limited English Speaking, Minimum Competency Testing, Outcomes of Education, State Programs, Student Evaluation, Student Participation, Testing Accommodations, Testing Problems
National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, 350 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; phone: 612-626-1530; fax: 612-624-0879; World Wide Web: http://www.coled.umn.edu/NCEO (document may be copied without charge, additional print copies $5).
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Minnesota State Dept. of Children, Families, and Learning, St. Paul.; National Center on Educational Outcomes, Minneapolis, MN.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A