ERIC Number: EJ909845
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-9325
EISSN: N/A
Making Decisions about Assessment Practices for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Cawthon, Stephanie W.
Remedial and Special Education, v32 n1 p4-21 Jan-Feb 2011
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing are a low-incidence population with diverse linguistic characteristics and levels of academic achievement. This article presents findings on teacher recommendations of assessment practices for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A total of 372 educational professionals responded to a set of three study vignettes that asked for recommendations for accommodations or alternate assessments appropriate for the scenarios. Participants also provided open-ended responses that justified their recommendations. Four randomly assigned conditions controlled for test subject (math or reading), student skill level (two or five grades below grade level in math and/or reading), and communication mode used in instruction (American Sign Language or a combination of sign and speech). Participant recommendations for accommodations or alternate assessments varied by test subject (math or reading) and student skill level but not by communication mode. Justifications for recommendations painted a complex picture of reasons behind proposed assessment practices. This article discusses the implications of these findings for accommodations policy as well as possible evidence toward a theory of decision making in assessment practices for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. (Contains 7 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Educational Assessment, Partial Hearing, Deafness, Tests, American Sign Language, Academic Achievement, Achievement Gap, Vignettes, Decision Making, Alternative Assessment, National Surveys, Teacher Surveys, Testing Accommodations, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Mathematics Tests, Reading Tests, Mathematics Achievement, Reading Achievement, Sign Language, Total Communication, Special Education Teachers
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A