The Effects and Perceived Consequences of Testing Accommodations on Math and Science Performance Assessments

The present study examined the effect accommodations have on test results of students with and without disabilities and documented experts' judgments about the appropriateness of testing accommodations. Test score data were collected from 218 fourth-grade students with and without disabilities on mathematics and science performance tasks and from eight testing experts who evaluated the fairness and validity of a sample of testing accommodations used with these students. Results indicated that, for most students with disabilities and some students without disabilities, packages of testing accommodations had a moderate to large effect on performance task scores. Expert reviewers rated most accommodations for a student with disabilities as being both valid and fair, and they gave accommodations listed on a student's individualized education program (IEP) significantly higher validity and fairness ratings than accommodations that were not listed on the student's IEP. Interpretations of these data are provided and implications for practice and future research are discussed.