DRC DRC Accessibility and Accommodations 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law primarily requires that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations during standardized assessments administered by entities like DRC?
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Correct answer)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Higher Education Act (HEA)
Correct answer: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA mandates that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations, including during assessments, as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Question 2: What is a 'universal design' principle as it applies to DRC test development?
- Creating one test version accessible to all students without any modifications
- Designing assessments from the outset to be accessible to the widest range of students, including those with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Providing the same accommodations to every student regardless of need
- Eliminating all timed components from assessments
Correct answer: Designing assessments from the outset to be accessible to the widest range of students, including those with disabilities
Universal design in assessment means building accessibility into the test from inception so the broadest population can participate with minimal need for post-hoc accommodations.
Question 3: Which document typically authorizes specific testing accommodations for a K-12 student with a disability on a DRC-administered state assessment?
- 504 Plan or Individualized Education Program (IEP) (Correct answer)
- School enrollment form
- Parent consent letter only
- State achievement test score report
Correct answer: 504 Plan or Individualized Education Program (IEP)
A 504 Plan or IEP is the official legal document that identifies a student's disability and specifies the accommodations they are entitled to receive during instruction and testing.
Question 4: What does 'extended time' as a testing accommodation refer to in DRC assessments?
- Providing a student with unlimited days to complete a test at home
- Allowing a student additional time beyond the standard test window to complete the assessment (Correct answer)
- Giving a student extra test attempts after the official window closes
- Extending the school year to allow for more test preparation
Correct answer: Allowing a student additional time beyond the standard test window to complete the assessment
Extended time accommodation allows eligible students additional time—commonly 1.5x or 2x the standard—to complete an assessment within the official testing window.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a presentation accommodation on a DRC assessment?
- Allowing a student to dictate answers verbally
- Providing test content in Braille or large print (Correct answer)
- Permitting a calculator on a non-calculator section
- Allowing breaks during testing
Correct answer: Providing test content in Braille or large print
Presentation accommodations change the format in which test content is delivered—such as Braille, large print, or text-to-speech—without altering the construct being measured.
Question 6: What is the primary concern when determining whether an accommodation is appropriate for a standardized assessment?
- Whether the accommodation increases the student's score
- Whether the accommodation changes what the assessment is designed to measure (Correct answer)
- Whether the accommodation costs the district money
- Whether other students in the class are aware of the accommodation
Correct answer: Whether the accommodation changes what the assessment is designed to measure
An accommodation must not alter the construct being measured; if it does, the score may no longer validly represent the student's ability in the tested domain.
Question 7: For DRC online assessments, which accommodation tool is commonly embedded in the test delivery platform to support students with visual impairments?
- Embedded text-to-speech (TTS) functionality (Correct answer)
- Automatic answer selection
- Background music player
- Video explanation of each question
Correct answer: Embedded text-to-speech (TTS) functionality
Embedded text-to-speech reads test content aloud to students, supporting those with visual impairments or reading disabilities without requiring separate assistive technology.
DRC DRC Accessibility and Accommodations 1
Which federal law primarily requires that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations during standardized assessments administered by entities like DRC?