Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS Nevada Department of Education

CONCEPTUAL MODEL  SMARTER USEABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS GUIDELINES

UNIVERSAL TOOLS Universal Tools – Access features of the assessment that are either provided as digitally-delivered components of the test administration or separate from it. Universal tools are available to ALL students. Two Types of Universal tools:  Embedded Universal Tools  Non-Embedded Universal Tools Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Universal Tools Embedded Universal Tools are available to all students as part of the technology platform and include the following:  Breaks – There are no limit to the number of breaks a student may take; however, breaks lasting more that 20 mins. will prevent students from returning to items already attempted in the section.  Calculator – Used with items that permit calculator use (Grades 6-8).  Digital Note Pad – Item specific tool for making notes on an item. Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Universal Tools  English Dictionary – May be available for the full write portion of an ELA performance task (grades 3-8 only).  English Glossary – Grade and content specific definitions of specific construct-irrelevant terms are shown in a pop-up on the screen.  Expandable Passages – Passage or stimulus can be made larger on the screen.  Global Notes – Note pad available for the ELA Performance Task.  Highlighter – Digital tool for marking text.  Keyboard Navigation – Movement through text. Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Universal Tools  Mark for Review – Flag items for future review.  Math Tools – Digital tools (embedded ruler, protractor)  Spell Check – Writing tool for use in student-generated responses.  Strikethrough - Allows user to cross out answer options.  Writing Tools – Selected tools (bold, italics, bullets..) available for student-generated responses.  Zoom – Tool for making text/graphics larger. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Universal Tools  Breaks – May be given at pre-determined intervals or after sections to combat fatigue. Breaks lasting more that 20 mins. will prevent students from returning to items already attempted in the section.  English Dictionary – Can be provided for the full write portion of the ELA performance task (grades 3-8 only).  Scratch Paper – Used for notes, computations etc.  Thesaurus – Can be provided during the full write of the ELA performance task or when encountering terms during interaction with text. Nevada Department of Education

Designated Supports Designated supports are those features that are available for use by any student for whom the need has been indicated by an educator/team. Decisions to use designated supports should be made by professionals familiar with the student and trained on the types of supports available. Designated supports need to be identified PRIOR to the assessment administration and entered into the DRCs INSIGHT Online Learning System There are 2 types of Designated Supports:  Embedded Designated Supports  Non-Embedded Designated Supports Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Designated Supports Embedded designated supports are available to all students, for whom the need has been indicated, as part of the technology platform and include the following:  Color Contrast – Adjust screen background, font color, etc. based on student need.  Masking - Blocking off content that is not of immediate need or distracting.  Text-to-Speech (math item and ELA items, not for use on reading passages) – Text is read aloud via embedded technology. Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Designated Supports  Translated Test Directions for Math – Language support available prior to beginning the actual test items. Students can see test directions in another language.  Translations – Embedded translated glossaries are provided for selected construct-irrelevant terms for math.  Translations Stacked for Math – Provide the full translation of each test item above the original item in English  Turn Off Any Universal Tool – Disable universal tools that may be distracting or are not needed or the student is unable to use. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Designated Supports Non-embedded Designated Supports are those that may need to be provided outside of the digital delivery system:  Bilingual Dictionary – Bilingual/dual language word-to- word dictionary can be provided for the full write ELA performance task.  Color Contrast – Test items may be printed with different colors.  Color Overlays – Color transparencies are placed over paper based assessment.  Magnification – Size adjustments with an assistive technology device. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Designated Supports  Read Aloud (for math items and ELA items but not reading passages) – Text is read aloud by a trained human reader. Readers should be provided to students on a individual basis.  Scribe (for ELA non-writing items and math items) – Students dictate responses to a human who records verbatim what they dictate.  Separate Setting – Test location altered so that student is tested in a setting different from that made available for most student. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Designated Supports  Noise Buffers – Ear mufflers, white noise, and/or other equipment used to block external sounds.  Translations (for math items) – Translated glossaries are provided for selected construct-irrelevant terms for math.  Translated Test Directions – PDF of directions in the languages currently supported or a biliterate adult may read aloud Nevada Department of Education

Accommodations Accommodations are changes in the procedures or materials that increase equitable access during the assessments. Digitally embedded and non-embedded accommodations have been identified for use with students who have a documented need for such accommodations on their Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or 504 accommodation plan. * Exception to the IEP or 504 requirement is for students who have had a physical injury that impairs their ability to use a computer. These students may use the speech-to-text or the scribe accommodation. Nevada Department of Education

Decision Making About Accommodation Use The IEP team or 504 team is responsible for ensuring that the information for the IEP or 504 is entered into the DRC INSIGHT Online Learning System, so that all of the embedded accommodations can be activated PRIOR to testing. This can be accomplished by identifying one person for the team to enter information into the INSIGHT Online Learning System, or by providing information to the test coordinator to enter into the INSIGHT Online Learning System. There are 2 types of Accommodations:  Embedded Accommodations  Non-Embedded Accommodations. Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Accommodations Embedded accommodations are available to IEP and 504 students, for whom the need has been indicated, as part of the technology platform and include the following:  American Sign Language (ELA listening items and math items)  Braille  Closed Captioning – Printed text that appears on the computer screen as audio materials are presented. Nevada Department of Education

Embedded Accommodations  Text-to-Speech (for ELA passages) – Text is read aloud to student via embedded text-to-speech technology.  For students in grades 3-5, text-to-speech is an available accommodation for those students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan.*  For students in grades 6-8 text-to-speech is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. * The Text-to-Speech Accommodation for ELA passages in grades 3-5 must be specially requested through the Nevada Department of Education (NDE). The NDE reserves the right to audit IEP accommodations and their instructional application. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Accommodations Non-Embedded accommodations are available to IEP and 504 students, for whom the need has been indicated, but are not part of the technology platform and include the following:  Abacus  Alternate Response Options – Include but are not limited to:  Adapted Keyboard  Adapted Mouse  Touch Screen Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Accommodations  Calculator (for calculator items only Grades 6-8) – Non- embedded calculator for students needing a specialized calculator (e.g., braille or talking calculator). Non-specialized standard hand-held calculators for use by students with IEPs require special request.*  Multiplication Table (Grades 4-8) –1 x 9 table is available for download on the Smarter website.  Print on Demand *Calculators should be comparable in functionality to the allowable calculator for the grade (grade 6=basic; grades 7-8 = scientific) Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Accommodations  Read Aloud- Text is read aloud to the student by a human reader who follows the guidelines provided in the test administration manual.  For students in grades 3-5, a read aloud is available as an accommodation for those students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan.*  For students in grades 6-8, a read aloud is available as an accommodation for students whose need is documented in an IEP or 504 plan. * The Read Aloud Accommodation for ELA passages in grades 3-5 must be specially requested through the Nevada Department of Education (NDE). The NDE reserves the right to audit IEP accommodations and their instructional application. Nevada Department of Education

Non-Embedded Accommodations  Scribe (for ELA non-writing items and math items) – Students dictate responses to a human who records verbatim what they dictate.  Speech-to-Text – Voice recognition allows students to use their voices as input devices to the computer, to dictate responses or give commands. Students may use their own assistive technology devices. Nevada Department of Education

Designating Student Accessibility and Accommodation Options in DRC’s INSIGHT Online Learning System Prior to testing, specific designated supports and accommodations must be enabled in the INSIGHT Online Learning System by the School Test Coordinator (SC), District Test Coordinator (DC), or other appropriate staff member (as designated by the state). Designated supports and accommodations are set in the system by content area (English language arts/literacy and mathematics). Nevada Department of Education

Designating Student Accessibility and Accommodation Options in DRC’s INSIGHT Online Learning System Only State Users (State) and/or District Administrator (DA) users, as assigned by the State, can add/edit/delete students in Insight. The State, DAs, DCs, and School Coordinators (SCs) can set embedded and non- embedded designated supports and accommodations in Insight for a student who requires them. Test Administrators (TAs) may view student information. However, TAs cannot add, upload, or edit student information. Within the TA Interface, a TA can change the default font size and turn off Universal Tools prior to the start of the assessment. Nevada Department of Education

Questions Henry King Carol Mason Lisa Ford Nevada Department of Education