Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

Abstract

Statewide assessment test data are increasingly being used to make important decisions for students and teachers. Since the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (PL 105-17) in 1997, states are mandated to include students with disabilities in state and district assessment programs, using appropriate accommodations. Research on the value of specific accommodations, and on the effects of accommodations on test data, though, is scarce. Studies conducted on the accommodation of additional time have not consistently found that students with disabilities obtain greater benefit from this accommodation than students without disabilities. In addition, school personnel have few objective methods to guide their decision making process when determining which accommodations to use with their students. Twenty-two students identified with a learning disability and 27 students in generalEducation classes from a Midwestern urban school district were evaluated using the reading subtests of the California Achievement Tests, Fifth Edition (CAT/5) and the rapid-naming subtests of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP). The results suggested that students with learning disabilities did not use significantly more time on the CAT/5, even when given the option. Students with learning disabilities were not found to receive any differential benefit from the use of the additional time accommodation. While no differences were found on the reliability of the CAT/5 due to the accommodation of additional time, the validity of the CAT/5 was lower for students with learning disabilities given additional time. Finally, the CTOPP did not appear to be a useful predictor of students that would benefit from additional time on the CAT/5. The results are discussed in terms of implications for school personnel.

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