Accessible Online Tests Workshop at APH August 18-19, 2008.

Accessible Online TestsAccessible Online TestsWorkshop at APHWorkshop at APH

August 18-19, 2008August 18-19, 2008

Copyright ©2008 American Printing House for the Blind

Please do not reproduce without express written permission.

www.aph.org 1-800-223-1839

Accessible Tests…

• Are designed for the medium from the ground up to avoid retrofitting.

• Allow the student to enter and navigate the test independently.

• Provide a large print, braille/tactile, or regular print test so that the examinee has their choice of media.

• Coordinate the various media.

To meet the needs of students with visual impairments, online tests must…

• Follow operating system and web accessibility guidelines • Provide keyboard access to functions• Allow user to change font & screen color• Provide alternative content for all illustrations, diagrams, photos, etc.• Make content accessible to screen readers and other assistive technology

CATS Online: Kentucky’s Accessible Assessment

Provides eligible students with disabilities or limited English proficiency an

accessible way to participate in the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT)

Supported Assistive Technology

• JAWS

• ZoomText Xtra

• Read & Write Gold

• Read & Write Mac

• Mac OS textreader

Low Vision Student Using Large Monitor

Low Vision student using mouse pointer to follow lines of regular print

Low Vision student using dark background and light text

Zoomtext User reviewing Q & A

JAWS User and Zoomtext User working side by side

Online Assessment Participation(Students with disabilities or LEP)

Year Districts Schools Students

2003 16 29 2042004 36 74 5102005 52 147 12352006 71 200 22632007 44 130 1564

Kentucky has a total of 175 school districts, 1249 schools, and 86,000+ SWDs.

System Features• Individual student login and settings• Single question presentation• Reminder of unanswered questions• Navigation to any question in section• Flag item for review• Setup of students and test sessions at

school level

Low Vision student entering answer into text box provided

Issues Encountered• Logistics of large numbers of students testing online

simultaneously (e.g., hardware, security, bandwidth, technology support, etc.)

• Electronic submission and scoring of student responses (especially open response)

• Training and prep of staff, students and technology (validation of local capacity)

• Possible psychometric impact of online assessment

Contractor Perspective

• 2000-2006 Online testing experience– Large-scale, high-stakes– general population students– Mandated and voluntary participation

models

• FAQ: Why test online?

Answers(?)– Faster results– Less paper– Engaged students– Because it’s cool

Objections(!)– Students and proctors required to learn new

technology– Incongruent to classroom instruction– Infrastructure burden

The Kentucky Opportunity– Large-scale, high-stakes– Special population students who require

online accommodation first to test online– Voluntary participation– FAQ answered: because the students will

benefit

Test Content Considerations• Alternative text

– Graphics– Equations

• Formatting– Reading passages– Graphic placement– Footnotes– Numbered paragraphs or lines

• Summary: Critical Elements – Communication– Planning– Student and school/district staff input– Continual learning process

Staff Comments - 2007• My students felt that they had performed better

on CATS testing this year than all the other years that they had tested.

• The on-line testing this year was so much easier to use than in the past.

• The students enjoyed it tremendously. I had one parent tell me her child was still discussing the test 2 weeks after completion.

• The students worked harder than I have ever seen them work.

What does the future hold?

Contact Information

Barbara Henderson, American Printing House for the Blind

[email protected] , 1-800-223-1839 x328

Larry Skutchan, American Printing House for the Blind

[email protected]

Chloe Torres, Measured Progress

[email protected] , 1-603-749-9102