Accommodations

Read more about the supports that allow students with disabilities to learn at their full potential
Assessment College Board Makes it Easier for Students With Disabilities to Get Accommodations
Most students whose IEPs call for testing accommodations will have those same accommodations approved when they're taking the SAT or Advanced Placement tests.
Madeline Will, December 2, 2016
2 min read
English-Language Learners ACT Offers First Accommodations for English-Language Learners
In a break from past practice, ACT Inc. has announced that it will begin offering accommodations for English learners.
Catherine Gewertz, November 14, 2016
3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness ACT Streamlines Accommodations System After Criticism for Denials, Delays
The testing company had come under fire for making it tough to get accommodations on its college-entrance exam, which many states require all students to take.
Catherine Gewertz, May 24, 2016
2 min read
Equity & Diversity Justice Department Eyes Accommodations on SAT, ACT
In some states, students with disabilities are required to take one of the college-entrance exams, but some can't get the testing accommodations they need.
Catherine Gewertz, February 24, 2016
1 min read
Education Justices Bolster Protection for Religious Accommodations in Employment
In a case watched by educators, the U.S. Supreme Court rules for a Muslim woman denied a job because she wore a head scarf.
Mark Walsh, June 1, 2015
3 min read
Education Supreme Court Weighs Religious Accommodations in Employment
A case about a retail job applicant's Muslim head scarf could have implications for school districts and students.
Mark Walsh, February 25, 2015
6 min read
Assessment Smarter Balanced Reports Student Views on Field-Test Accommodations
A report from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium suggests that built-in test accommodations are easy to use, but that more students need to become familiar with them.
Christina A. Samuels, November 5, 2014
1 min read
Ninth graders at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Md., take part infield-testing for assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The exams will be rolled out in final form during the 2014-15 academic year.
Ninth graders at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Md., take part infield-testing for assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The exams will be rolled out in final form during the 2014-15 academic year.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Special Education Common-Assessment Groups Differ on Accommodations
But the two state consortia both aim to provide a more-inclusive experience for English-language learners and students with disabilities.
Liana Loewus, April 21, 2014
9 min read
Federal PARCC Field Tests to Lack Some Accommodations
Some built-in student accommodations for the common-core tests being developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers will be unavailable during spring 2014 field tests.
Christina A. Samuels, November 5, 2013
4 min read
Standards PARCC Releases Final Version of Accommodations Policy for ELLs
The substantive policies around testing supports for English-learners were approved in June by PARCC's governing board.
Lesli A. Maxwell, July 26, 2013
1 min read
Federal Common-Core Group Details Test Accommodations
The PARCC consortium outlines supports to be offered English-learners and students with disabilities on common-core-aligned assessments.
4 min read
Assessment Comment Deadline Looms for Test Accommodations Manual
Some learning disability advocacy groups have said that the draft manual developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers is too restrictive.
Christina A. Samuels, May 10, 2013
1 min read
Federal PARCC Proposes Common-Core Test Accommodations
The first of two groups of states working to design common assessments has released a draft accommodations manual that outlines the types of test supports that can be used to help ELLs and students with disabilities.
6 min read
Standards Testing Group Proposes Accommodations For Students With Disabilities
The PARCC accommodations manual, now open for public comment, offers guidance and restrictions on who should be allowed to use accommodations on the new tests coming in 2014-15.
Christina A. Samuels, April 18, 2013
2 min read