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Placement Testing and Accommodation/Documentation(The following posts were culled from the DSSHE-L archives. Some editing has been done to consolidate space and exclude extraneous remarks, but no changes have been made the to content shown. Not all posts on a given subject are necessarily included here. Information about the date(s) of appearance and subject headings are provided for those who wish to return to the full archives to research this issue in more detail.) From: "Jennifer J. Osmer" Hi. I have a little scenario for the listserv for which I need some advice. I'm a disability service provider at an open enrollment institution which requires all students to take a placement test before they're placed into their first classes. Some students with disabilities obviously require accommodations for the placement test. In such cases, we currently require that they document their need for accommodations. My questions are: 1) Who should see the disability documentation and who should determine the appropriate accommodation? the placement testing office OR the disability service office? I am mainly concerned about protecting the confidentiality of student's disability info and about using common sense when determining accommodations. Any thoughts on this matter? I have my own opinion but would appreciate hearing your input! From: John Chaffin Hi, Jennifer, and all-- From: Pam Middleton 6303 Repsonse to Placemnet Testing and Accommodations: Is there a reference to disability services on your application? I am also a disability service provider at an "open enrollment institution." Our application contains a statement and phone # for disability services. Students will contact us and we will review documentation and make recommendations to Testing Services. If students make inquires at other offices, they are referred to us. No accommodations are given unless they are issued by our office. Our placement test is untimed and may be taken in parts by all students. For reasons of confidentiality, I would avoid giving testing personnel any student's documentation. I hope this helps... Pam Middleton From: Emily Silberberg It is funny you should bring this up. We have been discussing this here. Here is what we do: 1) All students who have deposited, get a packet of information. In that packet is a form from me asking them to identify if they will need accommodation, what accommodations and their disability. It also asks them to send with it documentation. unless we have all ready received it. This form comes back to me. We do ask that all students with disabilities, who need accommodation provide some type of documentation. This way all of our files are nice and neat. For physical disabilities, all I ask for is a letter from a doctor or a certificate from VR. 2) Then, with their permission a list of names and approved accommodations is given to the test administrator. I do realize that we will get some students who do not go through this process and find out about it at the last minute. Here is my rule of thumb, if it is a visible disability and we can easily accommodate it, we do it. However, if they require, let's say for example, an interpreter, that we can not get on short notice, we do what we can to assist them. The same goes for physical disabilities. As for LD/ADD-unless we have documentation on file-we do NOT provide the accommodation. However, if any of them wants to take the tests over at a later date with accommodations, once we have received documentation and had enough time to provide appropriate accommodations, then we will provide them at that time. I hope that helps. Emily Silberberg From: Valerie Eagen Pam, Val Eagen From: "Jennifer J. Osmer" Thanks, Pam! In answer to your question, yes, there's a reference to disability on our application. It reads something like "If you would like more information on disability services at MTC, contact ___- _____... " From: JaneJarrow@AOL.COM In regards to the discussion on yesterday's list regarding Placement Testing and what documentation can/should be required for students to receive accommodations... I think folks gave some excellent examples and advice about various ways to handle this issue. I would just like to throw out some additional food for thought. I don't think that the level of documentation necessary to provide accommodations in placement testing should necessarily be the same level (and the same detail) necessary for providing accommodations on an ongoing basis once the student is enrolled at the institution. The purpose of placement testing is to decide at what level the student is to begin his/her pursuit of a degree. If someone receives accommodations that go beyond what is documented as appropriate by a full report, and because of that they score better than they should have, the only person harmed in the process is THAT student, who ends up getting thrown into a class beyond his/her capability. (This assumes, of course, that if students get accommodations they don't really need/deserve it will give them an unfair advantage in a testing situation -- A PERCEPTION WE FIGHT AGAINST WITH FACULTY on a daily basis!) There is, of course, a caveat. It must be made VERY clear that accommodations granted for placement testing have no bearing on accommodations that may or may not be available once the student is enrolled at the institution and is asked to follow more formal procedures regarding documentation and justification of accommodation requests. I put together an article on this topic for my newsletter last December. It is too long to post to the list, but I would be happy to send a copy to anyone who would like to read my ramblings in more depth! Just send a message to me (NOT THE LIST) at JaneJarrow@aol.com. Janie Jarrow From: Emily Silberberg Jane and everyone, "It must be made VERY clear that accommodations granted for placement testing have no bearing on accommodations that may or may not be available once the student is enrolled at the institution and is asked to follow more formal procedures regarding documentation and justification of accommodation requests." As I was reading your post, I was thinking this very thing. However, in our case, because we are a small school, and other factors, students often assume that the accommodations they got for placement testing are the same they will use for their classes and since they were granted them once, even if it was with little or no documentation, they will get those same accommodations again. And faculty often go along with this. Personally, I think because there are sometimes too many variables. It is better to start off on the right foot and get everything straight from the beginning. If there are too many mixed messages, it gets too confusing. Emily Silberberg From: jhill I am not sure where I have been during this discussion so what I am about to say may not be germaine; however, I have a letter from OCR, Denver regarding denial of calculator use for placement tests that says: "it is our conclusion that the Chair's decision to test basic computational skills as part of an overall test of proficiency may be construed as an essential part of UCCS' educational program, and Section 504 and Title II provide educational institutions with substantial latitude to establissh essential educational standards....further, no students were identified as being discriminated against in their overall academic program due to UCCS' failure to allow a calculator as an accommodation. . . OCr does not perceive a compliance concern with respect to this issue." Thus, we continue to disallow calculators on our math placement exams. At the end OCR added: "we cannot predict our response to a complaint that may be filed in this matter because each situation is unique.....the outcome may be different in light of all relevant circumstancaes." This was dated July 15, 1997. I requested this after I had fought with our chair of the math dept over this issue for several years. From: Ron Blosser Janie, What? I believe strongly that we need to maintain the same documentation requirements for individuals (e.g., current or prospective students, newly admitted students who have not yet enrolled) taking placement or proficiency tests thru a campus placement testing office. Many of our campus placement testing offices administer a wide range of tests, and not limited to placement tests prior to admission or enrollment. Why lesser requirements and special exceptions? too much hassle for the person for just a placement or proficiency test? If we have lesser requirements in this case, what message are we sending to students and professional staff/faculty who operate testing offices or grade the tests? On some of our campuses, faculty grade or evaluate some of these tests such as writing or foreign language tests. Further, faculty may actually be the ones who designed the tests. Those of use who work in campus DSS programs have less credibility when we use different or inconsistent procedures. 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.' Regards, At 9:21 AM 6/30/98 -0400, JaneJarrow@AOL.COM wrote: Ron Blosser, Dir. From: Michael MASINTER Wynne v. Tufts and Guckenberger both suggest that OCR is right so long as it believed the judgment to have been a good faith academic judgment. Michael R. Masinter 3305 College Avenue From: Saul Finkle I've gone back and forth on this issue for many years. For what it's worth, here is what I finally decided was in the best interest of our institution and of our students who received special education services in high school. As a community college, we see a wide range of students, many of whom have not been well served by their school districts. We are always trying to educate the local school districts about the need for recent and relevant documentation, and we have made some progress. But there are always new students without acceptable documentation who have been using some testing accommodations in the high school or for the SATs. I've agreed to allow placement testing accommodations for these students with the understanding that updated documentation will be required for classroom accommodations. On occasion, I've gone a step further when I believe it's warranted. I've granted accommodations (based on IEPs, old documentation, the student's assessment of need, etc.) for one semester only if the student agrees in writing to provide updated documentation by the end of the semester. This has worked without a problem so far (I realize this is no guarantee for the future). The students feel that we are making an effort to meet them half-way, and I think the school districts see that we are doing as much as we can to meet their students' needs. Most students who want the accommodations, provide the documentation. In the end, every institution will have to do what it feels is best for everyone involved. Any thoughts? Saul Finkle From: JaneJarrow@AOL.COM I need to clarify my remarks from earlier this morning regarding this topic, pulling some pieces from other posts to focus that response... JoAnne Hill talked about a letter from OCR that indicated they did not see a problem with not allowing calculators on a placement test -- that this would not be discriminatory. I am inclined to agree. It isn't discriminatory, but (in my opinion) its DUMB! (That's a technical term.) Certainly, the institution has a right to demand all students take proficiency exams to find out at what level they are achieving in order to properly start them on their academic pursuits. It is not discriminatory to demand that everyone take the test and it wouldn't seem to be a problem to say "let's see what you can do without accommodation." But if OCR had been asked if it were illegal to deny a calculator to a student with legitimate documentation in classroom testing, they might have had a very different answer (a la several findings from OCR out of San Francisco). It doesn't make sense to me to test how the student does WITHOUT the accommodation so that you can place him in a class in which he will HAVE the accommodation. Kind of like asking the quadraplegic student to do his writing sample by hand "so we can see what you can do independently" -- although that student will have access to adaptive equipment or a scribe during his academic career. Its not discriminatory -- just seems silly to me! Then Ron Blosser raised some urgent concerns about consistency and about the perceptions that are created when you demand different levels of documentation at different times. Ron said, in part, "...I believe strongly that we need to maintain the same documentation requirements for individuals (e.g., current or prospective students, newly admitted students who have not yet enrolled) taking placement or proficiency tests thru a campus placement testing office..." You just "upped the ante," Ron. I admit to not having been able to pinpoint the original question that began this thread, but my understanding was that the question was specifically about PLACEMENT testing. I, too, would not compromise on documentation for proficiency testing, licensure exams, entry exams, etc. I thought the question dealt specifically with placement testing (as in, how is this individual functioning? what level of English/math/etc should he or she start in?). Aside from that -- even if we drop back strictly to placement testing -- I gather from Ron's post that he would still not compromise on the issue of necessary documentation in place, in advance. I was not looking at this from the perspective of "too much hassle" or "too little time for arrangements" or even "good intentions" -- I was approaching it from the perspective of the PURPOSE of testing -- the focus being on the test, and not on the student. From that perspective, I think there is a case to be made for saying that you ARE being consistent when you insist on a level of documentation that is necessary and appropriate for the purpose involved -- and I believe that this position could be defended. HOWEVER... I think Saul Finkle said it best when he ended his post on this subject by saying, "...In the end, every institution will have to do what it feels is best for everyone involved." You know what works at your campus. You know the type of students and the kinds of expectations they bring with them. You know the limitations of their situation -- and you know the politics of your institution. As time goes on I am ever more impressed with the knowledge, the savvy, and the good judgement of the folks in this field (and on this list), and their ability to apply general statements to their specific situations in a fair and equitable manner. There is more than one opinion and CERTAINLY more than one right answer to this particular issue. Keeps us from getting bored in-between Sam's Friday Funnies, huh? From: jhill Jane, in a verbal discussion, OCR did know about documentation, etc. I agree with you it is DUMB. It had been a bone of contention and has created some extreme problems but our chair kept insisting that NOONE, regardless, would use calculators on placement tests. I gave him Nolting's books and other info. It finally came to my requesting this letter. I talked about restructuring the test. One of the scenarios he gave me was that a student could perform fractions using numbers on a calculator but not letters so they would not be able to determine if he could do algebraic equations. Please believe me that it was a lesser of evils as far as I am concerned and finally ended a lot of my frustration and headaches. NOTE: (This thread was culled from the archives by Charley L. 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