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Student Accommodations for EQAO Assessments

Accommodations - EQAO

• Accommodations are allowed for all provincial assessments. Accommodations must follow EQAO guidelines to ensure the integrity of the assessment.
• Accommodations for the grade 10 Literacy assessment are only allowed if the accommodation(s) is indicated in the student's Individual Education Plan.
• Accommodations for the grade 3 and grade 6 assessments of reading, writing and mathematics are allowed for students who have been identified by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee or who have not been formally identified but have special needs. Also ESL/ELD students in the early stages of English language acquisition may be considered for accommodations.

Modifications - EQAO

• Modifications are not allowed to any of the EQAO assessments
• Modifications are defined as "changes to content and to performance criteria". Modifications are not permitted because they would affect the validity and reliability of the test.

This includes clarifying test questions for students by rewording or explaining them; answering students' questions during the test or providing additional information; and allowing discussion prior to the performance of writing tasks.

Clarification of instructions for both the reading and the writing components of the assessments is permitted for all students before the commencement of the assessments. Such clarification is not considered to be an accommodation.

 

Grade 3 and Grade 6 EQAO Assessments

Accommodations

		READING	WRITING	MATHEMATICS
1.	Additional time can be given for an independent assessment task beyond the time given for that task (to a maximum of twice the independent activity time).	X	X	X
2.	Directions or prompts about the pace of the activity be provided (for example, question-by-question prompting to help focus the student's attention).	X	X	X
3.	Subject-specific support provided (for example, in reading and mathematics only, verbatim scribing of a student's responses).	X	N/A	X
4.	A quiet workplace may be provided away from the classroom to complete assignments.	X	X	X
5.	Students can use assistive devices ordinarily used in the classroom (for example, a speech synthesizer or Bliss board).	X	X	X
6.	A different medium for hearing-impaired students can be used (for example, American Sign Language, Signed English or an oral interpreter).	X	X	X
7.	A different test medium for visually impaired students can be used (for example, large print, Braille, audio-cassette, or coloured paper).	X	X	X
8.	Technology resources can be provided for students (for example, a voice-activated computer).	X	X	X

Grade 9 Mathematics and Grade 10 Literacy EQAO Assessments

Accommodations

	Setting of the test	READING	WRITING	MATHEMATICS
1.	Students may be provided an individual or small-group setting in a separate location or familiar space.	X	X	X
2.	Individual study carrels may be provided.	X	X	X
3.	Students may be given preferential seating within the regular classroom.	X	X	X
4.	Special lighting may be provided.	X	X	X
5.	Assistive devices or adaptive equipment (such as a device to support the student's arm for printing, writing, or keyboarding, or special pens or pencil grips) may be provided.	X	X	X
	Timing	READING	WRITING	MATHEMATICS
1.	A different medium fAdditional time to complete the test beyond the time assigned is permitted, but not more than double the time. Each component must be completed by the end of the test day.	X	X	X
2.	A request for consideration of more than double the time may be made to the Chief Assessment Officer of EQAO.	X	X	X
3.	Periodic supervised breaks are permitted. The duration of the breaks will not be deducted from the time allowed for the component of the test on which the student is working.	X	X	X
4.	When students with severe attention problems are off-task for significant periods of time, they may be given prompts solely to draw their attention back to the test.	X	X	X
	Presentation format	READING	WRITING	MATHEMATICS
1.	Teachers may read aloud, instructions and questions in the student booklets.	N/A	X	X
2.	A teacher (or other adult, as outlined in Human Resources Permitted to Implement Accommodations for Students with Special Needs, page 16) may help the student in separating the test booklet so that text and questions may be referred to side by side.	X	X	X
3.	The use of American Sign Language, Signed Language, or an oral interpreter is permitted for instructions contained in the teacher's administration script.	X	X	X
4.	Coloured overlays are permitted.	X	X	X
5.	The use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems is permitted.	X	X	X
6.	Verbatim reading of the writing prompts (including the topic) and accompanying texts is permitted for writing component only.	N/A	X	N/A
7.	Assistive devices and technology resources, such as a Kurzweil reader, those permitting optical-to-tactile transformations and "universally scripted visual components," or other devices indicated by the IEP, are permitted.	X	X	X
8.	The following "special versions" of the test will be available on request: a CD format for text-to-speech software, such as Kurzweil 3000 and Arkenstone a single-sided version of the test for scanning Braille 1 and Braille 2 large print coloured paper an audiotaped version of the test for students with learning disabilities and students who are blind or have low vision	X	X	X
	Reponse format	READING	WRITING	MATHEMATICS
1.	The use of the following is permitted: a Brailler a speech synthezier speech-to-text software, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems verbatim scribing of the responses audiotape recording or oral responses for later transcription videotaping of signed responses for later transcription for reading only a computer or word processor	X	X	X

From: Guide for Accommodations, Special Provisions, Deferrals, and Exemptions, EQAO

 

 

Additional Information Regarding Grade 10 Literacy Assessment

A) Students who use a computer or word processor may check keyboarding errors or spelling but may not use any other tool or device available in the software to respond to the test. Tools that check grammar or create summaries are not permitted on the test.

It will be noted on the student's Individual Student Report (ISR) that spelling was not evaluated for students who do not produce a written response or who use a keyboard and spell check. This includes response formats using

• verbatim scribing
• audiotape recording for later transcription
• speech-to-text software, speech synthesizer, or Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems
• computer or word processor with spell check

In such circumstances, the fact that a student does not receive a score for spelling will not compromise the student's chance to complete the test successfully.

 

B) Requests for special consideration of accommodations are permitted.

Clarifications of requests for special consideration of accommodation for 2001-2

• if the request is for more than double the time;
• if the request is for an accommodation that is included in the student's IEP but not in the Guide for Accommodations, Special Provisions, Deferrals, and Exemptions, and that conforms to the definition of accommodations (on page 7 of the guide);

There are two circumstances under which a request may be made to the appropriate supervisory officer:

• if the request is for an accommodation that is not included in the student's IEP (but is included in the EQAO Guide for Accommodations, Special Provisions, Deferrals, and Exemptions); and
• if the request for an accommodation is being made on behalf of a student recently transferred in the school from another jurisdiction who does not have an IEP.

 

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