Issues of Assessment

When listening to the lecture about assessing students, I wondered about how to compare the standardized test scores of disabled children with the test scores of non-disabled children.  Merriam-Webster defines the word "standard" as something set up for "the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality."  Arguably, as soon as a testing accommodation or modification is put in place, any resulting test score can no longer be measured against the test scores of students who take the non-modified version of the test.

Rather than change the test to meet the needs of disabled children, perhaps it would be better to create a larger number of tests that students could choose to take.  That way scores between students with similar disabilities could be compared.  For instance, a standardized reading test could also exist in a number of alternate forms, such as:

• One with more time
• One with presentation changes (e.g., questions are read)
• One with response changes (e.g., answers are given via an augmentative communication device)
• One with simplified questions

There would probably need to be more options than the four listed above in order to accommodate a wider variety of special needs children.  Furthermore, some students will always need to have unique modifications.  Nevertheless, by having a greater number of standardized tests to choose from, the integrity of scores would be better maintained.