Exam arrangements and strategy for accessibility

What about accommodations and exam arrangements?
The IMS ACCLIP (Accessibility for Learner Information Package) Specification briefly covers some aspects of exam accommodations for students. In particular, the element is used to store information about exam accommodations, such as whether or not an assistive technology can be used, whether extra time is required and how much, etc. It is important that if students are allowed to use assistive technologies in exam situations, that they should be given ample opportunity to become familiar with that technology beforehand, preferably in a mock test environment.

DEMOS (2002) lists a number of different accommodations that may be made for students. For online assessments, these include:


 * Extra time – for students who may have difficulties completing an assessment within the required time, such as students who have dyslexia or other cognitive disabilities, use assistive technologies, need to take rests (e.g. students with severe pain, ME or other disability), have manual impairments, etc. DEMOS (2002) states that if the aim of an assessment is to test student knowledge rather than speed, it is unfair for certain students not to be given extra time.
 * Voice recognition software – may be used by students with dyslexia or physical disabilities, who are unable to input data into a computer using a keyboard. However, DEMOS (2002) states that it is important to ensure that the student’s voice profile is recognised on the computer being used. Further information is available from Using Voice Recognition Software for Examinations.

Should a special strategy be adopted?
Each institution should already have a strategy or policy regarding assessment in general. However, DEMOS (2002) also suggests that a list of students requiring special arrangements for assessment be obtained for each course; and that a central record of arrangements made for individual students should be kept in order to provide a measure of the level of support being offered.

Can implementation of accessibility features compromise assessment validity?
It is important to ensure that implementing accessibility does not compromise the validity of an assessment. For example, in a question that shows an image of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, which students must then name, the use of an tag identifying the image would invalidate the assessment. For visually impaired students, either an alternative question could be asked or an equivalent format could be provided, such as a tactile graphic of the image. As IMS (2002) states, accessibility features need to be examined for their impact on validity.