Response: Reference Materials

Related References

Types of Assessment Accommodations Accommodation Objectives Guiding Principles Case Studies Glossary

Reference materials include spell checkers and dictionaries. Students may use these materials to define terms in the directions or in the test items. For example, on a writing assessment, the student may use a dictionary while proofreading his or her work.

Procedure

1. Review the test to determine which sections require the use of reference materials.
2. Make the appropriate tool available to the student for the section of the test in which it is required.
3. If the student is allowed to complete a draft first, make sure he or she uses the reference tools before copying the final version into the test booklet.

Cautions

Care should be taken to ensure that students use reference materials appropriately. For example, if the test is assessing vocabulary, then it would not be appropriate to provide a dictionary. If the test is assessing spelling, a spell checker would not be appropriate.

Excerpted from Assessment Accommodations Toolkit.

Provided in partnership with The Council for Exceptional Children.