Assessment accommodations are used to meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities so that they can show what they know and can do on national, state, and districtwide assessments. In the past, only accommodations were recognized as a way to increase the accessibility of tests for students with disabilities.

In the 2010s, as many states shifted to technology-based assessments, states expanded their approach to providing accessibility. There has been a paradigm shift from accommodations to the identification of levels of accessibility (e.g., universal features, designated features, and accommodations). A consequence of this paradigm shift is that many students with disabilities who previously were assigned accommodations now access many of them as universal or designated features.

 The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently published a brief titled Avoiding Unintended Consequences of Improved Accessibility of State Tests. It explores some of the implications of the paradigm shift for states and students with disabilities and highlights what states and IEP teams can do to avoid possible unintended negative consequences of the paradigm shift. States may want to consider:

• Requiring IEP teams to document and report on needed designated features and universal features on each student’s IEP.
• Keeping track of the number of students with disabilities assigned designated features and, if possible, universal features for testing.
• When reporting on the numbers of students with disabilities assigned accommodations, indicating whether other accessibility features (e.g., designated features, universal features) are included in the numbers reported. If they are included, add a note to indicate that the number of students assigned accommodations includes students receiving other accessibility features. If these students are not included in the reported data, if possible, add a note about the number of students with disabilities assigned designated features and universal features.
• Providing training to district and school personnel on the paradigm shift and its implications for students with disabilities, as well as on what districts should do to document students’ accessibility needs. Provide training to IEP team members on the importance of documenting all accessibility features on IEPs.
• Providing training materials to districts to use with educators to ensure students with disabilities are familiar with and have experience in the classroom and on practice tests using accessibility features that will be provided during testing.
• Providing information to districts to share with parents about the paradigm shift and their child’s need for accessibility.