Effects of Accommodations on Mathematics Test Scores
The second study Elliott discussed was an experimental analysis of the effects of accommodations on performance on mathematics items (Schulte, Elliott, and Kratochwill, 2000). The participants included 86 fourth graders, half of whom had disabilities. The students were given the Terra-Nova Multiple Assessments Practice Activities mathematics assessment and the Terra-Nova Multiple Assessments mathematics subtest (composed of multiple-choice and constructed-response items). Students without disabilities were randomly paired with students with disabilities within each school, and both students in each pair received the accommodations listed on the IEP for the student with disabilities. All students participated in a practice session to become familiar with the accommodations and test procedures.
Findings from this study indicated that both groups of students benefited from the testing accommodations; thus, again, the interaction effect was not present, leading to questions about the validity of scores when accommodations were used. Small effect sizes were found for students without disabilities; effect sizes were in the small to medium range for students with disabilities. One explanation for these findings may be that constructed-response items are more challenging for all students (i.e., they involve higher levels of reading and thinking skills), and the accommodations may have removed barriers to performance for both groups. Elliott presented findings from a third study (Marquart and Elliott, 2000), which focused on the effects of extra time accommodations. The research was based on 69 eighth graders who took a short form of a Terra Nova mathematics test composed entirely of multiple-choice items. One third of the participants were students with disabilities who had extra time listed on their IEPs; one-third were students whom teachers, using a rating form developed by researchers, had identified as “at-risk”; and one-third were students functioning at or above grade-level. Students had 20 minutes to complete the test under the standard time condition and up to double that time for the extra time condition. Again, random assignment was used to determine the order of the accommodated and not-accommodated conditions and the form used under each condition.
Tags: eighth graders, experimental analysis, interaction effect, marquart, mathematics test, medium range, practice session, students with disabilities, terra nova, test proceduresRelated posts
Helping Your Child Master the Times Tables: the Element of Technology in Learning
One area where many children struggle with learning is the introduction of the times tables. The whole concept behind multiplication can be confusing for young minds. Luckily, there are a few things parents can do to help their children to learn and memorise the basics of the times tables, a cornerstone of all future math study.
Tags: computer based learning, interactive learning, learning technology, math instruction, math study, technology aids, times tables, visual cues, visual element, william bender