Welcome

The Fifth Annual Study is coming in January, 2009! Your participation over the last four years has demonstrated how important it is to take the many different factors into account when making decisions about accommodations. This year we are going to shift our focus to gather more specific information about the effects of accommodations on standardized test scores. Right now we know very little about whether having a test item presented in ASL or read aloud to a student is beneficial. As we know from your responses, these accommodations are used with many students across the country.

Summary of the 4th Annual Survey can be found here.

Watch our research team's Vlog (Video blog)

Our goal this year is to begin looking at the following question:

What are the effects of accommodations on test scores for students who are deaf or hard of hearing?

Our study will include a number of factors you have said are important in accommodations decisions such as, the test subject, student characteristics, language used in instruction, and the accommodation itself. We hope the results will lead to a more authentic measure of learning for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

How to Participate!

We are looking for teachers or assessment coordinators who serve students in late elementary through middle school grades (5th-8th grades). After we have received consent from the student’s parents and assent from the student, we will mail the test packet to the school staff member. The school staff participant will provide some basic demographic information about the student. The student will complete the following materials as part of this study:

• Background tests of math and reading skills (1 hour)
• Language Use Inventory (10 min)
• A math and reading test with an accommodation (either ASL or Read Aloud) (1 hour)
• A math and reading test without an accommodation (1 hour)

These tests can be administered at your convenience, across multiple time points, and either in a group or in an individual setting. The accommodation choice (ASL or Read Aloud) will be based on information gathered in the Language Use Inventory. The accommodation will be administered by the school staff.

If you are interested in learning more about our study, please contact Dr. Stephanie Cawthon at stephanie.cawthon@mail.utexas.edu.

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