Creating Accessible Teaching and Support

Academic standards are fixed - but how they are met doesn't have to be. Sometimes, giving students equal opportunity to demonstrate skill and knowledge calls for adjustment to standard assessment practice.  Alternative assessment should aim to simultaneously respect the student’s learning needs, defend academic integrity, and promote equity and consistency for all. Sometimes, it may be necessary to:

• vary procedures for conducting assessment (eg allow extra time for exams and assignments)
• change the method of assessment (eg give assignments in the place of exams)
• provide assistive technology, amanuenses, readers and other support in examinations.

Balancing equity and academic rigour requires that core course requirements and assessment criteria are clearly stated, so that modifications can be made without affecting academic standards.

It is usually possible to make adjustments for students with disability to undertake the same assessment tasks as other students, however in some cases it may be appropriate to offer alternative assessment methods to prevent a student being "substantially disadvantaged" and to ensure academic rigour is maintained.

Some students are disadvantaged in written exams because of the stamina required to continue writing or concentrating for a sustained period of time. In some cases, it may be the exam paper itself that presents a barrier, because the language in which it is written may be easy to misinterpret by a student whose first language is Auslan or who has dyslexia. These suggestions, while not exhaustive, will help make assessment fairer:

• Check that the wording of the paper is as clear and straightforward as possible.
• Provide a reader or interpreter for students who need one.
• Provide the paper in large print, Braille or other formats.
• Allow extra time for students who are deaf or dyslexic so that they can spend more time ensuring they understand the question, or checking their answers for spelling and grammar.
• Allow time for rest breaks (for example, for students who experience fatigue or have back problems and need to stretch).
• Provide an amanuensis (scribe). Students may need some time to practise before the exam. Amanuenses may also need to have some familiarity with the subject matter.
• Allow a student to submit scripts on computer. This will also entail making sure that the computer is “clean” and that technicians are on hand to deal with problems.
• Ensure that those with extra time or other arrangements sit their exam in a separate room (with a separate invigilator) to prevent them disturbing or being disturbed by others.
• Adjust the examination timetable to keep a student in “isolation” and allow them to rest between exams.

These alternative assessment approaches are often more effective when they are offered to the whole class rather than just the student with disability, possibly as a "smorgasbord" from which the student is required to choose say three:

• oral presentations or viva voce exams
• additional assignments and course work
• dot-point assignments marked for content, rather than for structure
• multiple-choice questions
• unsupervised exam with follow-up oral review (to establish that the result is the student's own work)
• practical demonstrations or production of models or displays
• class presentations or role plays
• alternative or supplementary assignments such as taped interviews, slide presentations, photographic essays or hand-made models
• a combination of any of the above.

 
There has been significant debate in the research on the issue of extended time in examinations.  However, there seems to have been a number of relatively clear findings from the literature.

• Students with learning disabilities perform more poorly in exams than other students.
• All students, with or without learning disability, benefit from extra time.
• Students with learning disabilities benefit more than students without disabilities.
• More generous time allowances may help differentiate student knowledge.
• Allowing extra time in examinations for students with learning disabilities is an appropriate accommodation.
• The best way to provide accommodations for students with learning disabilities without providing them undue advantage is to allow ample time for all students.
• There is little evidence that extra time is an advantage to students with ADHD.
• Providing section breaks (ie. separately timed sections within the exam) may assist students to perform better in exams (irrespective of disability).

Given the findings above, a number of writers have recommended providing universal testing conditions for all students which allow ample time for almost all students to complete the test.

Ref  Parkyn 2008

Most students experience some stress during the exam period, but are still able to effectively demonstrate their knowledge. For other students, disabilities or health conditions make it very difficult or even impossible to complete exams, even with adjustments. In other cases, completing an exam will exacerbate the student's disability (for example, a student with chronic fatigue and pain may be unable to manage more than a half-hour exam sitting at a time).

In these cases it is fairer to use alternative forms of assessment to prevent a student being disadvantaged and to ensure academic rigour is maintained. For instance, a student with dyslexia or whose first language is sign language might be able to make a video presentation instead of producing a written project; a student with severe back pain might be able to take a viva instead of sitting written examinations.

Alternative assessment minimises the impact of students’ disabilities on their performance and allows the marker to see beyond the disability to the student’s knowledge and skills. It is designed to place students with disability on a more equal footing, and not to give them any kind of advantage. The same academic requirements and standards should be applied to all students.

Adjustments should be made flexibly, as the result of negotiation between you, disability service staff and the student, and in consideration of the following:

• The nature of the disability. This information will generally be included among disability-related documentation required by the learning institution to verify a student’s disability.
• The nature of the assessment task. Student need will vary according to the skill and ability required.
• The nature of the course or subject. What kinds of skills and knowledge does your particular subject demand, and in what ways does the student’s disability impact his or her capacity to demonstrate them?
• The student’s usual work methods. What kinds of assistance does the student usually require? These should be available during assessment activities also.