2014 Regulation Changes for 070 Inclusion of Special Populations
Layout – Regulation divided into sections to allow ease in servicing a particular group of special education students.
NAEP – Clarification around students who are selected to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing shall take the assessment following NAEP administration rules.
General Conditions for Using Accommodations – Two sections were added to offer some basic guidelines that the accommodations shall meet. The first section, with 13 conditions, covers Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504 Plans and students with a Program Services Plan (PSP). The section includes clarification around student initiated, content validity, transitional strategies, technology being considered first before human provided accommodations, etc. The second section appears (with slight modifications) prior to the Alternate Assessment section. This section for Alternate students has 12 conditions with some slight variations from the first section.
Removal of Prompting and Cueing Notebooks – Taken away completely.
Technology – Should be considered as a first, early choice over human provided accommodations when appropriate and possible.
Manipulatives – Changed to include one 3x5 notecard with no writing on it but can contain blank graphic organizers.
Reader –Allowed on all parts of the test. Reads or re-reads only when requested to do so by the student.
Calculator –Allowed on all parts of the test, including any non-calculator portion.
Paraphrasing – Limitedto breaking directions into parts or segments, using similar words or phrases in directions, and repeating or rephrasing directions only.
Extended Time – Defined as time and a half or double time.
Student Initiated – Clarification added around the concept that accommodations should be student initiated (with a few exceptions). Accommodations should always be made available but it is the student who must choose what accommodation to use and when to use it.
Technology Considered First – Technology should be considered first as an option prior to being given human provided accommodations due to the continued growth of technology in today’s society. When appropriate, technology would be used first before a human to help the student remain as independent as possible.
Transitional Strategies – For many students accommodations may be considered transitional strategies and should be faded as appropriate. This will help the student to work toward independence.
Access to General Curriculum – Accommodations are intended to allow the student to access the general curriculum and shall in no way lead a student to an answer.
Dictionaries – For students with a PSP, dictionaries (bilingual or English) can be print or electronic. They must be a word-to-word translation without definitions. When using an electronic version, it is the administrator’s job to ensure that all Internet capabilities have been shut off.