Test Accessibility: Item Reviews and Lessons Learned from Four State Assessments
Table 5
Suggested modifications for science items, percentages by state.
Element/grades
State A (N = 21)
State B (N = 60)
State C (N = 101)
State D (N = 100)
4, 6
11
5, 8, 11
4, 8, 11
Passage*
Add a passage or stimulus
—
0%
0%
0%
Eliminate passage or stimulus*
—
0%
7%
2%
Simplify/shorten text
—
57%
43%
91%
Reorganize information*
—
0%
7%
22%
Modify the directions*
—
0%
0%
0%
Change text formatting (bold, etc.)
—
0%
0%
10%
Stimulus*
Add a passage or stimulus
0%
4%
0%
0%
Eliminate passage or stimulus*
—
18%
18%
8%
Simplify/shorten text
42%
68%
67%
33%
Reorganize information*
—
0%
5%
0%
Modify the directions*
—
0%
0%
0%
Change text formatting (bold, etc.)
11%
0%
0%
3%
Item stem
Simplify/shorten stem
48%
42%
54%
69%
Clarify question or directive
38%
23%
23%
20%
Change stem to a question*
—
8%
6%
0%
Use active voice
5%
0%
3%
0%
Eliminate negative stem
14%
0%
0%
2%
Change text formatting (bold, etc.)
24%
13%
16%
6%
Visuals
Add a visual(s)
8%
3%
6%
0%
Eliminate visual(s)
0%
0%
12%
23%
Simplify visual(s)
10%
46%
35%
36%
Move visual(s)
11%
8%
6%
18%
Answer choices
Simplify/shorten text
15%
17%
15%
24%
Revise answer choices
19%
12%
19%
26%
Eliminate distractor(s)
60%
58%
64%
74%
Change the order of choices
0%
0%
0%
0%
Balance issues
20%
22%
12%
23%
Rationale can be made for more than one correct response
5%
10%
5%
14%
Page/item layout
Embed item in passage
0%
0%
7%
16%
Increase white space
24%
20%
53%
8%
Change the size of item elements
0%
3%
0%
2%
Change the font size
16%
0%
0%
27%
Move item/change item order*
—
0%
0%
5%
Reduce spread of information across pages/screens
4%
0%
2%
61%
In the version of the ARM used to rate the IN items, the item passage and stimulus elements were considered a single element. Additionally, the version did not contain a code for every suggested modification.
