A Note about Accessibility Resources

General Information

The use of universal tools, designated supports, or accommodations does not change the way scores are reported.

The CDE California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix lists the available CAASPP and ELPAC accessibility resources and the assessment(s) for which their use is approved. Additional information about accessibility resources used during testing, is found in the CAASPP and ELPAC Accessibility Guide.

Unlisted Resources

The use of an unlisted resource may fundamentally change what is being measured on the assessment.

“Unlisted resources” are non-embedded accessibility resources, identified in the student’s IEP or Section 504 plan, that a student regularly uses in daily instruction and that has not been previously identified as a universal tool, designated support, or accommodation in parts 1, 2, or 3 of the California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix.

Part 5 of the Accessibility Matrix includes a list of pre-identified non-embedded, unlisted resources for ELA, mathematics, science, primary language assessments, and the ELPAC that change the construct being measured. There are no pre-identified, non-embedded resources for any alternate assessment. An LEA coordinator or site coordinator would use TOMS to submit a request for use of an unlisted resource. A request for an unlisted resource that is not preidentified is sent to the CDE for review and adjudication.

For the CAASPP, if the CDE determines the unlisted resource changes the construct being measured—for example, if a student in grade four uses a non-embedded calculator on a Smarter Balanced mathematics assessment—the unlisted resource may be approved and used by the student and the student will receive an SSR with the score. The student’s scale score would be reported but appear on the SSR with an asterisk and a footnote that the assessment was administered under conditions that resulted in a score that may not be an accurate representation of the student’s performance. The student’s score will not be considered valid for public reporting aggregations, and the student will not be counted as participating in statewide testing, which will impact the accountability participation rate indicator for the LEA (5 CCR, Section 854.9[d][1]).

For the Summative ELPAC, if the CDE determines the unlisted resource changes the construct being measured—for example, if a student uses a translated words list—the student will receive an SSR with the score (5 CCR Section 11518.37[d][1]). The LOSS would be assigned to the domain with the unlisted resource that changes the construct, the student’s score status would remain valid, and the student’s scale score would be reported but appear on the SSR with an asterisk and a footnote that the assessment was administered under conditions that resulted in a score that may not be an accurate representation of the student’s performance.