Andreou, G., Athanasiadou, P., & Tzivinikou, S. (2019). Accommodations on reading comprehension assessment for students with learning disabilities: A review study . Psychology , 10 (4), 521–538. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2019.104034

Accommodations were not specified at the outset of the search process for this review of literature; instead, empirical studies were sought on accommodations used during reading comprehension assessments by students with learning disabilities. Specific accommodations and other issues were discussed in the Findings section.

This review of literature on accommodations for students with learning disabilities incorporated findings from 30 studies published in peer-reviewed journals during the period 2000–2016. The studies' participants were apparently in elementary or secondary education, and were attending schools in the U.S. or other unspecified countries. It appeared that all of the studies reviewed were reported in English.

The studies described in this literature review employed a variety of assessments measuring reading comprehension for students in elementary and secondary education.

Accommodations that were well represented in the literature were oral delivery (either partial or full), extended time, and electronic administration accommodations. Oral delivery versions included live in-person as well as text-to-speech software or devices; features included variable volume control, variable speed control, and concurrent visual cueing of words by highlighting while words are read aloud. Electronic administration included assistive software such as enlarged font, color-contrast backgrounds, spell-checking, and dictionary. A set of studies on "other" accommodations included scaffolding-type supports such as a resource guide containing a pop-up glossary and rephrasing of questions; scheduling in more shorter sessions across more than one day; and change in response format, substituting oral retelling for selected-response items. Some studies described these supports as modifications, affecting validity for accountability purposes.