Kosciolek, S., & Ysseldyke, J. E. (2000). Effects of a reading accommodation on the validity of a reading test (Technical Report No. 28). University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. https://nceo.info/Resources/publications/OnlinePubs/Technical28.htm

NCEO Technical Report No. 28

Students were provided an audiocassette recording of the items and answer choices read aloud on one form of the test. All students also completed a form of the test in the standard format.

Totals of 17 students in general education (8 male, 9 female) and 15 students in special education (12 male, 3 female, 47% of sample), in grades 3–5 in a U.S. school participated. Students with disabilities included those with learning disabilities (n=9), emotional behavioral disability (n=4), and speech/language impairments (n=1). Additional demographic details include that 11 students from each group were White; 3 of the general education students and 2 of the special education students were African American, and the rest (n=5) were of other ethnicities.

Each student took two equivalent forms of the California Achievement Tests (CAT/5), Comprehension Survey. Information on student preferences for accommodations was also gathered.

A significant interaction between accommodation effects by student status was not found. However, there was a moderate positive effect size for students with disabilities, while the effect size for students in the general population was minimal. Students in special education preferred the test with the accommodation, students in general education preferred the test without.