Russell, M., & Plati, T. (2000). Mode of administration effects on MCAS composition performance for grades four, eight, and ten (A Report of Findings Submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Education). National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED456142
Russell, M., & Plati, T. (2000). Mode of administration effects on MCAS composition performance for grades four, eight, and ten (A Report of Findings Submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Education). National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED456142
Notes
Research report (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 456 142) Direct link: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED456142.pdf 
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Summary
Accommodation
Students completed essays on either paper or a computer. Paper-and-pencil essays were then word-processed prior to scoring.
Participants
152 fourth grade students, 228 eighth grade students, and 145 tenth grade students in Massachusetts (U.S.) participated. Students in special education were included in the analysis.
Dependent Variable
Performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) language arts composition prompt and four open-ended items were used as the dependent variable.
Findings
Students performed significantly higher when they composed essays on computer. This was true across all three grades tested. It is important to note that all students had experience writing on computers prior to testing. Keyboarding speed and information on students' academic grades were also collected and used in the analysis. Eighth grade students receiving special education appeared to benefit more from the computer response mode than eighth grade students in general education.