Thompson, S. J., Lazarus, S. S., Thurlow, M. L., & Clapper, A. T. (2005). The role of accommodations in educational accountability systems (EPRRI Topical Review No. 8). Educational Policy Reform Research Institute. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED509864

Accommodation use on statewide tests for students with disabilities and the examination of state accommodations policies in several states to capture a range of accommodations policies were analyzed in this review. Five categories of accommodations were described, including examples of each type: presentation, equipment and material, response, scheduling/timing, and setting accommodations.

Accommodation policies from California, Maryland, New York, and Texas (U.S.) were analyzed. This review is a part of a series by the Educational Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI) that is examining accountability and special education.

Several relevant topics were illustrated in analyzing how accommodations are used by students with disabilities on statewide tests. The implications of these accommodations on accountability systems included: the law pertaining to assessments, assessment accommodations, related controversies, the role of state and school district policies, the effects of accommodations on assessment results, teacher reactions, the relationship between instructional and assessment accommodations, related logistics, and professional development opportunities.

There needs to be a strong link between accommodations that students use in their classroom and the accommodations that they use during assessment this review found. Using accommodations in the classroom provides students the opportunity to gain experience on how to use them before taking a large-scale assessment. Authors conclude that all students would benefit from tests that are well-designed and minimize the need for accommodations.