Accommodations

Contents

Permitted accommodations for the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics

Students with special education needs or special considerations outlined in this user guide are eligible for accommodations. These accommodations should be listed in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) where applicable and used for regular classroom activities, including all forms of assessment. School administrators must indicate applicable special considerations in the Accommodations tab in the e-assessment system.

Permitted Accommodations for the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics
Permitted for ALL students	Available for students with IEPs or special considerations
	Presentation format	Response format
Use of headphones White noise or calming music as required Prompts to return attention back to the task Quiet setting Preferential seating Supervised breaks Alternative setting Additional time Flexible scheduling by the school within the assessment window Use of built-in text to speech in the e-assessment system Built-in accessibility tools and features in the e-assessment system (e.g. zoom, text to speech, high contrast)	Alternative Version formats (single-selection questions only): Braille e-Braille Printable PDF large-print Printable PDF regular-print Online with or without full descriptions of all mathematics graphics* Interpreter/sign language Audio MP3s with or without full descriptions of all mathematics graphics Assistive Technology (e.g. Google Read&Write, Kurzweil, NVDA, VoiceOver, Read Aloud, JAWS, Natural Reader) May be used with PDF or Braille formats	Verbatim scribing (all student responses must be recorded in the e-assessment system)

* Assessment content for all formats of the Alternative Version is identical.

NOTE
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics has an audio format available that has full descriptions of all mathematics graphics. This format is suggested for students with visual impairments.

Role of the school administrator

The school administrator is responsible for

adhering to the Professional Responsibilities
ensuring that all required accommodations are provided
documenting the relevant information in the e-assessment platform according to the instructions in this user guide
sending an information letter to parents or guardians outlining approved accommodations

Decisions about accommodations must be made

based on the directions outlined in this guide and according to the student’s IEP or special considerations
in accordance with EQAO’s User Guides for the administration of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics
consistent with regular classroom practice, including assessments
prior to the assessment
for each student individually
in consultation with the student and parents or guardians or the mature student, and with the appropriate educators

Completing the Accommodations section

Step 1 – Navigate to the Accommodations tab

Log in to your account.
Select a student.
In the Student Record window, select the Accommodations tab.

Step 2 – Review all fields and select or revise the accommodations, as needed

1. Individual Education Plan (IEP) Status:

Select  This student has an IEP (if applicable).

2. Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Exceptionality:

The student has special education needs and has been identified by an IPRC as having the following exceptionality (check one only):

Behavioural exceptionality
Autism
Deaf and hard of hearing
Language impairment
Speech impairment
Learning disability
Giftedness
Mild intellectual disability
Developmental disability
Physical disability
Blind and low vision
Multiple exceptionalities
No

3. Special Considerations

Permitted accommodations can be provided to students who are unable to participate in the assessment without these accommodations, due to these special considerations:

Temporary or Unique Circumstance: This student has no IEP and has received the school administrator’s permission for accommodations due to temporary or unique circumstances.
New to School: This student recently arrived from another school and has no IEP but has received the appropriate supervisory officer’s permission for accommodations.

4. Permitted Accommodations

Select the needed accommodation(s):

Braille format: If Braille is required, school administrators must proceed to the  Alternative Version Request tab to provide specific ordering information:
- Contracted
- Uncontracted
- No
Other Alternative Version Formats: The school administrator must request the appropriate format(s) using the Alternative Version Request tab
Extended periodic supervised breaks
Sign language or an oral interpreter
Verbatim scribing of responses (refer to the Guidelines for Scribes section)

5. Assistive Technology

All students writing the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics have access to built-in accessibility tools such as a text-to-speech reader and a text zoom tool.

Additional assistive technology software is available to students with special education needs or a special consideration.

Schools are encouraged to use the chosen assistive technology during the online sample test to ensure the technology functions appropriately for the student in advance of the assessment.

The following is a list of additional assistive technology that is supported by the e-assessment platform and must be selected in the e-assessment system by the school administrator:

the Read&Write for Google Chrome extension
Other Assistive Technology:
- Kurzweil: The downloadable version
- Kurzweil: The extensions for Firefox and Chrome
- NVDA
- VoiceOver
- Read Aloud
- Job Action with Speech (JAWS)
- ChromeVox
- Natural Reader
- Others (please specify)

If a student requires one or more of these assistive technologies, or an assistive technology that is not listed here, please contact your school board IT representative. Refer to Configuring devices for public schools(or Configuring devices for private schools) for details.

NOTE
Variations in the pronunciation or inflection of words and phrases may occur due to the variety of software, speech engines and computer systems. Revisions may be made by the school to rectify such variations, providing that no change is made to any content.

Step 3 – Request the Alternative Version

To request a format of the Alternative Version, refer to the instructions in the section Alternative Version of the Assessment.

Guidelines for scribes

Students are permitted to work with a scribe if they have this accommodation listed in their IEP or have an approved special consideration.

Scribes must be adults and must not be relatives of the students they are assisting.

School administrators are responsible for reviewing the Professional Responsibilities and these guidelines with individuals who will be acting as scribes.

Scribes must follow the guidelines below:

work only with students who have been identified as receiving a scribing accommodation
record or input answers to the selected-response questions into the e-assessment platform as directed by the student
read the responses back to the student if requested
after the student has finished the questions in a stage (or session, if using braille or printable PDF), show the student their responses and ask if any corrections are necessary
make corrections according to the student’s directions

NOTE
The scribe can enter the student’s responses after an active session, if needed. The teacher will log in to the student account to allow the input of responses.

Scribes must not:

review the assessment prior to administration
clarify, explain or translate any part of the assessment
edit, alter, or correct the student’s responses in any way, unless directed by the student
prompt in order to draw the student’s attention to a specific part of the assessment
initiate the use of test-taking strategies
show any reaction to the student’s responses
engage in incidental conversation with the student or others

Transcribing student responses into the E-Assessment platform

All student responses must be entered directly into the e-assessment platform, regardless of which format is used, by either the student, the teacher or by the scribe.

If a scribe is unable to enter the student’s dictation directly into the e-assessment platform during the active assessment session, answers must be entered into the platform after the student has completed the assessment session. The student’s teacher can login to the platform using the student’s login information and enter exactly what the student has identified as their response.

IMPORTANT
All printed and electronic copies of the assessment must be kept secure and must be accounted for at all times.

Using Read&Write for Google Chrome

The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics includes various question types (drag and drop, drop-down menu, checklist, selected response). As these questions are more interactive than those in a standard document or on a webpage, students will need to use the Read&Write Hover Speech tool to access them.

TIP
The e-assessment platform has a built-in text-to-speech tool that is designed to work with the assessment platform.

Below are some videos that demonstrate how to use this assistive technology with the e-assessment platform: