Assistive Technology during science tests

Obviously, it is not fair to try to test a student on their comprehension of material in a manner that gives them a disadvantage. As a science teacher, and as someone who has gone through these classes previously, I know that written tests cannot always be dependable to measure a student's comprehension. In science, hands on experience is often crucial to a student's understanding of a concept. Even after 18 years of education, I still cannot fully grasp or explain some concepts without using hands on materials; so this can aid in better forming assesments.
Assistive Technology can greatly aid someone who has difficulties reading as quickly as other students. It can level the testing and minimize problems associated with difficulties a studnet might have. One technology that might be useful is pre-recorded tests on personal headsets so other students in the classroom do not have to be distracted by reading the questions a load. The students could skip forward and backward through the questions and work on them at their own comfort level. These could easily be made available to all students. I would also include some hand on identifications when possible and quations that are simply worded and as short as possible.

Assessment in Science Classrooms

It depends on if the student’s reading problem is related to a disability. It could be an intellectual disability, learning disability, hearing impairment or some other kind of disability. It is crucial as a teacher to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities.  Tests should not be a form of punishment to students. Students’ ability to read should not be the main point of the assessment. Assessment is the tool to evaluate if the student has learned the material and if the teacher has presented the material to students that could be understandable. As a science teacher, there are more ways to assess students. Tests should not be the only way to assess students’ knowledge on the content. If a student needs an oral test or some other format of a test to present his or her ability, then there should be alternative test available for that student.

Science Assessment

I have a sister who has a sever learning disability in reading. This semester I read over her IEP and looked for items I may or may not agree with now. One thing that was common was having dictation available to her. However, in an English class she would not have this available. I believe this was the staff's accommodation for my sister. However, as I have spent more time thinking about this, I wonder if it really helped. I agree with everyone that a student should not be punished in the science classroom for their reading abilities. But where I think I am a bit different is I feel the student should still read in the science classroom. They should still be exposed to the material. My sister would have someone 7/8ths of the day help her with reading and writing. During the one class that was reading and writing intensive she received zero help. How are the teachers helping her by being the life support in most classes and letting her drown in the one? There has to be a better way. I believe in text that is appropriate to the readers capability. With the hope that this will improve the readers ability over time.

As far as assessments go, I believe in alternative assessments. Not only does this help the students be well rounded individuals on the knowledge, it also takes the high stakes pressure of the students. If a student has a couple weeks to work on something that is equivalent to one test, studies have found students do better at project based assessments. However, I would not solely have projects in my classroom. It is also my job to prepare all students for the SOL tests. So, in order to do this, I must assign SOL like tests. Again, it is all about the balance.

Authentic Assessment

I think this is an interesting thing to consider in any content area. What are we assessing when we test students? In this case we're really just testing their ability to read. While I am personally concerned that my students are well rounded, and that includes reading, as a science teacher I am more concerned that my students know the information from my classroom. If a students doesn't have the reading skills to complete a test, then the test is not an accurate assessment of their science knowledge.

Others have mentioned the importance of practical assessments such as lab activities, and I completely agree that they are a excellent way to assess a science student. Unfortunately a student's understanding of a scientific theory will likely be assessed with a test. Some modifications will need to made so the student is not at a disadvantage. Perhaps the student could be read the test, or the teacher could make a recording that the student could listen on headphones while taking the test while the rest of the class does. Another option is an oral exam, which will also eliminate the need for writing, which they likely also has difficulty with.

Some of the software we saw in the lab, such as Read Aloud, reads documents as it high lights the words. I would encourage a student to practice with such software to improve thier reading skills.