Special Education Accessibility, Accommodations, and Assessment

Overview

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Special Education Services (SES) is required under many federal and state laws to provide support and oversight to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and Individual Education Program (IEP) teams to implement appropriate accessibility, accommodations, and participation in grade-level instruction and statewide assessments for all students across Utah. This webpage provides policies, guidance documents, and other resources to assist IEP, 504, and English Learner teams with selecting, administering, and evaluating accessibility and assistive technology needs, accommodations, and assessment participation.

Contact

Tracy Gooley
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7887 | E-mail

Jessica Wilhelm
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7565 |  E-mail

Accessibility

Laws

Federal

34 CFR § 300.172: Access to Instructional Materials
United States Government Publishing Office (GPO)

National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
Utah State Instructional Materials Access Center (USIMAC)

NIMAS and Accessible Instruction Material (AIM) in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

Utah State Instructional Materials Access Center (USIMAC)

State

R277-800: Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB)
Utah Office of Administrative Rules

Utah State Instructional Materials Access Center (USIMAC)

Special Education Rules

Page 181: National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
Page 196: National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)

National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)

National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)

National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

Utah State Instructional Materials Access Center (USIMAC)

Resources

Accessible Materials and Assistive Technology Resources

Explanation of State and Local Education Agency Participation in NIMAS

Contact

Tracy Gooley
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7887 | E-mail

Accommodations

Utah Participation and Accommodations Policy 2023-2024

Testing

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Requirements Testing Accommodations
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Interpreter Guidelines for State Standardized Assessment (SSA)

Assessment Accommodations Request Forms

USBE Assistive Technology Accommodation Request Form for Assessment

USBE Braille Accommodation Request Form

USBE Exceptional Accommodation Request Form for Summative Assessment Instructions

USBE RISE Remote Proctoring Accommodation Request Form for Assessment

USBE Scribe Accommodation Request Form for Assessment Instructions

Scribe Accommodation Guidelines

Test Administration - Special Accommodations
Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Skill Certificate Program accommodations guidance and request form.

Contacts

Tracy Gooley
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7887 | E-mail

Jessica Wilhelm
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7565 | E-mail

Assessments

Assessment and Accountability
Assessment Directors Meetings
Utah State Board of Education Assessment and Accountability

Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Elementary Mathematics Calculator Usage

Resources

Academic Progress Monitoring Tools Chart
Academic Screening Tools Chart
National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) 

Contacts

Tracy Gooley
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7887 | E-mail

Jessica Wilhelm
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7565 | E-mail

Alternate Assessment

Alternate assessments are for students with significant cognitive disabilities whose disability significantly impacts their intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Participation in alternate assessments is determined by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team as the appropriate assessments for the student to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Alternate Assessment Participation Guidelines

Utah’s Alternate Assessments Chart

1.0 Percent Alternate Assessment Participation Threshold

The Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), limits the total number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are assessed statewide in a subject using an alternate assessment (i.e., Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) to 1.0 percent of the total number of all students in the State who are assessed in such subject.

Public Law 114-95 as amended § 1111(b)(2)(D)(i)(I)
United States Department of Education

A State may not prohibit a Local Education Agency (LEA) from assessing more than 1.0 percent of its assessed students with the alternate assessment DLM. However, a State must require an LEA that assesses more than 1.0 percent of its assessed students in any subject with the alternate assessment DLM to submit information to the State justifying the need to exceed the 1.0 percent threshold. States must provide appropriate oversight of each LEA that is required to submit such a justification letter and must make the justification publicly available, provided that it does not reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student. A justification letter template is provided to LEAs.

LEA 1% Justification Letter Template School Year (SY) 2022–2023

The 1.0 percent participation rates for the State and the status of LEAs exceeding the 1.0 percent threshold are available below.

One Percent Alternate Assessment Participation Threshold Report

To request a justification letter submitted by a district or charter school, please contact Tracy Gooley.

United States Department of Education memos to states outlining requirements under ESSA for 1.0 percent participation in the year-end alternate assessment:

Alternate Achievement Standards and Instructional Resources

Special Education Effective Instruction and Inclusion Significant Cognitive

Civics Exam

Civics Test Requirements and Options for Students with Disabilities

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)

DLM Utah

Test Administration Manual 2023-2024
Dynamic Learning Maps 

DLM Administration Checklists

Creating DLM User Accounts, Student Enrollment, and Rosters

Acadience Reading and Math Alternate Assessments

Acadience Reading
Utah State Board of Education Assessment and Accountability

Acadience Reading and Math Accommodations Alternative and Alternate Assessment Options

Enroll in Administering the Early Literacy and Math Alternate Assessments
USBE Canvas

This canvas training course combines both Acadience Literacy and Math Alternate Assessment.

Early Literacy Alternate Assessment (ELAA)

Early Literacy Alternate Assessment Rubric Grade 1

Early Literacy Alternate Assessment Rubric Grade 2

Early Literacy Alternate Assessment Rubric Grade 3

Guide to the Early Literacy Alternate Assessment (Acadience Reading) for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Early Math Alternate Assessment (EMAA)

Early Math Alternate Assessment Grade 1

Early Math Alternate Assessment Grade 2

Early Math Alternate Assessment Grade 3

Guide to the Early Math Alternate Assessment Acadience Math Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten Alternate Assessment

Pre-Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Utah State Board of Education Assessment and Accountability

Contact

Tracy Gooley
Special Education Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7887 | E-mail