Assessment & Accountability

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ORAL ADMINISTRATION

An oral/signed administration is an accommodation for eligible students taking TAKS Exit Level mathematics, science, and / or social studies tests. An oral administration is NOT allowed for the English language arts (ELA) Exit Level test.

No person providing an oral administration of a test may write notes, calculations, or any other marks in a test booklet or in any other location.

Test administrations conducting an oral administration are viewing secure content and responding to test items or recording the information they see is prohibited.

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ORAL ADMINISTRATION

Test questions and answer choices may be read aloud to eligible students for the following tests:

mathematics science social studies

Three different levels of reading support on any part of the test (including the state-supplied math and science charts)

reading only a few words or phrases at student request reading multiple sentences throughout the test at student

request reading the test in its entirety

Please refer to page 88 in the TAKS Coordinator and Test Administrator Manual (Revised

October 2014) for oral administration eligibility.

Please refer to page 88 in the TAKS Coordinator and Test Administrator Manual (Revised

October 2014) for oral administration eligibility.

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ORAL ADMINISTRATION

It is the responsibility of the ARD committee or Section 504 committee to appropriately document the level of reading support the student needs in the student’s IEP or IAP.

A student may request a change in the level of reading support provided during testing only if this option is documented. For example, the student may ask that the test administrator only read words on an as-needed basis.

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Before conducting an oral administration, test administrators should familiarize themselves with Appendix C in the TAKS Coordinator and Test Administrator Manual (Revised October 2014).

Campus test coordinators will provide additional training in the procedures specific to an oral test administration.

ORAL ADMINISTRATIONORAL ADMINISTRATION

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• A student may request a change in the level of reading support provided during testing only if this option is documented.

• Students who receive any level of oral administration may need to be tested individually so that other students will not be disturbed or distracted.

ORAL ADMINISTRATIONORAL ADMINISTRATION

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Test Administration

ORAL ADMINISTRATIONORAL ADMINISTRATION

• Oral administrations should be provided by test administrators who are familiar with content-specific terms and symbols associated with the subject-area test. This will ensure that the test is administered accurately.

• Each word, phrase, and/or sentence in the test questions and answer choices may be read aloud as many times as necessary.

• No part of the test may be rephrased.

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Test Administration (continued)

ORAL ADMINISTRATIONORAL ADMINISTRATION

• Voice inflection must be kept neutral during the reading aloud of test questions and answer choices, although words that are boldfaced, italicized, or printed entirely in capital letters must be emphasized.

• Nonverbal assistance may not be provided to students.

• After an oral administration, no discussion or scoring of test items is allowed at any time.

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Assessment & Accountability

MATH (ORAL ADMINISTRATION)

Do not read aloud answer choices that are pictures or geometric figures. Instead, after reading the test question, say to the student, “Look at the pictures (figures, models, graphs) and mark your answer.”

Which graph best represents the inequality -X + Y ≥ 3? [Look at the graphs and mark your answer.]

If an item contains a table, graph, diagram, or picture that includes words or numbers, say to the student, “Take a few moments to look at the graph (table, diagram, picture) and tell me whether you would like me to read any of the numbers or words for you. Then let me know when you are ready to go on.”

[Take a few moments to look at the table and tell me whether you would like me to read any of the numbers or words for you. Then let me know when you are ready to go on.]

[Take a few moments to look at the table and tell me whether you would like me to read any of the numbers or words for you. Then let me know when you are ready to go on.]

When reading words or numbers from a table, graph, or diagram be careful not to aid the student in interpreting or analyzing the information on the graph or table, since the ability to interpret and analyze is part of what is being tested. You may only read words and numbers to the student.

For example, if a student says, “I can’t read this,” point to the word and say, “This word says April.”

It would NOT be allowable to say, “This is one of the months in which cars were sold” because that would be helping the student interpret the table.

Read content-specific terms and symbols in the way the student hears them in his or her daily instruction.

Which of the following functions is linear? For example, this

may be read as, “y equals 2x squared minus 3x minus 4.”

(y=2x2-3x-4)

For example, this may be read as, “y equals 2 to the x power.”

(y=2x)

In parallelogram ABCD, the length of AD is 90 units, and the length of AB is 50 units.

For example, this may be read as, “the length of line segment AD.”

(The length of AD)

For example, this may be read as, “the measure of angle BED.”

(The measure of BED)

Which additional data provides sufficient information to find the height of parallelogram ABCD?

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Assessment & Accountability

SOCIAL STUDIES (ORAL

ADMINISTRATION)

If an item contains a table, graph, diagram, or picture that includes words or numbers, say to the student, “Take a few moments to look at the graph (table, diagram, picture) and tell me whether you would like me to read any of the numbers or words for you. Then let me know when you are ready to go on.”

[Take a few moments to look at the map and tell me whether you would like me to read any of the numbers or words for you. Then let me know when you are ready to go on.]

When reading words or numbers from a table, graph, or diagram be careful not to aid the student in interpreting or analyzing the information on the graph or table, since the ability to interpret and analyze is part of what is being tested. You may only read words and numbers to the student.

For example, if a student says, “I can’t read this,” point to the word and say, “This word says Nullification.”

It would NOT be allowable to say, “This word is part of the title of the chart” because that would be helping the student complete the sequence.

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Assessment & Accountability

SCIENCE (ORAL

ADMINISTRATION)

Do not read aloud answer choices that are pictures or geometric figures. Instead, after reading the test question, say to the student, “Look at the pictures (figures, models, graphs) and mark your answer.”

The diagram shows how four blocks of heated copper were placed together. Which of these models shows how most heat energy would be transferred through this system? [Look at the models and mark your answer.]

Read content – specific terms and symbols in the way the student hears them in his or her daily instructions.

Which is the best estimate of the volume of solution released from the burette? [For example, 47.7 mL may be read as “forty seven point seven milliliters.”]