Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessment (PARA)

Description

Engaged in research on and development of accessible reading assessments to provide a valid demonstration of reading proficiency for increasingly diverse populations of students in public schools, and particularly for students with disabilities that affect reading.

This project was archived on 2013-01-16T00:00:00-06:00

Contact
Martha L Thurlow
Director
Martha L Thurlow
Website
www.readingassessment.info/
Funder
National Center for Special Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
Collaborators
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing
Westat
Educational Testing Service
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota

Staff

Michael L Moore :: Editor/Writer


Martha L Thurlow :: Senior Research Associate


Melissa J Critchley :: Business Administrative Specialist


Partner staff

David O'Brien :: Professor


Product

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Accessible Reading Assessments for Students with Disabilities: The Role of Cognitive, Grammatical, Lexical, and Textual/Visual Features

A study examining the characteristics of reading test items that may differentially impede the performance of students with disabilities. By examining the relationship between select item features …

Published: November 2010

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Studying Less-Accurately Measured Students

A report describing a small-scale study that closely examined a limited number of students to shed light on several questions. The study provided a preliminary look at the possibility of using …

Published: October 2010

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Cognitive and Achievement Differences Between Students with Divergent Reading and Oral Comprehension Skills: Implications for Accessible Reading Assessment Research

A study examining the question, "Are there any analysis of the Woodcock-Johnson III Battery (WJ III) data that might shed light on learner characteristics that differentiate students whose measured…

Published: May 2010

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Examination of a Reading Pen as a Partial Auditory Accommodation for Reading Assessment

A report evaluating the effectiveness of a reading pen as a Partial Auditory Accommodation for large scale reading assessments when the pen is used only to pronounce words on demand. Four research …

Published: February 2010

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Disabilities and Reading: Understanding the Effects of Disabilities and Their Relationship to Reading Instruction and Assessment

A report providing common ground on the issues surrounding reading and students with various disabilities to facilitate discussion of accessible reading assessment. The information in this report …

Published: March 2009

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Exploring Factors that Affect the Accessibility of Reading Comprehension Assessments for Students with Disabilities: A Study of Segmented Text

A document reporting on a study seeking to experimentally examine factors affecting accessibility of assessments for students with disabilities. This study focused on reading comprehension assessme…

Published: January 2009

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Examining DIF, DDF, and Omit Rate by Discrete Disability Categories

A report describing a study of differential item functioning (DIF), differential distractor functioning (DDF), and differential omission frequency (DOF) for one third grade and one fifth grade …

Published: December 2007

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: What Do State Reading Test Specifications Specify?

A report examining state assessment blueprints or test specifications for state reading assessments. The No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to assess student reading, but each state is …

Published: June 2007

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Examining Differential Distractor Functioning in Reading Assessments for Students with Disabilities

A report examining the incorrect response choices, or distractors, of students with disabilities in standardized reading assessments. Differential distractor functioning (DDF) analysis differs …

Published: January 2007

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Examining Differential Item Functioning in Reading Assessments for Students With Disabilities

A report examining group differences between students with disabilities and students without disabilities using differential item functioning (DIF) analyses in a high-stakes reading assessment. …

Published: January 2007

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: State Accommodations Policies: Implications for the Assessment of Reading

A report presenting the results of an analysis of the accommodations that are included in state accommodations policies and guidelines. The purpose of the analysis was to learn more about 10 …

Published: June 2006

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Accommodations for State Reading Assessments: Policies Across the Nation

A report summarizing accommodation policies for the content area of reading. Because of the increase in the use of computer-based assessments, the authors also examined whether reading assessment …

Published: September 2011

PARA Accessible Reading Assessment Reports: Developing and Researching an Accessible Reading Assessment for Students with Disabilities

A report documenting the Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessment's (PARA) field test to determine the degree to which its accessible reading assessment provided for accessibility, validity, …

Published: May 2012

NARAP Reports: Defining Reading Proficiency for Accessible Large-Scale Assessments: Some Guiding Principles and Issues

The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is a collaboration of two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct research and development on accessible reading …

Published: February 2006

Topics

  • Specific life stage
    • Children
    • Adolescents and young adults
  • Educational accountability and assessment
    • Accommodations and supports
    • Accountability
    • Assessment (large-scale, alternate)
    • Evaluation of education programs
    • Public reporting

Activities

  • Research
  • Dissemination