State Guidelines for SD

South Carolina Guidelines for Inclusion of Students with Disabilities on NAEP
Grades 4 and 8
The South Carolina Department of Education expects that students with disabilities (SD) and students on a Section 504 Plan—if
selected for the sample—will be included in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as follows:
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•
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All students on a Section 504 Plan should participate in NAEP with or without accommodations.
All students with disabilities, who participate in the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS), with or
without accommodations, should participate in NAEP to the greatest extent possible.
Students with disabilities who participate in the South Carolina Alternate Assessment may be excluded from any NAEP
assessment. All other students selected for the NAEP sample should participate.

Recognizing that some students may need certain accommodations during testing, NAEP allows and provides for most of the
same accommodations provided on South Carolina’s statewide assessments. A student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)
or Section 504 Plan should not require revisions for the student to participate in NAEP. The following table should be used to
determine allowable accommodations for students with disabilities in South Carolina. If an accommodation is not listed, please
check with Chris Webster, NAEP State Coordinator, at cwebster@ed.sc.gov to see if the accommodation can be provided on
NAEP.
Several accommodations provided on the South Carolina assessments are not necessary for NAEP because of how it is
administered. For example:
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•
•

Writes answers in test booklet: On NAEP, all students write responses in the assessment booklets, not on separate answer
documents.
Takes assessment over multiple days: NAEP is much shorter than the state assessments, so multiple day testing is not
offered. Students take two 25-minute subject matter blocks and answer survey questions about their educational
experiences.
Uses a calculator: Calculators are allowed on some sections of the NAEP mathematics assessment. South Carolina students
who receive this accommodation on PASS should be included on the NAEP assessment even though calculators cannot be
used on all sections of the mathematics assessment.

Note: unlike the South Carolina state assessments, NAEP does not produce results for individual students or schools. Results are
summarized only at the state and national level. In other words, the NAEP assessments do not impose consequences for the
student or the school, and are instead intended purely to provide a picture of educational performance and progress. Note: As
indicated in the NAEP Parent/Guardian Notification letter, students may be excused from participation for any reason, are not
required to finish the assessment, and may skip any test question.

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NAEP Accommodation

NAEP Subject

Extended time

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Small group

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

One-on-one

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Directions only read aloud
in English

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

NAEP Accommodation Description
This accommodation requires that
students be given extra time to
complete the assessment.
NOTE: If state test is untimed, students
may or may not require extended time
on NAEP. NAEP is a timed, but not a
“speeded” test (it is not designed to
evaluate how many questions a student
can answer in a limited amount of time).
Generally, most students are able to
complete the NAEP cognitive sections in
the time allowed (25 minutes per
section).
Generally, a small group session
includes no more than five students. A
student can be assigned to a small
group session because he/she requires
one, or because one or more of the
accommodations he/she typically
requires must be administered in a
separate session to minimize
distractions to other students in the
regular session.
This accommodation requires that a
student is assessed individually in an
area free of distractions.

Allowed in South Carolina

Yes

Yes

Yes

For this accommodation, students may
have the general directions (the same for
all students) and/or the subject-specific
directions read aloud, repeated, or
reworded in any way in English so that
students understand what to do.
NOTE: Some students’ IEPs or 504 Plans
stipulate that they should receive this
accommodation. For those students, this
will be coded as an accommodation.
Students who do not have this as an IEP
or 504 requirement, but who need the
general directions (the same for all
students) and/or the subject-specific
directions read aloud, repeated, or

Yes

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NAEP Accommodation

NAEP Subject

Test items read aloud in
English – occasional

Mathematics,
Science
Not Allowed
for Reading

Test items read aloud in
English – most or all

Mathematics,
Science
Not Allowed
for Reading

Breaks during test

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Must have an aide
administer the test

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Responds orally to a scribe

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Large print version of the
test

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Magnification equipment

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

NAEP Accommodation Description
reworded in any way in English can
request this by raising his or her hand
during the session, and it will not be
recorded as an accommodation.
For this accommodation, students may
request to have words, phrases, or
sentences read aloud to them in English.
For this accommodation, students may
request to have most or all of the
assessment booklet read aloud to them
in English.
This accommodation requires that the
student be allowed to take breaks as
requested or at predetermined intervals
during the assessment. This also could
mean that the student is allowed to take
the assessment in more than one sitting
during a single day.
This accommodation requires that a
school staff member familiar to the
student administer the session.
This accommodation requires that the
student respond orally to a scribe
provided by the school or respond by
pointing to his/her answers. The scribe
then records the student’s responses in
the assessment booklet.
NAEP provides large-print booklets to
students who are visually impaired.
These are assessment booklets that
have been enlarged to 129 percent.
This is a lens or system provided by the
school that enhances visual function.
Magnification devices include eyeglassmounted magnifiers, freestanding or
handheld magnifiers, enlarged computer
monitors, or computers with screenenlargement programs. Some students
use closed-circuit television to enlarge

Allowed in South Carolina

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes
(See Test Administrator Requirements
section of PASS TAM for details)

Yes

Yes

Yes

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NAEP Accommodation

NAEP Subject

NAEP Accommodation Description
print and display printed material with
various image enhancements on a
screen.
Template: This is a cutout or overlay
provided by the school that is used to
focus a student’s attention on one part of
a page by obscuring other parts of the
page.

Allowed in South Carolina

Writing Tool: This is a large-diameter
pencil, pencil grip, or other special writing
tool provided by the school that a student
uses to record his/her answers in the
assessment booklet.

Uses template/special
equipment/
preferential seating

Uses
template/special
equipment/
preferential
seating (cont.) 

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

NOTE: Some students’ IEPs or 504 Plans
stipulate that they should receive this
accommodation. For those students, this
will be coded as an accommodation.
Students who do not have this as an IEP
or 504 requirement, but who typically use
large-diameter pencils, pencil grips, or
other special writing tools during
assessments, may use these for NAEP,
and it will not be recorded as an
accommodation.

Yes

Responds Using a Computer or
Typewriter: This accommodation requires
that the student record his/her answers
using a computer or typewriter provided
by the school.
Preferential Seating: This
accommodation requires that a student
sit in a designated area for the
assessment; such as away from other
students to limit distractions; a location
where there is access to special
equipment; or close to the front of the
room so that a student can see or hear
more easily. It may also include special
light and furniture used by the student.

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NAEP Accommodation

NAEP Subject

Cueing to stay on task

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Presentation or response in
Braille

Presentation or response in
Sign Language

Mathematics,
Reading,
Science

Mathematics,
Reading
(Response
only), Science

NAEP Accommodation Description
This accommodation requires that a
school staff member provide students
with a verbal or nonverbal cue to begin
a task or to refocus on a task.
Presentation: This is a Braille version of
the booklet.
Response: This accommodation requires
that a visually impaired student record
his/her answers using a Braille output
device, a slate and stylus, or an
electronic Brailler note taker provided by
the school, or uses a scribe to record the
answers (see “Responds orally to a
scribe” accommodation).
Presentation: This accommodation
requires that a qualified sign language
interpreter at the school sign the
instructions included in the session
script and some or all of the test
questions or answer choices for the
student. Presentation in sign
language is not allowed for Reading.

Allowed in South Carolina
Yes

Yes

Yes

Response: This accommodation requires
that a hearing-impaired student sign
his/her responses to a scribe provided
by the school who records the responses
in the student’s booklet (see “Responds
orally to a scribe” accommodation).

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