LUCID EXACT NEWSLETTER Autumn 2011

JCQ Regulations for 2011-12

The JCQ Regulations and Guidance on Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration for the period Sept 2011 – Aug 2012 can be downloaded from the JCQ website www.jcq.org.uk. Users of Lucid Exact may be interested to know how these new regulations apply to the tests in Exact and how these tests may be used in applying for Access Arrangements.

• 1. The regulations on Learning Difficulties have been tightened so that most applications for access arrangements now require evidence of disability in the form of a standard score below 85 in a ‘recent edition of a nationally standardised test’ (e.g. Exact Reading Comprehension Accuracy) [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p. 48, Section 4.3.2.7].
  
  
• 2. Who can administer Exact? If Exact scores are to be used in an application for access arrangements, even for 25% extra time, they must have been administered by the Specialist Teacher or Educational Psychologist personally. Note, however, that if Exact has been administered as a screening test by a teacher or teaching assistant (for instance where it is thought that a student might be eligible for extra time), it is still possible for the specialist teacher to re-administer Exact (or one or more specific tests in Exact) using the parallel forms of the tests. [These can be reached by the ‘Add Student’ screen in the Student Register.]
  
  
• 3. The Exact Word Recognition test is still not acceptable by JCQ as a measure of reading accuracy when applying for a reader because it is a timed test of single word reading (similar to TOWRE) [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p. 49, Section 4.3.8.1]. However, our validation studies (see below) show that it is a very good test of single word reading, with scores very consistently located between those of WRAT4 and TOWRE. This test is therefore useful to help ‘paint a picture’ of a student’s disabilities (see ‘Value of speeded tests’ above), which is advocated by JCQ when applying for extra time up to 25% [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p.5, Section 2.1.2]. This aspect of evidence gathering is considered further in point 7, below.
  
  
• 4. The Exact Comprehension test is an acceptable test of reading comprehension [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p. 49, Section 4.3.8.3]. However, it has been observed that some younger and/or low ability students may not attempt the comprehension questions appropriately, merely clicking on any answer when they can’t immediately work out the correct answer. This shows up in their times for comprehension on page 2 of the Exact results, where it can be seen that they have completed all the comprehension passages in well under the 10 minutes allowed. If this occurs, it is recommended that the results for this test should be discarded and the student re-assessed using the parallel form of the comprehension test, giving the student clear and firm instructions that they have to think about the questions and take proper care over the answers they choose. [The parallel form can be reached by the ‘Add Student’ screen in the Student Register.]
  
  
• 5. Exact Reading Comprehension Speed is one of the few tests available that genuinely measures comprehension speed and is an acceptable measure of reading speed under JCQ guidelines [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p. 49, Section 4.3.8.3]. However, the results become meaningless if the student races through the questions without considering the answers properly. Where this has occurred the computer will flag up the score as aberrant. It is advisable to check the times for the comprehension passages given on page 2 of the results to make sure that the student has done the test appropriately. Where aberrant results are detected or there is doubt about whether the student has attempted the test properly, it is recommended that the student should be re-assessed using the parallel form of the comprehension test. The student should be given clear and firm instructions that they have to think about the questions and take proper care over the answers they choose. [The parallel form can be reached by the ‘Add Student’ screen in the Student Register.]
  
  
• 6. The Exact Dictation tests are particularly useful for showing those students who should use a keyboard (e.g. slow or illegible handwriting but competent typing speed). However, in cases where a student’s typing is as poor as their writing, a scribe would be more appropriate. JCQ have agreed that evidence of speed of handwriting to dictation (e.g. from Exact) is acceptable for this purpose, although the current version of JCQ Form 8 still only mentions evidence from free writing. In other cases where a scribe is being considered, a measure of free writing will normally be necessary [JCQ Regulations 2011-12, p.49, Section 4.3.9.1], but the Exact dictation tests are useful in showing those students for whom a keyboard may be more appropriate than a scribe. This is particularly relevant to students wishing to go to university, where fluency on a keyboard is important and scribes are not readily available.
  
  
• 7. The candidate’s normal way of working. Section 2.1.2 (p. 5) of the current JCQ regulations requires that applications for extra time should “…paint a picture of the normal way of working for the candidate, clearly demonstrating the need for extra time of up to 25%.” The regulations go on to state that “The documentation presented for inspection purposes must show a compelling case for extra time of up to 25% with a clear and detailed picture of current need supported by a substantial weight of evidence to demonstrate difficulties.” Assessment evidence to support such applications “… must confirm that the candidate is unable to complete an assessment in the time allowed.” Since all the tests in Exact are speeded, scores below standard score 85 on these tests may be evidence of inability to complete an assessment in the time allowed, and thus may be used in painting a picture of the student’s capabilities and normal ways of working.
  
  
• 8. Most dyslexic students prefer doing a computer-based test to oral testing because they feel it is non-judgemental. However, there are occasional students who are not comfortable with computers and may panic when faced with a computer mouse. This is likely to be obvious from their behaviour and their test results may be completely out of line with their general ability, their performance in class and any other tests they have done. In these circumstances it is recommended that their Exact results should not be used.