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Exam Access Arrangements

1. Know the regulations

The regulations regarding applications for access arrangements are set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). You can download these from the JCQ website:
www.jcq.org.uk/jcq_top_ten/index.cfm

Interpreting the regulations can be tricky, so Patoss have produced a practical guide that will help:
Dyslexia: Assessing the need for Access Arrangements during examinations. A practical guide’ (4th edition, Patoss, 2011)

This is available from Patoss, see:
www.patoss-dyslexia.org/PubDyslexia:Assessingtheneed.html

2. Are you qualified?

In most cases, assessments for access arrangements are carried out by specialist teachers, but sometimes by psychologists. The JCQ does not approve particular qualifications for specialist teachers, and the responsibility for deciding who is qualified to do this rests with the Head of Centre. However, JCQ makes recommendations regarding the skills and experience necessary for the job, which include:

• Being able to teach and assess secondary age students who have learning difficulties
• Understanding the theory and practice of standardised assessment of ability and literacy skills
• Ability to select, administer and interpret appropriate tests and assessments
• Training (or experience) in cognitive ability assessment
• Understanding the JCQ regulations and the Equality Act (2010)

The Patoss guide (see Tip 1) notes that in order to meet these recommendations a specialist teacher is likely to have completed a dedicated course of training, such as those provided by Communicate-Ed, see:
www.communicate-ed.org.uk/25.html

The names of all assessors for access arrangements must be registered with JCQ in advance.

3. Start early and have a clear timetable

Most applications for access arrangements now made online via the JCQ website. These can be made at any time up to the student’s first exam, but if applications are left too late there is a risk that if they are turned down there is insufficient time in which to appeal. Early identification of students requiring access arrangements is also important because the arrangements apply throughout the course – to modules and class work, as well as to class tests and mock examinations.

Consequently, a timetable of procedures should be agreed beforehand with managers and relevant staff; this will include screening, assessment, collating evidence, making application, and ensuring that the approved access arrangements are in place for each student to whom they apply.

Many students start modular exams in the Autumn, and in these cases it is advisable to start the process in April at the latest, when consideration should be given to which students are likely to need access arrangements in the forthcoming academic year. It is important to set the net as wide as possible during this stage, as this is better than finding out too late that you have missed students who really should have had access arrangements. To ensure this you should consult colleagues and refer to the SEN register, but also get information from the students themselves and/or their parents. The best way to avoid missing possible cases is to screen all the students (see Tip 5).

4. Consult colleagues

Ask colleagues which students are experiencing problems so that you can consider them for access arrangements. Ask if the student regularly needs support such as:

• Help from a Learning Support Assistant
• Extra time to complete work and/or in tests and exams
• Individual help with reading or writing
• Uses a word processor in class and/or in tests and exams
• To be prompted to stay on-task

The over-arching aim here will be to answer the question: What is the student’s normal way of working?

5. Use good tests

JCQ require that conclusions and recommendations are made on the basis of results of standardised tests. However, JCQ does not publish a list of recommended or approved tests, so it is up to the specialist teacher to decide what tests to use. Test should be:

• Scientifically valid (i.e. known to measure the specified ability)
• Up-to-date
• Age-appropriate
• Nationally standardised
• Administered and scored strictly according to the procedure specified in the manual

Tests that are old or that have not been re-standardised in recent years are likely to give misleading results because educational standards change and, where literacy tests are concerned, the language changes as well. Word that were unfamiliar 50 years ago (e.g. environment) can be quite common today and, correspondingly, words that were familiar 50 years ago (e.g. farthing) can be rare today.

Tests designed for younger children or which have a ceiling below the age of the student being assessed are not suitable because these are also likely to give misleading results.

Psychometric tests compare the student’s performance with that of their peers, so it is essentially to use tests that have been standardised using large samples of students that are representative of the population of that age. Tests that have been standardised in other countries (e.g. USA) may give misleading results because of differences in education, language and culture.

In order to administer tests correctly, it is essential that you familiarise yourself with them thoroughly. This will require reading the manual fully and carefully, studying the test items, and practising giving the tests to sample students.

Computerised tests (e.g. Lucid Exact) that meet these requirements offer significant time-saving and usually work out more economical than using paper-based tests where test forms have to be purchased for each student and staff time for administration and marking has been taken into account.

The Patoss guide (see Tip 1) makes suggestions regarding suitable tests.

6. Maintain good professional standards

It is essential to maintain high-quality professional standards in all aspects of the work, including:

• Rigorous assessment of students using appropriate tests (see Tip 5)
• Provision of adequate evidence in support of applications
• Making application only in respect of those with genuine and formally identified needs
• Making recommendations only for provisions that are appropriate to address the current needs of the student and which do not give an unfair advantage to the student
• Making provisions that do not comprise the quality or integrity of the qualification the student is taking
• Adherence to the requirements of the Equality Act (2010)

7. Keep everyone informed

• The student needs to know exactly what access arrangements have been made in which subjects.
• Subject staff need to what to provide for students in class tests and assessments.
• Exam Officers need to agree with you arrangements for examinations, including provision of word processors, separate rooms and invigilators.